DRPG using the Google Platform

[Corvus Mellori]

I've been playing in a couple of RPGs this year that have been run entirely on the google platform. Docs/Drive, Hangouts, Google+, and a plugin to roll20.com.

I have the PDFs of ADRPG and SK and I've always wanted to run an Amber game. I see a lot on the forum about pbp & pbem, but I don't really see anyone talking about virtual tabletop for DRPGs.

Not trying to be specific to Amber. LoO & LoGaS could be run the same way. I guess I'm just interested in the possible discussion it could generate here.

I'm going to use Docs/Drive to create and organize setting and story information, different sections for player controlled back story docs. Players will create Google accounts for their characters. A lot of asynchronous work on initial building with docs, and eventually moving into using Hangouts and Roll20 as the virtual tabletop for synchronous game play.

Any thoughts?

[finarvyn]

Some of us with older computers really struggle with the G+ platform. When I try to access docs and/or discussion sections I hit brick walls and often my computer just gets confused and locks up on me. Overall I find that message board software is a lot kinder to me than G+, but most of my friends just tell me that I need to upgrade hardware and software.

If you wanted space on a message board I'd volunteer to open up a PBP space for you at my ADRP proboards forum, but I suspect that's not the path you want to take.

[Corvus Mellori]

......but most of my friends just tell me that I need to upgrade hardware and software.

I think you would be pleasantly surprised by the possibilities. I appreciate the offer of forum space, but you are indeed correct. Walking a different path here.

I'm able to run the full G-suite on a DuoCore laptop running a 64-bit Linux distro.

If you've never looked at //www.roll20.com I really recommend checking it out.

[Sydius Mendoza]

Just starting up a short-arc game using the setup you've described. Drive/Docs combo has been super useful for the GM organization end of things. I have an android phone which makes it really easy to access pretty much anywhere I go.

It's a long distance game with players in Minnesota, Colorado, and Washington State, so right now we are working on getting schedules lined up so we can use Hangouts to "Trump" conference for the attribute auction.

As soon as I have the auction out of the way I will post again to let you know how it went.

[RPGPundit]

I do imagine that the diceless games would be particularly easy to use on the G+ platform.

[Sydius Mendoza]

I do imagine that the diceless games would be particularly easy to use on the G+ platform.

It is doing wonders for the organization bit, which I am normally terrible at. I've currently got the players making separate google accounts for their characters. It makes it really easy to distinguish between player comments vs character actions/dialogue.

Pundit, have you considered running a LoO game like this? If you do, I would be really interested to here your thoughts on what works/doesn't.

Short of that, what do you think the challenges are? I'm pretty tech savvy, so finding solutions is never too much of a problem. But I lack GM experience, so it may not be easy for me to see the pitfalls.

[BarefootGaijin]

I imagine that a diceless game would play like an old school dramatic radio play. Images of microphones and dramatic poses come to mind.

[robiswrong]

I think the less "stuff" a game requires to be run, the better the Google stuff can work.  While i haven't done diceless, I've done various AW/variant games on G+, as well as a bunch of Fate.  The AW variants work even better than Fate, since they don't need tracking aspects, etc.

I imagine that diceless games would work even better than the AW variants.

[Sydius Mendoza]

I think the less "stuff" a game requires to be run, the better the Google stuff can work.

My thought as well. It's an interesting topic of discussion IMO. I have to say I'm curious what Pundit and the fellas at Rite think about it. LoO and LoGaS are keeping the diceless style of play alive with great new products. With the advancement of tech it really seems like the to could fit hand in glove as it were.

[Panjumanju]

I imagine that a diceless game would play like an old school dramatic radio play. Images of microphones and dramatic poses come to mind.

Curiously enough, a big part of my job is writing, directing and acting in radio dramas. Diceless roleplaying, and roleplaying in general, has more than a passing resemblance to radio theatre.

//Panjumanju