New LL player needing help with Play by Post/Solos

[Saladin Ahmed]

Hi Folks

So via the Grognardia blog I've just discovered the wonder that is Labyrinth Lord. But I have no group to play with. A friend and I are working on setting up a chat-based game a little ways down the line, but I'm just wondering A) If there are any 'solo adventures' out there akin to the old invisible ink modules TSR used to make, and B) How the play-by-post thing works. Sorry if these have been covered elsewhere in the forums - couldn't find anything but I'm a noob and may have missed a previous discussion...

Thanks much!

[gentleman john]

i don't know if there are any LL-specific solo adventures out there. Maybe somebody else knows.

As to your second question ... the answer is "It depends."

Not sure what you mean by play-by-post, but I've come across three different methods of playing RPGs on the internet without using chat or Skype: play-by-forum (PBF), play-by-email (PBeM) and interactive fiction (IF).

In PBF play, the play usually takes place in the same way that a traditional RPG does, with the referee describing events going on and the players responding. PBF in this way takes a long time to go through adventures. What would normally be a night of play around the table can take weeks, depending on how often the participants update.

PBeM tends to follow the same model as PBF; although given the longer response time, the player responses tend to be more involved. However, with mutliple players, things do get bogged down depending on the mailing arrangements.

IF is more involved, in that the players and the referee get together to write what is going on in a narrative rather than the standard game responses. With this, the rules are used to support the action and to provide a framework for adjudication. It does require a hefty amount of investment of time by all those involved and a lot of trust between them

Personally, I've always leant towards the IF model of internet RPGs. Other people have their own preferences and (I'm sure) will give you the benefits of their experiences.

[Black Wyvern]

I do almost all of my gaming anymore via PbP. It works very well. It is very slow however. The role playing in PbP reads like a novel if you have good players. Once you get used to the pace it is great. I highly recommend http://www.myth-weavers.com. There is a pretty good sized group of Basic/LL players there, plus the big deal for me is that it has a dice roller. It seems more like sitting around a table if you get to roll dice. Good Luck!

[Saladin Ahmed]

Hey, thanks!

[YHWH]

I'm a little lost on Play by Post too. I was waiting for a fresh game to open up in that section, and one just has, but I don't see anywhere for instructions or questions. It looks like everyone involved already knows what they're doing and has a level 12 character!

[greyarea]

Play by posts are usually advertised in the Gamer Gatherings section, where instructions and questions are handled until the game starts. And you can always PM the Labyrinth Lord/DM who is the moderator of that game, although most games tend to be full by the time they get there.

[Mousquton]

Wonderful. I finally get around to registering to the forum only to find my main player started posting three weeks ago about playing solo.

I feel so used... *sob*

Anyway Saladin and I are likely to game via g-chat as opposed to post or email. Not sure how things will go, but so far it's been more difficult arranging a time to play than I expect it will be to actually play.

Does anyone use g-chat to game? What advice would you offer?

[Mark]

Never tried it but it'd be a good solution for geographically dispersed people who can still meet at the same time. I think you'll find it more flexible than the other alternatives.

I've tried several play by forum/email setups and they can drag out for impossibly long times. One thing I've seen done is to make players into NPC's if they don't respond within a given time frame. People get busy or lose interest. No need to have the game hung up if someone isn't responsive.