Blog Gaming

I'm posting here an excerpt of my original treatise on blog-based gaming (http://base10.yuloria.net):

"The way this will work is relatively simple, at least in theory. The Game Master (that’s me) will post articles here on the blog about the current in-game situation, in a category known as ‘The Game’. Pertinent technical or out-of-character information will be posted in the ‘OOC’ category, and enclosed in double parethesis ((like this)). Both will be available publicly, so that viewers can follow the game if they like. The players (who will be registered users, and they will be the ONLY registered users) will login and post their actions in comments on the article. Each player will respond in turn, building on the action of the person who posted before them, until the round is complete.

There will not be initiative per se; instead, the characters will act in whatever order their player happens to respond. This is one of the changes that must be made in order to make this work. In essence, the first player to respond is the first character to act.

This way, non-players can watch and see what’s going on, but cannot influence the game itself. Only the players will be able to post comments as character actions, or can post necessary out-of-character discussions in separate comments enclosed in double parentheses ((like this)).

The GM will then post the results of the character’s actions in the next article, and advance the story. Once again, the players will respond in comments, and the game shall continue thusly.

I've omitted the parts that don't apply to this particular instance. This time, I'm going to have the players post any necessary die rolls. One thing I'm going to have everyone do is that, during combat, I'll have you roll both attack and damage and post them in your action comment. That way, if you score a hit I can immediately apply the damage without needing to go back to you for a damage roll, and if you miss I can just disregard the damage roll. That will help things flow more nicely, I think, and still allow the players to be involved via rolling dice.

I think I can plan to post at least three times a week; if we have everyone responding faster than that, we'll try to pick up the pace!