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View Full Version : PBP And Things Other Than Combat and RP



Neon Knight
2013-10-09, 06:42 PM
When the discussion of PBP and its merits vs face to face gaming comes up, combat and RP are the two facets usually discussed, with the old rule of it generally slowing down combat but allowing for more "composed" RP.

I was curious as to how PBP might affect other aspects of the game, however, like investigations/mystery/puzzle solving, skill usage, and other subsystems and activities games might potentially employ.

In general, we might propose that anything involving mechanics/dice rolling, back and forth interaction, and requiring repeated player input/communication is likely to be slowed down by PBP. While I think such an inference is generally sound, I'd like to get some observation from others. How does PBP affect tabletop games in areas other than the well trodden RP and combat aspects?

Grinner
2013-10-09, 08:14 PM
In general, we might propose that anything involving mechanics/dice rolling, back and forth interaction, and requiring repeated player input/communication is likely to be slowed down by PBP. While I think such an inference is generally sound, I'd like to get some observation from others. How does PBP affect tabletop games in areas other than the well trodden RP and combat aspects?

Yes, without doubt.

I think the medium functions best when there is no GM. When you've got to rely on one person to advance the game, a choke point will develop. Moreover, when that person burns out on the game, the game can only fail.

If the players themselves can advance the game, that lag wherein the GM responds won't exist. I think that sort of creative freedom ties into the "better RP" thing nicely as well, since there are only so many ways you can dress up the statement "I hit the goblin".

Naturally, this doesn't fit the paradigm of many existing games too well. Then again, those games don't fit PbP too well either. The trick, I think, is to change the way you think about RPGs. Instead of using a single person to determine what happens in the game, the players themselves must make that decision.

inexorabletruth
2013-10-10, 11:20 PM
Actually, I feel that PbP only really enhances game quality. It cleanly distills OOC from IC and gives each player time to meditate on their actions and describe their actions in eloquent detail.

I've done more than a few conspiracy theory, mystery and labyrinth campaigns through PbP and have a more fulfilling experience through PbP than I do at the game table. But then, my irl experiences with D&D usually revolve around a game board with a bunch of snacks on it while everyone sits around drinking and catching up. Occasionally the DM (usually me) snaps them back to attention long enough to fight whatever battle scenario I've filled out for them, until someone realizes that didn't decide what spell they wanted to cast, so they look through their list while half the group goes on a smoke break or a beer run.

:smallsigh:

Anyway... I'm ranting. I suppose long story short, if you're a DM or player who likes deep immersion RP, complex plot-lines, and intricate settings... PbP gives you the opportunity to explore that in great detail.

PersonMan
2013-10-12, 05:13 AM
When the discussion of PBP and its merits vs face to face gaming comes up, combat and RP are the two facets usually discussed, with the old rule of it generally slowing down combat but allowing for more "composed" RP.

You have this a bit wrong. It doesn't slow down combat, it slows down everything. Even at its fastest, when you have a two-person talk that's resolved over an hour or two because both people are online and posting, it's still a lot slower than face to face. At its slowest, well, I'm DMing a game that's been going for over 2 years and we've done perhaps two normal sessions worth of stuff.


I was curious as to how PBP might affect other aspects of the game, however, like investigations/mystery/puzzle solving, skill usage, and other subsystems and activities games might potentially employ.

It obviously depends on your group, but if they're up for using the advantages of PbP (i.e. they don't just throw down one-liners that wouldn't look out of place as what one says in a normal game like 'I open the door') then it's the same as most things: slow, but with more detail, often with a lot more internal thought processes being shown.

Skill usage is more or less the same. "I want to do X *rolls appropriate skill*" is the go-to method I've seen. You can even make an if/then chain of rolls like "If my Jump check succeeds, then I make a Climb check to go up the wall. If my Climb check succeeds I make a Spot check to look around. If I spot something, I shout 'I spotted [X]! Over there!' to the party." to keep time needed to a minimum.

Investigations and the like I don't have much experience with, but I'd advise against them because they can be pretty slow even in normal games, and if you run into a place where there's a lack of direction for the party, well...that's a good way to kill almost every game.



In general, we might propose that anything involving mechanics/dice rolling, back and forth interaction, and requiring repeated player input/communication is likely to be slowed down by PBP. While I think such an inference is generally sound, I'd like to get some observation from others. How does PBP affect tabletop games in areas other than the well trodden RP and combat aspects?

It varies from DM to DM and player to player. I've had people who turn the 'DM gives some exposition' posts into an art form, for whom it'd be easy to work in an investigation (especially with hints a la 'Bob thinks about A and remembers Hint B and Clue C') and others who would have issues prodding the PCs often enough to keep anything but a very linear game going.

Basically, in a PbP game, the players and DM make or break everything. In a face to face game, one guy flaking out won't cause the group to dissolve, but in a PbP it can lead to a situation where everyone waits on someone else to post and the game collapses.

A slow DM may prompt measures like the above if/then chain to keep things going quickly, while a fast DM can create a responsive atmosphere where people keep an eye on the game thread(s) for several hours each day and things go very quickly as a result.

Time zones can be important here - if the DM or one player is vastly removed from the others and posts at odd hours, it creates a volley effect where the DM posts, then as they sleep there is a volley of player replies, then the DM wakes up and posts while (most of) the players sleep. That can work fine, actually, if you get a good inter-party dynamic going, and if you want everyone to have a chance to respond to each post.