Tips on running a successful Play-by-Post (PbP)
Play-by-posts are great for DMs and players who don’t have the time, or the ability, to run a face-to-face game. I have run two very successful PbPs in my life, one for Savage Tide and my current Eberron game. The Savage Tide PbP ran for 18 months with four out of six players being the same that I started with and it only stopped because I was burned out on D&D and took a 6 month sabbatical from gaming altogether. My Eberron game has been running for five months now with all the same players. All of my players tell me they have a lot of fun in them and one of my Savage Tide players wishes I would start it up again. With that in mind, I thought that I would present some tips on running a successful PbP.
Tip #1: Lay out the rules early
Before you start the actual gaming, make sure you lay out all your rules, official or house rules, early and logically so the players know what to expect. Let them know exactly how to create characters, what house rules you’re using, and how often they will be expected to participate. For example, I always tell my players that they need to post at least once a day, weekdays only, or I will ask them to leave. Weekends are free because I know folks have stuff to do. Here’s an example of what I laid out for the ST PbP.
Character Creation
- All characters start at 1st level
- 32 point buy for stats
- Starting gold = Max for class
- Books to use = PHB, PHB2, Races of… Series, Complete… Series, Spell Compendium, DMG, DMG2, Expanded Psionics Handbook, Stormwrack, Unearthed Arcana
- Races = Whatever’s in the books but no ECL races
- Classes = Whatever’s in the books
- Action points will be used. Everyone gets 5 + 1/2 character level, rounded down, per level.
- Feats = Whatever’s in the books + any feats that effect Action Points from the Eberron books
- Max HP at first level. Average HP (half hit die + 1 + Con Mod) at levels 2 and beyond.
- If you want something that goes against these “rules,” ask.
- A character must be either LG, NG, CG, LN, or N. If really want to be CN, let me know why. No evil characters.
- I will also need one recent event in your character’s life that might mark him/her as an adventurer.
Rules of Play
- At minimum, please post once per day during weekdays. If you do not, I will be forced to drop you from the game.
- There will be a separate thread for OOC comments. If you must make OOC comments in game, make sure you designate them as such.
- For spellcasters: I would like a list of spells memorized for the day either PMed to me or posted in the thread.
- Die rolling is done using Invisible Castle.
- Action Points can be used to adjust the following d20 rolls: attack, caster level check, saving throws, skill checks, ability check. You can only use one Action Point per round.
- I will not give out XP. I will keep track of your XP in case you perform a task that requires to give up XP but I will simply tell you when you level up.
- We will use the “retraining” option as presented in the PHB2 (pgs. 192-195).
Tip #2: Be flexible
PbP is a different environment than a real life game. You may need to be a bit more flexible in your rulings so that you don’t get bogged down in the minutiae that, at the table, would take a few seconds to work through but, in a PbP, can drag on for hours, if not days, as people post back and forth.
Tip #3: Be ready to play people’s characters
Some folks may be leaving for a bit and they still want to participate, so they ask you to NPC them. Be willing to do that. If they’re showing interest in your game, it’s important that you keep them in the game because they’re obviously having fun.
Tip #4: Communicate
PbPs can last a while. Make sure that, every few months, you ask your players how they like the game so far, what needs to be changed, what needs to not be changed, etc. Feedback is important.
Tip #5: Be patient
Not everyone will have the same posting schedule. Some will be able to post multiple times per day while others may only be able to post a couple of times. This is normal and, as long as they are actually posting, you shouldn’t get discouraged. For players who can only post a few times per day, encourage them to post their moves ahead of time when their turn comes up in combat.
Tip #6: Use technology
In combat, visualizing the battlefield can be difficult for some. I use PowerPoint to plot out the combat on a grid and I tell my players they must tell me exactly where they are moving so it’s easier for me to update the map. I also make sure that they give me images of their characters so I can put them on the map. I then take the information and put it into a picture, which I then upload to my server. If you don’t have a server, you can use a free image hosting service like ImageShack.
Tip #7: Be ready for players to drop out
The longer your PbP lasts, the more likely it will be that players drop out for personal reasons. Be ready for this and have a “waiting list” of players that you can plug in quickly so as not to stop the flow of the game.
Tip #8: Post Out of Character (OOC) remarks in italics
Since it can be hard to tell exactly what a player, or the DM, is saying in, or out, of character, always put OOC comments in italics.
Tip #9: Create a thread for OOC discussions
Make a separate thread from the game to have discussions on what’s happening in the game, rules, or anything else that needs to be discussed “away from the table.”
Tip #10: Have fun
Just like real life gaming, PbPs are meant for everyone to have fun. If you’re not having fun with the PbP, then either adjust your style or simply stop altogether. People would rather not play than to play with an unhappy DM.
I hope these help. If you have any questions, I will be happy to answer them. For those who have also run successful PbPs, what advice would you give?
Dire Wolf September 18th, 2008 at 11:34 AM
Great tips. Being able to participate in the Savage Tides PBP for a little while I will say that the man runs a great PBP game! I would second that vote to re-start the Savage Tides game btw.