Roleplaying in the CWBP.

[Redrobes]

Thats good. So lets see, thats you, FeralSpirit, Korash (I think ! and with limited time), Talroth (maybe interested), NotSoNoble (as a player), Midgard (as a player). Myself, I would like to play but would consider GM too though I have not done a pbm type system and last GMing I was doing was 2nd ed AD&D. If I DM then I would go for a stripped down affair with less reliance on rules and dice. I can host pages and generate some interfaces to modify characters.

We have enough for one party so maybe instead of this being a big affair maybe we start with just a private group. Should I set up a web forum off my site and try to bootstrap this ? IG would you like to GM or shall I take the plunge and go for it ?

[Midgardsormr]

That Rifts game I mentioned running earlier ran at a significantly faster pace. I ran it for about two years, and that was long enough to get through a fairly big campaign arc. Battles typically lasted three to nine days. The City of Veils was much slower. It only lasted a few months once I got involved, and I played, perhaps, five or six turns, but they only covered a little more than two days.

The pace largely depends on the style of the game and how much attention the participants can give it. If you're dealing with "Gimbal darts forward and savagely attacks the goblin with the gimpy leg" then it will take a long time to get through a combat. On the other hand, you can play it like "Gimbal joins the fray, laying about him with his pickaxe, striking at any goblin flesh he can reach." With that kind of approach, the GM's next post can tell about how Gimbal slew six of the goblins before taking a spear in the leg, and now what does he do?

The thing of it is, it's really difficult to satisfy both people who want tactical combat and people who want in-depth storytelling at the same time in a PBeM. Splitting battles off into VTT space might ameliorate that, though. I've never tried a game that exists in both spaces before.

I'll be happy to participate if you want to get the ball rolling.

[industrygothica]

Thats good. So lets see, thats you, FeralSpirit, Korash (I think ! and with limited time), Talroth (maybe interested), NotSoNoble (as a player), Midgard (as a player). Myself, I would like to play but would consider GM too though I have not done a pbm type system and last GMing I was doing was 2nd ed AD&D. If I DM then I would go for a stripped down affair with less reliance on rules and dice. I can host pages and generate some interfaces to modify characters.

We have enough for one party so maybe instead of this being a big affair maybe we start with just a private group. Should I set up a web forum off my site and try to bootstrap this ? IG would you like to GM or shall I take the plunge and go for it ?

If you're giving me the choice I'd rather you take the GM role, though with you not having done pbp before, it could be considered baptism by fire. The first thing we need to do is decide on a rules system. No matter how stripped down i is, we're still going to have to have rules. I can do d&d 3e-4e, but any previous versions allude me. I've done a small bit of WoD, but never in a fantasy setting.

It might be best to start with something small--3 to 4 combat encounters and a few skill-based scenarios, just to get a feel for it, and make sure people are going to stick around. I don't think any extra programming will be necessary, just three separate forums; one for game play, one for out of character discussion, and one for character records. Anything more than that would be overkill I think.


-IG

[Redrobes]

Ok ill set something up in the next few days - prob later in the coming week and see if I can get something up and running. Probably another forum similar to this but with members vetted and not advertised. I was hoping that I might be able to twitter the commentary so that the public interface is more a listing of the fixed history instead of the blow by blow posts, but maybe there will be a blow by blow twitter and a fixed history twitter, blog or something I dunno not having tried it. I'll DM a bit then and see how it goes. It will be D&D based but instead of rolling for every perceived skill thing it will have to be more woolly and taken on trust a bit. We can discuss the actual mechanics. We can try for some VTT time if we all feel like it or just stick with the posts. I expect ill host a number of images and maybe get a map server running for some of the time but not all unless I can find a way of getting it always on.

In terms of character sheets I think a wiki is the right way to do it. Since the characters are in the CWBP then maybe we could use that area for stuff which isn't likely to constantly change. I.e. put max HP in there but have current HP locally or on some more dynamic page. We could go for a full bung D&D 3e or 4e character but just not use most of it in game but use the stats as a means to guide decisions and keep balance to it.

[industrygothica]

As I don't have a twitter account, I'd certainly hope you refrain from using it. I realize I'm probably one of three people left in the civilized world without one, but...

I couldn't promise any VTT time, as I never know when I'll be online or not, but I should be able to post often enough to satisfy a solid pbp game.

I'll also put together a short and sweet 4e adventure to run either after or concurrent with yours--I really think that's the best way to expand the world, to play in it and make it home. Will you be starting in your area of the Thrubmorten Fens?

[Feralspirit]

Would I need a twitter account? Character sheet on wiki? Both of those are going to be a challenge for me, but maybe my 15 yr old can help me a bit. As I mentioned previously I am completely unfamiliar with DnD Editions 3, 3.5 or 4. If there are similarities to 2nd Ed I can probably figure it out. Nail down which you desire to use and I'll go hunting for a character sheet. If I can find a character sheet with a few sample characters I'll be able to muddle my way through.

[Korash]

I think that, in order to keep the play flowing, a trimmed down version of the character sheet would be recommended. Regardless of the system that is being used, not every thing on that sheet will be useful in a play by post game. (understand that I have never played on, but am just stating an uninformed opinion) With actions being determined by the GM as to how well the actions are performed, instead of dice rolling, only general ability ratings are required. Do the stats and stuff, but then add statements as to what level the character is at for various skill groups: "Vatan is a 5th level fighter with a lot of experience living off the sea. His stats are blah blah blah, and he is very good at handling boats, surviving on the sea (fishing, finding his direction on the sea)
and can swim quite well. He is only learning to ride, and has no real clue how to deal with people who do not deal with boats in some way." As an example.

Anyhoot gotta go. back later

[Ascension]

What's twitter? NM, if it's like facebook then I don't have any of that junk either. Who cares when I'm sleeping other than me?

[Midgardsormr]

With actions being determined by the GM as to how well the actions are performed, instead of dice rolling, only general ability ratings are required. Do the stats and stuff, but then add statements as to what level the character is at for various skill groups:

That's essentially the basis of the Fudge game system, which was designed with play-by-post in mind. http://www.fudgerpg.com/fudge.html

A trait is given a descriptor word rather than a number. So instead of saying "I have Broadsword: 5," you'd say "I am a Great swordsman." It solves the problem of sorting out whether or not 5 is good, and it allows the mechanics to be expressed in the narrative without disrupting it too much.

It does require a bit more front-end work by the GM, though, since it includes no world information (monster stats, etc).