Nov 19, 2016 9:25 pm
GAME STRUCTURE AND EXPECTATIONS
ACTIVE GAME SESSIONS CONSIST OF A 4 DAY (96 HOUR) TIME PERIOD, BEGINNING ON MONDAYS AT 12:00 PM GMT, ENDING FRIDAYS AT 12:00 PM GMT.
A link to My Time Zone and GMT Clock for the convenience of a global neighborhood.
As all of us come from varying time zones, the above time period (our active game sessions) provides something more concrete as a means of clarifying our game structure, avoiding potential confusion. Personally, my time zone is GMT -6, so the earliest I would post on Mondays would be 6:00 AM my time (12:00 PM GMT). While this level of structure might seem unnecessary to some, it is part of my effort to create a lasting game that avoids the pitfalls of so many other PbP games that fall apart over time. The greatest benefit of using this kind of structure will be that everyone knows when the 'game is on', enabling them to participate in a way that creates a more involved and enjoyable experience for all. Ultimately, as a group we're going to evoke the best aspects of the table top role playing experience, wherein we all get together on a regular basis and have fun.
A Message on Creating a Lasting and Enjoyable PbP Game
This game is going to be very different than almost all other PbP games when it comes to posting expectations. I want to create an environment for our game that mimics the table top experience (e.g., players gathering once a week for 'X' hours). At the same time, it will naturally have the convenience of PbP, meaning that you can post at your leisure, within the structure of the game itself.
Hopefully the message below doesn't turn any of you off. As I write this, I realize I should have posted this first, although it is mentioned in the application page's description (where it admittedly comes off less concrete). For those of you who have invested time and effort into character creation and don't like the ideas below, I sincerely apologize.
As mentioned before, I am making every possible effort to ensure that this PbP game doesn't end up like so many others: wheels falling off, sporadic game play, player losing interest as the game bogs down, etc, etc, etc, etc,. For those new to PbP it happens quite a lot. And it is, to say the least, and in a tactful and less profane way, a bad experience. I myself have been in a game where the GM outright disappeared after weeks of PbP gaming, and I get frustrated and disenchanted when I check on a game and nobody has posted for days, or even a week, despite the fact that the game was set up for once a day posting.
I think one of the major failures of PbP is that it lacks structure unless provided, and this ultimately leads to games become sporadic, disjointed, and bogged down. And when games do so, it is contagious among the players. Lack of interest spreads like the common cold. Players check the game and post less frequently, as they've come to expect it to be stagnant or crawling as the problem snowballs. Players who started out wanting to be in a highly involved PbP game then begin to join other games to fill that need, further exacerbating the problem when they find themselves having less and less time to contribute in a meaningful way to every game they play.
Some of us have seen those games comprised of one-liner posts; I believe some, perhaps many, of those are players 'making the rounds', so to speak. For those who don't know, some on Gamers Plane are involved in 5, 10, or even 20+ games. I'm not judging their preferences, as how they choose to game is up to them. To each their own (personally, I have always preferred quality over quantity, and believe that expanding the list of games you're playing waters down your involvement in all of them, and, consequently, waters down the game for everyone).
All of the above problems can lead to a game that started out with the best of intentions dying an agonizing slow death, especially for those who are still there to watch it do so, the players that kept showing and still wanted to play.
I don't want that to happen here. I won't allow it to happen. I want you to be excited about the game, looking forward to your next post. What I don't want is for you to feel like you've invested time and effort into the game, and then it just dies, slowly, like so many other PbP games do. And I believe a firmly structured game will play a major role in allowing us to avoid this. Completely. The plan is to keep this game alive for everyone involved, until the story feels like it is complete, and there is nobody left who wants to play, including the GM.
That being said, I want you to know that this is meant to be a lasting game. If for some reason I can't fulfill my role as GM, you can rest assured I won't disappear on you. If anything, I'll hand the reins to someone else, meaning one of you, if you so desire, if we both think you're up to it, or another GM on GP that meets the same standards.
Gaming Session Structure for Vanguard of Darkness
Our game time would be setting up a period of time over four days where players know the game is being actively played (like we've met to play the table top game).
The benefits of a structure like this include knowing when the game is active, and knowing that there are days you don't even need to check the game. You'll know to expect others to be involved as well during the active four day gaming session, helping it come closer to the TT experience, increasing the fun factor, involving everyone as the game moves along. Furthermore, as GM, the down time between our 4 day 'game sessions' (the active period) will allow me some room to plan as needed, prepare scenes, flesh out NPC's, and the like.
My initial thoughts on specifics for setting up our game time would be to have the game go active Monday through Thursday (I'm in a GMT -6 Time Zone, to give you a frame of reference). This seems like the best bet, knowing that some players post from work, and that players are generally less involved in PbP over the weekends (weekend trips, more invested family time, parties, hitting the clubs, etc.).
What this means is that players will be expected to post on those days, much like a table top game expects everyone from the group to show up at a specific time on a specific day and play for 'X' hours or so. Naturally, posting outside of that time frame is fine and considered as 'bonus posting' that doesn't meet the active game expectations. However, players shouldn't expect things to progress so much plot wise from bonus posts; I don't want anyone feeling like they missed a turn, so to speak, and are watching from the sidelines. So, for example, if you want to RP a conversation with a fellow player outside of our active game time, that's fine. Fleshing out the story is great.
One of the best parts about employing this kind of structure will be that it allows me to be more consistent, as I intend to establish a predictable routine of posting approximately every 24 hours. The purposes of this is to ensure that everyone will know what to expect regarding pacing. Some of you may even develop your own routines that fit the structure, with players getting a consistent 'turn' every day. Will I expect you to post like a robot every 24 hours on the dot? Of course not. But what I will expect is that you do find the time to post in the spaces between my predictable posting routine, to help provide continuity, allowing your character to be a part of the scene as we move the game along. Will I post every 24 hours on the dot like a machine? Not likely, but that is what I'm aiming for. But I will do my best to be reliably predictable, making the game more enjoyable and easier to play for everyone. Just like a good table top game, you'll know what to expect.
That's it. I'm really intent on having the structure be exactly as outlined above, as mentioned on the application page where you first read about the game. Providing a predictable level of continuity will help all of us get a lot more out of the game and feel involved.
Again, I hope this doesn't turn any of you off to the game. If it does, I apologize for not making the structure clear sooner. And if being part of a highly structured game doesn't suit you, I won't hold it against you if you choose to leave.
ACTIVE GAME SESSIONS CONSIST OF A 4 DAY (96 HOUR) TIME PERIOD, BEGINNING ON MONDAYS AT 12:00 PM GMT, ENDING FRIDAYS AT 12:00 PM GMT.
A link to My Time Zone and GMT Clock for the convenience of a global neighborhood.
As all of us come from varying time zones, the above time period (our active game sessions) provides something more concrete as a means of clarifying our game structure, avoiding potential confusion. Personally, my time zone is GMT -6, so the earliest I would post on Mondays would be 6:00 AM my time (12:00 PM GMT). While this level of structure might seem unnecessary to some, it is part of my effort to create a lasting game that avoids the pitfalls of so many other PbP games that fall apart over time. The greatest benefit of using this kind of structure will be that everyone knows when the 'game is on', enabling them to participate in a way that creates a more involved and enjoyable experience for all. Ultimately, as a group we're going to evoke the best aspects of the table top role playing experience, wherein we all get together on a regular basis and have fun.
A Message on Creating a Lasting and Enjoyable PbP Game
This game is going to be very different than almost all other PbP games when it comes to posting expectations. I want to create an environment for our game that mimics the table top experience (e.g., players gathering once a week for 'X' hours). At the same time, it will naturally have the convenience of PbP, meaning that you can post at your leisure, within the structure of the game itself.
Hopefully the message below doesn't turn any of you off. As I write this, I realize I should have posted this first, although it is mentioned in the application page's description (where it admittedly comes off less concrete). For those of you who have invested time and effort into character creation and don't like the ideas below, I sincerely apologize.
As mentioned before, I am making every possible effort to ensure that this PbP game doesn't end up like so many others: wheels falling off, sporadic game play, player losing interest as the game bogs down, etc, etc, etc, etc,. For those new to PbP it happens quite a lot. And it is, to say the least, and in a tactful and less profane way, a bad experience. I myself have been in a game where the GM outright disappeared after weeks of PbP gaming, and I get frustrated and disenchanted when I check on a game and nobody has posted for days, or even a week, despite the fact that the game was set up for once a day posting.
I think one of the major failures of PbP is that it lacks structure unless provided, and this ultimately leads to games become sporadic, disjointed, and bogged down. And when games do so, it is contagious among the players. Lack of interest spreads like the common cold. Players check the game and post less frequently, as they've come to expect it to be stagnant or crawling as the problem snowballs. Players who started out wanting to be in a highly involved PbP game then begin to join other games to fill that need, further exacerbating the problem when they find themselves having less and less time to contribute in a meaningful way to every game they play.
Some of us have seen those games comprised of one-liner posts; I believe some, perhaps many, of those are players 'making the rounds', so to speak. For those who don't know, some on Gamers Plane are involved in 5, 10, or even 20+ games. I'm not judging their preferences, as how they choose to game is up to them. To each their own (personally, I have always preferred quality over quantity, and believe that expanding the list of games you're playing waters down your involvement in all of them, and, consequently, waters down the game for everyone).
All of the above problems can lead to a game that started out with the best of intentions dying an agonizing slow death, especially for those who are still there to watch it do so, the players that kept showing and still wanted to play.
I don't want that to happen here. I won't allow it to happen. I want you to be excited about the game, looking forward to your next post. What I don't want is for you to feel like you've invested time and effort into the game, and then it just dies, slowly, like so many other PbP games do. And I believe a firmly structured game will play a major role in allowing us to avoid this. Completely. The plan is to keep this game alive for everyone involved, until the story feels like it is complete, and there is nobody left who wants to play, including the GM.
That being said, I want you to know that this is meant to be a lasting game. If for some reason I can't fulfill my role as GM, you can rest assured I won't disappear on you. If anything, I'll hand the reins to someone else, meaning one of you, if you so desire, if we both think you're up to it, or another GM on GP that meets the same standards.
Gaming Session Structure for Vanguard of Darkness
Our game time would be setting up a period of time over four days where players know the game is being actively played (like we've met to play the table top game).
The benefits of a structure like this include knowing when the game is active, and knowing that there are days you don't even need to check the game. You'll know to expect others to be involved as well during the active four day gaming session, helping it come closer to the TT experience, increasing the fun factor, involving everyone as the game moves along. Furthermore, as GM, the down time between our 4 day 'game sessions' (the active period) will allow me some room to plan as needed, prepare scenes, flesh out NPC's, and the like.
My initial thoughts on specifics for setting up our game time would be to have the game go active Monday through Thursday (I'm in a GMT -6 Time Zone, to give you a frame of reference). This seems like the best bet, knowing that some players post from work, and that players are generally less involved in PbP over the weekends (weekend trips, more invested family time, parties, hitting the clubs, etc.).
What this means is that players will be expected to post on those days, much like a table top game expects everyone from the group to show up at a specific time on a specific day and play for 'X' hours or so. Naturally, posting outside of that time frame is fine and considered as 'bonus posting' that doesn't meet the active game expectations. However, players shouldn't expect things to progress so much plot wise from bonus posts; I don't want anyone feeling like they missed a turn, so to speak, and are watching from the sidelines. So, for example, if you want to RP a conversation with a fellow player outside of our active game time, that's fine. Fleshing out the story is great.
One of the best parts about employing this kind of structure will be that it allows me to be more consistent, as I intend to establish a predictable routine of posting approximately every 24 hours. The purposes of this is to ensure that everyone will know what to expect regarding pacing. Some of you may even develop your own routines that fit the structure, with players getting a consistent 'turn' every day. Will I expect you to post like a robot every 24 hours on the dot? Of course not. But what I will expect is that you do find the time to post in the spaces between my predictable posting routine, to help provide continuity, allowing your character to be a part of the scene as we move the game along. Will I post every 24 hours on the dot like a machine? Not likely, but that is what I'm aiming for. But I will do my best to be reliably predictable, making the game more enjoyable and easier to play for everyone. Just like a good table top game, you'll know what to expect.
That's it. I'm really intent on having the structure be exactly as outlined above, as mentioned on the application page where you first read about the game. Providing a predictable level of continuity will help all of us get a lot more out of the game and feel involved.
Again, I hope this doesn't turn any of you off to the game. If it does, I apologize for not making the structure clear sooner. And if being part of a highly structured game doesn't suit you, I won't hold it against you if you choose to leave.
