Play by forum/pm/email...

[Mark Withers]

Is anyone interested in playing a game of the Pool, either by forum, personal message or email?

Also, what do people think about that style of play? Is the Pool even a workable system for PbeM?

[Cassidy]

Hi Mark,

I don't know if PBEM or using PMs would be the best way to facilitate Pool play. I get the impression that it would be a bit stop/start somehow, too disjointed and slow.

Forum play would interest me though since I have roleplayed using IRC in the past. I think that The Pool and IRC would work very well together. Play would be fluid and fast and all the mechanical aspects of the game could be completely automated using scripts.

[James V. West]

Hey

Funny you should mention it.

I ran a session of TQB Sunday night for the Indie Netgaming group and I thought it went really, really well. I'd never played using IRC before. I think the IRC format is great for establishing who gets to do what and when, and for clarity. Not to mention it gives players a few moments to compose a nice Monologue.

It is slower than face-to-face play, for sure. Typing time and all. But not by much.

I'm continuing the game this Sunday night. I'll post more after then.

[Bob McNamee]

There is also a PBEM game of Pool (Fantasy setting), which only recently started through the indie netgaming group.
It is going well, at a more leisurely rate than IRC play (about one "turn" a week). We've used the system with a few MOVs narrated, and some Pool dice additions chosen instead. We tend to go back and forth between Player description of actions dialog, and GM EMail on Setting NPC reactions
, then back to "what do the Players do with that. I also tend to state what will happen on a MOV as I roll, and put in some possibilities for what happens if I don't win the roll.

Might be too slow for some folks, but I like it so far!
Bob McNamee

[Tony Irwin]

There is also a PBEM game of Pool (Fantasy setting), which only recently started through the indie netgaming group.
It is going well, at a more leisurely rate than IRC play (about one "turn" a week). We've used the system with a few MOVs narrated, and some Pool dice additions chosen instead. We tend to go back and forth between Player description of actions dialog, and GM EMail on Setting NPC reactions
, then back to "what do the Players do with that. I also tend to state what will happen on a MOV as I roll, and put in some possibilities for what happens if I don't win the roll.

Might be too slow for some folks, but I like it so far!
Bob McNamee

Bob this sounds great - I used to run a once-a-week PBEM for Star Trek (could never figure out how I was meant to read through 10 new emails every single day - coming home from holiday was a nightmare). I don't suppose you've posted the rules/structure anywhere on the group site? I'd love to see how you're working this.

Tony

[Bob McNamee]

The GM is on the Forge too...
Colin the Riot is his name (I think I've got it right).

We are using standard Pool rules, and making everything else up as we go.

[Colin the Riot]

Hola.

Like Bob said, we aren't really messing with the rules too much, as I think they actually work pretty well via email as long as the players don't mind the long lag between turns (which mine don't seem to).

I'm really enjoying the game, and my only regret is that my work schedule keeps me from moving things along at a quicker pace.

For anyone running a PBEM, I thoroughly recommend using a Yahoo group.  I don't have to organize anything, as I can keep it all on one page, and respond from that.  I can't recommend them highly enough.