PbP articles on RPG.net

[Zhym]

I don't know if this is covered in the linked articles, but I'll add another bit of PbP advice: try to avoid situations where only one player can act. The example that made me think of this is when a party is camped out for the night, one PC is on watch, and that PC notices something (typically, an encounter). Typically, I think DMs let the person playing the PC on guard decide whether the wake the rest of the party or do something else. But in PbP, that means the game comes to a stop until that one player can post.

In general, it's better to pause the action at points where everyone can do something. In this example, I'd suggest assuming that whoever is on watch wakes everyone else up.

[AsenRG]

I haven't read any of the articles in the link yet, but I can say that I prefer railroading as the DM, and to be railroaded as a player.

As a player, I get bored without a goal. I suppose it's possible in the game of an extremely talented and prepared DM, a sandbox-style game could work, but it's paralyzing to be presented with an infinite number of choices.

As the DM, while I've never actually attempted this, I like to think the DM can provide a map to the players, and the players are free to do whatever they'd like. However, instead of having the map keyed, with planned encounters in every area, the DM can have a series of encounters ready, and assign them when and wherever as needed. If it's really important that the players encounter a particular NPC Prisoner -- don't place that NPC in a fixed area; instead, have that NPC show up at a destination that the players choose on their own.

Instead of:

Room 1: Orcs
Room 2: Goblins
Room 3: Trap
Room 4: Empty
Room 5: NPC Prisoner
Room 6: Hobgoblins

Still have the same six rooms, and still have the same six encounters, but instead of predetermining which encounter will appear in which room, just have the details at the ready.

If room 4 is to the left and room 5 is to the right, and you really need the group to encounter the NPC Prisoner -- just force (or railroad) the NPC encounter to happen whichever direction the group chooses.

The players are making the decisions they want, and they're also serving the DM's needs by continuing along the desired plotline.

...after reading this post, I think it's now safe to say that if we two are in the same game, either the GM is planning to split the party in two groups with different playstyles, or one of us is probably going to be unhappy .

Regarding the advice on RPG dot net, I'd like to remind people that columns are being written by the same hobbyists like you and me. I should know, I had a short-lived column on the site !
Bottom line, the advice posted there is just that, advice. It might have worked for someone, but it depends on you to make it work for your game. And deciding that it wouldn't work for you, turning the column(s) on its/their head(s) and running with it, is also fine - and still depends on you making it work, so in the end, whether you follow or ignore it makes no meaningful difference.
Yes, that includes my column as well !

[Paladin]

Pbp is still relatively new to me, but in one respect it seems very similar to a real tabletop--the more open-ended your sandbox, the more players you need to keep it churning. Or at least a few strong-willed, capable ones who aren't afraid to make choices, take action, and forge ahead dragging the others with them, on occasion.

These are the people setting up missions and recruiting others to go along. Without at least a couple of those around, I don't think an open world does anyone much good.

Somewhat more narrowly defined goals/quests certainly seem the better option for a vast majority of games and players. Either option is entertaining to me, but I get the feeling that the sandbox is very difficult to pull off.

Perhaps I'll figure it out through my mountain of mistakes one day! I'll at least eliminate all the options that don't work.

[tibbius]

So far I've had one semi-sandbox work really well for a while on this forum. In the first post I threw down some homefolks, a celebration, and a potential adversary crashing the party (the classic "someone new comes to town"). Everything developed from there.

[AsenRG]

Pbp is still relatively new to me, but in one respect it seems very similar to a real tabletop--the more open-ended your sandbox, the more players you need to keep it churning. Or at least a few strong-willed, capable ones who aren't afraid to make choices, take action, and forge ahead dragging the others with them, on occasion.

These are the people setting up missions and recruiting others to go along. Without at least a couple of those around, I don't think an open world does anyone much good.

Some of those people might be NPCs, too...

But yeah, without a few of players like this, there's not much fun to be had in almost any game, PbP or around a table.