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Liber Fanatica - Volume III : The Game Master’s Guideother players in the game and so finding andselecting the right players for your game canmake the difference between it being a success ora failure.The best way to attract players is to advertiseyour game on the appropriate forums. Somegame sites actually have databases of playerslooking for games.My own WFRP PBEM is still advertised on theWFRP Directory run by Glen Sharman(http://wfrpdb.shargl.net/intro.php) and hasobtained a number of new players as a result.I also used a simple online player applicationform on my sons WFRP website, whichprospective players can fill in and submit.PBEM Player GuideAlthough this is a GM Guide I thought it wouldbe incomplete if I did not include some tips andguidance for those who join PBEM games asplayers.Reasonable ExpectationsThe first point to make is that PBEM games arenot for everyone. Read the Pro’s and Con’ssection of the GM guide and you will see thatPBEM games have both advantages anddisadvantages.Most notably, they are slow paced and they lackthe excitement of rolling large numbers of dice.So, don’t expect to see your PBEM character riserapidly up the development tree to become asuper-hero and don’t expect to wade rapidlythrough an entire scenario in a few weeks.PBEM gamers need to recognise that they are infor a long-haul which might take years tocomplete and modify their expectationsaccordingly.That said PBEM games still offer a lot ofadvantages in terms of roleplay andcharacterisation. They provide players withplenty of time to consider their responses andresearch their characters background. Make themost of that time and you will get a lot of fun andenjoyment out of your PBEM experience.Message Management (from a playersperspective)It a good idea to keep your game Emails in aseparate mail folder.If your GM is using a standard subject lineformat then a simple Email rule can be devisedthat will automatically spot an incoming gamemessage and redirect it to your Game Folder.Remember to move your replies from your sentfolder to your game folder so that you have arecord of all your responses.If you are using Web Based Email or multipleEmail accounts consider keeping a journal of GMNotes and Responses and copying their contentinto it so that you have a full and completehistory of recent events in the game.Formulating a response.Many new PBEM players have difficultformulating their responses, so I thought I wouldprovide a checklist of things to consider.Who are you?It may sound obvious but one of the mostcommon errors in player responses is not makingit clear who you are, both in real life and in thegame.Always put the name of your Character at thestart of your reply and when writing to the GM‘out of character’ use your real name but remindthe GM which character you are playing in thegame.e.g. David (aka Drachenfels)Read the GM Note…AgainIt is always worth reading the GM Note again justbefore you send your response. Just to makesure you haven’t misread or overlookedsomething.Dealing with ‘What If’s’Before you send your response give some thoughtto what you want your character to do if thingsdon’t go as planned. It’s impossible to coverevery eventuality but think about the most likelythings that may happen during the next gameturn and let the GM know how you want yourcharacter to react if they do.Stay in CharacterTry to keep your reply ‘in character’. Many playerresponses include both ‘in character’ instructionsand amusing personal asides aimed at the GM. Ifyou decide to do this make sure it is clear whichare which, particularly if you are writing in thefirst person. ‘Out of Character’ comments can bevery confusing for a GM, particularly if they aremixed in with character instructions.Make your intentions clearWhilst, in postal chess it’s normal practice just tosend your opponent your next move, in an RPGgame it helps the GM understand your intentionsif you explain why you are making that move andwhat you hope to achieve as a result. Someplayers do this as an extension of theircharacterisation and a good GM will use yourintentions as a guide on how to carry yourinstructions out.Talking to the GMThere will be times when you wish to talk directlyto the GM. Either to ask a question or to let himknow you are going away from a few days. Try tokeep these messages separate from your playerresponses. If you send them as a separate Emailremember to mention who your character is inthe game, but there is nothing wrong withtacking such messages on the bottom of a gameresponse as long as you make it clear that theyare not part of the response itself.77
Liber Fanatica - Volume III : The Game Master’s GuideMemory ManagementI know I keep saying this but, PBEM games areslow. It might take weeks, months or even yearsfor a plot to develop to the final showdown. A fewdays in game time might be weeks in real life,during which period you may have been to work,been on holiday and perhaps even been involvedin other games.Over that time you will probably have received upto three GM Notes a week containing all sorts ofinformation from NPC names, clues, locations,maps, notes and background detail.The biggest problem players have is trying toremember everything that has happened in thegame. Little wonder then, that most PC’s in mygame seemed to have very bad memories.My advice is simple…..Keep a Game Journal.This might seem a bit bureaucratic but it will paydividends in the long run. Such a journal shouldnot contain a complete record of everything, butshould just be used to record any thing whichyou think might be important and might beneeded later in the game. It can be sub-dividedhowever you wish with sections for Maps, NPC’s,Clues etc. and will provide a quick aide memoirover the weeks and months to come. If your GMis using the numbering system suggested in theGM Guide you can use this to cross-referenceyour notes back to the full message.Away from your computer?If you know you are going to be away from yourcomputer for a few days or weeks it’s a good ideato let your GM know. That way they will notexpect a response from you over that period andso your absence will not slow down the game.It is also a good idea to inform the GM what yourintentions are for your character over the periodyou are away. It’s unlikely that your characterwill be allowed to sit and do nothing and the GMwill probably take personal control of it until youreturn. So, any instructions you wish to give theGM on how to look after your character in yourabsence will be useful in making sure that youdon’t have a nasty shock waiting for you whenyou get back.And finally…PBEM gaming can be one of the most rewardingtypes of roleplaying, or one of the mostfrustrating. My advice to anyone is that if itstarts to becoming more like work than fun, thenthe best thing you can do is take a break from it.A GM who is tired and bored will make the wholegame unpleasant and tedious for everyoneinvolved.Also, if you are playing in a PBEM game and youare unhappy with how things are going, thenwrite to the GM and discuss why you are nothaving fun. A good GM will want to hearconstructive criticism and may be able to adjusthis style to meet your expectations.But most of all have fun, isn’t that the wholepoint of why you’re gaming!Want more?The full-length version of this articlecan be found online at theLiber Fanatica webpage!78
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