Best way to play PbP?

[Golem]

I’m sort of new to the PlaybyPost venue and my question to the veteran DMers is this. Which style of adventure system seems to work best for PbP; the short one shot, the standard module, a dungeon? Is a campaign or megadungeon realistically not feasible due to time constraints and player apathy?

I would like to see your responses as I’m trying to figure out what to offer as a DM.

[GreyWolfVT]

I think really it depends on the players and the DM. You might find some players work well with any one of those. We have had a bit of a mix on here game wise. Some are sandboxes, running homebrewed adventures/campaigns. Then there are those that have been one shot dungeons, or modules. So far it appears all have worked out for the most part. Really anything that didn't was either a DM that had to leave or in some cases just "vanished" the one thing I did find for myself that did not work out well was transforming a module/game into player versus player it was not initially advertised as such and that did not go over well with the players. So by all means if you plan to do that I'd advise mentioning it up front. Other DM's have had success with this but they also asked before doing so. As for me what has worked best so far is using modules. Though the longer multiple adventure module in the arabian nights setting for 2e in forgotten realms appears to have been the wrong selection it still has run for a long run and has made it to 5 adventures of 13.

[rredmond]

Good question. We have so many good DMs here, you definitely want to look at their games and see how they run them.
If you want a good synopsis of some of our DMs review this thread: viewtopic.php?f=21&t=2417

If any of them strike your fancy then check out those games. We have DMs that prefer strategy or roll playing over story or role playing. Most of them have a good mix. We have DMs that are very descriptive story tellers using no graphics, others use amazing maps and pictures - both have been very successful.

Also too it’s good to realize that your game may not be for everyone. All of our members here are pretty respectful and fun to be around folks. But sometimes your game isn’t for them, and if they try you out without knowing how you like to DM, they may decide the game isn’t for them and leave. Most of our players just want to play. And I’d bet a goodly amount of them would be supportive and forgiving of a new DM just learning the ropes. As you get a game or two going you’ll more likely get folks asking you to play in your games. It’s good when there’s a good match with player and DM.

If you didn’t want to start a game right away I’d say play a bit of PbP. If you can’t wait to get a game going, then review the already set up PbP games. Also look at our Completed Games forum down below; that one has games that were run and finished successfully. Some of our one shots will definitely be down there as well as longer campaigns.

Good luck G!
—Ron—

[AsenRG]

In my experience, mission-based sandbox.

[Inferno]

Here's another helpful thread on the subject: viewtopic.php?p=19295#p19295

I'd echo Ron's advice. Play first, so you can get accustomed to the PbP format and all its strengths and challenges.

Good luck, Golem!

[OGRE MAGE]

Ron has it right. There is no better way to learn the ropes of PbP then to play for a little while.

If you would rather run a game instead, I would suggest a short one-shot to start out with. Then you can learn what works for you (and what doesn't) without committing to a lengthy game.

I didn't have a clue what PbP was until I started out here. But now, with several successful games under my belt, I can honestly say that I have learned something from each of them.

Good luck!
And don't forget rule #1.......Have FUN!

[hedgeknight]

Hey Golem > you've been given some really good advice in this thread. Like Ed said, short modules are great ways to get your pbp feet wet, as are "sandbox" missions (thanks AsenRG). Ogre Mage's "Big Shiny Island" is a great sandbox as well as Marullus' North Marches (Labyrinth Lord) > you can jump in, create a character, and go on an adventure fairly easily.

What system are you most interested in?
I can only speak for D&D (and its variations). Dungeons are difficult to navigate in pbp unless you have visuals. The best DM for that in this forum, and this is just my personal opinion and experience, is Inferno. Check out some of his games and you'll see what I mean.

Regardless of where you get started, good luck and good gaming!

~ Hedge

[rredmond]

I know just about everyone else is recommending it, but let me jump on the bandwagon. Short/one-shots are a good way to start out. The pacing of PbP games is very unique, and sometimes frustrating to newbies. If you start with a short, end-goal, game first you can always build on it and continue it if you'd like. But at least there's an end-point for all to head toward. This gives you an opportunity to assess how you'd like to run a future game. Also you'll get players who will support you in that learning process. I haven't met a member of Unseen Servant yet who wasn't super supportive of the DM they are playing with, so that will be an immense help as well.

[Alethan]

I know just about everyone else is recommending it, but let me jump on the bandwagon. Short/one-shots are a good way to start out. The pacing of PbP games is very unique, and sometimes frustrating to newbies. If you start with a short, end-goal, game first you can always build on it and continue it if you'd like. But at least there's an end-point for all to head toward. This gives you an opportunity to assess how you'd like to run a future game. Also you'll get players who will support you in that learning process. I haven't met a member of Unseen Servant yet who wasn't super supportive of the DM they are playing with, so that will be an immense help as well.

I would add to this that, in general, homebrews and sandbox games seem to do better than off-the-shelf modules. Maybe because it's all new? Maybe because there are always people who remember significant details from a store-bought campaign? There are other sources for small one-offs that you could run on their own or just add to an existing homebrew or sandbox campaign. Every year, https://www.dungeoncontest.com/ has a one-page dungeon contest and they tend to publish some/most/all entries. I believe there were something like 115 for the 2019 contest. That is a great source for small games or to add content to a larger sandbox game.

Whatever you choose, good luck!

Cheers,

Alethan

[thirdkingdom]

In addition to playing in games I would echo the advice to read through a few different games to get the feel for how different DMs run games -- and how players play their characters. You'll start to notice things to certain players or DMs do that either please or irk you, and you can adjust your own practice accordingly.

EDIT: To toot my own horn, an adventure I wrote won an Honorable Mention in this year's OPD contest.

[dmw71]

Short/one-shots are a good way to start out.

It's worth adding, even a "short/one-shot" adventure can take a looong time in play-by-post time.

It didn't play out nearly as well in this format as it plays in a live game, but I ran a short module as a play-by-post game.

• Module: Rats of Waterdeep
  Game Forum: Dave's 5e Urban Investigation

At the table, playing live, it took us about 3 hours. Here in the forums, it took us a bit over 5 months to complete.

[thirdkingdom]

Short/one-shots are a good way to start out.

It's worth adding, even a "short/one-shot" adventure can take a looong time in play-by-post time.

It didn't play out nearly as well in this format as it plays in a live game, but I ran a short module as a play-by-post game.

• Module: Rats of Waterdeep
  Game Forum: Dave's 5e Urban Investigation

At the table, playing live, it took us about 3 hours. Here in the forums, it took us a bit over 5 months to complete.

Given that I play mostly -- okay, exclusively -- pbp these days, I have become more and more enamored with the idea of micro-adventures and dungeons as opposed to large megadungeons. These days I'm pretty much doing dungeons that vary from one to ten rooms.

[Norjax]

I'd like to offer a perspective on Play by Post vs. Face to Face.

I'm currently running a Dungeon Crawl Classics 0-level Funnel that I ran last year (December 2018) with a FtF group. We completed the adventure in two 6-hour sessions. I started the PbP session shortly after the FtF ended, on Jan 3 of this year. We average 3 posts per week with a detailed map and some visuals.

Its still going after 7 1/2 months on this forum. Same exact adventure, no modifications.

[Inferno]

Thanks for the kind words, Hedge.

Yeah, the glacial pace of PbP might be the biggest adjustment if you're used to FtF.

For example, in May of 2016 I began Lost City of the Pharaohs, an AD&D campaign. I figured it would be a campaign of pulpy sword and sorcery adventures, all set within lost or dead civilizations, inspired by R.E. Howard and Frazetta. I wanted to use these classic modules from the '70s and early '80s:

The Lost City (B4) by Moldvay (for PC lvls 1-3)
The Caverns of Thracia (JG102) by Jaquays (lvls 2-5)
Dwellers of the Forbidden City (I1) by Cook (lvls 4-7)
The Dark Tower (JG88) by Jaquays (lvls 7-11)

Today, three years later, we're still in the first module! It's been a blast, but I've certainly had to adjust my expectations.

[ravenn4544]

I haven't heard of any these modules before. I wonder how many other cool ones are out there that I am missing

I would have said we were closer to the end of this adventure - let alone just getting started! I'm happy to hear it tho - as I like the long and involved campaigns. Keep it coming please!

[Zhym]

Yeah, PBP takes a loooong time. More so if it's battle-heavy, I think.

I have a game that's been running for two and a half years. The players are currently about a quarter of the way through the adventure by my estimate (maybe less), and that's having bypassed some early obstacles with a well-placed wish. I'm not sure how long the module would take in person, but it's daunting to think that a game could last ten years in PBP and go through only one module.

For another example, I took over a couple of Tomb of Horrors groups on here. The previous DMs started the game in December 2012. The first group wrapped up (well, died) around October 2015. The second finished the module (with survivors!) in March 2016. That's over three years for a fairly short tournament module (I started to type "terminal module," which is also true!).

Of course, it's more likely that long modules never make it to the end. DMs and players disappear because life happens (it's not just in-person games that vnish because of kids and jobs). The great, sprawling modules don't tend to get finished on PBP, at least from what I've seen. Against the Giants has been attempted, what—three times? Four? I was in a campaign that managed to get through G1 before stalling early into G2. I don't think the others got very far into G1.

That's why games like max_vale's Star Wars game (which seemed to have its first post in 2012!), Norjax's Gamma Zone game (established 2014), and Inferno's Horror at Briarsgate (active since July 2015!) are so impressive—Inferno's and Norjax's especially, since they have not only been running their games for four or five years now but have kept them actively updated for all that time. (I hope I'm not neglecting any other long-time dedicated DMs. For example, Ogre Mage's Big Shiny Island is #2 on the list of games, but the oldest post I can see is "only" from 2017). So bravo to the DMs who are greybeards in possibly more ways than one.

[AsenRG]

I’m sort of new to the PlaybyPost venue and my question to the veteran DMers is this. Which style of adventure system seems to work best for PbP; the short one shot, the standard module, a dungeon? Is a campaign or megadungeon realistically not feasible due to time constraints and player apathy?

Been playing and running games for well over a decade now.
The answer is yes. It depends on what suits your Refereeingstyle better, IMO. I've seen GMs that swear by any of the three or by the sandbox format. They all manage to run (most of their) games to completion and have happy players.
And that is the biggest achievement in PbP.

[rredmond]

I'm going to move and sticky this. Lots of good information here.

[Leitz]

Here's an example of a very short one-shot adventure. The players were all experienced in PbP. The adventure included an "approach the dungeon" opening scene and three "rooms". It took about two months.