Author Topic: PbP rules and suggestions  (Read 1607 times)

Offline RobbyPants

  • Female rat ninja
  • Honorary Mod
  • *****
  • Posts: 8172
    • View Profile
PbP rules and suggestions
« on: June 11, 2014, 09:42:04 AM »
So, the point of this is to get everyone on the same page so we can try to keep the game moving at a decent pace.

Frequency of checking:
I can't really force you to check in here once a day, but the more often we all check in, the faster this game moves. If you're going to be gone for several days, leave a note in the Out of Character thread so we know.


Rolling:
You have three options for rolling dice:
  • Use the forum roller provided. There's a little die icon under the Change Color drop down. To use it, click it, and type your roll inside the <roll> tags it creates (so, <roll>1d20+5</roll>, but with square brackets instead of angle brackets). Separate multiple rolls with commas.
  • Use InvisibleCastle or a similar rolling site and link the result.
  • Just roll your own and report the result. I trust you guys, or I wouldn't be playing with you.
Note, if you use the forum roller provided and you later edit your post, it will put a big red label across the post that says something like "This dice roll has been tampered with!". I've edited this post already, so you see that warning in the rolls below. So, if you use it and you need to say something else, say it in another post instead of modifying the one with the roll in it. That way, it doesn't make you look like a cheater pants.


Posting your actions:
Try to give me as much info as you can when you say what you're doing. Remember that every time we have to go back and forth for an exchange, it takes time. If we each check once a day, and you have to do three things in an action, and post them once per post, it takes literally three days of real time to resolve that action. If you can consolidate all that info into one post, we can resolve it in a day.

So, if you're making an attack, roll your attack roll and your damage in the same post. If your attack misses, no biggie. If it hits, then I don't have to ask you to roll damage. If you notice your attack threatens a crit, make another post afterward rolling to confirm the crit and to roll crit damage. By the time I get around to checking it, I'll be able to tell you whether you hit or miss, and if you hit, whether it was a crit or not. Much better than four posts back and forth apiece.

Give me the info on what you're doing in your roll as well. If you cast a spell, list the save DC so I know what the monsters have to roll. Here are two examples of how I'd handle it:

Quote
Bob attacks the orc with his greatsword. Attack = 1d20+9, Damage = 2d6+7

This dice roll has been tampered with!
Rolled 1d20+9 : 17 + 9, total 26
Rolled 2d6+7 : 6, 2 + 7, total 15

Quote
Bob casts Scorching Ray on the troll. Ranged touch attack = 1d20+6, Damage = 4d6, Reflex save DC 15 or it catches on fire for 2d6 damage.

This dice roll has been tampered with!
Rolled 1d20+6 : 20 + 6, total 26
Rolled 4d6 : 5, 3, 4, 6, total 18
Rolled 2d6 : 5, 1, total 6


Multiple choice actions:
Depending on a situation, you might want to do two things. Post both of them to save time. For example:

Quote
Bob goes to attack one of the orcs. If any are attacking Alice, he'll run up and attack it. If not, he'll attack the nearest one. He'll use his sword if he can reach, or his bow if he can't.

Greatsword attack = 1d20+9, Damage = 2d6+7

This dice roll has been tampered with!
Rolled 1d20+9 : 7 + 9, total 16
Rolled 2d6+7 : 6, 2 + 7, total 15


Bow attack = 1d20+7, Damage = 1d8+5

This dice roll has been tampered with!
Rolled 1d20+7 : 16 + 7, total 23
Rolled 1d8+5 : 8 + 5, total 13

The point is, it saves you from having to ask me two questions. You provide me with an unambiguous script, and I can figure out what you wanted to do.


Passive die rolls:
Some rolls your PC makes are passive. For example, if you walk into an area, and I need a Listen check to see if you hear something before describing it, everyone is going to make that roll without declaring it. If you get hit by a fireball, you need to roll a Reflex save without declaring it.

There's no reason for me to ask you to roll these saves if you're going to do them regardless. To keep things moving, I'll roll any passive rolls you need. That way, I can resolve the Fireball attack in one post rather than three. If you feel I screwed something up, let me know.


Out of character questions:
If you're joking or want to say something long out of character, do it in the Out of Character thread. If it's a small game-related question, ask it in the main thread, but put "OOC:" in front so we know it's out of character.


Retcons:
So, it turns out I'm not perfect. I might even make a mistake in the game! If you see something wrong, tell me. Perhaps I fucked up rolling a passive roll for you and didn't add some bonus from a buff you cast. Perhaps the pace of the game went really fast in one part, and I got input from everyone but one player, and they really wanted a say before we moved on. Whatever it is, we can rewind the game if we must to fix problems. The earlier we catch them, the less we have to rewind.

I don't care if it's the sort of "Shit, I wanted to buy rope before everyone decided to leave" sort of thing, or a "Hold up. I didn't want to leave the tavern. I want to ask the man about that rumor.". I can accommodate these things if something moves to fast all of a sudden.

Again, the more frequently everyone checks in, the less out of sync the game gets.


If I think of anything more, I'll add it.
« Last Edit: June 11, 2014, 11:39:24 PM by RobbyPants »
My creations

Please direct moderation-related PMs to Forum Staff.