The Role-play by Post Rules
Introduction
RPBPR is not a standalone role-playing game. It is intended only as a set of rules to help adjudicate posting and resolution of events when playing RPGs in a periodic-play situation where character actions are expressed in asynchronous posts, as in a forum or e-mail list.
In such circumstances it seems to me that the need for dice or other randomizers to help interpret the outcome of a situation is only likely to slow down and complicate the interpretation of actions. So randomizers have been eliminated from RPBPR in favor of a token system closer to that of Fiat.
Though originally intended for use with the old World of Darkness Storyteller system by White Wolf, RPBPR could probably be adapted for use in other RPGs without too much trouble.
Substitutes for some of the more intricate (genre specific) Storyteller system may be devised at a later time. But for now the general order of play is detailed as follows:
Subject Lines & Types of Posts
Non-actions
Some posts will be queries or discussions about the setting, characters, and possible (but not necessarily intended) actions. These kinds of posts need only contain the title of the chronicle in brackets in their subject line along with some note as to the contents of the post. No other special notation is required.
Intended Character Actions
The subject line of each e-mail or forum post in which a character's actions are stated should adhere to the following format:
| [Chronicle Title] Character name - MM/DD/YY-hh:mm:ss - Other information. |
- [Chronicle Title] The title of the adventure or chronicle should always be in brackets and appear at the beginning of the subject line. Most e-mail lists will state the name of the list in this format, so setting the name of the list as identical to the chronicle title is a good way to ensure this appears automatically in each subject line. It may be advisable to keep your chronicle title short so as not to crowd other text off the page. The only time this will not appear at the beginning of a subject line is if the "Re:" tag appears (see below).
- Character name - If character is taking an action the name of the character should be included in the subject line.
- MM/DD/YY-hh:mm:ss - A time/date stamp should come after the character's name. Seconds are only important during combat. Assume that each round is 5 seconds.
Both of the following are acceptable examples as formats for the time/date stamp:
or
- Re: - Any posts in the above format that have the "Re:" tag in front of them are not counted as official actions. It is assumed that if "Re:" appears this indicates that the contents of the post are under discussion and it is not the ultimate action intended by the player. If multiple posts with official actions appear to have been made by a player for a given character then the one that occurred most recently (as time-stamped out-of-game by the email or forum software) is considered the one that actually happened.
- Other information - Players may choose to put other information in the subject line as a reference to themselves and others as they feel appropriate.
Storyteller Posts
Storyteller (game master) posts generally come in two types:
Storyteller discussions
Discussions take place when the storyteller is describing details of the setting, asking questions of the players or talking over other subjects. The key aspect of storyteller discussions is that they are more flexible in nature than resolutions and don't tend to set as much in stone.
Storyteller resolutions
Storyteller resolutions follow the same subject line format as intended character actions, except that they do not list a specific characters name.
In a resolution post the storyteller takes into account the intended action posts for the stated time increment and explains how these actions actually turned out. These posts are typically final and binding, though of course there might be circumstances where a resolution needs to be retconned (for instance in a case where the storyteller forgot a key detail resulting in an inaccurate portrayal of the situation).
Other Posts
Secret Actions
A player may wish to ask questions without knowledge of the other characters. This is typical done outside the mailing list or forum.
In a game of conspiracy and intrigue this technique can be interesting or useful. However, the it can be used too much and the players (as well as the characters) may start to mistrust each other or feel like they're being excluded from something. It may also become difficult to keep track of who knows what.
Also, it's important to post the results of secret actions to the list if they ever become relevant to a resolution.
Retroactive Actions (Retcon)
Normally when the storyteller describes something or makes a resolution this is the final say about how events in the chronicle turned out, particularly if made in a time-stamped post. However there are a couple circumstances when the past may be changed.
One of these is when the storyteller makes a mistake in description, typically because some setting detail or intended character action has not been taken into account. In these cases the GM just retroactively timestamps a new resolution explaining how things happened differently at the previous time. It's best if such discrepancies are noticed and remedied as soon as possible, otherwise entire timelines and large numbers of posts may be negated, potentially frustrating players greatly.
Another situation may arise where a player wants to have had their character perform some specific action at a time in the past. This is normally not allowed if the ST has already described the setting in a way that excludes the action. However, the ST may choose to allow the action if it sounds reasonable and nothing described or resolved so far contradicts it. For example:
| The current time in game is 1/27/08-7:00pm. Jimmy the Redcap is at home and the Mrs. is screaming at him for the 1000th time to plaster over the hole he punched in the wall a month ago. However, Jimmy has reason to believe that there's trouble a brewing in the Dreaming tonight and wants to stay home to protect his family. He doesn't want to go out to the hardware store, but also knows it will be a long night if he doesn't get that wall fixed. |
| Jimmy's player asks the ST if Jimmy might have had the presence of mind to pick up some plaster and a drop cloth a few weeks earlier and just not gotten around to using them yet. The ST figures that Jimmy is the type to leave projects half completed so the possibility is plausible. And having the supplies at home doesn't negate any significant story details so the ST agrees that yes Jimmy does have the necessary supplies at home. |
Time & Actions
Time Periods
Time still follows the usual breakdowns:
- Round - An increment of approximately 5 seconds in which characters can generally take one standard action without a reduction in dice pool size.
- Scene - A variable length time period in which a set of related actions are resolved. A scene could potentially take any length of time from a couple rounds to several hours.
- Real Time - Minutes, hours, days, etc. also come into use as they would in the real world.
Taking Actions
There are two basic ways characters can affect their surroundings, through
Fast Actions
Typically if the action is possible in a round or less it is a fast action. When time is being measured in rounds and fast actions are being attempted, events take place using the following order of phases:
- The players might ask questions to gain additional information about the setting, NPCs, or what the likelihood of success in a given choice of action. At her choice the storyteller can give players an estimate of the difficulty on any given action.
- Players finalize their intended for actions, indicating how many actions they will attempt to take in the round as well as indicating their action pools for each and how many action points are being spent on each. Except in a few cases the actions are carried out in order of initiative, for instance if some characters are holding their actions.
- Once all players have finalized their intended actions the storyteller narrates the outcome of these actions and the consequences of other actions taking place.
Extended Actions
Any actions that take more than a round to complete are considered "extended actions". Extended actions work similarly to action rounds, but the timeframe is arbitrary (or as dictated by the storyteller) and not so closely regulated to distinct phases.
Extended actions are not always more likely to succeed, but their outcomes can frequently be improved upon by taking additional time or making additional attempts.
Contests and Resolution
Crucial Success
In some instances, such as combat, players might need their characters to accomplish tasks and overcome obstacles __right now__, not just eventually. This works a little differently depending on whether the character is unopposed or contesting against another character.
Unopposed Contests
In cases where there is no obviously opponent, but in which the character might fail, the storyteller sets a difficulty level (DC) that a character must meet in order to accomplish the task. Sometimes
Dice are never rolled in such a contest. Instead the character has an action pool which he pits against the storyteller's DC. In some cases it may be necessary to determine the DC based on the difficulty in a Storyteller System book. In such cases the following conversion can be used:
DC = Storyteller specified Difficulty + Thresholds (required successes) -2
But unless you really want to be a stickler for detail feel free to just wing it in generating DC values, keeping in mind the levels a character will normally be able to preform at on average:
| Dots | Aptitude |
| 1 | Barely capable. Poorly qualified. |
| 5-6 | Average competency. Reasonably skilled at most related tasks. |
| 10 | The maximum limit of what the best human could possibly do. |
| 11+ | Superhuman. |
To determine the size of a character's action pool for any specific action take relevant number of dots on their character sheet for action and divide it by the total number of actions being attempted in the round (round down), then add in any action points they might be spending. Action points can be spent by any character to increase any action pool. If the action does not succeed the action points are still considered spent.
Determining the results is a relatively straightforward comparison of a particular action pool and the DC as indicated in the table below:
| Action Pool | Result |
| > DC | Success |
| = DC | Draw or partial success if possible, otherwise failure |
| < DC | Failure |
While there's nothing laid down in stone here the general rule of thumb is that if a character succeeds by a large margin something exceptionally good or impressive happens. Similarly, failing by a large margin tends to be pretty awful.
Opposed Contests
Opposed contests work pretty much like unopposed contests except that another character is actively resisting the contest. In such cases the characters still get a DC as normal, but each adds their action pool (if any) to the other's DC.
| Character A is attempting to pin Character B to the ground. Character 2 is coated in oil and resisting the attempt. |
| Character A's total DC = Character B's Strength dots + Brawling dots + DC7 (for trying to immobilize a squirming object covered in oil). |
| Events are taking place as in example I except that Character B is putting his whole effort into speaking an incantation and not really struggling to avoid being pinned. |
| Character A's total DC = DC7 (for trying to immobilize a squirming object covered in oil). |
| Character A and Character B are both struggling for to grab the same knife at the same time. Character A has injuries causing a -2 penalty, while Character B is covered with oil and can't get as good a grip making his base DC 5 |
| Character A's DC = Character B's Reflexes + Brawling + 2 |
| Character B's DC = Character A's Reflexes + Brawling + 5 |
Combat and Soak
In combat there are generally two sets of contests for any attack. The first determines the character's chance to hit, the other determines the amount of damage done. The storyteller may allow extra margin of success from the attack contest carry over and be used to boost the attacker's damage contest if it seems appropriate.
In general (as with all aspects of this system) the health levels and other numbers only provide a rough guideline. Storytellers should just go by whatever feels about right. If your player has the stats or spends the points to land a good shot, let it have some significant effect if it could reasonably do so.
Eventual Success
If characters are attempting something well within the capabilities of their skills then they will almost certainly succeed given enough time and/or resources. When a character is attempting such a feat the player should simply quote their relevant stats to the storyteller along with any resources they intend to use. The storyteller will then give them back an idea of how long it will take them to succeed.
On the other hand if a character wants to rush the success of an action or complete it with minimal supplies, they can ask the storyteller how high a score they would need to get things done quickly. The storyteller will then give them an estimate and they can either rely on their own ability ranks to achieve it, or spend action points to speed up the process.
But even with a butt-load of action points some rates of accomplishment might still be impossible without the use of some form of magic though.
Action Points
All characters have a reserve of 5 action points to spend in order to boost their action pools throughout the day. This reserve gets replenished up to it's maximum once per day typically after sleep (or some other recuperative period for those who get little sleep). The only way to increase the reserve beyond 5 action points is by spending Willpower. Willpower points can each be cashed in to gain 5 action points which are usable in improving any non-magical action. However, cashing in points this way prevents a given point of willpower from being used for other purposes (as stipulated in other the existing Storyteller systems).
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