Why so few Play by Post Players?

[ffilz]

Have you tried using a Wiki in addition to the [IC] and [OOC] threads? In the games I've played on RPG. net we'd often have semi-static content on a wiki and the regular IC/OOC threads in the overall PbP forum. One game dealt with minister level characters in Romance of the Three Kingdoms China and we had a Google docs spreadsheet for domain finances.

Yes, well, not a Wiki (though I'm beginning to think having a campaign wiki would be nice, need to find a good free place to host such), but Google Docs instead.

A wiki would be nice for my CT setting since world names could be hyperlinked and such. My OD&D campaigns don't have as much setting data so Google Doc works fine to have reference tables for all the characters.

Frank

 

[Timerover51]

I started one called Dragon's Bane, where I was going to just shove the PCs into a D&D-ish environment, but it got sidetracked somehow. I tried rebooting it but one of the players didn't like the premise.

I started that thread because someone on this very forum between when it first opened in 2001 and 2004, or thereabouts, posted an experience he had with doing that very thing. And, admittedly, I had done so in the late 80s, though the results were never conclusive.

I'm not a D&D fan because unlike the supermajority of fantasy RPers, I've actually read Le Morte d'Arthur and the Canterbury Tales, as well as lots of other literature (Dover publications) on the period out of curiosity, and also research for a series I wanted to produce. And D&D, even though it's flatly based off European folklore, is so far off base on a lot of things regarding the medieval period, that I just shrug my shoulders at it. To me it smacks of someone wanting to be a scifi author but getting all their exposure to the genre via Star Wars. Still, the game, for a game that pioneered RPing as we know it, is fairly rich.

My whole concept was to pit guns and starships kind of guys against things like hordes of goblins, a rampaging troll, horse mounted bandits, and, as per the title, a dragon. I thought it would be really fun. It turned out not to be so.

*rant mode off*

A Traveller version of Sturmgeschutz and Sorcery. That was a great Dragon article.

I tried for a Space:1889 PbP game, but the players sort of vanished on me. The following link is to the thread I had set up for News Flashes for the campaign. Right now, most of the material is on a computer that is not working exactly well. It was based on the 1st Edition of Space: 1889.

http://www.travellerrpg.com/CotI/Discuss/showthread.php?t=32004

 

[Blue Ghost]

A most interesting news thread. I'm almost inspired to start some new fiction ... "Colin Hollingsworth, gentleman of his majesties Martian Geographic Society Club"

 

[flykiller]

I started one called Dragon's Bane, where I was going to just shove the PCs into a D&D-ish environment, but it got sidetracked somehow. I tried rebooting it but one of the players didn't like the premise.

that was me, and my fault. you stated the game's premise clearly but somehow I missed it. when I realized what it was going to be, I was unable to continue. I apologize.

I thought it would be really fun. It turned out not to be so.

it was quite good, as far as I could go.

 

[khadaji2002]

For me, PbP can be a great way to game. To repeat what others have already said, it's nice not to have to get everyone together at the same time. Being able to post when I can and move on is a luxury and PbP is the only way I know of to get that luxury.

The flip is that if the group you join has players who post only sporadically it takes away from the gaming experience. As I've said in other forums I got truly spoiled in my first exposure to Traveller gaming. I was playing with some of the people who contributed to the Gateway Domain book, and they gamed on IRC. While we all needed to clear our schedules at a certain time each week, we didn't have to be in the same place. And as the IRC server we were on allowed us to have multiple channels open at one time we could do a main channel, OOC channel, whispers, and private channels for one-on-one scenes. Grand times.

So before I would go join a game I'd want to have some place to go read the original game pitch and read the story to date (probably in the IC thread on this board). Reading the IC thread seems fairly easy. Do the active games here still have their original pitches posted somewhere? Where would a person go to pitch a game (not that I will, I'm not very good as a GM)? Knowing where these are would help those of us willing to PbP know where to look for activity so we can join in if a game comes along.

 

[ovka]

I once ran a PBP game via email (20 years ago). The players were from my long-running FTF game that fell apart because we didn't have time to get together any more. It went OK for a couple of months. Then it got to the point that the players weren't responding much and the whole thing was me telling a story. That's when I shrugged my shoulders and quit.

Now my brother has asked me to run a Traveller game using a VTT. We'll see how that goes.

Cheers,

Baron Ovka

 

[Brandon C]

We have a Play by Post (PbP) section and a fairly wide spread audience. Flykiller and atpollard are running games but there seems to be few players. On the flip side, other forums have dozens to hundreds of games going.

Why do people not join in PbP here and what can be done about it?

Play-by-post is just too slow for me and it feels more like a bunch of people are taking turns writing a novel.

Chat based gaming is the slowest I'm willing to play or GM.

 

[flykiller]

Knowing where these are would help those of us willing to PbP know where to look for activity so we can join in if a game comes along.

games (on this board) are typically announced, discussed, and prepped here and are typically run here. at least in the public area, there seems to be a private area on the board too.

 

[aramis]

games (on this board) are typically announced, discussed, and prepped here and are typically run here. at least in the public area, there seems to be a private area on the board too.

The process for "private game areas" (which aren't actually private) is that A moot member requests one. I create it, as a subforum. I give them moderator powers inside that subforum only.

And, assuming no complaints for content, that's it. It has the same viewability as the parent PBP forum.

I won't ding someone for having someone else run them a game, but that someone else isn't the one with the moderator privs.

I do halfheartedly skim almost every PBP post. So far, no complaints from me over content. PBP is granted a lot of leeway on certain elements, as long as they're not being used to draw modern comparisons by overt allegory.

 

[Blue Ghost]

Dragon's Bane 1 died for many reasons. The least of which is that I had people wanting in, but then they wouldn't post. Dragon's Bane 2 died because I got the sense that there was an effort to get Ghost off of gaming.

Third time's a charm, but I'm not going to take another shot it.

 

[Ex_Pendable]

I've ran and played many PBP games, just wasn't aware that there were any openings here. It's been so very long since I've played Traveller, and wouldn't mind joining a game.

 

[khadaji2002]

Looking at the OOC and IC boards it looks like the only game going is one that's been in progress for a while. I'll keep my eye on that section and if something new pops up I'll toss my hat in the ring.

 

[Leitz]

I've ran and played many PBP games, just wasn't aware that there were any openings here. It's been so very long since I've played Traveller, and wouldn't mind joining a game.

Looking at the OOC and IC boards it looks like the only game going is one that's been in progress for a while. I'll keep my eye on that section and if something new pops up I'll toss my hat in the ring.

flykiller has a few open game ideas. Jump in!

atpollard has been running his game for a little over three years. There are literally millions of NPCs to choose from and things are set up to bring characters in. AsenRG just joined and is doing well.

The only slow down is that atpollard is still recovering from a bad bout of flu. I'll answer any questions I can, pop over to the OOC thread and throw out some ideas.

The characters are the heroes. Though not always perfect and some may have rough backgrounds. We don't do PvP or try to mess with other player's goals. Often we work together on large tasks like saving the world yet remain spread out enough to carve out our own niche.

 

[Xfactor101]

Possible to join in a game ?? How??

I have been going over the boards and I too am having trouble finding a game that is recruiting players. I have read several fascinating premises, fun sounding, and downright neat ideas. Like several others, I am not to thrilled with Facebook. In addition, my work schedule has me working graveyard shift on the West Coast. Difficult to get to any face to face games going. Someone PLEASE set up some type of game that is open for someone new to playing the game. What is odd is I owned an original set of the Traveller books, you remember the three little black ones, but have never actually played the game.

Would be very interested in the Space 1899 style of Traveller also.

Thanks for listening. Keitj

 

[Blue Ghost]

XFactor, I tried, and even flatly stated what the intent behind the game I was running; i.e. throw Traveller players into a traditional European folklore fantasy setting with knights, dragons, princesses, something more traditional than just Traveller dudes in a D&D verse, but I actually had one player demonstrate shock towards the end of the game … maybe he didn't read the dragon thread in the critter section of the boards. Okay, fine, but I did try to outline the intent of the game when I started it.

It reminded me of all the times I tried to ref during college, but had to compete with the guys talking about beer, girls and cars (not necessarily in that order). There's a part of me that wants to keep my writing skills up to snuff, and to get inspired to publish my other junk, but I do seem to run into one brick wall after another.

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

I have been going over the boards and I too am having trouble finding a game that is recruiting players. I have read several fascinating premises, fun sounding, and downright neat ideas. Like several others, I am not to thrilled with Facebook. In addition, my work schedule has me working graveyard shift on the West Coast. Difficult to get to any face to face games going. Someone PLEASE set up some type of game that is open for someone new to playing the game. What is odd is I owned an original set of the Traveller books, you remember the three little black ones, but have never actually played the game.

Would be very interested in the Space 1899 style of Traveller also.

Thanks for listening. Keitj

YouTube will get you players. More than you'll have room for in your games. You can choose which ones to invite to your PbP game, and see who wants to Referee. Point them here to this forum to use.

 

[JimMarn]

I tried to run a pbp game for my 1e ad&d universe on dragonsfoot, but our schedules never connected. And I think they didn't like my style of NPCs helping their characters.

I have read about pbp here, but I just don't have the time.

I might be able to in 2019. I would like to learn more about Traveller, and for me, that means gaming.

 

[khadaji2002]

PbP gaming

I too would enjoy getting into a play-by-post/play-by-email game. The games I have been involved with in the past have typically run into one of two problems. Either the game is derailed by player(s) running amok ignoring the role-playing part, or by someone (and more than once the referee) dropping out and sinking the game just as their character was beginning to have the spotlight.

I have toyed with the idea of running a game here. However, my forte is running a single character and playing with their flaws/foibles to help tell a good story. So if there's anyone out there that is willing to run a game here on the forum with a daily posting requirement. I'm all in.

 

[Kilgs]

I've run Mongoose Trav on Rpol.net. It lasted a couple years and was lots of fun. Died out due to the usual PbP delay/malaise. I stayed on Rpol, as opposed to here, as it was dedicated to gaming with an integral dice roller, image support etc. In addition, you could create your knowledge base and Library data and store it all in one place.

Never really considered running one here. No offense, but the COTI crowd was not very welcoming back then (2008-11) to Mongoose fans. I figured the PbP games here were allowed to long-term contributors.

However, since my PbP games have evolved to include Roll20 maps and Obsidian Portal for wiki/information, I may be open to running something here. I've been out of the PbP thing since my separation/divorce. My job is time-consuming though so it wouldn't be daily posts. I committed to e/o day.

That being said, I advertised here awhile back and didn't a ton of interest so if that's changed then I would consider running something with some caveats.

Main caveat... I changed my go-to system for Traveller to Silhouette although chargen is all Traveller just hacked. Character Generation would be completely recognizable with some additional skills, Life Events but basic mechanics are (Skill determines # of d6 rolled, attribute modifiers affect total roll).

Long Story, Short Conclusion
If folks are interested in what I'd like to run, I'll do it. Specifically, it's Traveller using Silhouette. I'm currently running no PbP games and only a tabletop fantasy game.

You can see an example of Silhouette/Traveller here..
http://www.travellerrpg.com/CotI/Discuss/showthread.php?t=39305

Here are links to my original proposals:

Hard Times
There are some issues with converting trade/mercantile stuff and much of the map being unavailable. But I definitely am still interested in it.

Or the Rebellion Era, running some published stuff or new ideas.

http://www.travellerrpg.com/CotI/Discuss/showthread.php?t=35321&highlight=Gateway

Gateway To Destiny/Glimmerdrift
My all-time favorite era for Trav.

http://www.travellerrpg.com/CotI/Discuss/showthread.php?t=37408

I would add that I've been working on an ATU which is reminiscent of the New New Era (1248) but a bit less smashed.

In addition, I did a short hack for the Clement Sector also. Same Silhouette system. But the Clement Sector is a bit tame so we'd either have to have serious self-starters or change the setting quite a bit (open up below the Darkness).

Trav 149
This is the other idea I've been currently working on. If you don't like Trav 1248, you won't like this.

http://www.travellerrpg.com/CotI/Discuss/showthread.php?t=39392

Tl; dr
If you don't mind using Silhouette (skill determines # of d6 rolled, attribute is a +/- modifier that matches MT Trav), I'm willing to run something. I would likely use Obsidian Portal for wiki/rules/images, Roll20 for battle maps (if needed) and the forum here for everything else.

Let me know.

 

[khadaji2002]

Playing PbP

I'm okay with an e/o day posting. I have the Gateway to Destiny book so I wouldn't be lost there. I'm interested in seeing how the Silhouette hack works for tasks. So if you put something up in the PbP section I'll jump in.