Running a Hero based PBM

[Wardsman]

What adjustments need to be made?

I hear Initiative is a hang up on most PBMs.

I figure that can be handled by assuming hold actions by people late in posting.

[Sketchpad]

I've actually found some success at running games via Google Docs and Google Groups. A lot of it depends on your players and how often they can post. If they're pretty steady in their schedule, there's not much need for modification. 

[assault]

There can also be issues with some players being frustrated novelists and others not.

 

One kind will send you a short story every turn, while the other will send you a couple of sentences, more or less like a response you would get in a face to face game.

[Wardsman]

I've actually found some success at running games via Google Docs and Google Groups. A lot of it depends on your players and how often they can post. If they're pretty steady in their schedule, there's not much need for modification. 

Thanx for suggestion.

 

I can throw up a server no problem. 

It is the PBP style that I need work with.

[Cantriped]

I participated in a fair few play-by-post games about a decade ago now, back when HEROCentral was a big thing (and now I feel old...). Most of the issues I saw have already been mentioned.

 

Some players write posts which are too long, others write posts which are too short. The former is a difficulty because the writer often assumes their own success, or falls victim to trying to say to much in too little time. The latter is a difficulty because they may be writing with the expectation of a series of short quick responses (aka, a dialogue), and real-life scheduling and the writing habits of others may conflict with that. As the GM, you will have to work around everyone's writing styles to create a cohesive narrative from what they say they want to do and say.

 

Combat is an atrocious issue for this game style. It can take weeks to resolve even short, simple combats. Initiative is a hassle, and the Speed Chart only makes things worse. The worst part for me was always not knowing where things were in relation to one another. As the GM, you will have to do all of the work video games normally do for us, with very few of the benefits... in addition to trying to maintain a cohesive narrative. It might be worth your while to try to arrange for combat to happen over skype.

[whitekeys]

What does the M stand for in PBM?

 

As a counterpoint to some of the folks who've said that some players write too much in one post and some write not enough, I think it would be worth your time at least considering that the expectations on the part of the GM, and the group as a whole, needs to change based on the new medium you're playing in. After all, few RPGs ever were designed to be played in a PBP format. I think it's safe to say most of them assume a face-to-face, table top kind of setting. 

 

My posts are in the middle, but tend towards longer. I keep them simpler to avoid the ire of the other players. But the PBP format, in my opinion, lends itself more to story telling rather than precise combat computations, much as Cantriped stated before me. I even appreciate that in my face-to-face games. It would be a dream if someone started up a monologue and came up with a bunch of their own cool stuff, rather than feeling like I have to continually fan a dying flame to keep the game interesting. 

 

Basically, my answer to you question is that it's almost useless to pick any system if you're going to throw half the rules out the window because they weren't designed for PBP gaming. Experiment with no system and adjudicate things as they arise. In that sense, the ultimate philosophy of HERO stays true: common sense, dramatic sense, game balance, etc. Not much of an adjustment after all.

[Cantriped]

"Mail" as in Play-By-Mail, aka Play-by-Email.

[Wardsman]

"Mail" as in Play-By-Mail, aka Play-by-Email.

Correct. Though there was a time we used snail mail .

[Cantriped]

Correct. Though there was a time we used snail mail .

Just the thought makes me shiver.

[whitekeys]

"Mail" as in Play-By-Mail, aka Play-by-Email.

Thanks!

[Fryguy]

I'm looking for a game like this due to where I live.  Can anyone point me in a direction to find one?

Thanks!