This guide serves as a resource for players and dungeon masters alike, with tips and suggestions on how to conduct games via Play-by-Post, as well as a set of commonly used templates and websites. The Table of Contents is hyperlinked to take you directly where you need to go and you can use the 'Top' button on each post to return here. Use the tools and references here to help ensure your game is created and kept running smoothly.
Any ideas or requests for additions to this thread can be PM'd directly to me and appropriate actions will take place at my earliest convenience.
When a DM/GM first creates a game, they should provide enough information that players get a feel for what the game will be like as well as knowing how to create their characters. There are many ways to do this, and below you will find a few templates you can use.
Streamline Template:
How It Looks
System: Player Count: Style of Play: Allowed Content:
1. What game system are you running (D&D, Call of Cthulu, Palladium, GURPS, etc.), and if applicable what edition (Original, Classic, Revised, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 10th, etc.)?
2. What 'type' or variant of game will it be (i.e. "Shadow Chasers" or "Agents of Psi" for d20 Modern)? What is the setting for the game (eg. historic period, published or homebrewed campaign setting, alternate reality, modern world, etc.)?
3. How many Players are you looking for? Will you be taking alternates, and if so, how many?
4. What's the gaming medium (NGA Forums, chat, e-mail etc.)?
5. What is the characters' starting status (i.e. experience level)?
6. How much gold or other starting funds will the characters begin with?
7. Are there any particular character classes, professions, orders, etc. that you want... or do not want? What are your rules on 'prestige' and/or homebrewed classes?
8. What races, subraces, species, etc. are allowed for your game? Will you allow homebrewed races or species? 'Prestige' races or species?
9. By what method should Players generate their attributes/ability scores and Hit Points?
10. Does your game use alignment? What are your restrictions, if so?
11. Do you allow multi-classing, or have any particular rules in regards to it?
12. Will you be doing all of the die rolling during the course of the game? Will die rolls be altered, or left to the honor system? If players can make die rolls, which ones do they make, how should they make the rolls, and how should they report them?
13. Are there any homebrewed or optional/variant rules that your Players should know about? If so, list and explain them, or provide relevant links to learn about these new rules.
14. Is a character background required? If so, how big? Are you looking for anything in particular (i.e. the backgrounds all ending up with the characters in the same city)?
15. Does your game involve a lot of hack & slash, puzzle solving, roleplaying, or a combination of the above?
16. Are your Players restricted to particular rulebooks and supplements, or will you be allowing access to non-standard material? What sources can Players use for their characters?[/noparse][/code]
Coypyable Code
Code:
[b]Copyable Template:[/b][b]1. What game system are you running (D&D, Call of Cthulu, Palladium, GURPS, etc.), and if applicable what edition (Original, Classic, Revised, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 10th, etc.)?[/b]
[b]2. What 'type' or variant of game will it be (i.e. "Shadow Chasers" or "Agents of Psi" for d20 Modern)? What is the setting for the game (eg. historic period, published or homebrewed campaign setting, alternate reality, modern world, etc.)?[/b]
[b]3. How many Players are you looking for? Will you be taking alternates, and if so, how many?[/b]
[b]4. What's the gaming medium (NGA Forums, chat, e-mail etc.)?[/b]
[b]5. What is the characters' starting status (i.e. experience level)?[/b]
[b]6. How much gold or other starting funds will the characters begin with?[/b]
[b]7. Are there any particular character classes, professions, orders, etc. that you want... or do not want? What are your rules on 'prestige' and/or homebrewed classes?[/b]
[b]8. What races, subraces, species, etc. are allowed for your game? Will you allow homebrewed races or species? 'Prestige' races or species?[/b]
[b]9. By what method should Players generate their attributes/ability scores and Hit Points?[/b]
[b]10. Does your game use alignment? What are your restrictions, if so?[/b]
[b]11. Do you allow multi-classing, or have any particular rules in regards to it?[/b]
[b]12. Will you be doing all of the die rolling during the course of the game? Will die rolls be altered, or left to the honor system? If players can make die rolls, which ones do they make, how should they make the rolls, and how should they report them?[/b]
[b]13. Are there any homebrewed or optional/variant rules that your Players should know about? If so, list and explain them, or provide relevant links to learn about these new rules.[/b]
[b]14. Is a character background required? If so, how big? Are you looking for anything in particular (i.e. the backgrounds all ending up with the characters in the same city)?[/b]
[b]15. Does your game involve a lot of hack & slash, puzzle solving, roleplaying, or a combination of the above?[/b]
[b]16. Are your Players restricted to particular rulebooks and supplements, or will you be allowing access to non-standard material? What sources can Players use for their characters?[/b]
When creating or posting in your game threads, it is a good idea for your threads to be formatted and organized neatly. This ensures a smooth look thats easy on the eyes, but more importantly clearly conveys what your character is doing or saying. Most players prefer to use a prose format, in which third person and either present or past tense along with point of view are preferred. Most players prefer to assign a color to designate their characters speech which is used uniquely for a character in a specific thread. Italics are often used to denote internal thoughts and describe actions.
Regardless of format style, all players should follow the boundaries put in place by the DM, even if their preferences differ. This may include off-limit colors, post length, or whether or not players can "sandbox". As a general note when picking colors, most people prefer you dont use {Red Text} as it is reserved for Moderator Posts.
Proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation (barring unusual speech patterns or accents as part of a character's defining traits or race) are paramount. Improper post formatting and/or grammar and spelling can result in confusion as to what your character is doing, or who they are directing it toward. This could result in the need to clarify, other players misinterpreting your actions and responding in a manner you didnt intend, or simply a delay of the game until you correct your mistakes. Running a post through a spelling and grammar checker before posting is a good idea. If you are unsure of your post clarity, run it by your DM/GM prior to posting or have another player proofread it.
Separating by paragraphs at conversation breaks or at logical action breaks is a good idea. Strive to not post “one-liners.” That is, don’t simply post ‘Joe whacks the goblin.’ It comes across as very bland, and doesnt give the other players anything to roleplay with. Try to weave in some narrative: ‘Graxaan the Paladin ducks under the goblin’s hammer, easily sidestepping the crude swipe. His ornate mace slams into the goblin’s chest, reminding the foul creature of the might of Thor.’ This is a much better example to clearly convey your characters actions and intentions, and allows for the other players to engage in roleplay.
An Example Roleplay Post:
Spoiler
Quote:
Studying the last few prospective adventurers, Balthos grabs his axe which had been leaning against the table and rests his forearm on the butt of the handle as an impromptu walking stick and leans a little further back in his chair. The addition of a man of the wild, who from the looks of it knew how to handle the local area’s eccentric tendencies, quelled his uneasiness. Though he still didn’t know what to think of the towering man or the sorcerer with the wicked looking smile and darting eyes, he turns and nods to the Oridimm.
He realizes that everyone else had thrown in their lot already, leaving him as the last undecided attendee. He looks down at the almost empty mug in his right hand and frowns slightly, then raises the mug towards Finnean and gets up from his chair.“Alright, count me in on your little expedition; let’s hear how you plan to go about it.”He downs the last of the drink in his mug and sets it on the wooden table.“If the cold or the beasts of the wild don’t have their way with us, this seems like it could turn to profitable bit of work… or if nothing else at least a bit ‘interesting’."With that last bit he glances from the sorcerer to the towering cleric, both still standing near the Finnean alongside the hearth.
“Now when do we eat?”
An Example Combat Post:
Spoiler
Graxaan's head spins, the cave walls around him loom in and out as his vision reels. He tries to focus, now is not the time to falter, he places his weapon arm against the wall for support. Ezhera is only a couple of strides away along the same wall, blood dripping from the Githzerai is visible from this distance even with the dim light of the torch. Continuing to try steady himself, he holds up a clawed hand like before and another a large spear of radiant light forms in his claws which he then hurls towards the monstrous statue.
Spoiler
Standard Action: Lance of Faith -Attack -Wisdom vs REF:
GobO_Sapper rolled 1d20+3 and got a total of 7:
-Damage :
GobO_Sapper rolled 1d8+3 and got a total of 4:
-If Hit : If this attack hits, Fjarr gains +2 to next attack roll against this foe.
Saving Throw - to remove dazed. :
GobO_Sapper rolled 1d20 and got a total of 11:
Lance Of Faith
Spoiler
At-Will ✦ Divine, Implement, Radiant Standard Action Ranged 5 Target: One creature Attack: Wisdom vs. Reflex Hit: 1d8 + Wisdom modifier radiant damage, and one ally you can see gains a +2 power bonus to his or her next attack roll against the target. Increase damage to 2d8 + Wisdom modifier at 21st level.
While you dont have to post exactly like this, notice how clear and concise the information is.
Most importantly, remember to stay In-Character in the In-Character thread, and keep Out-of-Character conversation in the Out-Of-Character thread.
The Dungeon Master will list all relevant guidelines for character creation, most likely using one of the templates above. The DM will may list what types of character sheets are prefered; (via Mythweavers, a DDI Character Builder Printout, etc) please use the method the DM asked for if they specified. During the PbP Questionnaire the DM will also list which sources you may draw from; While there is no harm in asking about including other sources, dont make it a point to argue about what should/shouldnt be allowed, and if the DM has specifically stated not to ask for more, refrain from doing so.
2. Interacting Other Characters
In play-by-post, there is a temptation to include the actions or reactions of other characters, PC or NPC, in regards to the actions of your own character. Some users may do this in an attempt to move things along faster, or to better describe their characters actions but please avoid doing this. This is called “railroading,” and and can come across as being rude. Even if you personally wouldn't mind, some other players may have an issue with this, and not want their PC controlled by anyone else. The exception to this rule is if you have permission from the DM and/or another player to control another character's actions, or if a GM has taken control of a character from an absent player.
3. Using Mechanics, Checks, And Dice rolls.
The DM of a particular game should include his/her rules regarding dice rolling in their initial questionnaire. This is a very important detail and will determine how, when, and where you will roll for you checks, attacks, saves, etc. By default most games usually include dice rolls at the bottom of an In-character post with the use of spoiler blocks. In the interest of moving along quicker, most of the time you will include your attack, your damage, as well as any additional rolls at the same time. This way whether you hit or not, the DM knows how much damage you would do to the creature and doesnt have to make a post confirming your hit then asking for your damage roll.
When posting rolls, utilizing mechanics, or using skills, it is always a good idea to include as much information as possible in the forms of modifiers, bonuses, or descriptions of a particular ability or feat. While the DM does have access to the character sheet, it makes things much simpler if the information is displayed in the relevant post making things easier to reference. Instead of simply saying "I'd like to make a spot check" you should include something along the lines of "I preform a spot check [dice]1d20+6[/dice]"
Refer to the post above this one for clear and concise post formatting, and examples of posts.
The Play-By-Post Forum welcomes any and all types of freeform roleplay; whether it is based in the worlds of D&D or Magic, a modern era, or takes place in the distant future. Feel free to check for interest in a particular concept in the Setup Zone or to simple create a game in the Structured Games forum. While it is not mandatory to make an accompanying thread in the Out Of Character area, that option is available should you wish to utilize it.
In the posts below, I'll cover some of the basics to getting started, and a few general guidelines to make sure that you, and the players you interact with have as much fun as possible.
Below are a few tips in formatting your posts to accurately convey what your character is doing and the details that support it. There are also guidelines on how to approach combat so that it progresses in a fair manner that doesn't exclude anyone, or force their characters into actions they wouldn't want. Please take a moment to read both sections.
Roleplaying
Spoiler
When you post, are writing a description of what your character is doing at that moment in time. You can post in any thread that takes your fancy, but it’s generally not recommended to have the same character in two or more threads unless the threads take place at different points in the timeline. Posting in a thread is saying that your character is in that location, and all that entails. When you post, try to include description, private thoughts, and mix up 'Actions' with 'Dialog.'
For formatting there is no set rule, but two common examples are: 1. Color a characters speech text with one a unique color to make it stand out from the rest of the text. 2. Wrap actions with italics tags, and speech with quotations.
Quote:
Demetri walked into the small shop at the edge of the market, leaning heavily on his cane. Alchemical reagents were so expensive these days. All the Wizards in the city made ingredients a seller’s market, and he was rapidly becoming broke trying to maintain his most simple experiments.
He approached the shopkeeper, and dropped his bag of coins on the table. “I’ll take some Ceronian spleen, please, and try not to gouge me for it.”
Quote:
Demetri walked into the small shop at the edge of the market, leaning heavily on his cane. Alchemical reagents were so expensive these days. All the Wizards in the city made ingredients a seller’s market, and he was rapidly becoming broke trying to maintain his most simple experiments.
He approached the shopkeeper, and dropped his bag of coins on the table.“I’ll take some Ceronian spleen, please, and try not to gouge me for it.”
Finally, try to keep minimum standards of spelling and grammar in your posts. It makes them –far- easier on the eyes.
In combat, as everywhere else, you and you alone chose what happens to your character. No one can force you to yield, fall over, or die. No one can automatically land hits. They can post what their character is doing, but not what the results are.
Autohitting, dictating another character’s actions, or just plain being invincible is called “God Modding”. Try to avoid this any way possible. It’s better for the story for your character to get bruised and beaten than to step outside the rules of fair play to automatically win.
There are some consequences of Freeform, however. Some people tend to just autocard what they’re doing in combat, and some people would list spells right out of the D&D rulebooks. This is not acceptable. Assume the person you’re posting to has no idea of how to play Magic: The Gathering or Dungeons and Dragons. Rather than give a simply giving a spell name, describe what the spell does. Rather than saying ‘Wrath of God’, say ‘a powerful energy burst of white light radiates forth in an attempt clear the battlefield, only leaving the two Wizards’.
One of the communities that got axed with the last WotC updates was Paranoia Paradise, otherwise known as Px2. A haven for Mafia players ever since MPFG and RRPG got killed. Some players have come here and some have split off to other places, so it would be nice if other users here would play some games too. In the next few posts I'll post some highlights about playing and hosting games, plus some generic tips.
The game foundation is like this: Each day in the game has two phases. A night phase and a day phase. During the day phase, everyone talks about whatever they want, and if you think someone is mafia aligned, you would vote for them. At the end of the day whoever has the most votes is lynched. Their role and alignment is revealed to the public and the day progresses to night phase. During the night phase, mafia and townspeople with special roles are allowed to PM the game host with their role targets. If the game host has every PM, he will start the day with an informational post with what happened during the night. Most likely, someone will have died because of the mafia and the day phase starts anew. This cycle continues until either all mafiates are dead, or enough townspeople died that mafia cannot lose anymore.
The game host will have to post a rule set in the opening post or something. The standard set is like this:
Standard rules
Obey the rules at all times.
As soon as you've died, please stop posting. A 'farewell-post' is fine, but do not reveal or discuss anything once you're dead.
To preserve the integrity of the game, the following will be deemed offenses worthy of punishment (warning or ultimately modkill) - Deleting or editing posts - Posting in white, unreadable or 'invisitext' - Quoting or paraphrasing your role PM - Communicating out of thread without explicit permission from me. - Referencing ongoing other mafia games. - Multiple instances of posting during the Night phase.
When voting, or unvoting, please make sure you bold your vote or unvote in the format: Vote: GobO_Scarlet. If you do not, the vote will be ignored. Also, do not put votes in spoiler tags.
Questions about your role should be directed to me via PM.
Please give advanced notice if you're going to be away for several days.
Once a majority of votes has been reached during the day phase, that player will be considered lynched. Any votes or alterations made after majority has been reached will be ignored. If there is no majority consensus, the one with the most votes at the deadline will be lynched. In case of a tie at this point, the last vote will be removed.
If you have a night action, please make sure to PM me in a timely fashion. If I do not receive your PM, no night action will be taken.
Remember to have fun and be respectful of fellow players. Do not take anything personal! After all, who knows if it's a mafiate ploy to make you anxious and get yourself killed...
Do read through them during each game, because some slight alterations are possible:)
There are various roles possible. In the following segment I will post the major ones. Again, slight variations are possible. And completely different ones too. Always make sure to properly read your role PM!
Roles
Vanilla town The majority of the town is just a simple peasant without any special abilities. These are called vanilla because obvious reasons. They can only post during the day phase and do nothing but wait during the night phase.
Cop The cop is one of the more powerful roles, if used correctly. Each night, the cop PMs the game host with a target. The host will send a PM back with definite information on the target. The cop can than share this information with the players, if he so chooses.
Doctor The doctor is also a classic role. Each night the doctor PMs the game host with a target. If that target would die in that same night, the doctor saves his life instead. It's one of the roles with a lot of variations (hypnotist, nurse to name a few), so make sure to read your PM carefully if you get such a role.
Tracker The tracker is a cop variation. Instead of role/alignment information, the tracker will be told by the game host if the target has, himself, targeted anyone. Especially useful to find killers, but be careful...docs and other cops can target too!
Watcher The watcher is a cop variation. Instead of role/alignment information, the watcher will be told by the game host if the target was targeted by anyone else.
Charismatic The charismatic is a role with no night action. Instead, his vote will count double.
Mafia goon Basically a vanilla town, but for the bad guys.
Babyface A mafia player who is immune to the normal cop investigation. If the cop investigates a babyface, he will be informed that the player is town.
Bomb/Princess The princess/bomb is a player who kills someone if he himself is killed. In general the last one who voted for them will be the one who dies.
Vigilante The vigilante is a town with the extra ability to kill another player during the night. This kill is almost always optional.
Serial Killer The Serial Killer (SK) is a player who is neither town nor mafia. He is a solo player whose goal is to survive until the end and kill during the night until everyone else is dead. Because this is one of the hardest roles to play, he sometimes gets an extra ability to help him survive.
There are dozens, if not hundreds, of roles possible. These few I posted are the ones used a lot.
So now that you have a hang of playing the games, you would like to know what hosting a game entails. Now, let's talk about that, shall we?
Designing the game
A game generally consists of 9, 12, 16, 20 or 24 players. About 25% of the players will be the mafia team. A 'classic' game means there will be a normal mafia team without special roles, a cop, a doc (or a weaker variant) and vanilla town for everyone else.
If you want to make things more interesting, it is possible to use more roles. But make sure to have something for both sides so not one side will be a lot stronger than the other. For example: Want a normal cop and doc together? Give mafia a roleblocker or babyface to counteract the cop. You could also try to make weaker variants of the cop/doc to allow the use of less conventional roles.
In case of doubt, try to contact an experienced player/host. This person will of course not be able to play in your game. But perhaps he can help you host the thing if you're having problems or connectivity issues yourself. The list of checkers for this site is: GobO_Scarlet ...
Top-down design
You may want to use a story to add to your game. Some flavor never hurts. Of course, there is a very obvious trap in this. Anyone familiar with the setting may try to guess what your role-setup is. How to counteract this?
Do not make roles too obvious with a character. Let's say you host a Magic the Gathering based game and you want to use Ajani Vengeant. Do not make him a vigilante. That would be too obvious. Also, do not make Liliana Vess evil by default. Try to mix things up a bit.
Try to shy away from recorded settings. Using the Invasion of Dominaria as game flavor means good/bad guys are pretty obvious unless you go off a really long tangent. Instead, try to create your own incident and base flavor around that.
Starting the game
So, you got the design ready and are ready to try it out? Start with a thread in the Setup Zone. Make sure to mention your game titel. Also, in the first post, make sure to at least post the basic rules, a player list and a bit of flavor. Update the player list regularly so everyone can see how many spots are still open.
Once your list of players is full, start a new thread in the Active Games section (don't forget the [Mafia]-tag!) with the full extent of the rules, player list, list of dead players and the opening flavor of the game. Once that is done, start sending PMs! I suggest using www.random.org sequence generator to randomize the player list and send everyone their role. Ask everyone to confirm their role by posting in thread, and once everyone has done so...give the start signal by an obvious 'it is now day one-post'!
During the game
Every day phase takes a certain amount of time, which you need to have made clear in the rules list or by normal posts. What you need to look out for are:
Posting vote counts. Preferably every 24-48 hours.
Keep up with player inactivity. Is someone absent for 72 hours or longer? Send them a PM to ask to post soon. If they don't, you may want to replace them.
Watch out for players breaking the rules. Should normally not happen, but keep an eye out anyway
If there is a majority, or a deadline has been reached, make a big post revealing the information (alignment, rolename) of the deceased and starting the night phase. A night phase generally takes 48-72 hours.
During the night phase, note all of the targets if needed (especially the mafia kill) and send the cops their results through PM. Once you get everything, do not start day immediately, but wait until at least 48 hours have passed since the lynch.
Once a side reaches their win condition, the game is over and you reveal the setup, night targets and other stuff if applicable.
FoS Finger of Suspicion. Pretty much telling someone you're keeping your eye on them, but that they have not yet done enough bad things to actually vote for them.
LyLo Lynch or Lose. A situation in the game where you have to lynch a mafiate, or else the game is lost for the town.
OMGUS (vote) Oh My God U Suck. Often used by players who lost a bit of their cool, or just vehemently disagree with someone. It is almost always used as a countervote. If Player A votes for B because of certain reasons and B is done discussing, he will sometimes just post OMGUSvote: A. Try to do this almost never. It just makes you look silly.
WIFOM Wine In Front Of Me. Named after a scene in The Princess Bride. Short version: the use of circular logic. For example: It is the final four, with two confirmed innocents and two non-confirmed innocents left alive. You are one of the confirmed innocents, and you strongly believe player A to be scum. The other confirmed innocent strongly believes player B to be scum. At night, the proven innocent who believed player B is a scum, is killed. Who do you vote for? If you were the mafia in this night, would you have killed the one accusing you, or the one defending you?
These situations happen a lot in mafia games. Be it with power roles during the night (does mafia kill the confirmed cop if it knows a doc is in the game? Doc knows Cop is #1 target, but Mafia knows there is a doc to protect the cop, so kills a town. But doc knows that mafia thinks that and protects another town instead, but mafia knows doc has that option and could go for the cop....) or just during arguments. However, if you think something is using a WIFOM argument, be sure to say why it is as such.
Playing the game
The start of the game is always the hardest. There are some ways to get things rolling however: 1) Discuss mafia theory. Especially helpful in a game with a lot of relatively new players. It is always interesting to see what people think about not lynching, revealing role information, how a certain role might work, etcetera. 2) Prolonged joke phase. Do be careful with this. If it takes too long, you will give mafia the chance to take control of the conversation. But it's also possible that someone might take a joke the wrong way and then we have our discussion point.
Keep your cool at all times! An emotional player is very easily influenced into voting for someone and sticking with it (tunnelvision) or even attempt to get himself lynched. Self-lynching is always bad. I should not have to explain why, right?
Odd-numbered people should be alive during day-phases of the end game.
Hosting the game
Start hosting with simple games.
Less is more! If everyone has a power role, you risk the chance of losing the foundation of mafia games, discussion, and instead the game will devolve into a game of whose role is more powerful.
Do not be afraid to 'steal' ideas from earlier games. In fact, read up on older games to perhaps find some things to do, or to shy away from. Unfortunately, the Px2 group from the Wizards boards was completely wiped after the last update. But the older games from the pre-group setup can still be found here
At any time users are able to start forum posting games in the 'Active Games' section of the boards.
We ask that you tag your thread titles appropriately to match the type of game. For example ' [Posting] 20 Questions ' or ' [Posting] One Word Story '. Also, please give a detailed breakdown of the rules of your game and examples in the first post so that other members can easily see the intent of the game and join in.
For more complicated, or structured games that have extensive rules, require a set number of players, etc. you may wish to make an interest check post in the 'Setup Zone
Though it is not currently a concern, in the future, once a thread reaches a point where it has an excessive number of pages we may consider locking the thread and starting a new version to keep from bogging down the system. At which point that becomes necessary, staff will update this post with the page limit on threads.
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