1) Wheaton's Law: don't be a dick.  No one is perfect.  No slamming, flaming and so on, of other players.

2) Real life comes first, but please post to the Away thread if you are going to be away. Also, let the DM know if you don't want to play anymore.

3) Religion or politics are best discussed elsewhere. These topics cause too many problems.

4) If there is an issue with another player please don't take it to the board.  PM the DM about it and we will try to resolve it.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:01, Sun 15 Apr 2018.

When posting in a thread, don't use [reply].  Use the Post a Reply link at the bottom of the thread. If you need to reply to a specific post that is several posts up, use the [quote] option.  Just go to the post you want to reply to and click on [quote] in that post.

Split each post in two in this format:

1) Top section: a description of what your PC is doing like out of a book, in third person present tense.

- Use correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling. This includes using "Quotation Marks" when speaking.

- Highlight any spoken words in a color - any color is fine, as long as it's not orange and you're consistent with the same color across posts. Try to choose a different color than other characters in the game.

- Common is the default language. Language groups will be used, so if you are going to speak another language, use that function.

  How to use Language Groups:

   - Go down to the 'Insert a private line'
   - The menu will expand
   - Go to 'The language group'
   - Select language
   - A box will pop up for you to type it and hit OK.

A good tip is to hit a random letter and then hit OK. Then go back and edit what you want to type and add color to the text.

- Try to avoid giving your characters thoughts away by stating them - try to show what s/he's thinking via facial expressions, actions, etc. If you can't avoid typing out your character's thoughts, format them as if they're speaking but put them in italics.

2) Bottom section: Format the text of this entire section as orange. Separate it from the top with hr like this:

---

- Explain in Out of Character (OOC) language what it is your PC is doing in game terms. Everything you say here should be generally supported by what you said in the top section - e.g., don't say you're attacking something in the bottom section if you said your PC was sitting on a bench half asleep in the top section.

- Copy/paste any relevant dice rolls from the dice roller at the very bottom.

- It's a good idea to click Preview before clicking Post, so you can make sure that it's going to look as you expect.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:43, Mon 16 Apr 2018.

1) Always explain in the dice roll description what the roll is for. Rolls with no description, or a vague/inaccurate description, may be ignored or automatically fail at the DM's discretion.

2) Be specific about the target of any spells, what exactly you're applying a skill to, where the damage is coming from (i.e., what weapon/spell is causing it), etc.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:40, Mon 16 Apr 2018.

Abner walks to the wall and presses his hands to its rough surface. "No cracks that I can find," he murmurs to himself. "I hope there are no hidden traps," he thinks.

---

Perception check, look for secret doors: 15

11:14, Sat 02 Apr: Abner rolled 15 using 1d20+5. Perception check, secret doors.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:39, Mon 16 Apr 2018.

1) When combat starts, the DM will roll everyone's initiative, just to keep things moving. It will be posted in a list to show who goes first.

2) You don't have to post in initiative order - but your actions will be resolved by the DM in initiative order, so keep that in mind.

3) When posting, roleplay out your actions in the top section per normal posting guidelines.

4) Put game details in the bottom section of your post, including things like your Action, Move, Bonus Action, etc. The more specific about these details the better, since it will make the DM's job easier and reduce the chances of misinterpretation. For instance:

- Be specific about where you're moving to. I'll try to make sure every map includes grid coordinates to avoid vagueness.
- What target are you attacking?
- What specific area is your spell going to affect?
- What are you doing for your Action vs. Bonus Action vs. Free Action(s).
- What spell are you casting, at what level.
- What type of damage does your attack do (piercing, slashing, necrotic, etc.).
- What happens if the creature you're attacking is killed first by someone higher in the initiative order - e.g., do you attack the nearest baddie that's still up?
- Remember to post your rolls at the very bottom - and remember to be specific in the Dice Roller about what the attack/damage is, who you're attacking, what is the damage caused by, etc.

6) Once the majority of players have posted, the DM will wait a minimum of 24 hours to resolve the round. If you didn't post before the DM resolves the round, your character does nothing that round. The reason for this is to keep the game moving, and not lose players because nothing is happening or the plot is moving too slowly.

The assumption is that characters will end up missing rounds with some regularity. Please don't feel bad/guilty/sad/angry if your character doesn't act in a given round! This was the reason why the DM has included more than the requisite number of players in the game - characters don't need to act every single round.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:45, Mon 16 Apr 2018.

Abner pulls his sword from his scabbard. "Taste my steel," he spits between gritted teeth. He rushes at the goblin and swings at the creature's head.

---

Move: 10' toward goblin, 2 squares left on grid to cell B2

Action: Attack goblin 1 with longsword (2h) - hits AC 17 for 9 slashing.

11:14, Sat 02 Apr: Abner rolled 17 using 1d20+5. Attack goblin #1 with sword.
11:14, Sat 02 Apr: Abner rolled 9 using 1d10+3. Longsword damage on goblin #1
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:21, Sun 02 Oct 2016.

In your RTJ, include the following (make sure to format it properly):

I read the posting thread.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:41, Sun 02 Oct 2016.

Goals for handling posts during combat - the rules should adjust to the play-by-post format in such a way that:
- The general feel of the D&D initiative system is retained
- Things aren't too complicated/confusing
- The rules don't create significant advantages/disadvantages to PCs above RAW

Details:
- I'll post once at the beginning of the encounter, with the round 1 initiative order. I'll also post actions for any monsters that happen to be at the top of the order in this post.

- Players can post whenever they want, and are encouraged to include contingencies in case, for instance, the baddie you want to attack is killed by someone else with a higher init.

- For monsters lower in the order, I'll post their actions as soon as all/most PCs higher in the order have taken their turns. I'll be careful not to post this too early. Once I do this:
1) Anyone who's higher in the init order cannot alter their posts - they've already committed to their turn this round.
2) If anyone who's lower in the init order has already posted, they can optionally alter their post for the current round only.

- I'll post a round summary after the round is over. This will include actions for any monsters that happen to be at the bottom of the order. It will also include the init order for the next round, & the next round's top-of-the-order monster actions.

Tl;dr, I'll create a mid-round post for monsters that are in the middle of the init order once enough PCs higher in the init have posted.
This message was lightly edited by the GM at 00:48, Mon 16 Apr 2018.

If you want to use your reaction between your turns (e.g., to cast a Shield spell) simply post what you want to do in your next round's combat post or earlier. The DM will recon what happens by editing the earlier post.

You can ask if a Shield spell will raise your AC high enough to successfully avoid an attack, and the die roll will be shared.
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:23, Thu 06 Oct 2022.