User ID
Hello, Guest! Are you still lurking? If so, you need to create yourself a User ID. STOP LURKING AND START PLAYING! Thank you!
Introductions and Welcomes
Yes, well... NOW that you finally have a User ID, go to the Introductions and Welcomes folder and make a new thread (or add a post on the general Welcome! thread) and tell us about yourself! Who are you? What do you like or not like? What is your gaming experience thus far? Have you ever played in a PbP (Play-by-Post) forum before? What is your favorite on-line banking service? What was your first pet's name? What is your mother's maiden name? What is the make and model of your first car?
After you fill that out, you might want to familiarize yourself with the general forum functions. The following threads are a good place to start:
New To Play-by-Post Games?
Tips For Using The Forum
The Helpful Friendly Macro
Tips For New Play-By-Post(PbP) Players
When you're bored with that and want to actually do something, read these:
Setting My Signature
How Do I Give Myself An Avatar?
How Do I Add A Picture To A Post?
Looking for players or games
Obviously, this is where you go to look for games you might want to consider joining. Start reading the threads to find a game you're interested in. If you find one that is still looking for players, then post something indicating you want to join or send the GM a PM.
Note: We are currently trying to encourage GMs to begin their Looking For Players threads with "LFP" and end the thread title with a STATUS indicator. This would let you know at a glance if the game is openly accepting new players or if the game is closed or if the GM has a waiting list you could sign. (Thank Vargr1105 for this idea!)
Sometimes the games fill up quickly, so it isn't a bad idea to check this topic frequently.
Of course, if you want to be proactive, you can create your own thread under this topic with an "LFG" at the beginning to indicate you are looking for a group to join! GMs LOVE proactive players! It shows you are going to be an active player in their game!
General Play-By-Post Forum Tips
- You basically have ONE form of communication available to you in a forum PbP game, and that is written text. 99% of the members of the forum don't know you in real life, so they have no idea if you have a jovial personality, a serious personality, or a sarcastic one; they don't know if you're laughing when you type something or fuming smoke out your ears. The only point of reference they have is the words you write. So choose them wisely.
- It is also good to remember that a player in one game is a lurker in every other game. And a lurker in your current game is a potential player/GM in the next. So a snarky comment about someone (or a group of people) might seem funny at the time, but it also creates an impression of YOU as a Player/GM that carries over to other games in which you might participate or lead. Again, choose your words wisely.
- If you ever feel the need to post a picture that is NSFW (Not Safe For Work), then please use the Spoiler tags to keep such an image hidden unless someone wants to view it. No dirty piece of fan art or humorous (sic) picture is worth anybody's job.
- Finally, always remember to be respectful of the other members of the forum.