Would anyone else be interested in a discussion thread about Play by Post? Is there a better place for it than here? I'm very new to PbP and for me it means I can continue to play even though I can no longer set aside any time that I can count on. From my (new and uninformed) perspective it's seems PbP has a better handle on the two biggest problems that live games or even online games suffer from, that is scheduling nightmares and the forever DM problem. I'm seeing a lot of possibilities for role play, even places such as in long or short rests where players can add to the story between themselves without the efforts of the DM. Does this interest anyone else?
How long have you been playing D&D PbP?
How many games do you have going at any one time? As player? As DM?
10 years?!?! I could have been playing this last 10 years? That's going to take time to come to terms with. I wish I had known about this. I lost track of D&D in the mid to late 80s. I only found live games a couple of years ago. Early last year I was thinking about DMing a live game (we all know how that went). I don't think there is any point where I couldn't have at least been running a couple of games PbP. I'm going on 5 weeks. It's slow right now, but that may be due to a situation that might have crashed a live game, so we'll see what happens.
I'm taking it slow. I've already made mistakes but everyone seems very understanding. As I'm figuring this out I'll probably start playing in a couple others and I'm already thinking about the kind of game I want to DM. One thing I've been thinking about is out of Xanathar's, shared campaigns. Do you know if that's been tried with PbP? I wonder if something like that could help with ghosting DMs, if one DM out of a group had to drop out but could rely on other DMs in the group to take up the slack at least until the game ends gracefully or another DM decides to pick it up. I have too many ideas and really need to just learn at this point rather than making suggestions that have already been tried and failed.
2. Just this one so far, but that'll be changing soon
3. I love that I have a nearly bullet-proof way to continue playing D&D. I'm a little hard of hearing, especially for some reason, voices. In a live game it can be voices over voices. PbP it's written out. I can reread it over and over if I need to
and one that goes under 3 and 4 is how very much I have yet to learn.
How long have you been playing D&D PbP? 5 years, and I'm of the same regretful mindset in that I could have spent another 10 years in PbP had I known about it.
How many games do you have going at any one time? As player? As DM? I'm typically limited to mobile posting only. I used to be able to juggle 4-6 games as a player, but I always had trouble with more than 1 as a DM
What do you like best about it? No time constrains means you can discuss as needed and are in no rush to post more than 1-2 times per day, or more if the whole party is moving along with the same pace.
What do you like least? Mobile posting after 5 years just brings a physical sensation of frustration to my poor thumbs. Mobile formatting also tends to be sub-par for users as you have either content controls and limited visibility (desktop view) or better view and fewer font options
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Characters:
Grishkar Darkmoor, Necromancer of Nerull the Despiser Kelvin Rabbitfoot, Diviner, con artist, always hunting for a good sale Bründir Halfshield, Valor Bard, three-time Sheercleft Drinking Competition Champion, Hometown hero
How long have you been playing D&D PbP?: I only started when I found dnd beyond back in 2017, but I have been greatly enjoying it ever since.
How many games do you have going at any one time? As player? As DM?: I have never DM'd, but I have played in a number of games now, with at most 5 or 6 simultaneously.
What do you like best about it?: I love that I have time to really play with the wording for my response, I'm not constrained by my "on the spot" ability to communicate verbally. I also love that I can fit pbp into a busy schedule. Being able to look back through the game thread can be a great asset as well, its a detailed game log.
What do you like least?: Sometimes I'm frustrated that the games move too slow, but then some days I'm the one holding the game back, so I just try to be patient. Players/DMs ghosting, is really disheartening when it happens, as is a player/DM just running into real life trouble that takes them out of the game. But when you do find a good group, its really great.
In my life, I cant really fit a regular live game, so pbp is an awesome outlet for me. And dnd beyond just makes it so easy to keep everything together. I have all my characters, my PM's and the game threads all in one location. pbp is wonderful and I am blessed to have the opportunity to partake ;)
How long have you been playing D&D PbP? At least since around 2006 (since I remember 4e not being around yet), but not very prolifically. Out of curiosity, I checked an old forum I used to play in and added to the few ones I've played here: I've played a total of about 25 PbP campaigns/adventures (5 of which I DMed).
How many games do you have going at any one time? As player? As DM? Right now I'm playing 2 and DMing 1. Recently got to the point of playing 3 and DMing 2 and it kinda overwhelmed me, so I had to dial back. For me, playing 1~2 would be about the right fit, if I'm continuing with this forward.
What do you like best about it? No regular time commitment. Something to do in odd routine breaks. Nice creative outlet for characters and backstories inside the DM's parameters.
What do you like least? No regular time commitment, but a long commitment. It takes a long time to do anything in PbP, I've played what was supposed to be a 2 hour adventure in table and easily turned into a 22 days PbP. You can extrapolate on that to calculate on how long it would take to play a 1-20 campaign. Games lose steam and die off a lot. I know life often gets in the way, but it's easy to see the eagerness of a campaign start quickly die off over 4 or 5 pages of posts. People start to disappear, posts start to be stretched farther apart, and then it just stops. Out of all PbP campaigns/adventures I've played, only ONE reached its conclusion, and it was the one that should last 2 hours I've mentioned (though I have high hopes for 2 of the games I'm in right now). Maybe this particular thing could be avoided by focusing on playing smaller adventures instead of whole campaigns (Adventurers League is great for that, since you get to keep the character you've played), though that may be something that just happens to me, not everyone's experience.
No regular time commitment, but a long commitment. It takes a long time to do anything in PbP, I've played what was supposed to be a 2 hour adventure in table and easily turned into a 22 days PbP. You can extrapolate on that to calculate on how long it would take to play a 1-20 campaign. Games lose steam and die off a lot. I know life often gets in the way, but it's easy to see the eagerness of a campaign start quickly die off over 4 or 5 pages of posts. People start to disappear, posts start to be stretched farther apart, and then it just stops. Out of all PbP campaigns/adventures I've played, only ONE reached its conclusion, and it was the one that should last 2 hours I've mentioned (though I have high hopes for 2 of the games I'm in right now). Maybe this particular thing could be avoided by focusing on playing smaller adventures instead of whole campaigns (Adventurers League is great for that, since you get to keep the character you've played), though that may be something that just happens to me, not everyone's experience.
When I started playing 5e a couple years ago at a local microbrew, the DMs there were sharing the campaign. They all used the same main setting (a demiplane called "the Underbright") and adventures took off from there (portals from there to Saltmarsh, Waterdeep, etc). Some people had a few characters to choose from. I was just using the one. The characters and players had relationships that went from game to game whoever was running the table you wound up at. I've been hoping to find something like that (or, of course, as a very last resort, putting it together myself). I also wonder if it would make the idea of a "coDM" easier to use. As a DM puts together an adventure, they find someone to coDM, someone who would have access to the same game resources and basically just keep up with what is going on and if the primary DM is out for more than a day or two, can just take over till they get back, or finish out the adventure if they're not coming back. Right now I'm thinking a shared campaign could solve a lot of these problems (and sadly, still not be able to solve the speed of combat problem).
When I started playing 5e a couple years ago at a local microbrew, the DMs there were sharing the campaign. They all used the same main setting (a demiplane called "the Underbright") and adventures took off from there (portals from there to Saltmarsh, Waterdeep, etc). Some people had a few characters to choose from. I was just using the one. The characters and players had relationships that went from game to game whoever was running the table you wound up at.
That's roughly what happens in Adventurers League, you build your character and hop between various DM's games in different parts of the Forgotten Realms.
I guess the Co-DM idea could work, maybe with one of the players ready to step over in case he is needed, since a player would be more familiar with the game than some outsider dragged in just for that reason.
In any case, if you extrapolate on that ratio of my 2 hour session becoming a 22 day PbP, you could assume a 1 to 20 campaign would take roughly 5 and a half years to play in PbP (using 184 hours of play as an example to get from 1 to 20, a DM could accelerate things further, let's say at least 2 years). That period provides lots of opportunities for stuff to get in the way of the game. I really think that makes PbP more suited for one-shot adventures and very short campaigns.
When I started playing 5e a couple years ago at a local microbrew, the DMs there were sharing the campaign. They all used the same main setting (a demiplane called "the Underbright") and adventures took off from there (portals from there to Saltmarsh, Waterdeep, etc). Some people had a few characters to choose from. I was just using the one. The characters and players had relationships that went from game to game whoever was running the table you wound up at.
That's roughly what happens in Adventurers League, you build your character and hop between various DM's games in different parts of the Forgotten Realms.
I guess the Co-DM idea could work, maybe with one of the players ready to step over in case he is needed, since a player would be more familiar with the game than some outsider dragged in just for that reason.
In any case, if you extrapolate on that ratio of my 2 hour session becoming a 22 day PbP, you could assume a 1 to 20 campaign would take roughly 5 and a half years to play in PbP (using 184 hours of play as an example to get from 1 to 20, a DM could accelerate things further, let's say at least 2 years). That period provides lots of opportunities for stuff to get in the way of the game. I really think that makes PbP more suited for one-shot adventures and very short campaigns.
I agree with you. This is one of the really great features of a shared campaign is short one-shots. The games were expected to start no sooner than 6pm (and really getting under way by 7pm) and be over by 10pm (closing). They used a check mark system for advancing in level where you got a mark for each game, finished and over in one evening, yet my character continues from adventure to adventure (renting a modest room at a local tavern). Even there I'm hoping to figure out ways to speed up combat (which seems to be where things lag the worst).
An idea just occurred to me. If the DMs had a rating system for players that included daily posts and finishing games, and the players knew about it, a lot of players might put more effort into those things to protect their rating (and their ability to get into future games).
OOhhh...I kinda like a player rating system. (Until some rando decides to crush people just because and tanks your 5-Star rating ;-)
I started PbP using Pathfinder sometime back in 2013 (and I still like how Paizo did their forums much better...but that's a different discussion =) I started playing D&D in person back in 1978/79, played off-and-on into the '90's, then life and career and family took over. I've found my best balance is no more than 3 or 4 games as a player and 1 or 2 as DM. I tend to put more time and effort into DMing, so the posts take significantly longer to do... My favorite and least favorite thing about PbP match others' inputs.
Best way I've found to mitigate the downsides, especially as a DM, is that you HAVE to drive the story more than in face-to-face games. Too many times I've played in games that died out because the players didn't know what to do and/or were waiting for "someone else" to make a post. Sometimes you have to provide obvious clues, or a set of choices, to kick-start action. I've played in games that only lasted a month or two, but I'm DMing a campaign (Lost Mine of Phandelver that has recently moved to Dragon of Icespire Peak) since June 2019! I have one original player, and had to recruit several new players over the many months, but it's got legs =)
Also like the idea of sharing DM responsibilities - I think that works best in a common setting and each DM runs a single adventure. The next one plays their idea, either a homebrew or a short adventure from that area or adapted. The trick is tying these together into a single story. Experienced DMs playing together could probably take interesting NPCs, plot hooks, actions etc. from each game and craft their view of a greater plot line. But it's easier to find players than DMs =) Cheers!
Just to echo @coelhogergeand again show how new PbP is to me, I'm just now coming to the end of my first PbP combat. I'm think now that the 2 hours to 22 days ratio is optimistic! I mean, slow is to be expected just because of the medium we're using, but WOW! In my current situation it's not that much of an issue, but I can absolutely see this crushing campaigns. I think anything that can be done to speed up combat would put a dent in that ratio. I'm looking over some options and I'm not sure yet what I like but I can tell you there's one I don't like. It starts with, don't worry about things like extra speed or mobility options, fighting style, maneuvers or anything like that. Just focus on "to hit" and damage. There are people who put a lot of work into their character. These options define the character and make them unique. They may have built the character around a style of fighting and to say "that's just window dressing now" just doesn't feel right. It's something I'll keep working on.
OOhhh...I kinda like a player rating system. (Until some rando decides to crush people just because and tanks your 5-Star rating ;-)
I started PbP using Pathfinder sometime back in 2013 (and I still like how Paizo did their forums much better...but that's a different discussion =) I started playing D&D in person back in 1978/79, played off-and-on into the '90's, then life and career and family took over. I've found my best balance is no more than 3 or 4 games as a player and 1 or 2 as DM. I tend to put more time and effort into DMing, so the posts take significantly longer to do... My favorite and least favorite thing about PbP match others' inputs.
Best way I've found to mitigate the downsides, especially as a DM, is that you HAVE to drive the story more than in face-to-face games. Too many times I've played in games that died out because the players didn't know what to do and/or were waiting for "someone else" to make a post. Sometimes you have to provide obvious clues, or a set of choices, to kick-start action. I've played in games that only lasted a month or two, but I'm DMing a campaign (Lost Mine of Phandelver that has recently moved to Dragon of Icespire Peak) since June 2019! I have one original player, and had to recruit several new players over the many months, but it's got legs =)
Also like the idea of sharing DM responsibilities - I think that works best in a common setting and each DM runs a single adventure. The next one plays their idea, either a homebrew or a short adventure from that area or adapted. The trick is tying these together into a single story. Experienced DMs playing together could probably take interesting NPCs, plot hooks, actions etc. from each game and craft their view of a greater plot line. But it's easier to find players than DMs =) Cheers!
As far as the player rating system, I don't see "death" or any sort of adventure failure even being part of the rating system. I'd like to see it come down heavily on someone "crush people just because". It would cover the player rather than the character. Things like: "Do they play well with others?' "Do they understand the rules, especially those pertaining to their character?" "Do they continue to argue with the DM?" "Do they post in a timely manner?" "Did they finish the adventure?" I also think there should be a rating system for the DMs. I've always felt that used properly, feedback can vastly improve people to people interactions.
Driving the story sounds like outstanding advice. I see this is some of the adventures I've just read. The two I'm in currently I see some but most seem pretty proactive, but then we seem to have some pretty good player (altho I suspect one of being an AI).
One suggestion that came up in a private conversation about this was the idea that maybe there should be rule in place giving DMs priority as players in the shared campaign, giving people incentive to DM and DM well. So many possibilities.
Would anyone else be interested in a discussion thread about Play by Post? Is there a better place for it than here? I'm very new to PbP and for me it means I can continue to play even though I can no longer set aside any time that I can count on. From my (new and uninformed) perspective it's seems PbP has a better handle on the two biggest problems that live games or even online games suffer from, that is scheduling nightmares and the forever DM problem. I'm seeing a lot of possibilities for role play, even places such as in long or short rests where players can add to the story between themselves without the efforts of the DM. Does this interest anyone else?
How long have you been playing D&D PbP?
How many games do you have going at any one time? As player? As DM?
What do you like best about it?
What do you like least?
How long have you been playing D&D PbP? 3-4 months
How many games do you have going at any one time? As player? As DM? Player- 1 now, 3 on pause DM- 1
What do you like best about it? fun, easy, never a lack of players, slower pace, making new friends
What do you like least? sometimes too slow a pace, lack of games to enter/ games that full up with 15 people in the first 12 hours, LOTS of new players who don't know/care/want to learn a lot about the game. Heck, if I could get like 5 really good dedicated, experienced players in my PbP campaign right now, it would be H E A V E N, I'm stuck with two people who love it, and like 7 people who post twice a week :P
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Life is very busy unfortunately, gone from most Pbp's indefinitely. If you'd like to contact me, I am on Discord at GreatAxeblade#7595, always happy to chat :)
Scheduling convenience and ability to squeeze into my day.
What do you like least?
SLOW PACE and tendency of games to peter out or players or DMs to ghost.
+1 to this. I think most of us are here doing PbP because our AFK lives make it difficult to get a proper D&D fix, and this is easy to fit into any schedule, checking in as much as possible, even if that's only once a day.
And the ghosting is the worst. I understand if a player or DM has to leave a game for whatever reason. Things happen. But it shouldn't be hard to let the team know... straight up disappearing is just rude.
Thank you for this post! I've been reading through everyone's responses and may get into more after a basic response. So first of all:
D&D PbP? Just discovered this a few months ago
PCing in 2, DMing 1
What do you like best about it?
Being able to write and have time to consider the most interesting way to continue, instead of having to figure stuff out on the spot, and to try and make a great experience for people. Players who are enthusiastic, who create bonds and stories and keep it going even when I can't be there. Creating a safe camaraderie for people to play.
What do you like least?
Feeling guilty for letting players hang for a couple days when I can't get back. The time it takes to DM because I overthink and edit lol. The players that let other players hang, when I can see on their chat history that they are responding to 12 other games, but haven't noticed that every other character in the party is yelling help, we need a rope and the one guy who isn't there is the one with the rope. ;p
Interesting discussion; can definitely relate to some of the likes/dislikes already mentioned here!
How long have you been playing D&D PbP?
*checks account...* Apparently only 9 months, although it feels longer than that.
How many games do you have going at any one time? As player? As DM?
As a player, max 3. As a DM, 1. I'm pretty busy irl though, fairly new to playing and even newer at DMing.
What do you like best about it?
Having the time to really think before replying, to stew on my first idea and see whether I can think of something better (i.e. more creative)
What do you like least?
Because of the extremely slow pace of pbp, there seems to be no chance to really get into a longer campaign. It just doesn't last, so although games go on for a few months, the story ends up being as short as a one-shot.
D&D specifically? 3 years of PbP. Other rpgs? 35 years of PbP.
How many games do you have going at any one time? As player? As DM?
Currently running 2 and playing in 4.
What do you like best about it?
Well it allows me to play which would otherwise be fairly impossible. I love that you can get a deep level of immersion and really highlight the world and bring characters to life. Shy players can express themselves fully without being talked over and the DM/GM has time to adapt and shape things for their players which is great if your not the fastest thinker in RL.
Fully building a world and bringing aspects of it to life over time. I'm coming up on the 15 year anniversary of my Dragon Warriors RPG PbP, its going to feel quite strange when we conclude.
Over the years I've kinda come to prefer PbP over face to face.
What do you like least?
The slow pace, people who ghost and the need to sometimes bot players if they exceed the posting window without notice; I don't like to take away player agency but will do so if needed for the health of the game and so other players aren't forced to wait days between combat rounds.
The pace is definitely something to get used to my 15 year game mentioned above would likely be a 3 year game if it was face to face play.
Fully building a world and bringing aspects of it to life over time. I'm coming up on the 15 year anniversary of my Dragon Warriors RPG PbP, its going to feel quite strange when we conclude.
That is awesome to hear, congratulations. Care to share a few details about this game? Like group size and what you've felt particularly changed this campaign about it being playing in PbP, good aspects and bad?
Would anyone else be interested in a discussion thread about Play by Post? Is there a better place for it than here? I'm very new to PbP and for me it means I can continue to play even though I can no longer set aside any time that I can count on. From my (new and uninformed) perspective it's seems PbP has a better handle on the two biggest problems that live games or even online games suffer from, that is scheduling nightmares and the forever DM problem. I'm seeing a lot of possibilities for role play, even places such as in long or short rests where players can add to the story between themselves without the efforts of the DM. Does this interest anyone else?
How long have you been playing D&D PbP?
How many games do you have going at any one time? As player? As DM?
What do you like best about it?
What do you like least?
The Worlds of Pphost a community of DMs and Players making PbP better
Malichi, Tiefling Rogue - Worlds of Pphost- The Amazing Teleportation Machine
DM Worlds of Pphost - Haven 'A Few Days at a Tavern'
Extended Signature
How long have you been playing D&D PbP?
Geez, over 10 years I guess.
How many games do you have going at any one time? As player? As DM?
I've had upwards of 12 games as a player, but a realistic number is 5-6. As a DM, 1-2 at max.
What do you like best about it?
Scheduling convenience and ability to squeeze into my day.
What do you like least?
SLOW PACE and tendency of games to peter out or players or DMs to ghost.
Liarin: Against the Cult of the Reptile God
Adewild: Shadows and Light 2
Brother Thaddeus: Rime of the Frostmaiden.
10 years?!?! I could have been playing this last 10 years? That's going to take time to come to terms with. I wish I had known about this. I lost track of D&D in the mid to late 80s. I only found live games a couple of years ago. Early last year I was thinking about DMing a live game (we all know how that went). I don't think there is any point where I couldn't have at least been running a couple of games PbP. I'm going on 5 weeks. It's slow right now, but that may be due to a situation that might have crashed a live game, so we'll see what happens.
I'm taking it slow. I've already made mistakes but everyone seems very understanding. As I'm figuring this out I'll probably start playing in a couple others and I'm already thinking about the kind of game I want to DM. One thing I've been thinking about is out of Xanathar's, shared campaigns. Do you know if that's been tried with PbP? I wonder if something like that could help with ghosting DMs, if one DM out of a group had to drop out but could rely on other DMs in the group to take up the slack at least until the game ends gracefully or another DM decides to pick it up. I have too many ideas and really need to just learn at this point rather than making suggestions that have already been tried and failed.
This is going to be fun.
The Worlds of Pphost a community of DMs and Players making PbP better
Malichi, Tiefling Rogue - Worlds of Pphost- The Amazing Teleportation Machine
DM Worlds of Pphost - Haven 'A Few Days at a Tavern'
Extended Signature
I guess I should answer my own questions.
1. 5 weeks now
2. Just this one so far, but that'll be changing soon
3. I love that I have a nearly bullet-proof way to continue playing D&D. I'm a little hard of hearing, especially for some reason, voices. In a live game it can be voices over voices. PbP it's written out. I can reread it over and over if I need to
and one that goes under 3 and 4 is how very much I have yet to learn.
The Worlds of Pphost a community of DMs and Players making PbP better
Malichi, Tiefling Rogue - Worlds of Pphost- The Amazing Teleportation Machine
DM Worlds of Pphost - Haven 'A Few Days at a Tavern'
Extended Signature
Always happy to discuss :)
How long have you been playing D&D PbP? 5 years, and I'm of the same regretful mindset in that I could have spent another 10 years in PbP had I known about it.
How many games do you have going at any one time? As player? As DM? I'm typically limited to mobile posting only. I used to be able to juggle 4-6 games as a player, but I always had trouble with more than 1 as a DM
What do you like best about it? No time constrains means you can discuss as needed and are in no rush to post more than 1-2 times per day, or more if the whole party is moving along with the same pace.
What do you like least? Mobile posting after 5 years just brings a physical sensation of frustration to my poor thumbs. Mobile formatting also tends to be sub-par for users as you have either content controls and limited visibility (desktop view) or better view and fewer font options
Characters:
Grishkar Darkmoor, Necromancer of Nerull the Despiser
Kelvin Rabbitfoot, Diviner, con artist, always hunting for a good sale
Bründir Halfshield, Valor Bard, three-time Sheercleft Drinking Competition Champion, Hometown hero
How long have you been playing D&D PbP?:
I only started when I found dnd beyond back in 2017, but I have been greatly enjoying it ever since.
How many games do you have going at any one time? As player? As DM?:
I have never DM'd, but I have played in a number of games now, with at most 5 or 6 simultaneously.
What do you like best about it?:
I love that I have time to really play with the wording for my response, I'm not constrained by my "on the spot" ability to communicate verbally. I also love that I can fit pbp into a busy schedule. Being able to look back through the game thread can be a great asset as well, its a detailed game log.
What do you like least?:
Sometimes I'm frustrated that the games move too slow, but then some days I'm the one holding the game back, so I just try to be patient. Players/DMs ghosting, is really disheartening when it happens, as is a player/DM just running into real life trouble that takes them out of the game. But when you do find a good group, its really great.
In my life, I cant really fit a regular live game, so pbp is an awesome outlet for me. And dnd beyond just makes it so easy to keep everything together. I have all my characters, my PM's and the game threads all in one location. pbp is wonderful and I am blessed to have the opportunity to partake ;)
David Gearlock | Human | Artificer | Revenge Heist
Knox | Warforged | Cleric | Shadowthorn's Out of the Abyss
I mostly have mixed feelings about PbP.
How long have you been playing D&D PbP?
At least since around 2006 (since I remember 4e not being around yet), but not very prolifically. Out of curiosity, I checked an old forum I used to play in and added to the few ones I've played here: I've played a total of about 25 PbP campaigns/adventures (5 of which I DMed).
How many games do you have going at any one time? As player? As DM?
Right now I'm playing 2 and DMing 1. Recently got to the point of playing 3 and DMing 2 and it kinda overwhelmed me, so I had to dial back. For me, playing 1~2 would be about the right fit, if I'm continuing with this forward.
What do you like best about it?
No regular time commitment.
Something to do in odd routine breaks.
Nice creative outlet for characters and backstories inside the DM's parameters.
What do you like least?
No regular time commitment, but a long commitment. It takes a long time to do anything in PbP, I've played what was supposed to be a 2 hour adventure in table and easily turned into a 22 days PbP. You can extrapolate on that to calculate on how long it would take to play a 1-20 campaign.
Games lose steam and die off a lot. I know life often gets in the way, but it's easy to see the eagerness of a campaign start quickly die off over 4 or 5 pages of posts. People start to disappear, posts start to be stretched farther apart, and then it just stops.
Out of all PbP campaigns/adventures I've played, only ONE reached its conclusion, and it was the one that should last 2 hours I've mentioned (though I have high hopes for 2 of the games I'm in right now). Maybe this particular thing could be avoided by focusing on playing smaller adventures instead of whole campaigns (Adventurers League is great for that, since you get to keep the character you've played), though that may be something that just happens to me, not everyone's experience.
Art Portfolio
How long have you been playing D&D PbP?
for a little under a year
How many games do you have going at any one time? As player? As DM?
I am currently DMing 7 campaigns and playing in 5, although it a bit for much for me.
What do you like best about it?
no regular time needed, and I can spend a few minutes think of a good reply, instead if having to think of what I do instantly.
What do you like least?
I second what @coelhogerge said, that games take forever and very often fizzle out.
Forest of Wonders DMless campaign
>Recruitment Thread< >Game Thread<
I am an average mathematics enjoyer.
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When I started playing 5e a couple years ago at a local microbrew, the DMs there were sharing the campaign. They all used the same main setting (a demiplane called "the Underbright") and adventures took off from there (portals from there to Saltmarsh, Waterdeep, etc). Some people had a few characters to choose from. I was just using the one. The characters and players had relationships that went from game to game whoever was running the table you wound up at. I've been hoping to find something like that (or, of course, as a very last resort, putting it together myself). I also wonder if it would make the idea of a "coDM" easier to use. As a DM puts together an adventure, they find someone to coDM, someone who would have access to the same game resources and basically just keep up with what is going on and if the primary DM is out for more than a day or two, can just take over till they get back, or finish out the adventure if they're not coming back. Right now I'm thinking a shared campaign could solve a lot of these problems (and sadly, still not be able to solve the speed of combat problem).
The Worlds of Pphost a community of DMs and Players making PbP better
Malichi, Tiefling Rogue - Worlds of Pphost- The Amazing Teleportation Machine
DM Worlds of Pphost - Haven 'A Few Days at a Tavern'
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That's roughly what happens in Adventurers League, you build your character and hop between various DM's games in different parts of the Forgotten Realms.
I guess the Co-DM idea could work, maybe with one of the players ready to step over in case he is needed, since a player would be more familiar with the game than some outsider dragged in just for that reason.
In any case, if you extrapolate on that ratio of my 2 hour session becoming a 22 day PbP, you could assume a 1 to 20 campaign would take roughly 5 and a half years to play in PbP (using 184 hours of play as an example to get from 1 to 20, a DM could accelerate things further, let's say at least 2 years). That period provides lots of opportunities for stuff to get in the way of the game. I really think that makes PbP more suited for one-shot adventures and very short campaigns.
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I agree with you. This is one of the really great features of a shared campaign is short one-shots. The games were expected to start no sooner than 6pm (and really getting under way by 7pm) and be over by 10pm (closing). They used a check mark system for advancing in level where you got a mark for each game, finished and over in one evening, yet my character continues from adventure to adventure (renting a modest room at a local tavern). Even there I'm hoping to figure out ways to speed up combat (which seems to be where things lag the worst).
An idea just occurred to me. If the DMs had a rating system for players that included daily posts and finishing games, and the players knew about it, a lot of players might put more effort into those things to protect their rating (and their ability to get into future games).
The Worlds of Pphost a community of DMs and Players making PbP better
Malichi, Tiefling Rogue - Worlds of Pphost- The Amazing Teleportation Machine
DM Worlds of Pphost - Haven 'A Few Days at a Tavern'
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OOhhh...I kinda like a player rating system. (Until some rando decides to crush people just because and tanks your 5-Star rating ;-)
I started PbP using Pathfinder sometime back in 2013 (and I still like how Paizo did their forums much better...but that's a different discussion =) I started playing D&D in person back in 1978/79, played off-and-on into the '90's, then life and career and family took over. I've found my best balance is no more than 3 or 4 games as a player and 1 or 2 as DM. I tend to put more time and effort into DMing, so the posts take significantly longer to do... My favorite and least favorite thing about PbP match others' inputs.
Best way I've found to mitigate the downsides, especially as a DM, is that you HAVE to drive the story more than in face-to-face games. Too many times I've played in games that died out because the players didn't know what to do and/or were waiting for "someone else" to make a post. Sometimes you have to provide obvious clues, or a set of choices, to kick-start action. I've played in games that only lasted a month or two, but I'm DMing a campaign (Lost Mine of Phandelver that has recently moved to Dragon of Icespire Peak) since June 2019! I have one original player, and had to recruit several new players over the many months, but it's got legs =)
Also like the idea of sharing DM responsibilities - I think that works best in a common setting and each DM runs a single adventure. The next one plays their idea, either a homebrew or a short adventure from that area or adapted. The trick is tying these together into a single story. Experienced DMs playing together could probably take interesting NPCs, plot hooks, actions etc. from each game and craft their view of a greater plot line. But it's easier to find players than DMs =) Cheers!
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Just to echo @coelhogergeand again show how new PbP is to me, I'm just now coming to the end of my first PbP combat. I'm think now that the 2 hours to 22 days ratio is optimistic! I mean, slow is to be expected just because of the medium we're using, but WOW! In my current situation it's not that much of an issue, but I can absolutely see this crushing campaigns. I think anything that can be done to speed up combat would put a dent in that ratio. I'm looking over some options and I'm not sure yet what I like but I can tell you there's one I don't like. It starts with, don't worry about things like extra speed or mobility options, fighting style, maneuvers or anything like that. Just focus on "to hit" and damage. There are people who put a lot of work into their character. These options define the character and make them unique. They may have built the character around a style of fighting and to say "that's just window dressing now" just doesn't feel right. It's something I'll keep working on.
The Worlds of Pphost a community of DMs and Players making PbP better
Malichi, Tiefling Rogue - Worlds of Pphost- The Amazing Teleportation Machine
DM Worlds of Pphost - Haven 'A Few Days at a Tavern'
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As far as the player rating system, I don't see "death" or any sort of adventure failure even being part of the rating system. I'd like to see it come down heavily on someone "crush people just because". It would cover the player rather than the character. Things like: "Do they play well with others?' "Do they understand the rules, especially those pertaining to their character?" "Do they continue to argue with the DM?" "Do they post in a timely manner?" "Did they finish the adventure?" I also think there should be a rating system for the DMs. I've always felt that used properly, feedback can vastly improve people to people interactions.
Driving the story sounds like outstanding advice. I see this is some of the adventures I've just read. The two I'm in currently I see some but most seem pretty proactive, but then we seem to have some pretty good player (altho I suspect one of being an AI).
One suggestion that came up in a private conversation about this was the idea that maybe there should be rule in place giving DMs priority as players in the shared campaign, giving people incentive to DM and DM well. So many possibilities.
The Worlds of Pphost a community of DMs and Players making PbP better
Malichi, Tiefling Rogue - Worlds of Pphost- The Amazing Teleportation Machine
DM Worlds of Pphost - Haven 'A Few Days at a Tavern'
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How long have you been playing D&D PbP? 3-4 months
How many games do you have going at any one time? As player? As DM? Player- 1 now, 3 on pause DM- 1
What do you like best about it? fun, easy, never a lack of players, slower pace, making new friends
What do you like least? sometimes too slow a pace, lack of games to enter/ games that full up with 15 people in the first 12 hours, LOTS of new players who don't know/care/want to learn a lot about the game. Heck, if I could get like 5 really good dedicated, experienced players in my PbP campaign right now, it would be H E A V E N, I'm stuck with two people who love it, and like 7 people who post twice a week :P
Life is very busy unfortunately, gone from most Pbp's indefinitely.
If you'd like to contact me, I am on Discord at GreatAxeblade#7595, always happy to chat :)
Homebrew races: ~Otterfolk! Play as a otter!~ Playable Dryad! (Literally just the monster sheet ported to player race)
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+1 to this. I think most of us are here doing PbP because our AFK lives make it difficult to get a proper D&D fix, and this is easy to fit into any schedule, checking in as much as possible, even if that's only once a day.
And the ghosting is the worst. I understand if a player or DM has to leave a game for whatever reason. Things happen. But it shouldn't be hard to let the team know... straight up disappearing is just rude.
PbP 🎲: Tyekanik; Moneo Noree; Korba Muris; & occasional DM:
Thank you for this post! I've been reading through everyone's responses and may get into more after a basic response. So first of all:
D&D PbP? Just discovered this a few months ago
PCing in 2, DMing 1
What do you like best about it?
Being able to write and have time to consider the most interesting way to continue, instead of having to figure stuff out on the spot, and to try and make a great experience for people. Players who are enthusiastic, who create bonds and stories and keep it going even when I can't be there. Creating a safe camaraderie for people to play.
What do you like least?
Feeling guilty for letting players hang for a couple days when I can't get back. The time it takes to DM because I overthink and edit lol. The players that let other players hang, when I can see on their chat history that they are responding to 12 other games, but haven't noticed that every other character in the party is yelling help, we need a rope and the one guy who isn't there is the one with the rope. ;p
Interesting discussion; can definitely relate to some of the likes/dislikes already mentioned here!
How long have you been playing D&D PbP?
*checks account...* Apparently only 9 months, although it feels longer than that.
How many games do you have going at any one time? As player? As DM?
As a player, max 3. As a DM, 1. I'm pretty busy irl though, fairly new to playing and even newer at DMing.
What do you like best about it?
Having the time to really think before replying, to stew on my first idea and see whether I can think of something better (i.e. more creative)
What do you like least?
Because of the extremely slow pace of pbp, there seems to be no chance to really get into a longer campaign. It just doesn't last, so although games go on for a few months, the story ends up being as short as a one-shot.
A completed pbp forum game:
Harley Atheonaikie in Frozen Sick
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Current pbp forum games:
Delilah Rose in Rivulestice
Tragedy Whispers (Previously: A Deep & Creeping Darkness & Waterdeep: Dragon Heist)
How long have you been playing D&D PbP?
D&D specifically? 3 years of PbP. Other rpgs? 35 years of PbP.
How many games do you have going at any one time? As player? As DM?
Currently running 2 and playing in 4.
What do you like best about it?
Well it allows me to play which would otherwise be fairly impossible. I love that you can get a deep level of immersion and really highlight the world and bring characters to life. Shy players can express themselves fully without being talked over and the DM/GM has time to adapt and shape things for their players which is great if your not the fastest thinker in RL.
Fully building a world and bringing aspects of it to life over time. I'm coming up on the 15 year anniversary of my Dragon Warriors RPG PbP, its going to feel quite strange when we conclude.
Over the years I've kinda come to prefer PbP over face to face.
What do you like least?
The slow pace, people who ghost and the need to sometimes bot players if they exceed the posting window without notice; I don't like to take away player agency but will do so if needed for the health of the game and so other players aren't forced to wait days between combat rounds.
The pace is definitely something to get used to my 15 year game mentioned above would likely be a 3 year game if it was face to face play.
That is awesome to hear, congratulations. Care to share a few details about this game? Like group size and what you've felt particularly changed this campaign about it being playing in PbP, good aspects and bad?
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