In Game Recommendations

[tuxagon]

Soon-ish, I'll be kicking off my first pbp games ran on Myth Weavers and I'd like to know how others use certain features. Here is a list of the things I specifically have questions about or would just like to know how others are using them. I know this is also Baldr where others are still getting used to it, so some of these may be questions others have as well.

 

So here they are

1. The spoiler button appears to be used much more often than the OOC, even for OOC stuff. Why would you choose one over the other for your games' content? If you use both, how do you use each?
2. I see Edit exists for a moderator of a game on posts. Is there etiquette or specific reasons why you'd edit someone else's post?
3. I see Hide exists for a moderator of a game on posts. If you use the "Hide" functionality, what do you use it for?
4. I see Split exists for at least a moderator of a game on posts. If you use the "Split" functionality, what do you use it for?
5. I've seen many headers with mechanical breakdowns of characters. Is there a common pattern used in games or a way to easily share that template for consistency in a game that you use with the players?
6. Is there a negative to allowing signatures in certain places?
7. How do others use the Blog option on a game?
8. How do others use the Files option on a game?

 

Are there other recommendations you have? Things to avoid? Things to try?

 

[Tsunami1768]

My opinions; 

 

Q1. I preffer spoilers and highlight when adding important information. OOC tags I mainly just use for explanation of rules or for in game notes. 

Q2. No, I don't find myself editing players posts. 

Q3. I typically keep everything public. I preffer a team/group attitude so I typically shun private stuff or mails about ingame actions from members

Q4. I haven't really found a need to use this option. You can always just cut and paste. But I would figure if as a moderator you wanted to split a players post for ease of movement you could use that option. 

Q5. I've always allowed players to use whatever formating they like. If I want something to look a certain way, then I will set it up for them to copy and paste. 

Q6. Signature is members based, it's for them to express something they want to express.

Q7-Q8. Not sure, havent looked that far yet.

Edited September 9, 2022 by Tsunami1768 (see edit history)

[Butchern]

1. I do not use either. All OOC content goes in a separate OOC thread. Only story goes in the IC thread.

2. I don't think I have ever edited a player's post. If I need to for some reason—e.g. the post was broken and unreadable in some way—I'd ask them first and give them a chance to fix it first.

3. Hide only works for entire threads. I use the Hide feature to create a hidden GM thread where I can track notes and things.

4. I like to keep a thread the length of a "chapter" or act. When we go to the next chapter or act, I start a new thread. Sometimes, because of the way the action and posting shakes out, play goes on longer in one thread before I have a chance to make a new thread for a new chapter. When that happens, I use the Split feature to pull those posts out of the old thread and put them into a new thread. I think that is the only reason I've ever used it.

5. I discourage everything of the sort, but I don't outright ban it in most games. Everyone seems to want to at least put text in bold (No colors!), so I allow that and do it as well. When in Rome . . .

6. I didn't know you could ban signatures in places. I have signatures blocked so I never see them, so I don't care one way or the other.

7. I don't and can't think of a reason to.

8. I don't and don't think I'd ever need to distribute a downloadable file in my games. But you never know . . .

[bwatford]

Ok, might as well throw my two cents into the ring....

 

1. I use spoilers to track mechanics in the post and I ask players to do the same. Big 5e DM here so I need to know movement, action, bonus action, etc.  This all goes into a spoiler called Mechanics, and as a DM I keep two spoilers in all my post, one for Bookkeeping and one for any map that might be active or needed at the moment.  OOC tags I use only to describe something in the in-game post that I feel might be helpful.  For instance, if I say: The bartender passes your two shieldsSilver pieces. back to you and shields is that realms word for silver pieces then I might use an OOC to clarify it is silver. If I use a realm slang word, then I will often do that as well also.
2. I will edit a post if something is off with its display or formatting to help a player out, but I will never edit the words of their post.
3. You can hide a single post in a thread if you are the game master, sometimes I will do it while I am working on a post and then make it visible when I am done.  The players don't have this option yet but will at some point be able to signal certain players that can see the post, thus allowing private post within a game.
4. Split is used when you need to split a post off into its own topic, etc. it is extremely rare to be used in a game. I have not yet needed to do it.
5. I like my players to have a common posting template for appearance with common rules and etiquette, I provide a posting template for my players to use.  It also keeps a game forum looking nice and neat and uniform for anyone that may just be reading along, but this is just GM preference. Certainly nothing set in stone about it. 
6. I leave signatures up to players and they have no impact or use in a game due to the fact that some players turn them off by default.
7. Blogs can be used by the GM, I do not think players can create them.  They are useful for passing on world lore if you want to use them as such.  I personally do not as I keep my lore in a library tab in the game itself. Pages can be used the same way, like a mini-wiki, but again I do everything in a library tab so don't or haven't used them as of yet.
8. I use the files option to attach player's guides, campaign documentation, and house rules documents if needed.

 

I think I answered everything, you are also welcomed to poke around some of my games and see how they are laid out and explore the many game threads there.

 

Please let us know if we can assist you further.

[Butchern]

45 minutes ago, bwatford said:

You can hide a single post in a thread if you are the game master, sometimes I will do it while I am working on a post and then make it visible when I am done.  The players don't have this option yet but will at some point be able to signal certain players that can see the post, thus allowing private post within a game.

I don't think I knew that. Not sure I'd have any use for it, but it is good to know it's there.

[SirLoganofGilead]

I think between Bwatford and Butchern you might have gotten the two extremes of the spectrum as far as what they like to see in a post in a game.  I'll still add my opinion to the mix, but I think the point here is mostly comes down to what you prefer.

 

1. I use OOC for when I feel something needs to be explained right there in order to be understood.  I use the spoiler button for something that can wait until the end of the post.  As a DM I hate spoilers but have become so accustomed to them as a player that they trickle into my own games.  I also have an OOC or Discord running so the spoilers sometimes go away.
2. Much like everyone else I only use this to edit someone's broken format.  In the way back days when I used to dole out XP, I would edit in the XP someone got for a particular post.  I don't see a need for that anymore.
3. I think between everyone else you got all the information our of this one.
4. I have only ever used this to break up a thread for some reason.  Maybe the party splits at a point and use the split function to sort start off each thread.
5. This is 100% what you want to see or allow.  I tend to not care much what is here.  If someone has too much stuff I might ask them to stop it for readability, if I am playing a game that requires lots of checking of sheets I might ask for a couple things here.  You can always share the format by creating a template and allowing your players to quote it.
6. Yes, signatures can disrupt the flow of a thread, that about it.
7. Nope. Have not used.
8. If there is something that follows the rules of use that would be valuable for a player to have.. Use it!