(These ideas have all been deleted in the relevant thread of Text Knights 2, but still want to discuss them, and not sure WHERE they should go) >> With
a play by message game, the players are not all in the room with you
in real time, so there is a chance of one of the players suddenly
disappearing and everyone else waiting around for days or weeks
because the next GM post depends on what that player's character
does. It's really important to structure the gameplay so that your
next GM post never depends on any one player. You can also institute
a rule such as "If there is no response for more than 48 hours
without advance notice of absence, then the GM will assume that
character as an NPC until the player returns." That can
discourage potential players from joining, but that's a lot less bad
than having your game die because a player suddenly disappeared. > In
my Roll20 games, I explain that all characters have been afflicted by
the Phase Virus or Phase Curse - - - from time to time, under
no-one's control, the character will fade out of existence and then
some other time, fade back in. This covers when someone can't make a
post deadline, misses a game 'session', is afk, etc. For those that
don't like this mechanic (too widespread of a supernatural
affliction), another way is that characters often faint and are put
into 'Body Bag' (a kind of Bag of Holding for living characters
only) by an NPC. When a character wakes up in a Body Bag, the Bag
fills up and opens, and s/h/ze may exit the Bag. From then on, s/h/ze
has another Body Bag in inventory (this is the way that an
extra-dimension creature 'eats' (time) and propagates). An adventure
can start with one guy dying (could be NPC), and a bunch of
characters show up coming out of that guy's Body Bag. All of the Body
Bag's "insides" are connected. No mortal creature can
activate a Body Bag and stay awake. >....Characters who are
Phased Out or in Body Bags cannot be harmed or affected in any way.
If they're wounded going in, they come out as if only 3 seconds have
passed.
>>"Handling
widely divergent personalities in one group. Anything you tell me
could help." >Are they courteous? In-game negative
consequences for player non-courtesies, including shouting-down and
interrupting. Example, three Norse characters come over a pass and
see an Ogre pulling the neck-chain of a beautiful English woman,
walking in their general direction. GM: Roll Initiative. N1:
"Eff that, I charge." GM: "There's an incredibly
loud "thumping" sound, Clarence make a new character, Logan
and Nils see Thor pulling His hammer back up into the clouds, and a
wide red spot where Magne was starting to charge." Ogre: "Ha,
ha, haaaaw!" (ever seen the Magnificent 7?) Jimmy: "Ah,
my ini..." Logan: Initiative 14. Nils: Initiative 3. Ogre:
Initiative 17. Initiative list resets. GM: The Ogre keeps
laughing and saying things. Do either of you speak Thurs?"
> If
he sticks with the game, I guarantee you that around Clarence's 5th
character, he will stop interrupting and will pay more attention to
his GM.
>> "CONTROVERSIAL:
whether to permit slow typists to use voice/video with me while I use
text only with them." > No. If you are using text only,
everyone putting stuff into the game forum should use text-only. For
that matter it should be game-related text. Encourage OOC chatting to
use PMs to each other.
>> "Accommodating
the needs of younger players who have special needs from the
perspective of a GM, while not shortchanging other players" > Depends
on the need. Give their characters more points and flaws that cover
the special need.
>> "But
just telling a kid that they don't fit in a specific group, even
privately, could be taken as an ethical breach by that kid, and by
any other kid who finds out about it. Any suggestions?" > How
is the kid not fitting? If he isn't mature enough, say that the game
is moving into an area of the story that requires an 'R' rating (or
'X', or 'XXX', or 'BDSM') and you don't want to upset his parents.
Whether the game is moving there or not.
>> " The
fellow who wanted to do nothing but roleplay and talk to NPCs while
the rest of the party wants to dungeon delve" > Steps into a
secret door, and then into a solo that fits his play-style completely
(if you are interested in running it) or into some other game where
the GM likes that kind of thing, or tell him where to buy a copy of
the Mythic GM Emulator ($8 PDF) and having him make an interesting
solo that adds flavor to the campaign-world. The other players
continue without him.
