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13:55, 29th March 2024 (GMT+0)

House Rules.

Posted by L'hiverFor group 0
L'hiver
GM, 11 posts
Fri 13 Aug 2021
at 20:39
  • msg #1

House Rules

I view tabletop RPGs as collaborative storytelling. This goes double for Play-By-Post, since the format is suited to rich narratives but not rules accounting.

Dice rolls support the narrative and add elements of randomness, humour, humility (in failure) and awesomeness (in success). But dice, like stats and gear, always come second to the storytelling. With that in mind, here are the rules of thumb that I use to guide my own gameplay. I ask that players consider them as well.

Rule #1: Keep things moving.

PBP games die because everyone is waiting around for somebody else to post. It’s not always necessary to wait for everyone to have a turn before posting again. If you see an opportunity to post, and others seem to be hanging back, don’t be shy. Jump in. Don’t hog the limelight, but by all means jump in.

If things start to lag, I will move things along by fiat.

Rule #2:  A one line post is better that no post at all.

See rule #1. Don’t spend 48 hours musing about how you’re going to react to the sword blade swinging towards your face. Just react, even if it’s one line, even if it’s just a request for more information. Just ask a question or make an observation, IC or OOC.

Rule #3: Jump in where the action is at.

One of my peeves in PBP is people who don’t post for a week and then post 1500 word essays describing their character’s reaction to every minuscule event and dialogue of the past week.  Noooooooooo! Why?? Why???? Please don’t do this. No one reads it all, not even the GM. When it’s Thursday no one cares that your character frowned at something someone said on Monday. It breaks the flow of the game. Just assume your character has being quietly following along and jump in where the action is at. That’s quality, collaborative RP.

Rule #4: Read what others have posted.

People who haven’t read or have forgotten what others posted and post something totally contradictory cause confusion and interrupt the flow of the game. Don't do this. Unless the other player has broken Rule #3, in which case you will be forgiven.

Rule #4: Big-up the other players

There is no “lead character,” but nevertheless at certain times certain people, because of their character builds or personality, end up getting more game focus than others. If you’re feeling left out, like your character hasn’t had a chance to showcase their skills or otherwise shine in the narrative—speak up. And if you happen to be at the centre of the action, leave hooks and openings for other players to join the fun, especially if you know they have a skill or background that might fit well with the current action. Collaborative story telling relies on each player building a platform for the others to stand upon.

Rule #6: Split the party.

Unlike tabletop games, PBP can manage simultaneous individual narratives very well. This also gives a chance for every character to shine in their own way.
L'hiver
GM, 12 posts
Fri 13 Aug 2021
at 20:49
  • msg #2

Housekeeping

Post Frequency

The game should move at a moderate but steady pace. All players should be prepared to post at least once every two or three days. After making a GM post, I’ll wait a couple days before posting again. This should give everyone time to make a post. However, in order not to lag, I won’t always wait for every player to make their post. I’ll post in response to those players who have already posted.

If you miss a go-round, no problem. Your character is assumed to follow along silently with the group’s action. Jump in on the next post and update us on what your character is up to.


Post Length

Avoid info-dumps. Use posts to develop your character but don’t fall into the trap of TL;DR. Aim for posts that are short and snappy.

If you miss several days of posting, just jump in with a short post where the action is at now. Please don’t post 3 paragraphs telling us your reply to every action and line of dialogue that has happened in the last 4 days. This is confusing and causes the narrative to double back on itself.


Idle Policy

You should be able to commit to a year or more of play, posting every two or three days.  Of course, within that time our group will take some breaks for holidays and other life events, but always with a firm restart date.

If you need to take a personal break, no problem. Just let us know, and tell us when you expect to be back. So long as you let us know, we can create a plot point that allows you to bow out of the action, or arrange for the GM or another player to manage your character.

We all get busy in life, and it’s normal to miss a couple of posts. However, in order to avoid the pace of the game fizzling, we’ll keep a strict approach to unannounced idling. If you miss a week or so, your character is assumed to silently follow along with the other characters (if it’s a danger scene, I might move your character to safety, inventing a rationale to take your character out of the line of fire).

After being idle for two weeks, I will open your character to co-control by your fellow players—allowing others to post your thoughts and actions, and make die rolls on your behalf. I will try to ensure that other players stay true to your character concept, and if you shortly return to the game you can resume control and posting as normal (but there will be no rewinds or retakes for the time you were away!).

Once you're idle for four weeks your character will become an NPC, to be played by the GM. Your player permissions will be revoked and you won’t be able to post. If you want to re-join the game you will have to apply all over again; acceptance is not guaranteed and you may have to wait for a slot to open in the game. Unless you’ve explicitly stated otherwise, your idle character may eventually be reassigned to another player. I may also take this course of action if you’re frequently idle for shorter periods of time (i.e. you can’t just show up to make one post once every two weeks).

I will keep a waiting list of interested players, and as soon as one player drops out, a slot will open for a new player.
L'hiver
GM, 15 posts
Sun 15 Aug 2021
at 18:44
  • msg #3

Languages and Names

Languages

Given the lengthy history and extensive ties between indigenous north american groups, languages were simultaneously distinct and interrelated—every community would have their own distinct accent or dialect, but certain words, concepts or grammatical structures would carry across large areas. So the Algonquin language is a sub-group of the Ojibwe language, which is related to the Iroquoian languages. This means that a person in the know can infer quite a lot about another person on the basis of their dialect and accent.  It also means that speakers of one language or dialect can try, at a penalty, to understand or communicate with speakers of another. This might lead to some amusing and potentially deadly misunderstandings.
For this game the most important languages/cultural groups are:

  • Ojibwe (Anishinaabemowin)
  • Huron (Wyandot)
  • Algonquin (Anicinàbemowin)
  • Iroquoian  (including Onondaga, Mohawk, Seneca, Cayuga, Oneida and Tuscarora)

The Huron peoples are, in fact, an Iroquois group, though they were bitter enemies of the other Six Nations. For gaming purposes we’ll consider Huron and other Iroquois languages to be mutually intelligible—in a manner similar to Spanish and Portuguese—with minor penalties for dice rolls where it’s critical that things are translated accurately.

Personal Names

Many indigenous people might acquire several names or nicknames as they moved in and our of different communities and through different phases of life—one name for interacting with French coureurs-du-bois, for example, and another for their home society.  If you play an indigenous character you have a few choices for naming them in a historically accurate way. You can use a French/Christian name (which would be given to acculturated people—e.g. “Jospeh Brant”); choose the name of a historical figure in the language of your choice (e.g “Thayendanegea”); or use an english phrase that describes some aspect of the character’s experience or appearance (e.g. “Thayendanegea” is Mohawk for “He places two bets together”).

Language Resources

Resources for learning indigenous languages are increasingly available online. Here are a few:

Ojbwe (Anishinaabemowin)
https://ojibwe.net/
https://learningojibwe.com/
https://ojibwe.lib.umn.edu/
https://guides.library.utoronto.ca/anishinaabemowin
https://www.bemidjistate.edu/a...-language-resources/

Huron (Wyandot)
http://www.native-languages.org/wyandot.htm
https://guides.library.utoront...250556&p=1671118

Algonquin  (Anicinàbemowin)
http://www.native-languages.org/algonquin.htm
Note that Algonquin is the name of both a language family (that encompasses dozens of indigenous languages across the continent) and the name of a specific language spoken in a small part of present day Ontario and Quebec.

Iroquoian Languages
https://kanienkeha.net/resources/
http://www.native-languages.org/famiro.htm
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