Role Playing Tips - By Johnn Four
6 MORE WAYS TO USE E-MAIL TO HELP YOUR GAME
1. Eavesdrop On Player Discussions
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From: Richard Garner
Our Metalface game deals with humans trapped in robot
bodies. This allows certain characters to directly
communicate with other characters without anyone else
hearing a word. Most of the time this is secret information
that, if the other players were to know about, would alter
their tactics. So we use e-mail to allow the characters to
communicate information or messages to each other.
[Johnn: Thanks for the tip Richard. GMs, if your players use
e-mail to discuss your games between sessions, then ask them
to cc: you in each e-mail they send. This way you can gather
ideas, make plans and learn more about your players and
their characters.
Most players will not have a problem with this. Some players
may say no however, because they are worried that you will
use any and all information against them. If this is true
then don't push the issue. If it isn't true, let them know
the reasons for your request and that you have only the best
of intentions.
When reading the player e-mails, pay special attention to:
* "wish" requests ("I wish we had a lot of money so we
could afford to...")
* speculations ("Maybe that old man we met is really...")
* opinions ("That last scene was great")
Each of those items are clues about where you can take your
campaign next to help your players have more fun.]
2. Deal With Private, One-On-One Events Away From The Table
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There are a number of events that need one-on-one time
between the player and GM to resolve. Try to deal with them
away from the game table so that the other players do not
need to wait for you two to finish.
E-mail is great for this scenario because it's one-to-one
and you can store the e-mails for later reference.
Examples of (somewhat strange) one-on-one situations that
can be roleplayed well by e-mail (or ICQ or chat for that
matter):
* Dream sequences
* Ethereal, astral or otherworldly encounters
* Life after death
* Hallucinations
* Lengthy or complex illusions
* Intuitions
* Insanity
3. Polls, Surveys, Questionnaires
---------------------------------
I have used e-mail polls, surveys & questionnaires many
times in my campaigns with great success. They can help you
learn and plan between sessions.
If you could ask your players anything about your game and
GMing, what would it be?
E-mail allows your players to respond to these types of
questions privately and comfortably. Players are often more
forthcoming using e-mail as well, so you will have better
success at getting honest answers to tough questions.
Survey question examples:
* Critique your GMing style & skills
- keep an open mind and a desire to improve when reading the
replies!
* Feedback on how the last session went
- don't be afraid to reply back and request more details to
clarify various players' answers
* What do the players like about their characters?
- use as future plot hooks & story ideas
* Give theories about various mysteries in your campaign
- gives you ideas & suggestions
From: Richard Garner
We use a service (which we are about to drop) that has
offered a nice little feature called "polls." With polls,
players and non-players can secretly vote on the outcome of
certain NPCs or other events in the campaign. This helps me
see what people want and plan out future sessions much
better. For example, we have an NPC who is leading the
group. He's displayed all types of characteristics; self-
doubt, humor, rudeness, confidence... etc. I have
established a poll to allow people to vote on what should
become of him. Most people have suggested that he be damaged
beyond repair and left behind. So, guess what's going to
happen to him in our next session? I've found this gets
others interested in the game and wanting to play as well.
4. Ask Players To Contribute
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From: Lyn Rhaevenwhicke
I'm part of an online freeform RP group called Winds Of
Change and we keep an online newsletter. Each player can
subscribe, and the players themselves send in the updates,
which are integrated into the newsletter and sent out daily.
This keeps our players informed on the happenings in and
around the WOC world, as well as the condition of their
surroundings (i.e.: If a tornado rips through the area,
it'd be nice if everyone knew instead of just thinking that
it's all pristine and perfect the next day.)
[Johnn: also, this is a great tip if you are open to player
contributions to your world. For example, if a player has a
character who comes from a far-off land, ask him to send you
descriptions and information of that land. If you like the
ideas add them into your campaign setting.
Other examples of player contributions by e-mail:
* Character's favorite tavern
* PC's guild details, entry rules, fees, famous members...
* Family description: family tree, careers & wealth levels
of various relatives, infamous relatives...]
5. Send News Headlines As Plot Hooks
-----------------------------------
From: Pete Schneider
One thing I've done with e-mail is to send out news
headlines. This not only allowed me to plant clues and
background information, but also gave me the chance to
establish a campaign feel, and introduce important NPCs.
[Johnn: an excellent way to sew plot hooks into your game
and save time. By just sending the news headlines you do not
need to come up with the details right away and, if you
invite questions from players, you may get an idea of which
hook they'll pursue.]
6. Use On-Line Services
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From: Rowan Dunch
Hi Johnn,
This is my first issue of roleplaying tips - I certainly
like it so far!
One recent innovation that I have used, both as a player and
as DM, is to create a mailing list at one of the free
listservers (I use http://www.egroups.com/). This makes it
easy to share vital information with all concerned at once,
and probably most importantly, serves as a publicly
accessible archive of campaign history. In the list that I
participate in as a player, the majority of the traffic
actually comes from the players as we struggle to come to
grips with the various plots and enemies arrayed against us.
--
From: Mark W. Bruce
One thing that comes to my mind, since it is a tool that I
use extensively in my campaigns, is the importance of a web
club, such as eGroups.com. Not only does it allow a DM to
use e-mail items, it allows for online chat with players,
posting of news items on the message board, polls, file
storage, calendars for planning your games ahead of time and
much more.
My players and I have been using eGroups since last winter,
and it has helped our games tremendously. We only get
together every two weeks due to our differing schedules, and
the eGroups site allows us to remain in touch for game (and
non-game) issues, and allows me to distribute files and
information to individuals or the group as a whole. It is a
most valuable tool!
--
From: James Bell
A key feature that we're offering [at
http://www.fierydragon.com] is the use of private message
boards for campaign communication.
A DM can register his or her campaign with our message board
administrator and list which people will be able to access
their private message board. The sign up is free, and you
can post anytime and include image files. We're trying to
encourage taking care of the little details via the net, and
save the juicy rpg adventures for the gaming table (we all
have those memories of spending 2 hours buying equipment
before the adventure!!) --
[Johnn: James' suggestion of using a message board for image
files is a good one. Making graphics that you've scanned or
found on the internet available on-line would be a great
addition to your campaign. Players then have 24/7 access to
all sorts of important information.
For example, you could post:
* An NPC photo/picture gallery
* Monster gallery
* Maps (i.e. use your paint program to add on journey &
route information taken by the PCs during the campaign,
along with key historical event/encounter locations)]
E-mail is a great tool for helping you save time and manage
your campaign. I hope you find a way to use it in your
campaign. And let me know if you employ e-mail in other
great ways than those mentioned here.
Have more fun at every game!
Johnn Four
