Absences and Game Structure

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.

I know there is an 'Absences' thread on GP, but if you simply won't be able to post for some reason, post here out of respect for the group, even if you’re going to miss a couple of days. You can expect me to do the same as well.

This makes sure the rest of us aren't in the dark. Importantly, I can move/act your character if necessary. While this is very, very much not my preference, as I would prefer you to be involved as much as possible, knowing you’ll be absent allows me to do what is necessary to move things along.

That being said, I'll borrow loosely from another GM:

None of the below is meant to be punitive -- but to ensure that the campaign/adventure can continue without getting bogged down by a player who disappears. Everyone involved in the campaign/adventure is counting on the other players to help move the game along, so please do your best to participate and make the game more enjoyable for everyone.

(1) If you don't post here and you're gone for a week, I may remove you from the game.

(2) Even if you post an absence, if you're gone for more than two weeks, it is very likely that I'll park your character somewhere and remove you from the game.

(3) Given 1 & 2 above, I'll assume that if you're gone for that long, more than likely you've simply lost interest or have become too busy. I do understand, of course, that there are extenuating circumstances (severe illness, etc). However, unless something horrible has happened to you, or you simply cannot access the internet for some reason, there isn't really a good reason to not post here, as it would take less than five minutes.

Given all of the above, I also understand players, for whatever reason, deciding that they can't or simply don't want to be a part of the game any more. That's okay. Please don't just disappear (sadly, it happens in PbP). If you come to the point where you no longer can or want to play, simply let us know. No harm done, we'll wish you well and move on. This allows us to bring someone else on who is interested in playing and has the time to do so, while preventing us from wondering "What happened to so-and-so?" Leaving on good terms also allows for the possibility that your character might even make a comeback one day if we add another spot or one opens up.

Please add your own post below as a way of avoiding confusion as we move ahead, acknowledging that you understand the above posts.

That all makes sense to me. Typically, I'm able to post from work as I sit in front of a computer all day. There are a few hours out of the day when quality posting isn't as possible (travelling from home to daycare/school and then to work, and the reverse of that course). I usually have my phone so I can keep tabs on what's going on, but a truly quality post is rough for me to do on my phone, I've found. That said, I don't immediately forsee issues with the posting structure and such.

As for absences, that just makes sense.

I've read and understood the game expectations and rules regarding absences.

On a sidenote, mid-December (between the 13 to 24-ish), I will be on a vacation where I won't necessarily have consist access to the Internet. I should still be able to post 4 times a week, but I may simply not have any access to the Internet for a scheduled day or two. I should be able to tell you a few days in advance if I'll have to miss a certain day, but right now I don't know which specific days (if any) I won't be able to post.

I have read and understand the expectations.

I don't expect any issues with the schedule in general. I'll be starting a new job and I'm not sure whether I'd be able to access this site from that location, and probably wouldn't be able to do posts of significance during that time anyway. Expect most posts from me to come in the afternoons and evenings after work. I will also be moving to where my work is at the beginning of December which is after our scheduled time so it shouldn't interfere, but life happens so getting access to the internet in my new home may take longer than expected.

Thanks Drama, Tefmon, and Squeek.

i understand the expectations.

I don't foresee any problems with the posting schedule, and I understand the requirements being put before us.

Thanks Meribson and Cclbrts30.

I have read it and I like the structure, setting a realistic goal for posting should help keep the game on track once the "new game excitement" settle.

It's probably worth me mentioning that I will probably be patchy between 23rd Jan and 7th Feb. I will be travelling, I will probably still be able to post, but I don't know for sure

Do your best. I'd hate to have you miss any of the fun!

It's Thanksgiving tomorrow, and for those of you who celebrate it...

Happy Thanksgiving!

Although I may not be active tomorrow, I'm really enjoying the process so may check in occasionally and post a bit. Over the weekend I will remain active on the threads.

I had my Thanksgiving about a month ago, so I shouldn't be any busier this Thursday than normal.

Thanksgiving is just a big meal for me tomorrow, nothing other than that. Nothing that shouldn't keep me from checking my phone and doing small posts if need be.

I'm one of the 2 main cooks for big family get-togethers, so odds are that I'll be AFK for tomorrow and Friday (we're doing a second day for my brother, his girlfriend, and some of her family). The worst part of it: tomorrow there'll be 12 people coming over and I'm an extreme introvert. I'm just happy that the stuff I'm cooking is done outside so I have an excuse to get away from everyone.

I'll be over at the in-laws for most of the day tomorrow. I'll probably be able to continue the kind of posting we've done so far without issue (as we tend to relax with technology). But more in depth posting with quality thought and planning behind it would be a bit rougher.

Cooking outside? Live somewhere warm? Not to pry, just a little jealous. I lived in Florida for awhile, but now suffer the hellish winters of the midwest, in the Chicago area.

I do most of the cooking at my house, but tomorrow I'm simply on the mashed potatoes. My mother, wife, and sister are tackling it as a team.

Northern California and the forecasted high is in the 50s, but I'm cooking a pair of small turkeys in a smoker/barbecue.

Sounds delicious.

I will be about, I am in Australia and we don't celebrate Thanksgiving

My apologies for the absence. I was finishing up a business trip and got hit with a nasty case of travelling yuck. Between hotels and airplanes, I picked up some nasty head cold of some sort and have been on my back for the last 4 days. I should be back and ready to go (though not 100% yet, at least at the point of being functional).

Ugh. Sounds like fun. Glad to have you back :)

Yeah, it was magical. Nothing like flying congested.

Just letting you guys know that college has started back up so my posts will all be in the evening from here on out.

Got some bad news, I will most likely be unavailable for the immediate future as the local dam is having issues and the area downstream has sounded evacuation orders. I am currently out of the danger zone, but until things get back to normal I can't say that I'll be able to post.

Sorry to hear about all that, Meribson. Hope all goes well. Keep us updated when you can, and we'll just have Hawke go silent for awhile.

Myself, things aren't nearly as bad, but I won't be posting today as I've come down with some illness that is kicking my ass. A lot of sleeping and time going by on a couch.

Seems like a lot of folks are sick this week. Hope you feel better.

So, it's been a rough couple of days, but I'm back in the saddle. Thanks for the kind thoughts Squeeks.

Will probably miss some post this week, dealing with a death in the family

I'm really sorry to hear that CCL. There's never any right words to say for that, but take the time you need.

My condolences CCL.

Additionally, I apologize for my absence. I have a growing fear that my time will be severely limited for the next 2 months. They pulled me into a new project at work that has cut my free time there (and at home) to nearly nothing. I will continue to strive to be engaged, but if I drop a day or two here or there, I truly apologize.

Understood; hopefully it's not as severe as you're concerned it will be.

At the outset, it looks like it is changing my workday from 8 hours in the office where I usually had 2-3 hours of downtime awaiting inbound work to 10 hours in the office actively engaged in meetings and writing sessions with maybe 30 minutes of free time throughout the day. I hope this initial flurry of work we have settles some as we get a few more weeks in and our development partners get online and start working.

I was about to write something about missing a post due to getting a new computer set up with programs, settings, etc then I realized that there won't be any new required posting days until Monday. Talk about timing!

Congratulats on the new hardware!

Things are getting much busier in my life, with daily time constraints limiting available free time. As such, I need to take a break from GMing Vanguard of Darkness for awhile. It can be a time consuming endeavor for me, and although I enjoy it very much, GMing/writing my contribution to the game to my own personal standards is a time sink as well, in which I always spend more time on it than I anticipated. In turn, combined with the aforementioned time constraints, this is leading to a burnout of sorts (I'm also in the process of leaving another game in which I am a player).

Considering the above, and the fact that I don't want to lower the standards and reduce the quality of the game (to meet time constraints), or simply close the book on what is a pretty cool story so far (our combined game play making for what I think is a great game)...

I'm suggesting that we do like any table-top group would and simply take a break from Vanguard of Darkness. Maybe a week, maybe a few. We'll see. The only thing I'm going to ask you to do is just check in once a week on the game, just to see when the gang's getting back together (when I'm ready to GM VoD again, I'll post in the OOC General Chat and we can get things going).

Also, for those of you who may have lost interest in the game, or simply in PbP gaming, this is naturally an opportune time to walk away. To be clear, I am in no way encouraging anyone to do so, as I've really been enjoying our game. However, I know some players can feel obligated to keep playing, just like some players/GMs in PbP will disappear from a game when they lose interest, which is truly rude and pathetic (it happens far too often in PbP... have some class and decency!). In other words, if you want to leave the game, do the right thing and just let us know. Nobody will hold it against you personally, and we'll move on.

Lastly, I'm not just going to say all of the above and immediately disconnect. Just like if we were sitting around the table at the end of a gaming session, I wouldn't say all of that and just walk away. I'd very much like to hear from each of you on this one, even if it's just simply a post from you saying you understand the plan.

Makes sense to me. Hopefully the anti-burnout break you need will be enough to get me through the glut of this project work and I can go back to having some reasonable time to dedicate to proper posting. I don't want to slow or negatively impact with my newfound inability to post, so if it is getting to be too much, please let me know. I don't want to bow out, but if it keeps things flowing better for everyone else and better enables their fun, I can.

I am interested in keeping the game going for the moment at least so I will keep checking back in to see when or if things start back up again.

I understand the need to step away for a bit. So no qualms from me. I will keep check and see when everything kicks back in gear.

Makes sense to me. Real life comes first, and putting the game on hold is better than letting it fall into mediocrity. I'll be here when your schedule clears up enough that you can start this up again.

Checking in, still mindful of our game.

Still interested, just didn't chime in last week due to needing to get tax material ready for the accountant.

Still present.

Still hanging around.

Still here. Glad we have been on break, though. Got whacked with an emergency production issue that sucked 45 hours over 3 days outta me (on top of my regular job time).

Also still here.

I don't want to keep everyone hanging on. I can't say if or when I'll be able to get this game going again. Life is just too busy for me right now to run a game up to my standard on GP. I think I've mentioned before that I have tried to take less time in the day with Vanguard, but it still somehow takes more time than I like, because of my desire to make it a great game. I get caught up in the details, the scenes, the setting, and the NPC's, the dialogue... all in an effort to make a believable Star Wars campaign. In sum, I often found myself, when finished posting and managing behind the scenes stuff, looking at the clock and wondering Where did the time go?

And it's not just Vanguard I've got to let go of. At this point I've actually worked out the death of a character with the GM in another game, as an exit from that game, and ultimately am scaling down to being only a player in two games (one of which only requires weekly posting, if that, as there really isn't a structure in that game at all). As much as I would like to keep Vanguard of Darkness running, there just isn't room for it right now (there isn't room for much GP at all). It's much easier for me to show up a few times a week as a player, and handle the simple perspective of only what my character is doing.

On a positive note(?), for those of you who are interested enough, I may start this game back up again... one day. I can't say if or when. What I do know is that we are at a good place to stop, and pick it up later, if possible, replacing those of you who aren't interested in returning to the game, if we even chose to do so.

Still, I don't want to keep you guys hanging on, checking on our game weekly (which may have stopped at this point, to be fair). At the same time, if I do start it up again, I want to make sure all of you have first rights as players, rather than just advertising the game to the GP crowd as a whole. So, just know that if I do bring Vanguard up and running again, I will post here. However, I'll give it at least a month, maybe two, before getting the narrative going again, and finding replacement players, if that's necessary (more than PC is ideal, beyond that I'm flexible). That's something I'd hash out with those of you who got the call and came back to Vanguard.

I can't make any promises, but I'm not sure this story is over, either. I'm just being direct in letting you know that I might be able to pick it up again one day, and those of you who are interested should have rights to the game. And I'm not asking any of you to check on this game in the future... that's entirely up to you, depending on your interest. I completely get it if you just walk away. It could be months, or a year, before Vanguard gets running again, if it ever does. Right now though, my involvement on PbP needs to hit a true minimum. And, if I ever come to the conclusion that Vanguard of Darkness is finished for good, I'll post that here as well.

For those of you that do walk away, please post here, if and whenever you make that choice. That way, if we get the gang back together, we won't have to wonder if you're coming back, which could be the difference between waiting one month, or two, allowing time for those of you who are still on GP and might check once every month or two to see if Vanguard is going again.

Lastly, I know some gamers on GP tend to disappear, rather than say goodbye. If that's you, and you've got nothing to say as you make your exit, I just want to say that it's been fun, and I really enjoyed the story we created together. It was refreshing to play a completely different kind of Star Wars campaign, getting to see things from the 'bad guys' perspective. Best wishes for you in your life. Whatever happens in the future, that goes for all of you

Also, I'll keep checking in for awhile, intermittently, for those of you who might have questions or comments. This isn't a sign off notice or disappearing act.

As we approach one month since the last update, I think I'm going to "officially" pull Lexi out of this game. However, if you do come back and decide that you would like to continue, I am still interested. However, I'm trying to clean my queue of games up to only those which are actively playing (since there is no mechanism to "hide" a thread). Hopefully we can start things up at some point, but if not, I totally understand.

Seeing as in a few weeks I'll be doing a major job hunt, as well as another PbP, a RL game, and home-brewing a number of races and classes for D&D 5e, I'm thinking that I'll have to back out too.