PBeM Mechanics

[weilide]

I recently started running a PBeM game of Call of Cthulhu using Google Wave and have been pleased by how good the service is for that kind of play (it really seems like it was designed for RPGs) but it occurs me to that Amber, with its diceless mechanic, would be the ideal game for that platform -- not exactly news around here, I know.

Has anyone else had experience running a play by mail using Wave and / or more generally, do you have any insights, suggestions, or cautions regarding the logistics of PBeM that might be of interest to someone who is an experienced roleplayer but a novice online GM?

[pspahn]

I recently started running a PBeM game of Call of Cthulhu using Google Wave and have been pleased by how good the service is for that kind of play (it really seems like it was designed for RPGs) but it occurs me to that Amber, with its diceless mechanic, would be the ideal game for that platform -- not exactly news around here, I know.

Has anyone else had experience running a play by mail using Wave and / or more generally, do you have any insights, suggestions, or cautions regarding the logistics of PBeM that might be of interest to someone who is an experienced roleplayer but a novice online GM?

I don't know how Amber works but Active Exploits always seemed like it would be ideal for online play.

Pete

[jibbajibba]

I recently started running a PBeM game of Call of Cthulhu using Google Wave and have been pleased by how good the service is for that kind of play (it really seems like it was designed for RPGs) but it occurs me to that Amber, with its diceless mechanic, would be the ideal game for that platform -- not exactly news around here, I know.

Has anyone else had experience running a play by mail using Wave and / or more generally, do you have any insights, suggestions, or cautions regarding the logistics of PBeM that might be of interest to someone who is an experienced roleplayer but a novice online GM?

Run and am running an Amber game using a Wiki. I find the Wiki works well as Players can spawn threads which they can secure so you have a narative thread with multiple members and associated secured side threads for PCs and groups of Pcs.

The problems of PbEM play are pretty apparent.

i. Players drop out. Some for game reasons some for real life reasons and some for other reasons. Sometimes they totally drop which is fine sometimes they fade in and out which is harder to manage.
ii. Players post at different rates. This becomes an issue where PCs are on the same thread. Sometimes it can lead to players dropping out from frustration. To couter this let the players know that if things get log jammed you will take actions for their PCs and get some standing order for these situations.
iii. Players want different things. In a table top game you can switch between puzzles and action, roleplay and exploration fairly quickly. In a PbEM game everything takes longer so a phase like the solution of a puzzle can get very dull for players. You need to take care with this and seek player feedback frequently.
iv. Information overload. If you insist that all players are familiar with the intricacies of the universe before they start playing that will turn some folk off. Get them into the game fast and then build up the backstory.

I have been attempting what I call the 'Lost Strategum' this time round in which I try to close out a lot of these issues by using flashbacks. So action starts and the backstory is fed in by solo flashback threads. This way players who want to post a lot can do so on their flashback. The flashbacks can also be used to foreshadow the current events in such as way that the clues are not obvious, rather like Lost. Generally I would say its worked very well. Its not perfect. In flashbacks PCs have narative invulnerability, they can't be killed. However, in Amber that is no biggie as owing your life to Chaos Lord, being embarassed at a dinner party or mocked by a motley fool can be even worse than death.

A practical point make sure your autorenewal with the web hosters you use is set to use the correct credit card ....

[weilide]

I like your idea of the Lost Stratagem a great deal -- I'm very interested in using combinations of face to face roleplaying and PBM in order to reflect different ontological or temporal levels in the narrative. For instance, in the CoC game I'm playing I've been toying around with using face to face gaming for events that happen in the waking world and PBeM for action primarily taking place in the Dreamlands. Similarly, for Amber it seems like PBM would be a cool way to supplement the live game, essentially using the online platform as a way of doing collaborative character background stuff to flesh out the PCs.

[jibbajibba]

I like your idea of the Lost Stratagem a great deal -- I'm very interested in using combinations of face to face roleplaying and PBM in order to reflect different ontological or temporal levels in the narrative. For instance, in the CoC game I'm playing I've been toying around with using face to face gaming for events that happen in the waking world and PBeM for action primarily taking place in the Dreamlands. Similarly, for Amber it seems like PBM would be a cool way to supplement the live game, essentially using the online platform as a way of doing collaborative character background stuff to flesh out the PCs.

I really recommend it as its a great way to provide information that informs the present by refering to events from the past and there is no need to break the pace as the two threads continue consecutively. You can even do that Lost cheaty thing where you add a random plot twist but weave it back into the history of the characters. So when they uncover the identity of the Big Bad for example they know eactly who they are because they have just finished a flashback where they encountered then in the flesh so to speak.

[Nicephorus]

For instance, in the CoC game I'm playing I've been toying around with using face to face gaming for events that happen in the waking world and PBeM for action primarily taking place in the Dreamlands. Similarly, for Amber it seems like PBM would be a cool way to supplement the live game, essentially using the online platform as a way of doing collaborative character background stuff to flesh out the PCs.

That's a good idea. The different mediums will make it easier to keep the two worlds disinct in their minds.
 
For most live games, if you can get players to use email between sessions, you can greatly speed up the game and increase the fun. There's no real need to spend an hour of a session dividing treasure. Research, training, and some investigation can be done online. If one player wants to do something on their own or create or new spell or something, they are not taking up all the session time if they do it online.  Ideally, intense situations can be done face to face and the lead up can be done online.
 
This also works well for me as I often forget details in the moment of live play but manage to be more complete in email.