OOC

For out of character discussions.

Welcome everyone! If you haven’t already, say hello here and post your concept in the other thread.

I’m excited to be playing with all of you.

Hey there, thank you for the invite!
I don't think I've played with most of you before, but I'm glad to meet you all. I'm bowlofspinach, or bowl or spinch for short. I'm 28 years old and from Germany. I've been on GP for almost five years now and I spend way more time on here than could possibly be healthy. I like my games with a heavy dose of social drama and interpersonal relationships, so Masks is exactly up my alley.
I'm already playing in one game of it on here that is slowly nearing its end (Playing a Legacy over there), so this is perfect to fill that spot in my gaming schedule.

I'm 57, been playing PbP games for about 25 years (started with Play-By-Email), and live in Texas (our family still has the ranch from the 1860s when they came in as settlers). I'm particularly interested in the relationship / soap-opera style aspect of the game (I really loved the Smallville TV series).

Hi there! I'm Amy. I'm brand-new to GP (joined like. two days ago) but have been playing PbP games for a good while! I found this site after thinking I would play a game or two on Tavern Keeper after a long absence, only to find that that site seems to be... Very abandoned by the mods.

Honestly, a lot of my rp experience is systemless games... Mostly Warrior Cats, lol.

I love me some social drama and interpersonal angst!

Hello fellow teen supers. I'm 51, male, live in the U.S. I played a fair bit on here a couple of years ago, then I had a major health crisis, then my wife had her own health crisis. But now we're both healthy again, and i'm picking up a few games. I have the Masks rules and like them a lot, but I have only managed to play in a handful of short-lived pbp games. Looking forward to trying it again.

Hi I'm light a 29 year old brit and I've been here for 2 or 3 years now? Like many fell it it during the pandemic. (I did system less pbp as a kid and had been meaning to look for it with trpgs for a while a I knew it existed just the pandemic made me get around to it.)

I also enjoy the social aspect of RPGS (Though I am also a crunch/mechanic gremlin, my main system in pf 1e :P) and found it can shine in pbp. I've been wanting a super game for ages as I enjoy the genre but never yet got to play one except one-offs (Had a game nearly shape up here but then DM ghosted)

Hey y'all - 48 year old allocishet white guy from London here, although been living in southern Germany almost half my life now....?!?! Played a game or two (DnD and TMNT) back in school, but then a break until the pandemic. Then it was the common story of DnD as almost inevitable first choice and then a slow realisation that there are other systems much better suited to the kinds of stories I enjoy being part of...

I enjoy simple rules, contemporary or futuristic settings, and horror (my favourite systems so far are probably Alien RPG, City of Mist, and a beautiful Dark Tower version of the Black Hack - the Black Tower Hack - would love to run that here sometime) - but also just trying out new things.

First ever PbP was here on GP starting a few weeks ago - absolutely LOVING the opportunity this platform gives me to try out different systems!

Great! I’ll go last.

I’m 36 living in Florida in the USA. I’ve been playing and running RPGs very odd and on since I was about 12. I’m a big nerd and I was proud of it even before it was "popular" lol.

I moved down here a few years ago and had a hard time finding an RL group so I looked around and found GP. So we’ll see if it works for me.

I like all kinds of games and I buy almost any new game or system I see, lol. My go tos are Cypher, the AGE systems and Cortex though.

I’m looking forward to playing with you guys, learning the site, and stretching my GM legs. I’m glad we have a pretty diverse group age, experience wise, and time on the site-wise.

Just read in the recruitment thread that Masks is the number one game that Chloe wants to play on here. I'm excited to play, but it sounds like they want it more. I'm happy to back out and make this slot available to her if you were good with that, GM?

Nope don’t back out. Let me take a look at that and I’ll get back.

Tbh, I’ll probably just add them in.

Hello all.
Thanks for the late invite in :)

I'm glad to get a join in.
I'm in my 30s from Europe.

I am mostly interested in PbtA and the good old 5E.

And indeed finding a game of Masks is the main reason I got to GP.
I love the young supers trope a lot and I do love PbtA game. But it seems like no one else generally does so getting into a Masks game has been a long struggle.

I certainly don't want to make anyone feel like they're being pushed out of the game.
My post in the recruitments thread was mostly to get on a spare list.

Oh, I totally understood you weren't trying to get anyone pushed out! I just read your post and it sounded like you wanted to be in so much that I wanted to try and make that happen if it was possible.

Yeah! No one’s getting pushed out, I think more people provides more opportunities, especially in PbP.

Should be fun

Alrighty! I think we’re almost all done with character creation.

I’ll get our first post in today sometime. The first post in the thread will have some flip tokens. I think when we’re done with a scene or ready to move on, it can be handy to kind of indicate "alright, I’ve said what I need to and am ready for another prompt".

lol disregard me fiddling with the button, was trying to see how it works

Ha. I figured there would be several of us doing it. No problem

Posted the first one.

You guys have some good stuff going in there.

Never played Masks before - feels a bit uncomfortable using a move 'against' another player like I just did with "Pierce the Mask" with Leo. Feels slightly PvP and that's not a vibe I have ever been into. Also, using it kinda 'casually' just in a conversation, not in a big confrontation, feels like I'm maybe trivialising it?

Those of you with experience playing Masks - was that a kinda normal, expected, reasonable, in-tone-and-intent-of-game kinda thing to do (throw that move in there)?

And, Leo, did it feel OK for you that I did that? Or did it feel intrusive/removing agency in a frustrating way or something like that?

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.

Ok everyone. Just posted in the IC. I think shortly after Captain Teleport starts this confrontation we’ll get the bikers in. I’ll ping when the time is right for that.

@Aegis the 'where everyone is and what are they doing' summary was VERY helpful. Thanks!

Nice! Glad to hear it! I’ll make sure I keep it going then. Hopefully it keeps us all on the same page.

Sorry for not responding yet @BeardHare, I went to a convention and haven't had as much downtime as i'd hoped. Will get back to you when i can tho!

Hey @amymist np at all - I'm teaching a course atm carrying some impressive jetlag so going to be low on downtime myself for a while :)

@amymist,@BeardHare - alright. Found a great moment for the team to come together. I’ll bring you two in on my next post.

@aegis As a heads up rereading through masks book and bull, I may fiddle slightly with Lex's qanswers/backstory to slightly bring it closer to a couple of things.

It'll basically jbe the same just, just some time line shifts of powers to seperate off Dad, and possibly slightly more defining the 'artifact incident'

Will let you know when I have.

I have a bit of concern about this current action scene. From my experience with PbtA, if someone activates a move, then the outcome of that should have a greater impact on the scene in one way or another. It's not really like an attack roll in D&D where everyone just makes a roll and then the GM sorts them all out in order. For example, Wild Claw is trying to move our two targets back together into one space, so her action should shape the scene, to which the characters should then react again. Rolling multiple simultaneous moves kind of makes it so these individual actions can't really have the breathing room / impact that they are supposed to.
Ultimately, it's up to Aegis, of course, how they want to handle it, but I think it would make the most sense to only have one open move at a time and wait for that to resolve and show its effects before going into another move, otherwise, it feels very chaotic to me.

Hey everyone - I'm f4eling unwell and can't concentrate on the posts here stm. Happy for you to deal withNightfly anyway you like - act for zir, sideline zir, whatever works best for you. Sorry. Hope to be back again soon.a

Get well soon, BeardHare!

Thank you @bowlofspinach

@BeardHare - Hope you feel better. I’ll guide Nightfly until you get back.

@bowlofspinach - Hmmm… I see what you mean... We can definitely try to do one at a time and see what happens/how long that takes. You make a good point about each move really guiding and manipulating the fiction and it’s hard to do some quality posts and get in it, if your constantly going for a moving Target narratively.

So yeah, we’ll try one open move at a time, and play it by ear. I can definitely get more little posts movers and responses in, so that shouldn’t be a problem. If it’s too much we’ll figure out something else.

@LightOfMidnight - sounds good about the Retcon. Let me know.

@bowlofspinach - I think that’s either an unleash your powers roll or directly engage threat. There are some stakes here and if you’re reaching out to touch them they can touch you back. Which do you think it would be?

We’ll resolve this then someone else can move.

@amymist - No worries. Yeah, you’re right about the Comfort and Support move so take that XP. With a 6, you don’t really get anything from that assess move.

Nice job on the 10 Solstice-@Dreamweaver. Which 2 do you want?

Let's go with:
• create an opportunity for your allies
• impress, surprise, or frighten the opposition

I'll specify the ones I want going forward after I do the roll so you don't have to ask! :-)

Thanks for the well wishes, y'all :)

It's Covid that I was/am sick with, and realise I had it all the way through Europe<->USA work trip - no wonder I was feeling miserable heh.

Back home in Germany now, and symptoms improving - so going to check out The Story So Far and see if I've got brain space to make a post.

Glad to hear it. Take your time

Having to travel while sick sounds especially rough. Glad to hear that you’re starting to feel better, though!

Amy, the dice really don't like you 😄

I hope you're tracking your Potential

It's really true, lol. Honestly I had considered using my doomsign, but I was like "eh, i can't fail forever" and now here we are X3.

And I am! With the three failed rolls and the one from Nightfly's support move, I'm already at 4, haha.

Those rolls are getting ridiculous. The one time you need a low number...

Seriously! I was going into it thinking "you know what the funniest thing that could happen would be," and sure enough

@LightOfMidnight - you took out Backlash, so I’ll let you take another choice instead of create an opportunity. Or you can create another opportunity that isn’t related to Backlash.

Do you mean Leo/Timplausible? :p

Though currenttly torn on if Wildclaw is going to listen to Alloy or not

I sure did mean Leo@timplausible

I’ll probably make some moves for Solstice and Second Phase (@Dreamweaver,@Chloe ) to keep those characters engaged and help with the action economy.

May try to move both of them later today.

How many civilians are currently at risk from the helicopter blade?

OK, so you make a Move and I respond to it, is that how that will work?

Also, apologies; I was out of town for three days and haven't been able to catch up (until now). :-)

No civilians, just the heroes and villains in the Wast Building (everyone except Alloy Angel)

No problem. No, go ahead and make a move. Solstice and Second Phase were the last ones to move, and we were waiting for a couple of days, so I thought I’d just move us a long and have your characters do something. I thought I had pinged you, but maybe I didn’t.

All of that’s to say, I won’t drive Solstice, go ahead and put in your post when you get a chance.

Hey everyone. I’m still around but I’m doing a bunch of impromptu traveling for Thanksgiving for the next week and a half. I’ll check in and post when I can but it’ll probably be slower.

Thanks for letting us know.

No worries,stuff happens!

Sorry. I’m still here. holidays and real life caught me, so I’m catching back up. I should post soon.

Hey. Super sorry I just dropped off the planet like that. I had a TON of stuff happen in RL (wife had a kid super early AND a brand new job and new responsibilities) and got pretty overwhelmed. I kept thinking I was going to post something "tomorrow" but tomorrow kept moving and by the time I realized that, it'd basically been a month, I guess.

Anyway, with all of my RL stuff going on, I've got to scale back and basically quit any of the games I was in if they didn't quit me first, so I won't be on the site much for a while.

Again, sorry to be so flighty.

Wishing you all the best with new kid and new work and everything, @Aegis!

No problemo. Good luck with real life, and thanks for the game.