Questions tagged [play-by-chat]

A game where play is handled online in a more-or-less synchronous text-based medium. Includes Internet Relay Chat (IRC), instant messaging, roleplay-centric text-based multi-user dimension (MUD) servers, and other synchronous text-based mediums.

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13 votes
4 answers
1k views

What are the techniques for writing descriptive posts in a timely manner as a game master?

To clarify, especially after Covid I have become an exclusively text based game GM and I am looking to improve my description of events (and maybe add a bit of an artistic flare) but that results in ...
4 votes
3 answers
248 views

How can I manage player's secret actions on play by chat in Mouse Guard?

I'm planning on running Mouse Guard 1e in a play by chat environment without extra channels or private rooms. Part of conflict resolution (at least what I can remember, I can't find my rule book atm) ...
14 votes
2 answers
1k views

Are aftercare/feedback techniques for play by chat different to in person play, and how does it work when we all have a tight schedule?

I regularly play in a game via real time chat. We all have tight schedules, and can only make a two-hour slot. Recently I've been interested in the concept of aftercare techniques or other ways of ...
24 votes
1 answer
297 views

A dyslexic friend wants to play with an online group in a text-based game; how can I help them participate?

I have a group of remote friends who often play RPGs by written message only - primarily playing live. I'm starting up a new game, and one of the players who's asked to join has moderate dyslexia, and ...
13 votes
3 answers
426 views

How to improve the variety of narration in my text-only game of D&D?

I, and one of other players in my play-by-chat group, have expressed a desire to improve the narration of our character's actions. When they brought this up, I noticed the sort of unvaried ...
26 votes
7 answers
14k views

Finding online RPG players for a play-by-chat RPG Campaign?

I'm thinking of running a Pathfinder campaign for Skype (text only) and I don't have a group of players. How can I go about recruiting people for play-by-chat games instead of in-person? Are there any ...
5 votes
1 answer
172 views

How can I encourage more proactive players to distribute information they have gathered to other involved players?

I am preparing to run a larger plot via a MUSH that will involve several scenes, but the players between the scenes might change, so not everybody will have the same information when joining scenes. ...
5 votes
1 answer
345 views

How can I increase the pace and intensity of a text based game as a GM?

Well long story short I have been running text based TTRPG's via Roll20 and Discord for a while now. I prefer them because they encourage roleplaying and describing your characters actions rather than ...
15 votes
9 answers
4k views

Playing on IRC, getting started [closed]

I live where no tabletop has ever been played, thus I had to search elsewhere for some games, namely the Internet. I've spent a lot of time browsing the web but the best communities I could find were ...
2 votes
0 answers
1k views

Role play by WhatsApp [closed]

Although I haven't tried it myself, I've heard about people who played RPGs by email and forums. Of course, these modes involve different dynamics than tabletop games, but they seem to be plausible ...
11 votes
6 answers
3k views

Does anyone have pointers on roleplaying using instant messaging? [closed]

I'm specifically looking for feedback from people that have tried real-time instant messaging systems, not asynchronous play-by-post or play-by-email. What were the most difficult challenges? Were ...
45 votes
7 answers
11k views

Can you play pen & paper roleplaying games over the Internet?

I'm sad to say that I have absolutely no friends who would like to play D&D with me however I would love to play. I know about Neverwinter Nights and I've played quite a bit of it, but I'm looking ...
7 votes
2 answers
690 views

How can I run Dungeon World over the net without voice?

I have an online gaming group for whom I GM. Offline, I've really gotten into running Dungeon World (and Apocalypse World), and I'd like to take Dungeon World to my online group. However, online, we ...
6 votes
1 answer
510 views

GM-less RPG suitable for a violent spacefaring game played over a messaging client? [closed]

I've been GMing for a long time, without actually playing a game myself, so I'm rather in the mood to actually get involved in the action as a protagonist, however no-one else in my group wants to act ...
9 votes
0 answers
301 views

Space combat system for text-only play [closed]

I have been shanghaied into running a sci-fi game over text-only chat. The setting is Star Trek, and as such will involve a fair bit of space combat. I have a bit of limitations to work against/with;...
4 votes
1 answer
1k views

Multiple chats in a campaign of roll20

I'm thinking to use Roll20 for a political campaign. The possibility of sharing character sheets and rolling dices and other features are great. There is however something that I can't do: splitting ...
7 votes
4 answers
562 views

What online chat or chat-like resource will work for my closed game?

I'm designing a RP forum but when the characters have to talk to each other the game slows to a crawl. Do you know of any online chat or chat-like resource I can use for a closed game? I am looking ...
6 votes
4 answers
996 views

IRC Client especially geared to RPGs? [closed]

Anyone know of an IRC client especially geared toward RPGs? I know, Roll20 is essentially the same thing, but certain other questions on here made me think that having a desktop app that was ...
8 votes
3 answers
2k views

Looking for a good, simple RPG system that will work using an MMO's chat function [closed]

Before you close it for being about an MMO and this is not arqade, I am looking specifically for a system that can be used IN a MMO using its chat and roll systems. So effectively this is a "Play By ...
7 votes
2 answers
426 views

Improving combat when playing on IRC

A group I play with via IRC seems to have a serious problem keeping combat interesting: the medium inherently slows things down, descriptions of attacks and defenses don’t have the same ...