PbP Directions

[Error]

Where is the thread that explains "how" to use the PbP system. I assumed it was a sticky from the forum description in the index.

I might want to get involved, and after I learn how, maybe I could also GM.
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The only words of explanation you need for any concept in the entire Star Wars universe are the words Science Fiction and Space Opera.

[Kytross]

Play by post is classic message board Roleplaying. You create a character and get it approved by the GM.

The GM writes posts telling what's going on in character and you write your character's response and then what actions they are taking each round. When I have done it the GM usually does all the rolling, but I've seen rolling programs used too.

This form of Roleplaying takes more time than face-to-face or Roll D20. Often you have a week to post a reply to a GM's post.

Read some of the inactive threads on this site to get a feel for what pbp is.

[Jedi Skyler]

If you have a game idea, first you drum up interest in a thread. Get people to sign on to the game.

Once you have that, contact the admins. They'll set you up with your very own thread for a game; from there, you can create threads inside the main one, create sticky threads, lock threads so only you can post in them, etc. I've seen different GMs utilize the available tools in different ways; some have the players make CP additions to their character sheets, others lock those threads, have the players PM them with how CPs are to be allocated to skills, then the GM goes in and makes the adjustments.

I've even seen some GMs maintain several individual character in-game threads at once, locking each thread and providing the appropriate player with the password to their particular thread (this is especially effective when characters in a party get split up) so each player can continue running in-game simultaneously. While it does make more work for the GM, it can be a very effective tool for not only maintaining continuity, it can also help the GM keep actions secret (and preserved) until the party comes back together.

Hope this helps!

[Telsij]

Hi all, just confirming since it's seems to vary a bit by previous/inactive thread: die rolls are handled by GM? So as to prevent Player A from always just miraculously making that Heroic roll every post?

[Jedi Skyler]

That's not necessarily the case.

When games were prolific on this board, only sometimes did the GM make all the rolls; most GMs are players too, and want their players to have as much of the tabletop experience as possible, which means players make their own rolls. Some GMs are flexible (and/or trusting enough) to even accept hand-rolled dice, with the results posted by the players. Other GMs prefer to make all the rolls, just to avoid the temptation for players to fudge rolls. Several games I participated in, on this board and others, had us using online rollers where we'd copy and paste the results. That, too, could be abused, but it was a sort of medium between allowing players to roll and keeping them honest.

So, short story long, there is NO set way to do that; all rules for a game are set by the GM. Whatever their preference is, that's how it's done. Anyone who disagrees gets directed out the nearest airlock.