Innovative PbP ideas

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Aug 8, 2016 9:19 am
I have been running a game now for over a month and am having a great time. The unexpected responses of players makes the game fun. However I was thinking to myself what kind of strategies I could use to have the players help create the world they are in. For example what if their characters had to compete in a story telling competition? And they all had to write a story from their past.

In PbP I feel like there would also be an opportunity for the player to use down time to write a story about what happened. What kind of NPC's they ran into etc. If it is a fighter how did they train up to be 4th level? Did they have a trainer? If a wizard, how did they learn that new spell? The GM could then bring some of those story elements into future campaigns. I fell PbP could do this well.

Does anybody have any innovative ideas for making an engaging PbP experience?
Aug 8, 2016 1:54 pm
I like this idea of players using down time to write stories. Like you say, what it brings to world building and to giving the GM possible plot hooks for future campaigns is great - I think for some, just extra time with their character would be nice.
In a similar vein, I think there's scope for character flashbacks in certain situations. In general, I think there's much more scope for seeing a character's thoughts, rather than just their words and actions, in a PbP setting.
Aug 8, 2016 11:25 pm
Yeah, I have noticed that character's thoughts are often a part of a post and they can be a means of motivation presentation. Flashbacks are def a cool idea I never thought of.
Last edited August 9, 2016 8:33 am
Aug 9, 2016 12:52 am
I fully agree with these ideas. PbP does lend itself to more narrative elements of gaming really well. I don't know what games you're playing, but some systems provide supplemental material for this kind of thing. The first one that comes to mind is Pathfinder's Ultimate Campaign book. There's a system for incorporating "downtime" into adventures, or using things like training for skills as a means for a campaign. I'm sure there are other resources that are similar, but at the moment they escape me.
Aug 10, 2016 1:47 am
I would also like to hear how other people use the personal message function. I have been trying to use it to give the players some contextual information that would enrich the world they are in. My thinking is that the PM is great because it allows the characters to bring things up themselves in play when they wish, or even hold on to personal information if the don't want to share it with the group.

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