Ruminations on play-by-post GURPS

Ruminations on play-by-post GURPS

This is a topic I wanted to talk about for a while already, but haven't gotten a chance to. Most of the post, probably, won't be GURPS-specific, but applicable to other systems. I just want to share my experience and, hopefully, help to dismiss some prejudices.

I will assume that the reader knows what play-by-post gaming is, so I will not provide the definition. My experience with play-by-post RPGs started a very long time ago. I don't even remember the website that was used, and it did not last very long. Then, I found out about an excellent website that was made specifically for this purpose - dungeonmaster.ru. It had everything - parts of every post could be displayed only to particular players, the dice rolls were integrated, character sheets, DM-only messages, hidden subforums. Of course, it's in Russian, although the creators seem to have it in their plans to translate it to English. The playerbase there seemed way too experienced to me, so it was intimidating to just jump in. That's why instead I made a forum using some free hosting and played some PbP D&D games with my friends there. Sure, looking back at them, I see that they weren't at all perfect, but honestly, I've seen worse on the aforementioned website.

Then, I started hosting D&D games on dungeonmaster.ru. I am very picky as a player, so being a DM/GM is something I got used to. After some time I realized that this is very convenient, considering the almost non-existent local playerbase and the difficulties of scheduling of the real life games, and PbP became my primary RPG medium. Naturally, I've encountered some difficulties and even situations that made me believe some "That Guy" stories I've read online before but thought them to be figments of the author's imagination.

Eventually, I moved from D&D to GURPS, then started hosting real-time games for my online friends on roll20, and currently am hosting a play-by-post GURPS game on Discord for those same friends. Pseudobot (a Discord bot by Pseudonym) is a godsend that practically makes the website I've used before unnecessary.

I will try to list all the advantages and disadvantages of play-by-post gaming and provide my thoughts on them.

Pros:

1. You can play with people from different timezones more easily. For example, while I was able to play real-time online games with people on the opposite side of the planet, I could not schedule a game to play with anyone between those two extremes. Still, if you have players with very different periods of activity, physical distance can become an issue even in play-by-post games. For example, I can only post during the day, while one player can only post when I am asleep. This can affect the pacing negatively.
2. You can even use the phone to play. That's what I am doing - I play during my free time at work. Sure, typing long posts can be a nuisance but, in my experience, it's not very limiting. However, when a tactical map is required, I have to bust out a sticky note and a pencil, then take pictures. Not very convenient, but it does not come up very often.
3. You can participate in multiple games at the same time. If you can handle that, then go ahead.
4. It's a good environment to learn the system's rules. I find it much more simple to explain the various rules or even teach the system in PbP games than in real-life games, where explanations and questions takes time from everyone around the table.
5. You can also play non-RPG games that way. Some board games, wargames, PbP strategy games are more than possible that way. After all, it all stems from PBEM games.
6. If you were always omitting rules that make the game more complex and/or would take a lot of time, now you can go all out - you have all the time you want. This is especially important for GURPS games. Now you can neatly track armor damage, weapon breakage, long-term fatigue, etc. without taking away from the session by looking up various tables and making calculations.

Not sure:

1. Continous gameplay. No need to schedule one or two games per week, for example. You can play whenever you want, at a pace that you and the players are comfortable with. However, sometimes this can make you or the players burn out - be careful with the pacing! For example, my current game is completely inactive on weekends. Yes, I am able to post at that time, but I need a break.
2. Many claim that the PbP environment facilitates a heavy-RP game. I agree, it can do that. But mindless hack-and-slash is quite possible too, so I am not going to put this point under "pros".
3. You can split the party. If some character clashes with another, or if the situation demands it, you can split the party, where you'd probably have to find a way to keep people together in a real-time game. This is more simple when the two parties become independent - they are not going to interact with each other in any way. But if they are still expected to interact or act in the same general place, then the GM will have to keep a calender to prevent time paradoxes. This might affect pacing, if one party is not content with waiting for the other to "catch up".

Cons:

1. Slow tempo. Especially during combat. If you cannot handle waiting hours, if not days, for your action to be resolved, then PbP games are not for you. However, sometimes, when all people are present and active, the game can speed up greatly, being on par with a real-time online game.
2. Flaking players. Not everyone can commit themselves to playing a PbP game that will take months, if not years. On the other hand, it is only a problem if done out of nowhere. If a player is tired, bored, or is not content with the game and wants to leave, that's absolutely okay.
3. Flaking GMs. Same as above, but it happens much more often. Many a game starts with an enthusiastic GM whose enthusiasm runs out three posts in. And then radio silence. That's probably what gives PbP games a bad name.
4. System adjustments. Sometimes, some parts of the system have to me adjusted. For example, if some trait works only once per session, then what is considered to be a session? Luckily, GURPS has the Game Time, +0% enhancement in GURPS Powers that takes care of that, but other systems might not be this lucky. Also, actions and reactions that can interrupt another's action slow things down - don't be hasty with resolving such actions. In GURPS this is mostly the matter of active defenses, but in D&D 3.5 be wary of immediate actions.

I think that's all about the actual gameplay, but there has to be something to say about the game structure and the characters too. Do not take it as a truth - all GMs are different, I am just relaying my experience.

1. Do not have a strict plotline. Most of my play-by-post games do not have any overarching plot at all. While running such a sandbox, I'm trying to provide the players with adventure hooks that might or might not be tailored to their characters. In general, I am just trying to provide a believable worlds that reacts to the player characters. I believe that railroading in PbP games is more painful than in real-time games, because it takes much longer.
2. NPCs are more important in PbP games than in real-time games. At least, it feels that way to me. When you, as a GM, have more time on your hands, you can detail the NPCs better than you would in a real-time game. And, in my experience, the players interact with the NPCs much more often in PbP games.
3. Adding to the sandbox thing described above, I have to say that it's good when a character has goal(s). Those make the story progress and help the GM come up with adventure hooks. Or the player can come up with an adventure for their character that way.
4. Character retirement is absolutely okay. If the character has accomplished their goals, the character can be retired. I don't consider this to be the case of "huh? you just want to make another build!".
5. Keeping a subforum or a Discord channel with notes is advised. The game takes a while, so it's easy to forget what was the name of that village's blacksmith.

In conclusion, I must say that you should just have fun and do not be discouraged by the setbacks. Always discuss your problems and worries with the players, be open to feedback, and don't flake with no warning whatsoever. Generally, it's best to play with people you know.