Legend Play by Post Guidance?

[mithrandir138]

Does anyone have any pointers or guidance for running a Legend Play-by-post game. It seems like the combat resolution could use some simplification in a PbP game, but I could be wrong.

Thanks in advance!

[nclarke]

You could simply keep the combat between a character and the GM and post a summary of each round.

Example: Arg the Orc wins initiative [email to all]

and strikes Gobbo the dwarf [email to Gobbo's player]

Gobbo parries [Gobbo to GM]

If Gobbo is hit - narrate the result [GM to all players] Arg swings at Gobbo who parries but fails to prevent the orc's sword biting into his arm.

Next up Antherion the Elf strikes Ig the goblin [Antherion to GM]

Ig parries Antherion and gets a special success [GM to Antherion]

[GM to all players] Atherion strikes at an orc but the orc's parry turns his sword and the riposte causes Antherion to lose his grip on the swords hilt and it clatters to the floor.

See it's easy if you take a combat outside the usual post every other day or once a week system that you use for normal play. A quick flurry of emails over a couple of hours or a 'chat' session between the GM and one player can sort out combat quickly. I think that it makes for a great story but for players that aren't so keen on the roleplay it can drag a lot.

[RosenMcStern]

Having played three or four MRQ(1) play-by-post games that were a lot of fun between 2007 and 2009, I have a very clear idea of what the strongpoints and failures of Legend might be in a pbp game. The bottom of the line is: do not use Legend in a pbp game.

What drags a game to death in pbp is the necessity to wait for GM feedback to plan your next move. Unlike BRP, where you state what you will do at the start of the round, Legend combat requires a lot of micromanagement: each CA is precious, and you must decide how to use it according to the moment, so each character must make several posts per combat round - no escape, no shortcut. If your game is heavily combat-based, it will drag. I remember several pages of posts to handle the killing of a mere trollkin! It was incredibly fun (fireballing the little bastard in the chest one Strike Rank after Bryan Steele's minotaur had headbutted the same location and reading the GM comment "You _almost_ hit the wrong target with that spell" was priceless), but the net result was that it took months of real time (literally!!!) to handle a single combat.

Believe me, Legend and RQ work well in play-by-chat or with a VTT, but they are not suited to play by post. If your only option is pbp, OpenQuest or BRP will serve you way better than Legend. You may even import some elements from Legend for character creation or other sub-systems. But NOT combat.

[mithrandir138]

@nclarke - thanks I never thought about doing it that way

@rosenmcstern - I was actually thinking about plugging the combat system for openquest into legend, so I think we are on the same page, I just wanted to be sure I wasn't being overly critical of legends combat system - thanks

[Zit]

I’m playing a lot PbP, using RQ2 (the old one). For combat, I ask the players for their global tactics and their first intent. Then, as long as the tactics are applicable to the situation, I play both the NPCs and the PCs, trying to be logical and consistent with the characters and the global tactics. Sometimes, I even make an INT roll for a character to have an initiative. When the situation changes and the tactics are obviously not adapted anymore, or when a player has to take a crucial decision, like continue to fight or heal his friend, or start an action which may lead to death, I stop and ask. Most of the time, I ask every 2-3 rounds, sometime even more.

[RosenMcStern]

I was actually thinking about plugging the combat system for openquest into legend, so I think we are on the same page, I just wanted to be sure I wasn't being overly critical of legends combat system - thanks

Never tried it, but it could definitely work, and be fun, too.

[General Panic]

I'm running a game on RPOL right now using Legend - if you go to rpol.net and look for Age of Treason or search under Legend game system, you'll find it - and you can take a lurk see how it runs. On the whole most of may players rarely take more than 48 hours to post, and I find combat goes just fine - if only because in Legend combat is usually over in 2-3 rounds as a Combat Manoeuvre proves decisive. Generally people will declare up front what CM they will use if they get one (and so far Trip is the favourite). Just finished a fight with a minotaur but if you look back you'll find a fight between PCs and 4 would-be assassins at an inn.

[wbcreighton]

For pbp it is important for the player to specify their actions and what they will "do X if Y happens" or "do Z if A happens". The more info for the GM the better.

[mithrandir138]

Thanks to all for the assistance!