Quote:
Originally Posted by Agemegos
Would this campaign idea be a good thing to try out using PBP, do you think? How well does play-by-post handle "troupe style" RP, in which each player players several characters? I would have guessed that it had a big advantage in reducing the confusion over which of his or her several characters a player was playing at a particular time. Has anyone tried it?
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I've been mulling this for a while, and have some thoughts.
One advantage over tabletop play is lack of crunch. PBP works fine with very abstract mechanics, which means the multiple PCs can be described at a very high level. There are fewer mechanical issues to keep track of. (Yes, tabletop does not need crunch and PBP does not preclude it, but IME there are strong leanings.)
Similarly, there is more time available to handle the switch. It's not "OK, now you're gonna switch to Chekov on the bridge" but rather "In your next post, describe Checkov's reaction to the Ravenous Alien Space Bunny. Players have more time to switch mental gears. This is presumably the reduced confusion Brett mentions.
I think PBP is also more amenable to GM prompting and cool-headed reflection. In troupe play where some of the PCs represent authority figures with awesome power that is heavily circumscribed, the time-delayed collaborative nature of PBP makes the circumscription less onerous. Time to cool down, time to consult the GM, time for GM input/refining of notes, etc. In particular, I suspect the PCs in the described game are going to meet many figures who's moral standing is along the lines of Hitler, Genghis, or Pot. The Captain has the resources to fry these monsters from orbit, but usually the consequences (which are easier to calculate in FB) will make that ill advised. [1] Having the time and GM input to reflect on that will make it both easier to do correctly, and more bittersweet when it happens.
[1] I suspect the Captain will LIVE for the moments when his sociology officer tells him the political fallout from ortillerying some obscene despot will be a net positive.