PBP Breakdown: GM Posts

Generating player interest is the responsibility of the GM, and this is doubly true for play by post (PBP) campaigns. The nature of PBP, waiting for people in different locations, often in different time zones, to post their turn, makes the game play slow. For the game to run as fluidly as possible, the players need to check the PBP page often; and to get the players to check often, the GM needs to run an intriguing game. By properly organizing your GM posts, it is easier to keep player interest high and game speed steady.

The GM post can be broken down into four parts: Addressing Player Questions, Compiling & Retelling Player Actions, and Presenting New Conflicts.


I. Addressing Player Questions
The first action of your post should be addressing player questions about your previous post, which can be handled in a few different ways. The standard way to address questions is with an Out-Of-Character (OOC) GM comment at the top of your post. For Example, if a player asks whether his radar picks up any other attackers, you could write at the top GM Note: Player1, your radar lists no other targets.

The second way to address player questions is in the content of your post. When you retell their actions, providing the outcomes, you can make an in-character note about the question. Using the previous example, you could write: Player1 checked his radar for additional targets, but was relieved to find none.

Sometimes, a player may ask a question that requires an answer before he can post his actions. In this case, it is best to make a quick post which only answers their question, in order to better move the game along.


II. Compiling & Retelling Player Actions
The next step in the GM Post is to compile each of the players’ stated actions, determine the results of their actions, what order they resulted in, and resolve any conflicts which may happen because of their actions. This part of the GM process can cause a lot of issues.

In the interest of moving the game along, it is wise to abbreviate some player actions and assume some player actions. This is best done when the players decided course of action will have little effect on story and character development. For example, let’s say the players decide to investigate a building. They believe the enemy might be hiding inside, but you know there are no enemies inside. To move the game along, you can abbreviate the investigation, discussing what they find in the building and what it looks like, and then continue with your post.

Be Careful! You’re the GM, and not the Player Character. Try to avoid assuming specific actions on behalf of the player character (such as starting a fight or running away from a fight) and always avoid putting words in the character’s mouth. This can often cause conflicts between you and the player, since we all know that players never do what you want them too.


III. Presenting New Conflicts
The last part of every GM post should be the presentation of new conflicts. If you don’t have a new conflict at the end of the post, then the players have nothing to respond to. This conflict doesn’t always have to be combat. Sometimes it’s just a break because the players need to make a decision about where to go or what to do. Other times the conflict is very subtle, such as an NPC making comments which should incite player dialog or action in response. You always want to make sure to be inclusive with the conflicts. Either make the conflict applicable to all players, or make it clear that the conflict is directed at a specific character. When conflicts are player specific, it’s good to have multiple conflicts happening at the same time.

Also, there can be times when the retelling process is so long you’ll want to break it up into two posts, to make the reading easier for your players. In these cases, the new conflict won’t be presented until the second post, so make sure you note at the end of the first post your intentions of making a second.

The GM post should almost always end with some sort of OOC summary. This is done to proactively address issues of clarity your players may have. For example, in a combat post, you may be very colorful describing each member of the group in turn, the actions they did against the enemies and the actions the enemies did back, but a summary at the end is crucial. It could be simple as: GM Notes: there are four CS grunts left. Two are at the north end of the building 120’ away, and the other two are at the south end 400’ away.

Remember, in-character GM Posts should be colorful and detailed, reading like a story, while GM notes and OOC comments should be clear and concise. Err on the side of caution, and risk sounding repetitious rather than making a confusing post.

If you follow these simple suggestions, your campaign should run a lot quicker and a lot smoother.