Is there a “posting etiquette” guide?

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Jun 22, 2020 11:00 am
I was wondering if anyone ever collected useful advice regarding how players should approach posting character actions in an asynchronous resolution narrative medium like pbp. I guess most people learn by doing, but I wonder if it wouldn’t be a good idea to collect a number of heuristics into an easy-to-digest list for newcomers.

I can think of a number of principles that could be useful as reminders for new and old players alike, that have to do with the medium:
- read the social contract
- commit to following the contract
- post with restraint (frequency, length, etc)
- do not post the consequences of your actions
- respect other people’s pace, acknowledge their presence in your actions
- know when to roll
- don’t disappear from games

Perhaps this has already been done and is available somewhere?
Jun 22, 2020 1:34 pm
I could've sworn I saw one, but can't seem to find it right now...
Jun 22, 2020 2:26 pm
Yeah, I found Cruvis' top 10 PbP refereeing tips, but I found no equivalent for players. I think it would be useful to have such a guide here.
Jun 22, 2020 3:23 pm
Drama had some kind of guideline let me see if i can find it
Jun 22, 2020 8:00 pm
General etiquette I haven't covered, but this is my normal "How I do PBP stuff" primer for my games:

Some of the other bits you've included in there I wouldn't mind thieving and sticking in the below post (namely the posting outcomes, social contract, etc)





Your characters actions are posted in unadorned plain text. I try to keep these in third person, present tense.
Quote:
The towering man draws the massive sword from his back, setting his stance against the upcoming rush of kobolds.
Your speech is done in bold text.
Quote:
Come and taste my steel! the barbarian growls, feeling his rage flow through his veins.
Internal thoughts are handled through italics.
Quote:
Dirty kobolds. Vile creatures. I would as soon bed a devil as I would to see a single of these vermin roam free. the sorcerer thinks to herself as she feels the wisps of poison start to coalesce in her hand.
Information about the spell you are casting in red font. I also try to include a link to the spell in the post, but I don't ask you to do that if you don't want. Just a quirk of mine so I can get to the spell details quicker.
Quote:
Casting poison spray. DC13 Con save or take damage.
Anything out of character is posted using the OOC tags.
Quote:
OOC:
The barbarian really hates kobolds. I'm not sure if this would give him any kind of advantage on the strike? Are there any other rolls you want to see?
DM Information I try to post in this color.
Quote:
Feel free to roll a Nature check to learn more about Kobold lighting preferences. Billy, do so at advantage because your mom is a kobold.
_______________________________________________________________

A few housekeeping items, so you all know what to expect:

1) Given the nature of PbP games, I will roll all initiatives. Typically combat will be side based, meaning all the PCs will go in one batch and then all the NPCs will go in one batch. In order to keep it "easy" to understand, I'll post the current combat lineup in Bold Teal. If your name is in bold, you are free to take your action. If not, no action for you!

Example:
COMBAT! Bold below may act:
Evil Monkey
Bob
Bill
Susan

Army of Grifters



2) Please roll attack and damage when you declare your attack. If you roll a 20, edit in an extra dice for the crit damage. For example, make a roll like: Longbow Shot: 1d20+3, 1d8+1.

3) If you think your action will need a roll, post it. If I don't need/want it, I'll just ignore the result. :)
Jun 23, 2020 8:16 am
Those are real good, Dramasailor.
Apr 5, 2023 5:25 am
Seconded!

Signed, a visitor from the future.
Apr 5, 2023 6:03 pm
I keep initiative like this
Init order
player A
player b
player c
Monster Y
player d
Monster Z

Red = player down or unable to act for some reason (death saves, unconscious, etc)
Green = Active turn
Blue = next in line
So after Monster Z goes, Player A,B,C can take their actions without waiting on each other but as DM i'll run them in order and if one needs to change first in line doesn't change, the others do.
Last edited April 5, 2023 6:04 pm
Apr 6, 2023 2:12 am
Another thing I insist in pbp is that a player’s posts should attempt to make meaningful contributions to the game. "Meaningful" means that posts should advance the plot in some way. That could be as simple as asking a question or making a roll to notice something. It doesn’t need to be major. Anything that helps the group learn new information or progress the action somehow.

Frivolous posts are those where the character does nothing to add to the plot. Pointless conversations are an example. In limited amounts, frivolous posts are totally fine, so long as players don’t go overboard.

Posts that meaningfully contribute to the plot help the game maintain momentum and keep things moving.
Last edited April 6, 2023 2:24 am
Feb 18, 2024 4:32 am
I used the post from Dramasailor, modified it with my initiative setup, and I use Spoilers for info from the DM. Then I pasted it into my game info page. That way new players get to see it, and have a quick way back to it.

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