Hello There!

He said in his best Obi Wan Kenobi voice.

Hi, I've never tried PbP before and would like to learn a little more about how it would actually work. Been into RPG's for many years, but haven't played anything since Covid.

I joined as I am interested in running something WoD based, specifically WtA (when I'm done reading the rulebook).

Are there any good guides as to how PbP would be practically run? If people are posting, for example, once per day how do you deal with pace? What about combat?

Thanks for reading

Welcome! I think the mods will be putting up a good beginner's guide post. I would say for posting, when they say once a day, it is to check once a day to see if people are waiting on your character to post. I would say for combat, it will depend on the rules set up in your game. It may follow turns in order, PCs in any order vs NPCs, or many other combos!

Thanks

Welcome Automated_Hero!

If you want to see how GP functions, here are links to the New GP Member Guide, the forum rules, this video introduction made by user Qralloq and a little helpful formatting guide made by user Adam. You might also be interested in looking through some public games as well to get a feel for the site.
If you have any questions about how to use the site, you can put them into our Questions and Help subforum.

To join a game, keep your eyes on the Games Tavern, where GMs advertise their games and look for players.

You're also invited to join us on the Discord server for some friendly conversation, about the site, RPGs in general or anything else!

If you have any concerns or questions, feel free to contact any of the following moderators:

BedzoneII
bowlofspinach
CancerMan
LightOfMidnight
Naatkinson
Qralloq
Keleth (site owner)

Happy gaming!

Thanks

Welcome Aboard!

Pacing can be tricky in PbP, especially in crunchy or combat-oriented games, and can take a bit of getting used to. I'd suggest picking a game or three that are available for Public Viewing and read through them and see how the flow goes. Like IRL, some GMs handle it better than others so I'd say read through games from different GMs or just ask around for good examples.

Also, the GamersPlane Discord is a great place to get good advice at a faster pace than the forums!

Hi Automated_Hero. I ran a longish W20 game and it worked good. Just stick to your guns, and include a rule like, "we'll wait two days at most for a response, and then assume something" and you can keep a game steady. Consistency is important, as people will come to expect long delays if those occur frequently (and so they might not post right away thinking they have lots of time).

Thanks, can you tell me how you handled combat?

Basically by the book. Set an action order, have the players act roughly in order, and process the enemy attacks when appropriate in that order. Don't worry about making it fast or adjusting the rules for streamlining purposes. Everything here works on the pace dictated by asynchronous play, so no one should expect a combat scenario to be finished in a day or two.

One major trick though, is you can use Discord to chat quickly out of game. Going back and forth to resolve attacks can really chew a lot of time in PBP, so avoiding that with quick questions can be a real boon.

Welcome to GP!

Welcome to the fold! Most people on this site are pretty forgiving and happy to help players acclimate themselves to the particularities of PbBp gaming. No worries!

Welcome to GP!

Hi and welcome! Everyone here is super kind and newbie friendly!

Welcome to our community, Automated_Hero.

Welcome to GP, Automated_Hero!

Thanks for the welcome

Welcome :)

Greetings and Salutations!

Welcome :)

Welcome! For those of us who straddle both in-person games and play-by-post, some tweaks are in order to keep those posts flowing. More suggestions incoming if you're still figuring out the nuances!