HANZO wrote: > any one on this list run play by E-mail games??? I run two. One for a year and half. The second for about a month. Both are still continuing. > any pointers, im about to start a play by E-mail game. and all though iv GM'd for years and ran games over rpgnet and icq im not sure totaly how to aproch a PBEM. an pointers out there.....and for that matter, any players out there??? if your interested please E-mail me direct. Important points: * Keep plots relatively simple. * Don't have advancement - instead, generate characters at the height of their powers, provided that concept is OK with PC concept. There's not enough in-game time for advancement. * Be prepared for PBeM's glacial pace. I've found that email games run about 20 times slower than a face to face session, consistently, no matter who the GM is. * Be prepared to spend six months to a year to complete a one or two evening adventure. * Be prepared to spend between a week to a month on one combat. * Try to make combat and dice rolling as simple as possible. * Eliminate dice rolling in non-combat situations, by assuming that PCs will automatically retry a failed action. * Try to keep all players involved, and interacting with each other as well as NPCs. * Keep players informed. Even if it seems obvious, let them know what their characters would easily see or sense. * Don't allow a free flow of information. When a PC uses a sensory power, with a result that's not obvious to others (like using binoculars, scrying spells, detect magics, etc), send the information results directly to that player and no other. It's the player's responsibility to inform the others as to what s/he's detected. * Encourage your players to speak/write in character. If they want to move to a different location, only move them when they say their character is moving to that new location. * Allow multiple threads, and have the thread subject lines be named after the location the player/s is in. For example: "Dragon's Lair." or "Dungeon Entrance" or "Black Spiral Labyrinth, Third Circle" (two of my players are there :-)). * If a player has to be absent from the game, play their character for them, so as not to stop others. Try to do as little as possible though. * If a player doesn't post, consider dropping the player and getting a replacement player for the character. * Expect to get more players than characters. Though there is the occasional exception who are capable of handling several characters at once. * Insist on sociable, neutral or good aligned characters. Reject crazies and evil aligned characters immediately. Andrew Martin ICQ: 26227169 http://members.xoom.com/AndrewMartin/ -><- -- ----------------------------------------------- The Fudge List FAQ is at http://fudge.phoenyx.net/ Subtopics: +df, +convert, +magic, +supers, +biz