I judge a TTRPG’s fit for play-by-post by how often its rules make everyone wait. My starting point: let players post within a shared 24–48-hour window, bundle known rolls, and agree on what happens when someone misses a deadline.
I check four areas:
- Turn order: Allow parallel posts, but keep exact timing when it changes the outcome.
- Action resolution: Aim for one complete player post and one GM ruling.
- Reactions: Set triggers, spending limits, and response deadlines in advance.
- GM approval and absences: Let routine actions proceed without permission, and use agreed low-risk defaults for missed posts.
My rule is simple: cut waiting, not player control. I mark each rule Pass or Needs adjustment, then test the changes in a low-stakes scene. Fewer replies should never mean forced spending, hidden changes to the odds, or lost choices.
Play-by-Post TTRPG: Cut Waiting, Keep Player Choice
How to Succeed at Play-by-Post Tabletop Roleplaying Games
Checklist: Opposed Rolls and Action Resolution
Once turn order no longer causes waits, check how many replies each action needs. Follow one routine action from intent to outcome, aiming for one player post and one GM ruling. Mark extra exchanges Needs adjustment unless they add a meaningful choice, reveal a risk, or change the scene.
Resolve Actions Without Repeated Exchanges
Attack, defense, damage, resistance, and narration all add delays when each needs a separate reply. Submit known rolls together, including damage the GM can ignore on a miss. Apply routine modifiers without asking another question, but keep player choices about defensive abilities and limited resources.
Use one roll to determine success and consequences when the rules allow. A fixed defense is a rules change, not a shortcut. Before replacing opposed rolls, check success rates, critical hits, armor effectiveness, and defensive abilities. Get the group’s agreement if the change affects odds or character balance. Fewer posts shouldn’t quietly weaken someone’s character.
Submit Complete Solo and Group Actions
Check whether the player’s declaration gives the GM enough information to resolve it right away. A complete solo post includes intent, approach, target, key mechanics, and fallback instructions, with resource limits and short if/then choices. Explain difficulty and assistance rules so players can account for them in their posts. Pause for clarification if hidden information changes the risk or the action requires a cost the player hasn’t approved.
For group actions, state who can help, what assistance adds, how many helpers count, and what happens on failure. Collect agreed contributions in one post and resolve them together when they share the same opening. Silence isn’t consent to take damage, spend resources, or enter danger through a group action. Get explicit consent or follow that player’s stated fallback.
Checklist: Reactions and Interrupts
Once turn order and action resolution run smoothly, reactions are often the next source of delays. Flag anything that can pause play: counterspells, opportunity attacks, shield, rerolls, and readied actions. Note when the player must choose - before the roll, after the result, or before damage. If an offline player could hold up the scene, assign that window a standing instruction or deadline.
Declare Reaction Triggers in Advance
Put predictable decisions in regular posts. Each reaction policy should name its trigger, target, priority, limit, and fallback. Rank uses that draw on the same resource, and note when that resource refreshes. Keep the policy beside the character sheet so the GM doesn’t have to search old posts.
Use only information the character is allowed to know at that moment. Standing instructions must not reveal an unidentified spell or permit a choice after its legal window closes. Mark reactions as spent immediately. Resolve overlapping triggers in the agreed order. If the first reaction makes later ones unnecessary, leave those characters’ resources unspent.
Set Deadlines and Defaults for Reactions
Match the response window to the group’s posting schedule: 12 hours, 24 hours, or the next scheduled daily update. Include the deadline and time zone in every prompt. After the deadline, follow the standing policy. If there’s no policy, decline limited-use reactions. Gather all eligible responses in one window rather than starting a separate wait for each player.
| Rule characteristic | Treatment | Practical adjustment |
|---|---|---|
| The player could not predict the consequence | Keep | Pause with a firm deadline and a stated default. |
| The trigger, target, and spending limit are clear | Predeclare | Use ranked instructions from the regular post. |
| Frequent windows add little choice but require constant monitoring | Simplify | Remove the approval pause, but keep the effect and required timing. |
Test a once-per-round reaction cap with the group before adopting it. Check whether it removes multiple-interrupt abilities, makes defensive reactions compete with opportunity attacks, or changes when resources refresh. Don’t adopt the cap if it removes a character’s tactical role. If a reaction still needs a ruling before it can resolve, move it to the GM approval checklist.
Checklist: GM Approval and Posting Deadlines
With turn order, rolls, and reactions covered, check the last major source of waiting: GM approval and missed posts.
Define Which Actions Need No Prior Approval
Publish a self-service rule for routine, low-risk actions already covered by the rules or table procedures. These include movement, standard checks, visible-target attacks, known abilities, ordinary purchases, and straightforward NPC questions. Require GM approval for unclear rules, custom rulings, major consequences, or irreversible risk. If a question keeps coming up, turn the answer into a visible procedure.
To avoid follow-up questions, require six fields in each post: intent, approach, target, ability/resource, roll, and fallback. Players can roll without waiting when the rules and table procedure allow it. The fallback covers only the stated continuation - not extra spending or new risks. The chosen action still carries its normal consequences.
Once players can handle routine actions themselves, the next source of delay is silence.
Keep Scenes Moving When Posts Are Missing
When a player misses the agreed posting window - such as 24 hours for combat or 48 hours for ordinary scenes - apply the agreed absence default. Put the exact date, time, and time zone in every prompt, accounting for weekends and announced absences.
Agree on low-risk defaults before play. Resolve independent actions right away; hold only shared or irreversible decisions. Silence never permits scarce-resource spending or irreversible risk.
After resolving actions, post updated positions, consequences, spent resources, and the next deadline.
Final Audit: Keep Choices, Cut Delays
Use this final pass to separate administrative delays from meaningful player choices. Check each test against a typical scene and mark it Pass or Needs adjustment:
- Independent posts: ☐ Pass ☐ Needs adjustment - Routine actions don't wait on the whole group.
- Complete posts: ☐ Pass ☐ Needs adjustment - The six fields let the action resolve without follow-up.
- One-roll actions: ☐ Pass ☐ Needs adjustment - Routine actions resolve in one post and one roll where appropriate.
- Reaction triggers: ☐ Pass ☐ Needs adjustment - Instructions state exactly when a reaction resolves.
- Safe absence defaults: ☐ Pass ☐ Needs adjustment - Missing posts never permit scarce-resource spending or major risk.
- Visible deadlines: ☐ Pass ☐ Needs adjustment - Players know the response window and time zone.
- Justified timing: ☐ Pass ☐ Needs adjustment - Sequential waits happen only when they change the outcome.
- Preserved choices: ☐ Pass ☐ Needs adjustment - Risks, resources, tactics, and player control stay intact.
Mostly passing results suggest a good fit. Mixed results call for targeted changes. If most tests fail, revise the posting procedure before continuing, removing administrative waits while keeping meaningful choices.
FAQs
How can I test group initiative without weakening tactical abilities?
Rather than remove initiative rolls entirely, group similar enemies to give the GM less to track. Keep individual player turns and the choices that matter. Assign players roles, such as tracking combat details, to keep them involved between turns.
Test these changes in focused one-shots. Compare tactical satisfaction, combat length, and time spent waiting to see whether the changes cut delays without weakening the choices players value.
How do we resolve conflicting actions posted at the same time?
When two actions clash, both sides roll their relevant skills and compare results. The higher roll wins. The gap between rolls can help determine the dramatic impact.
To cut waiting time, group turns with group initiative, ask players to declare reactions in advance, or resolve an action with a single roll. These options reduce back-and-forth exchanges and the need for frequent GM approval.
How can I tell if rules changes actually reduce waiting?
Set a measurable goal, such as cutting encounter resolution time by a target percentage. Keep timestamped notes to compare how long turns and combat exchanges take before and after your rule changes.
Track questions about the rules, and ask players whether the changes helped them make decisions faster or improved the game's flow. Log the results in a changelog to check whether your adjustments consistently meet your goal.
