I'm making a campaign, and I've never PbP DM'd before. Any advice?

Organization and formatting is key.

People being able to get to information easily is paramount so keep your notes, maps, and other information well organized and easily accessible. I normally compile all important links in the first post of the Out-Of-Character thread (or first few posts).


Proper spelling and use of white space is also pretty important... obviously you don't want to use walls of text without breaking it up once in a while, and for added effect I tend to use bold, underline, font size and colored text to help make important stuff stand out.

For Example:

I normally dont do Play By Post due to the slower speed at which it tends to move, but I cannot echo Bounty Hunter enough on how import organization is. If you make a post and then its 48 hours until the user shows up to post but instead is confused on something now you habe to delay the game more as he asks you to clarify, wait for you to answer, wait for him to come on and read it, etc

What's the best way to deal with a thread that's slowed down to a crawl? Posts are now spaced out by several days, and I worry my thread may be dying.

The same you deal with players getting distracted around a real table when you're playing an RPG, or when players seem to be stuck. Talk to them out of character and give events in character to keep things happening and moving along.

Lets say your characters are sitting at a tavern after a long day in a dungeon, but things have slowed down:

Out of character start talking to them asking questions like 'Did you find anything in the dungeon you'd like to sell to the merchants in town?' , 'Is the group ready to call it a night and push the game forward to the next day?', or 'Now that that dungeon has been cleared out do you think anyone in town might have anything to say about it?'. Things like that to get them thinking about where to head next or how their actions may have impacted things.

In character if things have slowed down, make the world seem alive, give them more to respond to and things to keep the roleplay going. Have the barkeep yell at a customer, have the waiter ask them if they need anything, have two drunks get in an argument, or simply give some descriptions about the place that they're at. 'The fire crackles warmly in the hearth and an iron pot of stew bubbles as it hangs above the flames.' , 'The wind outside seems to pick up and a loose shutter bangs against the wall from time to time' ... etc. Make it seem like the world is going on around them and without them and it encourages them to step up as well as giving them things to respond to.

Thanks, mate.

An old favorite is to "nose ring" people. If all they're doing is sitting around waiting for something to happen, well by the gods, make something happen that they won't be pleased with. After a few times, your players will get the hint that they need to get walking and making decisions, otherwise the God of Chaos is gonna send another wave of enemies to kill them. Now, of course don't break storyline to do it, but if you can make it work in the campaign, then make it happen. A lot of the time, players are looking for direction, so go ahead and give it to them in the form of something that must now be dealt with.

~SE++

This is what I tried to do for a hook:

My players don't seem to care.

Then force them to care, do something to them to motivate them. I'm about to get my players moving in my sandbox soon....

~SE++

Uh oh.

Jokes on you im not in a bar.

I tried. I tried my hardest. I don't think they're even reading the thread.

Who are your players? Are they here and just not posting? Or inactive all together?

Have you said something in the thread urging activity?

I have Tevish, Yxoque, and ilands. I haven't said anything in the thread, but I've poked the players through other communication channels. Usually the result is that they make one post when asked, then forget about the thread again. I'm considering killing the thread.

I know Tevish is always around but not always posting , but I dont know anything about the other two. As I mentioned elsewhere I'd prolly join at some point but I'm leaving the country next weekend and already sorta maxed out on games as is... all those games I'm in are gonna have to deal without me being around for a few days if not a week or more. Bah.

Forcing something like Fortitude saves, Reflex saves, Will saves, Initiative, or other large scale events are always good ways to re-engage the players. Again, this is nose-ringing, but if you can make ti work in the grand scheme of your storyline, it still works well. Players need motivation, and since they haven't responded to subtle roleplay, just go blunt.

~SE++

Well I meant more like out of character prods Squinty. If they're not posting, in-character nose ringing only goes so far.