Is there a thread here to discuss Play-by-Post games from a wider vantage? 

I find PBP games a very different sort of beast than IRL games. It's very literary, for one. Words matter, a lot. And you usually have much more time to choose them. PBP probably isn't a good choice for those who don't like creative writing on some level. But how else does it differ, for you? 

In your experience, what's the ideal size for a PBP party? Is it different than for a traditional, live game?

Is PBP just a second-best choice for those who can't find, or don't have time for, a live game?  Or are there aspects in which PBP can be better than a traditional game?

I'm curious to hear your thoughts!

Well, I've played a LOT of PBPs. Unfortunately, my list of completed games are much shorter. There can be a lot of down time in between posts, and this can be maddening. Sometimes a player may just disappear entirely with no warning or life may throw in a wrench. 

I've found that using some sort of communication between players helps in some decision making for the party. With that comes some good RP. 

Number of players depends on DM preference. I've played a game with 10+ players that worked out surprisingly well because the DM was able to handle the work load of balancing. On the other side, the game moved super quick as far as PBP games go and stands as one of my favorites. I've also tried to run a few games with less than recommended players, that crashed and burned and wasn't that fun.

Some people find that PBPs can be just as fun as in person. It really depends on your party. Ive had a lot of fun and no fun with both.

Im no professional, just my thoughts in it.

Any thoughts or questions?

Hello there, 

First, I love that this question got asked! I was wondering where something like this might go, and often thought about posting it myself. Kudos! 

Any who, In my experience, to some degree PbP is better.

I find that the lore aspects and various subtle hints come across more clearly as you can re-read what was written and more clearly define what was meant by using more specific words you may think of while writing it versus just saying it then trying to go back several hours afterwards to amend what you meant after the tabletop is already cleared. For people who don't really care about combat or work strange hours, PbP also offers them the ability to maintain a presence in the game from anywhere which is just impossible for table top. On the other hand, I feel like Combat suffers alot in PbP, probably because of how slowed down it is. I've actually just launched my first Combat Heavy PbP campaign specifically to see if its just the string of campaigns I chose or if its PbP as a platform all together. 

Finally, The ideal size thus far has been 6+ for the simple reason that many people will shake out and it will distill down into a core 3-5 players + DM. I have found that it is dissimilar to in-person, possibly because going to a table top is a great commitment, where the majority of the initial setup people will stay so you don't need as many. 

Hopefully I've given some measure of a good contribution. I know I don't have much experience here in terms of posts, but its almost entirely PbP campaigns. I really enjoy them and hope that you all do as well. 

Thank you! 

-Silvercoins

Thanks for your perspective on this! 

Back in about 1980, I used to play in play-by-mail games like Universe III, where watching the mailbox for a week at a time was part of the fun (and provided built-in time to strategize with other players by mail and telephone.) But I don't think the anticipation adds that much fun to PBP games.

I've played a few PBP 5e games here over the past year, and I'm DMing one currently, but I've found very few sources for the best practices and philosophy of PBP gaming.

I do think that PBP is an under-appreciated format. There are wonderful aspects to it that you just can't get in a live game. I'm just trying to tease out what they are, exactly.

Are you suggesting, @Benismyusername, that MORE players than recommended works well in PBP, where small parties may be more prone to failure in PBP? That seems counterintuitive, but intriguing! (One issue I've had playing in large PBP parties is distinguishing between the characters in my head, unless they are really unique and colorful personalities.)

Also - By "using some sort of communication between players" do you mean in-thread, in-character? Or outside the game thread?

Anyone else want to weigh in, also?

Thanks, @Silvercoins!

I find that the lore aspects and various subtle hints come across more clearly as you can re-read what was written and more clearly define what was meant by using more specific words you may think of while writing it versus just saying it then trying to go back several hours afterwards to amend what you meant after the tabletop is already cleared.

I totally agree. (As a DM it also adds a little pressure - players can scroll back a few weeks to recall exactly what went down or was said. DMs have to always be on their game!)

As for combat, I definitely support the tactic of grouping initiatives, and (when convenient) resolving players' actions in posting order rather than initiative order, to save time.

What other house rules do you find necessary in order to make the PBP experience better?

While DMing, I also sometimes espouse the philosophy of "Sims" style play: You are not your character. Sometimes your character will do things independently (especially if we're all waiting for you to post!)

Thanks for making this thread! I'm interested in hearing other people's thoughts, and I think there should also be a resource for newer PbP players.

I'm no expert, but I have both played and been the DM for multiple PbP games. I'll post my initial and undeveloped thoughts here, but I'll probably think of more stuff later.

So, what's unique to PbP? Well, first of all the players are a lot less noticeable than the characters. When I'm sitting at a table, I can see the other players and hear them talk. In PbP, the only experience I have of the player is their forum posts, which are mostly in-character. I can let my imagination create the appearance and voice of the characters with only the text to guide me. 
I think using text (compared to speach) is useful in that you can spend a lot more time thinking about what you're going to say rather than having to come up with something on the spot. However, it also makes some things harder. For example, I have to keep typing things such as 'George says "Hello, my name is George" while waving at you', whereas at the table I could just say "Hello, my name is George" and wave at the characters.
Overall, I think PbP can be more immersive than in-person campaigns, since it mostly avoids side-chatter and prioritizes characters over players. However a major barrier to immersion in PbP is the spread-out time frame. Since posting is spread out in chunks throughout the day, I don't have that experience of sinking into the world that can happen when I'm doing nothing but playing at a table for hours on end.

One thing that I really like about PbP as a DM is the comparative lack of prep required. Since I can reference the adventure, my notes and the rules at any time without interrupting the campaign, there's very little I have to memorise at any one time. I can even run an adventure straight from the book in PbP, whereas I'd have to take notes about plot elements and encounters if I ran the same adventure in person.

One thing I would strongly recommend to PbP DMs is to use group initiative and roll initiative for all of the players. Combat is especially slow in PbP, so it's a good idea to streamline it as much as possible. Just remember to preserve player choice when possible.

I haven't really addressed player count or players dropping out in this post, so I might do that later if I feel I have something to contribute.

the players are a lot less noticeable than the characters ... prioritizes characters over players.

Great point!

as a DM ... the comparative lack of prep required

Another excellent point. Although I think on the other side of that coin, DMs maybe need to keep much more meticulous records than a live game. DMs need to keep track of details over months, not hours, and know that the players may be keeping equally precise records.

preserve player choice when possible.

Yes - this!  A great mantra!

Here's another question: If you were writing a new adventure just for PBP, how might it differ from a traditional adventure written for face-to-face gaming?

I'd like to chime in briefly on that one. The amount of scenery you have to describe and how varied you need to be in the way you describe it are much more apparent in pbp. 

I've gotten by with "and it kind of looks like..." for environments for along time in table top and that really doesn't mesh well with pbp. 

 The amount of scenery you have to describe and how varied you need to be in the way you describe it are much more apparent in pbp

Yeah, you actually have to learn to write reasonably well to be effective. I've always thought that PBP gaming could be a great tool for, say, high school English classes. 

PBP DMs:

When running Play-By-Post games, what RAW rules do you change, or what special house rules do you establish, to make your game run easier/better?

Hello!

I'm really glad this topic came to be, I think a lot of wisdom can be shared here for people looking to play PbP games as DM and PCs.

• In your experience, what's the ideal size for a PBP party? Is it different than for a traditional, live game?

I believe this varies from game and style. Thanks to Matt Colville, I discovered the "West Marches" type game which hold 10+ players - oooOOOooo!
Definitely something I'd be into once I get a bit more experience. For me, the more I play, I prefer smaller groups for now: for DMing 4 PCs is the ideal, but I stick with the 3-5 idea. I do find myself agreeing with Silvercoins point that people will drop out, intentionally or not.

PbP is different, and I would say no better or worse. What I have noticed is live games, due to their fixed time slot, are more intense: I would say this includes the concentration of enjoyment. It is somewhat similar to enjoying a franchise through film or book - film has a fixed time with characters/plot easily accessible as they're shown to the audience, whereas through it a book it is described and the reader digests the plot and character moments slower, but more focused format. I am sure someone can do a deeper study!

I enjoy reading and writing, so I really believe in the perks of PbP. I look forward to the point a character I'm DM/playing reach a peak in their arc and it'll be just as sweet, for me at least.

• What other house rules do you find necessary in order to make the PBP experience better?

One of the things I find that will help is the idea of not being precious who rolls for skill checks. As others have said, have the DM roll everyone's initiative. Or I would go further, if the DM requires a skill check go ahead and roll as we all have access to our PCs sheets. I'm in a game where we pre-roll Initiative if some player believe in personal luck! :P

I also recommend maps for combat. Even if it is with MS Paint, I find it would help reduce confusion or mistakes being made. In addition, rather than upload the whole image, I recommend just copying and pasting the area that is important using the Snip tool. If you look in post history, it's always what I use to post my maps. I hope it helps! 🙂