Subj : proposed echo project (reprise)
To   : All
From : yl112@cornell.edu
Date : Tue May 02 2000 06:50 am

From: yl112@cornell.edu
Subject: proposed echo project (reprise)


I think this is something that was kicked around very briefly and then 
got dropped, but is still a good idea: a guide for (newbie) pbem/echo 
GMs.  And also players, I suppose; you can't have one without the other.  =^)

I realize everyone's busy, but this doesn't seem like something that has 
to get done immediately--perhaps it could be similar to how the Fidonet 
Compendium was put together.  (Is that thing still alive, BTW, or is it 
just stuck at the last edition?)  People could contribute paragraphs or 
articles on topics as they had time.  I'm certainly willing to kick in, 
whether on echo-specific or pbems-in-general topics.

There are also a lot of good pbem guides on the web, but that doesn't 
mean we can't come up with our own take on things; and we could include a 
list of links or something for quick reference if people are curious.

I don't know who would coordinate/collate this.  I'd be willing to save 
messages and compile them if no one else felt like it.  :-p  I could also 
put stuff up on the web (with all due credits, etc.) or, if Jason Tamez 
wanted to put it up on his site, I could put up a mirror site if people 
were curious.  A possible side-benefit of having a collaborative effort 
like this on the web would be "publicity" for the echo: curious people 
who found the website through a search engine or link or something might 
stop by the echo to see what was going on.

Possible topics:
plotting for a pbem vs. for tabletop: similarities and differences
quick 'n' dirty rules of thumb for first-time GMs
different methods of picking players
  (My sister mentioned to me that she saw an off-echo pbem where the GM
  made a "first cut," then invited those players to a week-long intensive
  "trial period" of gaming.  At the end of the week, he asked each player
  what 5 [or whatever number] other characters they'd most like to play
  with.  Based on that and on what he saw during the trial, he picked his
  group.  Obviously this is time-intensive and not for every campaign, but
  it's certainly an interesting approach to the problem of how to get
  characters together!)
how many players?
  (I expect several different opinions on this.  A rule of thumb I've seen
  on several web articles is to accept about twice as many players as you
  think you can handle because half of 'em will drop.  Obviously this
  backfired for me ;-) but the idea has its merits.)
contingency plans: missing or out-of-action players and ways to handle 'em
how to create a setting
  (a more general topic, I guess)
how to estimate how long a campaign/plot/scenario will take in realtime
  (I could've used advice on this myself!  Note to self: never, ever again
  use "prologue" moves; just cut to the action!)
different ways of handling pbem combat
  (Dice, diceless, summary format, blow-by-blow, what-have-you.)
point of view ("you" vs. "Tallendor the Mighty") and (briefly) tense
  (I think this would be more of a pros/cons of different POV usage than
  "2nd person is always better than 3rd person" or "present tense is always
  better than past tense").
how to roleplay the silent type in a pbem
  (I'm not trying to stab at "silent type" players.  But the nature of the
  "written" medium makes playing a quiet or nonsocial character somewhat
  more difficult in a pbem.)

Any others?

I know there are people out there with great ideas.  Let's hear 'em!  =^)

YHL
a.k.a. Shadowcat

--
|Fidonet:  yl112@cornell.edu
|Internet: ad&d@conchbbs.com
|
| Standard disclaimer: The views of this user are strictly his own.
| Conch, Net 106's Public Access Internet Gateway

---
 # Origin:  (1:106/357.99)
 * Origin: ConchGate (1:106/357.0)

.