The New Player's Guide to Play-By-Post

Learn more about Play-By-Post and how to make the most of it for your adventure with your friends.

Play-By-Post Games

It can be nerve wracking to try playing a tabletop RPG for the first time; you may think you need to be an actor or at least be loud enough to be heard amongst a group of excitable players. You don’t need to be an actor to play TTRPGs, but if you want to dip your toe in, try Play-by-Post.

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What is Play-By-Post?

As the name implies, Play-by-Post (or PbP) is the act of playing a tabletop RPG through written posts alone. Instead of gathering around a table and talking through each player’s actions, PbP works via a back-and-forth text exchange on a Discord server or dedicated forum. The gameplay rules stay the same, and there’s still a Game Master to guide things along. With PbP, the players have more time to decide what they want to do and claim their turn to speak. This is a great style of gameplay for more introverted players as well as busy folks who don’t have the time to commit to three or more hours at a table.

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How do you Play-by-Post?

In a typical PbP game, the GM begins by presenting the players with a scenario. They’ll typically include narration to set the scene, leading to an unfolding event, and ending with an opportunity or two for players to act. The players then respond, with the ability to include both in-character descriptions of their reactions as well as how they’d like to proceed from a gameplay stance. The players are free to banter with one another and plan their moves out of character. The GM responds by asking for a dice roll if the rules call for it, then explains how the scene progresses based on the roll’s result.

There are some key differences in how one plays in PbP vs. certain in-person norms. For one, PbP demands that everyone be more descriptive. Since you’re not seeing each other, both players and GM need to write out how characters’ expressions reflect their thoughts. Also, both GMs and players will often provide multiple potential outcomes to their last post so you’re not hashing out every last detail. Yet while description is key, so is discretion. You don’t want to burden other players with paragraphs upon paragraphs for one exchange. There still needs to be a collaborative, back-and-forth effort.

Another thing PbP needs is a way to distinguish in-character and out of character text. Players may want to ask the GM a question about rules before deciding on their action. Many people add a “OOC” label to their posts to indicate this. The GM will lay out the rules of their PbP server before the game starts, including things like how often one is expected to post, any house rules they have, and general code of conduct.

How to use Play-By-Post

Check out this video, which is a great introduction to getting started with Play-By-Post:

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Why hire a professional Game Master?

Convenience and Flexibility:

StartPlaying allows you to easily find and book sessions with professional Dungeon Masters and Game Masters that work for your schedule. You can focus on enjoying the game without worrying about the logistics of organizing sessions. Playing online provides flexibility, as you can join games from anywhere with an internet connection.

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Quality and Consistency:

Player reviews on StartPlaying make it easy to find a Dungeon Master whose style aligns with your preferences. With reviews from other players, you can gauge whether a DM is the right fit for how you want to play,  whether it’s combat, role-playing, storytelling, or a specific genre.

Tailored Play Experience:

Player reviews on StartPlaying make it easy to find a Dungeon Master whose style aligns with your preferences. With reviews from other players, you can gauge whether a DM is the right fit for how you want to play,  whether it’s combat, role-playing, storytelling, or a specific genre.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is a VTT?
What is a Tabletop Role-Playing Game (TTRPG)?
What is the difference between a one-shot and a campaign?
How do I know if I found a good or bad GM?
Is it normal to pay for a Game Master?
Do people mostly play D&D and other TTRPGs online?

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