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Old 04-04-2014, 04:54 PM   #19
Justin_Bedard
 
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Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Saint John, NB, Canada
Default Re: [OCC] Poll : What makes a good PbP game? (will be applied)

Genre: Fantasy, DF, Science Fiction, Supers, Space Opera and others. Which make you say "I've got to play this", and which do you particularly avoid?

I'm open to everything but space opera. I've gotten backlash from that genre whenever I go to use it. If I had to take one, I'd got with a mix of Horror and survival style.

Activities Planned: Do you prefer solving puzzles? or is it combat that enthuses you? How important is character development? Is negotiation an enjoyable part of play?

Depending on the players power, I tend to make puzzles for low point (50-100), and combat orientation for high point (100-250). Character developement is usually part of a plot, or interactions between players. I tend to shun away from negotiation other than if it could lead to a fun bit or two.


Supplement materials: Which sets of rules make or break a PbP game for you? This includes Cinematic vs Realistic, G:Magic, Thuamology, Supers, Psionic Powers, DF, MH, MA, and so forth.

I don't use a specific book other than basic. If a player has a rule that they want to use, they have to bring it up beforehand. I stand mostly towards realistic, but I allow SOME cinematic stuff in a realistic game. I find magic to be high point stuff, but allow it. I've never used psionic or thuamology yet, but I tend to stay near basic than branch out. Keeps stuff simple.

Plot: how important is the plot? do you avoid games without it, and only go for ideas that sound cool? do you prefer just wandering around letting characters make their own decisions? And is this question even an issue?
somewhat important. I'll keep stuff loose enough for players to stumble on, or give them a general outline. I love to throw a twist or two in the game.

Power Level: Do you love working with mounds of points? is such a prospect dull to you? does it matter by genre? similarly, (but not the same) do you enjoy being world shakers, or do you want to deal with peers? or is this even an issue?
50-100 points in a survival or horror game. 125-150 for fantasy. anything higher and I feel like the characters are... superhuman. I enjoy a world-shaking monster, not character.

House Rules: Are they annoying or wonderful? If depends, what determines this? or are they just all par for the course?
Recovery and Common sense are 1 point perks. they're the only two I really use. Oh, and a 120 enchantment point cap to cost 1$/magic point.

Gaming Group: Different players and GMs cause games to behave differently. when using PbP on this forum, how important is who is already playing in the game, or GMing it?
I find if I know the person, or converse with them, it goes a bit smoother.

Other issues: what other issues strongly effect how well a pbp game runs?
visual and musical accompaniment. I like to give campaigns I play an extra boost by adding an ambience and sketching some of the areas, NPC's and players... Sometimes it doesn't turn out completly right, but it adds another layer to the... feeling? of the game.
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