FFG Star Wars Skills and Results for PBP

I am new to PBP but I'm a HUGE fan of Star Wars. I may run a game but I'm not sure how to handle the skill checks. In person we build the pool and together decide the result but on here how would we do it? does the player ask the difficulty and then roll the pool? does the GM roll the pool and decide? or does the player roll the positive die and the gm roll negative then decide?

It's really up to the GM, but I've seen it (in the one game I played) as the player rolling their pool, then a standard difficulty of 2 dice. If it's more or less than that the GM adjusts as necessary, making additional rolls if he needs to

Yea, depends on your style.

In the game I'm running, what I prefer is that the players just say what they're doing, and I ask for a roll when it's needed;You can also call for an upgrade, flip a Destiny Chip, etc.

But it doesn't always happens that way. Sometimes the player knows they're gonna need a roll, or WANTS to make a roll to reinforce their rp, or so on and they'll either ask for the Diff, then Edit the post to add the roll after I've responded, or do as Naat said and take a shot at the Average Dif and I adjust it accordingly.

As for Adv/Dis/Tri/Dsp, if your players know the system well enough to know how they want to spend them, they'll Edit the post after the roll results have posted, and say OOC what they want to do with them.

There are a number of games where there is some back and forth on resolving an action. I find that these games are, unmodified, very hard to PBP effectively. What inevitably happens is that it takes three or four days to resolve an action, and the other players are sidelined.

Like the suggestions above, the solution is to remove that mechanic. I love the idea of just including two setback die in each roll, with the DM interpreting the results as appropriate. It's a simple solution that allows the players to control the dice yet not have to go back and forth.

In PBP, the DM needs to really think about streamlining that back and forth. Don't call for unnecessary rolls - remember that you may be effectively pausing the game for three days while waiting for a player to get back to you, so ask yourself if it is worth it?

I have one game that is paused right now for near a week because one player hasn't rolled initiative. I totally sympathise with GMs who roll initiative for the players - it is a simple workaround for a common problem that doesn't occur 'at the table'.

Would it be unfair for the GM to roll a pool base on character's sheet and either let them narrate if they are experienced or narrate for them (for inexperienced)

In my experience players like to roll, and a large part of the point of this system is collaborative storytelling. So IMO, the GM doing either but especially both of those things is largely missing the point. Is it unfair? No, the roller is a digitized randomizer, and the GM should be well capable and willing to act in the best interest of the player, but is it kind of boring? I think so.

If you're welcoming players new to the system, that learning curve is just a part of the thing.

And PBP is a great way to give exposure to the system for ppl who can't otherwise find a group for the system, so I think you're doing the new player and the greater rpg community at large a disservice by just taking control over those elements.

I only thought it would be more time consuming for the player to say what they'd like to do and then the GM tell them the difficulty and or setback, then have them roll and narrate the results. Especially if they are not familiar with the symbols and what they do.

It is.

But that player involvement in the narrative is what sets this system apart from so many others. So if you take that away, why use the FFG system?

This is just my 2 cred. You should do what works for your game.

What we were doing in the one I was in is you would indicate your intent to act and include your dice pool (the blues, greens, yellows, etc). If you feel that a blue applies, you'd include a justification for why.

The DM would then roll your negative dice (black, purple, red) and narrate the outcome.

Really, that's a large conversation/thing in the world of PBP anyway. Typically players should be indicating their intended actions and the DM translates the outcome. So it's not: "I, Lightsaber McSwinger cleave through his arm, slicing it off at the elbow. I laugh as he writhes in pain!". Instead, "I, Lightsaber McSwinger swing quickly at my opponent, aiming for his elbow" *Dice Roll* DM says, well, he was pirouetting at the time and you just barely hit him. So.... "Your swing goes slightly wide, grazing his arm and causing him a bit of searing pain. He howls as he leaps at you!"

It's a weird thing to get used to, but almost a necessary evil (unless the DM is putting things like "any lightsaber strike here would be with 3 purple and a black because A, B, C, and Q." Then players could self-adjust. But that gives way a bit to "well, I'm not going to take the action I was going to take because of how hard it's going to be. Ish.

*shrugs*