chongjasmine
Pubber
- Joined
- Jul 7, 2020
- Messages
- 6
- Reaction score
- 16
I am a newbie to rpg play by post. I want to play but don't know how.
How to play by post?
- Thread starter chongjasmine
- Start date
- Joined
- Nov 14, 2018
- Messages
- 6,439
- Reaction score
- 30,326
In terms of player interactions PBP is a lot like tabetop roleplay, except much, much slower, of course. You can browse through the Pub's PBP forum (which is admittedly moving pretty slowly at the moment) to get a feel for how such things go.
Anyone running a game will have their own preferences on how to handle dice rolls. Some will prefer to handle all rolls themselves, others might use an outside dice roller like Orokos, and others still might allow players to make their own rolls manually, trusting them to be honest.
Some games might require you to have a copy of whatever ruleset being used to be able to play. Many games have a free quick-start that will allow you to get by in such circumstances. Some games are simple enough that who ever is running it can describe what is needed in a post or two, and answer any questions that might pop up along the way.
What games and/or genres are you interested in playing?
Anyone running a game will have their own preferences on how to handle dice rolls. Some will prefer to handle all rolls themselves, others might use an outside dice roller like Orokos, and others still might allow players to make their own rolls manually, trusting them to be honest.
Some games might require you to have a copy of whatever ruleset being used to be able to play. Many games have a free quick-start that will allow you to get by in such circumstances. Some games are simple enough that who ever is running it can describe what is needed in a post or two, and answer any questions that might pop up along the way.
What games and/or genres are you interested in playing?
gruagach
game loving hermit
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2022
- Messages
- 584
- Reaction score
- 2,913
It starts by finding a place to play. The pub, as mentioned, offers a forum. Several Discord options exist to find asynchronous (aka Play by Post) games. Other gaming forums also have options.
Then, find a game to join. The options aren't infinite, but there are a ton of options. Most rpg spaces I've frequented with Play by Post options end up having a bit of local preferences in terms of which systems and what types of games are offered. Current edition D&D, as always, is a really safe bet in terms of being able to find multiple options for games to join.
Most game masters, as
Tulpa Girl points out, have preferences for how they'll run their games. Many GMs are willing to teach newbies (the GM's version of) how to play by post. Online dice rollers, tools like Google Docs/Sheets, wikis, etc are all fairly common across the play by post games I've observed "in the wild".
In my experience, the vast majority of Play by Post games start with a lot of excitement, and then either slowly or rapidly fade in terms of participation by players, and eventually just kind of peter out. Play by Post can be a tough medium for maintaining player / GM interest and engagement.
Even if/when a game fades, the act of playing it can be quite engaging, and the "in the moment" time requirement makes it relatively easy (for many) to play a game or two simultaneously in amongst the strum and drang of a busy life.
Finding games that aren't overly ambitious in their goal is key (i.e. look for games that are aiming to cover 1 adventure, not an epic campaign) to finding a game that will go the distance. The other key, in my experience, is finding a game where the player and gm expectations in terms of pace of play (i.e. number of posts per week, etc) and type of post are explicitly spelled out.
Hope that monologue helps. Happy to answer any follow up questions, or address specifics as they occur to you!
Then, find a game to join. The options aren't infinite, but there are a ton of options. Most rpg spaces I've frequented with Play by Post options end up having a bit of local preferences in terms of which systems and what types of games are offered. Current edition D&D, as always, is a really safe bet in terms of being able to find multiple options for games to join.
Most game masters, as
Tulpa Girl points out, have preferences for how they'll run their games. Many GMs are willing to teach newbies (the GM's version of) how to play by post. Online dice rollers, tools like Google Docs/Sheets, wikis, etc are all fairly common across the play by post games I've observed "in the wild".In my experience, the vast majority of Play by Post games start with a lot of excitement, and then either slowly or rapidly fade in terms of participation by players, and eventually just kind of peter out. Play by Post can be a tough medium for maintaining player / GM interest and engagement.
Even if/when a game fades, the act of playing it can be quite engaging, and the "in the moment" time requirement makes it relatively easy (for many) to play a game or two simultaneously in amongst the strum and drang of a busy life.
Finding games that aren't overly ambitious in their goal is key (i.e. look for games that are aiming to cover 1 adventure, not an epic campaign) to finding a game that will go the distance. The other key, in my experience, is finding a game where the player and gm expectations in terms of pace of play (i.e. number of posts per week, etc) and type of post are explicitly spelled out.
Hope that monologue helps. Happy to answer any follow up questions, or address specifics as they occur to you!
TheGoldenGod
Legendary Pubber
- Joined
- Jun 17, 2023
- Messages
- 127
- Reaction score
- 355
I’d be interested in a pbp game once the school year starts and my free time gets irregular. Easier to participate when I have some free time during the school day than committing several consecutive hours for a live game. Plus might be easier to get back into rpgs that way after 35 years lol
thebigh
Dr. Hamburger Face
- Joined
- Feb 25, 2022
- Messages
- 1,631
- Reaction score
- 5,748
What sort of game are you interested in playing? Or running?
TheGoldenGod
Legendary Pubber
- Joined
- Jun 17, 2023
- Messages
- 127
- Reaction score
- 355
Open to anything but played AD&D when young so something similar might be the easiest to jump back into
- Joined
- Jul 9, 2020
- Messages
- 15,473
- Reaction score
- 50,338
Pretty much anything can be done via PbP, but some games, notably ones that negotiation as part of the core resolution mechanic can get very drawn out as multiple posts per action going back and forth are necessary (see PbtA or FitD games for example). Those other games can be run PbP but require a greater commitment on the part of the whole table. Anything D&D adjacent works just fine and the lighter mechanics of various OSR games are pretty perfect.
