Roleplaying Tips Weekly E-Zine Issue #293
Tips For Setting Up PBeMs & PBPs
Contents:
This Week's Tips Summarized
Tips For Setting Up PBeMs & PBPs
- PBeM Or PBP?
- Where can you host your PBP?
- Set Up Your Board - General Discussion
- Set Up Your Board - Create Your Game World/Setting
- Set UpYour Board - Create An Adventure Category
- Set Up Your Board - Create an Administrative Category
- Advertise Your Site
- Running Your Site
- Setting Up A PBeM
- Advertise Your PBeM
- Examples
Readers' Tips Summarized
- Fictional Chemicals and Medicines
From: K.D.
- Dice Widget For Mac Users
From: Isabelle Pepin
- Castle Compendium
From: Fran�ois Beausoleil
- Custom Gaming Table
From: Nate A.
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The Fairy Scroll
During the most recent GenCon Indy, 19 attending artists
created a Fairy Scroll. It measures 61" x 17.5", and
features original artwork from the following gifted
illustrators: Drew Baker, Storn A. Cook, Jeff Easley, Andy
Hopp, Raven Mimura, William O'Connor, Stephanie Pui-Mun Law,
and many more talented artists.
It's being auctioned on eBay, with all proceeds going to the
Kennedy Krieger Institute. Visit bluemoonrising.com for a
full list of contributors and photos!
The Fairy Scroll Contributors and Photos
(eBay auction ends Dec-24-05 13:24:01 PST)
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A Brief Word From Johnn
Back Issues Available For Download
Issues numbers 1 - 292 are now available for free download! These
are all in original, plain text format. If you're missing an
issue or two, now's your chance to catch-up and fill the
gaps.
Download Issues 1 to 292 [Zip file, 2.7 MB]
Merry Christmas!
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Cheers,
Johnn Four,
[email protected]
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The Gift That Keeps on Giving
Stop by Expeditious Retreat Press' on-line store and pick up
the perfect gift for the world-builder in your life--one of
the last 25 copies of A Magical Medieval Society: Western
Europe. While you're shopping, check out other titles in the
Magical Society Line, the Monster Geographica Line, and
our limited edition 1-on-1 Adventure: Gambler's Quest.
Expeditious Retreat Press on-line store
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Tips For Setting Up PBeMs & PBPs
A Guest Article by Leslie Holm
Senior Editor, RPG Gateway
Online Roleplaying is a huge animal, encompassing MUSHs,
MUDDs, SIMs, PBeMs, PBPs...the list goes on. In this
article, I focus on PBeMs (Play By e-mail) and PBPs (Play By
Post, or forum based games).
Roleplaying online is no longer just for people who don't
live near a gaming group. Most of the gamers I know have a
weekly tabletop session in addition to playing one or more
games online. The following tips will hopefully help you get
a PBeM/PBP game started and running for a long time.
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1. PBeM Or PBP?
Before jumping into an online game, however, first consider
whether PBeM or PBP is right for you.
- How much time do you have to devote to it?
- A PBeM usually posts a couple times a week, but the posts
are longish, usually a page or two compiling the actions of
all the players.
- A well-run PBP should post daily, or more during times of
conflict or adventure. These posts will be shorter, but must
still deal with all player actions, so there may be many of
them.
- What form of play do you prefer?
- If you like a more freeform sort, with less dice rolling,
you'd probably enjoy running PBP.
- A PBeM is usually a true adventure with the quest, traps,
dungeons, monsters, and lots of dice rolling.
Both forms of play offer every genre imaginable, from
straight D&D of every edition and setting to Star Trek to
Harry Potter to Furries. You can run d20, GURPs,
Hackmaster, Unisystem, Super heroes, FUDGE, Fuzion,
Traveler....
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2. Where Can You Host Your PBP?
I worked on a massive Birthright PBP a few years ago. It had
many boards, each one representing a different country, and
the categories representing the different cities in each. It
was a great experience and I recommend it to anyone who has
the time and energy to devote to it. It is hard work.
You can get a free board from many places:
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3. Set Up Your Board - General Discussion
For PBP, you set up a number of categories, or groupings of
conversations, in your forum. Start by creating a General
Discussion category to serve as a bucket for a number of
game-related, out-of-character, and meta game type of
discussions.
Forums in this category could include:
- Introduction To Our Game
Here you would give a brief description of the kind of game
you are running. Is it D&D, homebrew, or other rules? Is the
setting one of your own creation, or are you using an
established setting, such as Pern? (And if it is another's
intellectual property, make sure you have permission or you
could be required to shut your game down prematurely!)
- Rules For Character Creation
These can be as brief or as detailed as your game needs. If
the game will be combat intensive, with a fair amount of
dice rolling, then make sure you get a complete character
sheet with all the information that will become necessary.
If your game is more of a freeform sort, you might just want
to gather the basics about each PC, such as character name,
race, class, morality/ethics, and a brief background story.
- Game Mechanics
This doesn't need to be intricate, particularly if you are
using rules from an established system. Let members know
what they need, such as Player's Manuals for a specific
gaming system. If it is a homebrew game, you should spell
out the rules.
- Game Rules
- Discuss spamming rules (advertising your own game isn't
necessarily a bad thing, if you have a place specified and
authorized for that).
- Be firm on what sort of content you are looking for (is it
PG13, mature, adult?). For example, if cursing is not
allowed, let the players know.
- You might make a rule about frequency of posts. For
example, members who don't post in 30 days without notifying
the administration might be deleted.
- Specify what acceptable in-character behavior is. For
instance, most PBPs do not allow PC killings or power-
modding. It is usually not allowed for any PC to dictate
another's actions or to negate someone else's posts. In
other words, PC Jacobi cannot say, "I whip out my daggers,
and throwing with deadly aim, I pin Marzden's coat to the
wall." He can say, "I whip out my daggers, and throwing with
deadly aim, attempt to pin Marzden's coat to the wall." At
this point, the moderator decides if what he is attempting
is possible.
- Inform players they should always read the back posts,
lest they take the game in a different direction than it's
currently heading.
- Inform players that posts should be well-written.
Misspelled words, improper grammar, and one-sentence posts
should be unacceptable.
- Continuity of writing styles is desirable. The past tense
is usual; whichever you choose, make sure everyone sticks
to the same tense.
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4. Set Up Your Board - Create Your Game World/Setting
Next, create a Game World forum category to hold these
topics:
- A Port Of Entry For Newcomers
This could be the city gates, the proverbial tavern, or
anywhere else that would make a good spot for introducing a
new game.
- Political Forums
If you are building a world, create a category for each
kingdom/municipality. Then you can create forums for the
different cities in each area.
- Regional Forums
If you are building for single city play, create forums
consisting of the buildings to be found in your town.
When you are just starting, don't put up too many forums.
Newcomers will see a long line of forums with no activity
and go looking for a busier game. Better just to have a few
forums filled with posts.
Don't forget to enter a topic in each forum, giving a full
description of the area, land, or building.
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5. Set Up Your Board - Create An Adventure Category
This isn't necessary to every game, but it can be a good
idea if you would like to keep adventure campaigns separate
from the world/city life.
- Use a new forum for each adventure.
- Offer GM positions to particularly good roleplayers who
show an interest in running an adventure.
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6. Set Up Your Board - Create an Administrative Category
This is usually a private forum for Administrators and
Moderators only. It can be made invisible to members if you
wish.
- Make a forum where you can archive old posts. Many games
just delete them, but I advocate holding on to them. You
never know when you might want to look something up. Just
move them when they are old, closed, or obsolete.
- A forum for planning is an excellent idea. New thread
ideas, adventure hooks, and just the stuff you dream up at
night can be stored here for later use.
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7. Advertise Your Site
Now the hard work begins. You have built it - will they
come? Start advertising by putting the URL to your game in
your signature on e-mail, in forums, and wherever it's
allowed.
- Often, you can also add a brief description in your
signature, such as "www.mygame.com - the best fantasy game
on the net!"
- Visit sites like RPG Gateway and
RPG Registry and advertise your site there.
Visit your advert regularly. Update it when needed.
- Join a webring. There are thousands of them; you should be
able to find one just right for you.
- Tell everyone you know! You'd be amazed how well word of
mouth really does work.
- Exchange links with similar sites.
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8. Running Your Site
- Unless you are blessed with friends who want to devote
long hours to helping, you are on your own at the beginning.
You will need to visit your site, at the very least, once a
day. At the beginning, I suggest more frequent visits. You
don't want to miss a nibble. Later on, when things are more
established, you can cut down on visits, but unless you have
help, never leave it alone for more than a day or so.
- As you get members registered, reward frequent posters
with titles. Every forum that I know of offers titles to be
bestowed with a certain amount of posts. For example, 50
posts might be worth the title Novice Adventurer. 500 might
be worth Grand Old Sage. These titles can be tailored to fit
your campaign.
- Eventually, if you are doing a good job, the board will
become more than one person can handle. Offer the position
of moderator to involved members. Frequently, they feel
complimented, and if they are really dedicated to the game,
will be happy to jump in and help!
- The rapidity of PBPs fading into oblivion is becoming
almost a joke in the industry. If you are creative, and have
the time and energy to devote to the game, it can truly be
rewarding. If you have a demanding real life, get bored
easily, or have little patience, a PBP isn't for you.
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9. Setting Up A PBeM
A PBeM isn't a lifelong proposition, as a PBP could possibly
be, but do be prepared for it to last for as much as a year.
I've been playing (off and on) in one that will be 6 years
old this month. It has been through different rule sets,
different characters, and even different worlds, but still
the GM perseveres. One major difference between the two
types of games is the amount of time it takes to move in
game time. What you can accomplish in a few months in a PBP
might take a year in a PBeM. On the other hand, it's not
nearly as demanding, and it is an excellent set-up for a
true adventure.
Again, there are many free sites for mail groups, most
notably Yahoo Groups and
MSN Groups
Most sites offer similar features, such as a place for
files, pictures, polls, links, databases, and member
management.
Set Up The Game
Start by entering files. These can be entered as text or
uploaded from your computer. Yahoo offers 20 MB of space -
if you need more than that, you probably need your own
website. The files you enter will be similar to the forums
you use in a PBP. You can create folders, to group like-
files together.
- Game mechanics. Specify whether you are using a published
system, and what the players will need. If it is a homebrew
game, put your own rules here.
- Character Creation. Give specifics on what you want from
a character sheet. I also put a blank character sheet in
this folder for the players' convenience.
- Posting Rules. In addition to the usual etiquette, set up
definite posting rules. Be it once, twice, or five times a
week, let your players know, and stick to it. Nothing causes
dedicated players to lose interest in a PBeM faster than
having to wait around for one person to post actions,
especially if they are staring an arch-lich in the face.
- Add Photos. You can use this function to upload JPGs or
PDFs of maps, pictures of creatures, or anything else you
might find useful for your game.
- Create Databases. I have made databases of NPCs that my
players encounter, places they've been, and treasure
accumulated. It helps to keep the records somewhere that the
players can find it easily.
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10. Advertise Your PBeM
Once you've set up your mail group, it is time to start
advertising! Take heart, it's not nearly as hard as trying
to fill a PBP.
Check out these sites for advertising games:
RolePlay onLine
RPG Library
I entered a game advertisement one night and the following
night had seven responses. A week later, I had fifteen. In
your first PBeM, you really don't need more than six
players. It is advisable, however, to allow lurkers to
follow along with the game. Put them on a waiting list,
because inevitably you will lose players!
Once all the characters have been submitted and vetted,
devise a way to introduce them to the game, just as in a
tabletop game. Some GMs use the standard "You meet at a
tavern...," and others introduce the players individually,
creating a story for their meeting.
You've decided how often posting will be - make sure you
post on your days! Players get very cranky if they have to
wait. A typical GM post will consist of a general recap of
what happened before, a new situation, and any Out of
Character (OOC) details necessary. In addition to your
regular posts, you will often be called on to answer
questions, or simply post more frequently during combat or
critical situations. Be flexible!
There will be times when your characters will need privacy
from the other players. Often this is dealt with by GM-to-
player e-mail away from the group. My solution has been to
combine my PBeM with a forum board. On the forum board, each
character has a forum which only he can view. In this area,
we keep private posts, stats, special information, and XP -
basically anything the player doesn't want anyone else to
see.
I'm a huge fan of PBeM. If you get the right combination of
players, it can be almost as satisfying as a tabletop game.
And for someone who lives in a small retirement community an
hour away from any gamers, it's a blessing!
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11. Examples
I'm no expert, but if you'd like to look at how I am setting
up a game, you can visit my site:
Sword of Enlien
I have set up a member account in the name: RPGingvisitor
with the password: opensesame
Simply log in with that name and password, and you will be
able to access all the features.
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Beyond the Storm: Shadows of the Big Easy
A collection of short stories, essays, art, and role-playing
game materials inspired by the culture, landscape, and city
of New Orleans. All sale proceeds will go to support Katrina
Disaster Relief. Join the authors and artists as they
explore the Big Easy as it could have been and how it might
be.
Beyond the Storm: Shadows of the Big Easy
Readers' Tips Of The Week:
1. Fictional Chemicals and Medicines
From: K.D.
Hi!
Thanks for the site. Maybe you already are aware of this
one, but here is a nice compendium of fictional elements,
isotopes of real elements, and compounds and alloys. This
can be handy for ideas in gaming:
Fictional Chemicals and Medicines
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2. Dice Widget For Mac Users
From: Isabelle Pepin
On the new Mac OS X feature, Dashboard, they have a widget
to help the DM: dice.
Very cool...you have all the dice and you just drag and drop
to create the set you want for, let's say, an NPC or
monster. You can even name the set in a field at the left of
the set.
If people have a Mac laptop with OS X, it will be much more
convenient than actual dice, especially if you're playing
outside on a picnic table or something similar.
More info about the dashboard feature on the Mac
here.
Have fun!
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3. Castle Compendium
From: Fran?ois Beausoleil
I bought a book a while ago that has 200+ pages of
reference on actual castles through the ages, with 200
illustrations of the castles themselves. It is Castles:
Their Construction And History, by Sidney Toy.
Thanks for the great newsletter!
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4. Custom Gaming Table
From: Nate A.
re: Roleplaying Tips Issue 284
I was catching up on my reading of your e-zine, and
something in issue #284 was particularly interesting. The
looks at gaming tables and set-ups people use was excellent.
It's great to see ideas others use and find ways to improve
the gaming experience. My group also has a unique game
table we built and used, so I thought I'd share.
It is half round in design with the players taking the edge
of the circle. The DM has his own station that is placed on
the long side of the table. The advantage to this setup is
that it better focuses all of the players' attention on the
DM, not across the table at the antics of another player.
The table has an upper tier that has a removeable piece of
plexi and grid, laid flush with the table top. This makes it
very easy for all to see and reach the board. A lower tier
(about 6" below the upper) is about 15 inches deep for each
player to have room for books, character sheets, dice rolls,
and so on, and helps keep things organized and away from the
map board.
Each of 5 player stations includes a slot for books, die
pits/cup holders, and a small tack board. The DM station
includes screenwalls that stand just above the top tier of
the table, which fold down to allow for storage beneath the
table. It also has the features of the player stations and a
clear slot for a quick reference sheet the DM may choose to
prepare ahead of time. The 24" x 36" battle board is easily
written on with wet erase marker and pre-made maps can slide
under the plexi. Built flush into the top tier, there are
also 2 small bins for storage of minis, markers, dice, and
more.
Total cost of this project was about $150. We used melamine
(2 full 4'x8' sheets) for the table surfaces because of its
durability and because no finish is required. Simple
unfinished 2x4s serve as the legs and structure underneath.
The built table is still lacking some of the details at this
point, such as the dice pits and the storage bins, but it
still works well for our games. Unfortunately, I do not have
photos of the table as it is currently in storage till the
group is back from our various schools, and we were never
clever enough to take pictures in use. I do have rendered
images taken from the 3-D model I built when designing it:
I also have a short demonstration animation which can be
found at this link (AVI, 9.5 MB):
Thanks for keeping the e-zine going!
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D&D Spell Compendium
Spell Compendium provides players and Dungeon Masters with
quick access to the D&D spells they need most. Drawing from
a treasure trove of sources, Spell Compendium is the one
place to find spells that are referenced time and again: the
best, most iconic, most popular, and most frequently used.
This convenient reference introduces a new spell format that
includes descriptive text.
D&D Spell Compendium at RPG Shop