View Single Post
Old 06-02-2013, 10:35 AM   #17
Surnis
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Quebec
Default Re: [OCC] Poll : What makes a good PbP game? (will be applied)

Genre: While I would play any genre, I have a favorite spot for anything that involves mecha, be it sci-fi, steampunk, or even mecha in fantasy. Since 99% of any pbp game is played with D&D and thus medieval fantasy, I would try to avoid it, too common. I also fear that horror can't really work well in a pbp game, as getting back in the scary mood as you receive mail seems impossible. You can of course have a game with vampires and gore, but the players are not going to be really scared.

activities: Pbp is notoriously slow. Personally, i would rather wait for the opponent's move in a battle than wait for a reply like "I think you're right." for 2 days, after suggesting a possible solution to a riddle. Conversation is just way too long. Combat is too, but I don't really mind it, people have been playing chess and such by mail for centuries, and it works, no matter how long the game takes, as long as each post is exciting, wich is usually more than talking to an innkeeper.

supplement: my favorite environments are those that have a bit of evrything. So a setting with no magic is lesser in my opinion. Same thing if there is no technology. A mage/martial artist fighting demons in his giant power armor is so cool. (I'm a munchkin, I admit.)

Plot: While a plot might make a greater story overall, it rarely survives player interaction, and dice rolls. You need one to get the game started, but don,t insist on respecting it too much if you don,t want to railroad the players.

Power level: In my own games, I always start the characters as weak as I can get away with. In GURPS, that would mean 10 in all stats and 0 points. But there is no limit to the power that can be acquired, as my campaigns always have a cosmic bend. The point is, you can accumulate untold power, but no freebies! (When I play alone, I even pay back those starting 10s before I can raise to 11!) But then, you can eventually be a mage/martial artist in power armor! Admittedly, I can't get any players because of that, so don,t listen to me, lol.

House rules: Personaly, I love them, especially if there from me, lol. I like to experiment variants on how to do things, combine game systems together, etc.
But I know by experience that most players don,t want any. They usually worship the books, as someone who wrote a book is obviously so much better than you loser GM.
AD&D epoch: Me: Alignment languages are a stupid idea, i'm not using them in my campaign.
Players: what? Alignement languages are great! Gygax says so! He's so much brighter than you! We'll bug you each session until you allow them!
3rd edition: (no longer any alignment languages in the rules) same players: alignment languages were so lame! I"m glad we never used them!
Want to enrage a gaming club? Suggest a hybrid Mage Knight/Magic the gathering combo. (the basic idea being that you have to conquer lands before you can place them in your deck) and you'll get a feeling you're saying something blasphemous.
So I keep my house rules to myself, and play by the book in the few instances I get players. The exception being when I play with lazy types who don't bother to read any books (most players I know now, actually) and count on me to teach them... I can teach them whatever I like, hehehe.

Gaming group: If the question is how important it is that you like the people youre playing with, I would say its the major point. The fact that you are not face-to-face does'nt make disliking another player any less likely, and it is much easier to stop playing on a whim in PBP than around a real table. All pbm games i tried quickly died, because no one cared for the other player or his character, so lost interest as soon as the action dies down, wich is all the time in pbp.
Being a smartass, it,s not easy for me to go well with a group. either.

other: A big question is how to hurry people who always take so much time before replying. Giving a time limit is not a good idea, as they'll just quit, We game for fun, not for pressure. (we work for that.) The ideal group would have passionate players would will find time to do their turns no matter what job/family exacts from them. (or else don,t have jobs/famillies to start with.) But it's not easy to arrange.

Overall, i prefer playing by email than playing by chat, mostly because it gives you time to think. (playing a ccg such as YU-GI-OH by mail is a totaly different experience than playing on a table. I'm sure lots of people are signing themselves with the cross at reading this...)
Also, I have a short attention span. i'd rather do a round of a big battle each day for 3 months than play it for 8 hours in a row. I searched a while for people to play miniature/wargames by email, but again, its a sacrilegous idea, it seems.
Surnis is offline   Reply With Quote