Old School DM seeks PbP advice

fonkin
fonkin
edited July 2011 in Campaign Portal Building
Hi folks! I'm a veteran DM looking to become a PBP noob.

I'm wondering if anyone can direct me to a resource for running D&D (AD&D) in a Play by Post format. I've assembled my test group but I'm hoping there are some sites or documents out there that can help me with the logistics of running D&D online without having to set up a bunch of 3rd party software.

I'm looking to run a game with a more old-school feel, so there will be low- or no-mapping and little in the way of graphics tools. Given the crowd that's signed up I expect there to be more than a bit of power-gaming and hack and slash, so I'll need ways to keep that interesting, too.

Thanks in advance!
Fonkin

Comments

  • Poutine_Paladin
    Poutine_Paladin
    Posts: 285
    Fonklin,

    I've only just started in the PbP realm as well, but I don't see it being conducive to that style of play. It takes a while for things to resolve when waiting for people to post, and round-by-round hack-and-slash combat seems like it would be tedious to do like that. I think PbP works better as a storytelling tool for non-roll-heavy scenes, but combat should probably be set up via skype group chat or something so that players can follow along better and get into the flow of the scene...especially if you won't be using maps, etc.

    Like I said...I've only just started, but that's my two bits for now
  • GamingMegaverse
    GamingMegaverse
    Posts: 3,001
    Could not make PbP work for my style, which is why we went to video conferencing... Skype or Ventrillo work well.
    killervp
    "A God...Rebuilt":http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaigns/a-god-rebuilt

    Just trying to help out.

  • BeZurKur
    BeZurKur
    Posts: 16
    Definitely give Rpol.net a look. On the homepage is also a general FAQ, Player FAQ, and a GM FAQ. The site is good with an online dice roller that tracks results, multiple threads per game, and private threads. As far as PbP goes, it has everything I ever needed.
  • Madmacabre
    Madmacabre
    Posts: 1
    Killervp...

    Can Skype work for multi-player video communication? My groups consists of me and three players...and some of them are out of town so that would be an AMAZING option.
  • Poutine_Paladin
    Poutine_Paladin
    Posts: 285
    Madmacabre, I think group video calls can only be accessed if you pay for Skype features, but not the free version. You certainly can have group chats over skype for free, though, which is nice.
  • Sommerset
    Sommerset
    Posts: 32
    I definitely second Poutine_Paladin's remarks, we tried to do combat in our PbP campaign, and it was a horrible mess, that we abandoned quickly. We use our forums for all the exploration, story-telling, scenery chewin' stuff now, and the hacky/slashy is for tabletop only. I've never tried playing across Skype. Feel free to check out the forums on Lodestar if you're curious.
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