Desynchronised Gaming - RPGs in Digital Space!
James Fleming is a talented writer of RPG content (including the ‘Filly Sized Follies’ Tails of Equestrian adventure). Below is a collection of guidance and advice for online play-by-post forum style RPGs that he has put together. This is not something I am familiar with myself, but in these lockdown days, it could be the best time to learn! James very kindly wrote a short introduction to the concept for the blog, which you can read below! You can also get your hands on the PDF guide at the bottom of this article.
When I was younger, I’d never imagined we would be stuck at home for extended periods of time like this. I spent my own teenage self-imposed isolation learning about RPGs. Not knowing anyone who would sit down to play in real life, I ventured online, and found myself falling very quickly into the world of forum and Internet Relay Chat RPGs. I was entranced, not just by how they ran, and the ability to play and write with others across the world, but by the differences the medium presented as a form of expression. When I started to sit down and play at a table, much later, I’d find the experience really different (though no less thrilling!). Last month, then, I had an idea: I could write up something about my experiences playing and running forum and IRC (now Discord) games, and perhaps offer some advice to groups forced to shift online, or groups that wanted to try out something different considering the circumstances. So I got to work on a little collection of essays. They cover mostly generic topics — how to organise a good forum or server, how text is different to speech, and how you can leverage the unique elements of text RP as oppose to live action. I hope it comes in at least a little bit of use! James F.
Download James’ guide on desynchronised gaming here!
DesynchronisedGaming
.pdf
Download PDF • 88KB
Follow James on Twitter, @JamesfvFleming.