OOC

PbtA definitely has some PvP-like aspects like this. It didn't feel out of place to me. I'm generally more used to asking the GM before I make a roll (but that's also a GM preference, whether they prefer players to just roll or ask first), but I at least didn't see anything wrong with it. I also wasn't the target of it, though, so timplausible might feel differently (though I guess I can use this opportunity to say that I'd be fine with that kind of use against Alice).
It probably shouldn't happen all the time, as in multiple times per conversation, but here and there, it seems fine to me.

I don't mind having a move like "Pierce the Mask" used against me.

I haven't played much Masks, but the rules definitely lean towards using some moves on other characters. Some of the game rules are clearly about creating mechanics for teen drama. Sometimes we are supposed to get hit with a move that makes our character react a certain way or reveal something, even if the player normally wouldn't choose that for their character. It's part of "playing to see what happens."

Most PbtA games that I've seen discourage players from deciding to "use a basic move". Instead, players are just supposed to say what they are doing in the story, and the GM tells them if they have triggered a move. However, that is a clunky structure in PbP. The game might flow better if we roll when we think we trigger a move, and the GM can correct us if they think we didn't really trigger one.

Edit to add: I would think that sometimes similar actions may or may not trigger a move, depending on the intensity of the situation. Just saying, "why are you being a jerk, Leo?" might not trigger Pierce the Mask. But really scrutinizing him and pushing him about it might.

Agreed. I like the 'roll with some assumptions and see if the GM approves' approach. Speeds things up quite a bit, and in my experience most of the time the player is allowed to keep the roll.

@BeardHare - Yeah. I agree with everyone here. I think you used the move right and at a good time. Didn’t feel out of place or anything. PbtA is a lot about relationships and how you can use them or get used by them. The Influence, for instance, is another way to have someone do what you want them to do in game. So I think you’re all good there.

Yeah, if you think you want to do a move, just roll for it and say what you want to get out of it. It’ll help streamline things.

All of that stuff in there was great.

Let me know if anything needs clarification.

@Chloe - You can try to speed learn from the feed, but it’s only what you’d see on the screen. Details or something? We can play to find out if you want.

@Dreamweaver - love the Kirby Car. Fresh fruit. The opposite of the deli team in Back to the Future II.

@Aegis - can we assume that we have some kind of communicators to talk to each other when we are physically separated?

I don’t know… you didn’t say you did before you left…

Lol. Yeah. Sure that makes sense to me. What do you guys think? Earpieces? Watches? Badges?

I’m working on a post now

Probably earpieces, I'd say

Earpieces makes sense.

Flashback
Leo, in the Hall: "Hey guys! I found these communicator earpieces while going through the boxes Mr Phase left behind. We should use them."

Earpieces! :-)

You’ve Got’em!

It looks like Solicestice double posted/rolled. Originally got a 13 so I’ll take that. What answers does Solstice want?

I’ll post again tomorrow.

Weird! I deleted the second duplicate post.
I'll be flying around trying to ascertain (1) which of the areas in the compound have active threats, (2) what is the motive of the creatures behind the threat.

Y'all, I'm curious - GPs the first place I've played PbP, and this is one of the first games I've played here.

I'm really surprised and impressed how immersive this feels - how strong the spirit is in the players and the GM to tell an exciting meaningful story together. How considereate players are for each other. This, for me, random set of strangers I didn't 'know' until a couple of weeks ago, coming together to make something that feels really pretty awesome.

So, yeah, I guess I just wanna thank you all for making this together here, for the great collaboration, to thank @aegis for all their work putting it together in particular :)

And also, as I said, I'm curious - is this like an unusually neat game that's happening here? Or is this kinda a common experience for y'all that it works so well?

This is a great game so far! A lot of games on GP are like this, but many are not. Here's some quick, completely subjective observations on PbP and games on GP.

Having a good GM is key. If a GM doesn't keep up with their posting rate and doesn't keep the action moving, it can be a slog, and people will drop out due to boredom. So key ingredient #1 is having a good GM. If you play for a bit on GP you'll eventually get to know several of the GMs and then be able to say 'Oh, I want to get in that game because that person is a great GM!'

The anonymity of the way GP is oriented has some pros and cons over face-to-face gaming. A pro is that the act of writing makes you consider and double-check what you're posting before it goes live. You can even edit something you regret. And if you're a trouble-maker or not keeping up with the expected posting rate, it is easy for the GM to reach out, have a private conversation, and deal with the problem, kicking them out if the issue isn't resolved (and this is easier that kicking someone out of a face-to-face game who's sitting right there next to you). So my experience is that people tend to be on their best behavior, and it's easier to police bad behavior than in face-to-face games.

The con of anonymity is that you can more easily ghost a game without much fear of consequences. I've seen multiple GMs and multiple players through the years just drop out of playing (or running) a game without any notice. Life can always disrupt your ability to play in a game, but it is very uncourteous to ghost someone when a simple 'Hey, stuff came up and I need to bow out' would be so much more considerate.

I've found the other big make-or-break issue in games is a mismatch on posting rate expectations. Some players would happily post 5 times a day, whereas another player may have only time for 3 posts a week. If this isn't clearly communicated (and to some extent, policed) it can lead to frustration for the slower posters who have trouble keeping up. In games I run I tend to have a posting minimum and maximum (e.g. 'Post about once a day during weekdays, but no more than two times a day.'). I've been in games where the posting rate wasn't communicated at all, and players were posting 10 times a day, and I could not keep up and had to drop out, which all could have been avoided.

Here is a PbP best practices blog article I wrote on my own personal GM style in running PbP games which has some interesting considerations: https://dicehaven.com/play-by-post/guidelines/

Here's another article I wrote on using 'conditionals' in PbP games: https://dicehaven.com/play-by-post/using-conditionals-in-play-by-post-roleplaying/

Dreamweaver has made some good points, so I'll just emphasize these points:
GP has a really nice community with many great and respectful people. But I think this game in particular has also drawn a good crowd. Everyone in here seems thoughtful and supportive. And invested, though in PBP, sometimes games can start with lots of enthusiasm and then fizzle out. Hopefully, that is not the case here. But the start is making me optimistic.

And I'd add that you don't only get to know GMs but also players. I have encountered some players who I have found I'm very compatible with and where I get excited when I see them in a game and some I am less compatible with. When I run games, I try to get a mix of people I know I can rely on and new people to give them a chance and to get to know them. But it's helpful to know that you can definitely at least rely on let's say two out of four players to not just disappear.
Out of the players in this game, I haven't played with most of you before, but I'm very happy with this group so far :)

Prompted by @Dreamweaver and @bowlofspinach above re: letting people know when I may be be less engaged - I've got two weeks of me training people, part of it including a trip to California (I'm in Europe), starting on Monday. I don't know yet how much capacity I'll have to post during those weeks (it'll be intense). I hope to manage a sentence a day or so, but if you don't hear from me, that's what's going on.

@BeardHare - thanks for the heads up. We got you. No worries.

I’m glad everyone is liking it so far, I think this is a pretty great crew too.

I haven’t been on GP too long, but I’ve been around other PbP boards and, yeah, sometimes you get really lucky and have a good GM, players, theme etc… sometimes you get really unlucky and have bad all of that stuff and more.

Unfortunately , due to life or other reasons, you end up with a lot of ghosts in a lot of these games, which sucks.

I’m just trying to immerse everyone in this as much as I can and keep the momentum up, because I think boredom kills in a lot of these games. Which is why I really won’t have our bikers out for much longer.

@amymist,@BeardHare - I’ll drop a mention for when you can hone back into the IC stuff. I know it’s a killer when your character is knocked out or otherwise not there and you’re trying to read everything but none of it matters until you show up, lol.

Ah, @aegis, thanks for that. I'm not feeling like this is holding us back, or frustrating me - Mirage and Nightfly can always have some more awkward social interactions while things are happening elsewhere! ;) And I'll be more careful next time before suggesting splitting the party like this - has a different impact/challenge, I see, in PbP compared to in-person.