• If you don't think have a lot of experience running play-by-post games, consider a rules-light system and consider using a published adventure/module. If a GM is inexperienced, rules can bog down a game where keeping players on-track is of the essence.
• Consider recruiting for more players than you actually need. This allows for the fact that you'll almost certainly lose some players along the way due to attrition.
• Consider starting a game in medias res instead of beginning with a narrative, which may tax the players' patience. This will allow the players to get into the action immediately.
• The GM should consider rolling all the dice, or let the players roll for NPCs in certain situations such as combat. This speeds up combat, for instance, where the GM might need to make rolls for players to speed up the game instead of waiting on players to post again.
• Try and keep the group together. This keeps the GM from posting in multiple threads and keeps the game running smoothly and on time, unless they enjoy running individual sub-plots and stories for various players at one time.
• Combat should be played out as quickly as possible. Consider handling initiative in a group fashion, where the PCs all go at one and then the NPCs go, or vise versa. This will allow the players to post in any order and it will speed up the game. You may want to gather all of the players intentions (while determining the NPC intentions yourself) and determine the outcome of any actions. If you handle all of the dice rolls, you can easily determine the results without relying on additional player imput. Post the results, then move on to the next round or scene. It is ideal if you can do at least one round a day, if not more.
• When you have all the players posting their actions in any order, a situation may arise where two players want to do the same thing, such as attack the same opponent. You can handle this usually by relying on individual initiative to see who goes first, common sense, or who posted first. Have players post a back-up plan in the form of one or two actions if their character is unable to perform their primary action. This will allow the game to flow more smoothly and players will not feel left out if their characters don't have initiative or they don't post as fast as other players.
• If your players put you in between a rock and a hard place by venturing off the beaten path or throwing you a curveball, don't worry. Take a deep breath and relax. Time is on your side! Since this is play-by-post, you don't have to rush to a quick decision like you would at a gaming table. Take a few minutes and determine what the next course of action might be. Expect the unexpected.
• You might want to consider keeping the plots dumbed-down and the intrigue and detective work to a minimum, unless you plan to run the game for ten years. Just kidding! If you have all kinds of twists and turns in your plots, you're certain to lose players because of boredom. That's not to say you can't have exciting and rewarding character interaction. Some of the most basic of plots will allow players to have a satisfying play-by-post experience.
• Strike up a good relationship with your players. Keep an OOC thread going for chit-chat that will allow the group to enjoy some camaraderie.
TBA
