Re: The Broad Axe Tavern

From: gabai@paul.rutgers.edu (Steven Gabai)

Date: Sat, 24 Jun 1989 13:21:28 +0000

Run-time registration:

I am trying to do what I can to maintain the policy
of allowing new participants into the game.  I have found
that a number of people have guessed what are the basics
to join in.  Some have requested to come in, and I've
inadvertently put them on hold, at some stage of the registration;
while others, have been a little too assertive, and made a few
assumptions that weren't exactly correct.  In either case,
the person would be delayed longer than necessary, in being
a well integrated participant, including such things as:
equal attention span per time-step, background material
appropriate to the character design.

I am in the process of trying to delegate certain
responsibilities for preprocessing new participants.  Roughly,
the types of things that need to get done are:
- identify potential new players
  send them the registration stuff, currently very disorganized
  receive first draft PC sheets
  initiate inspection team (delegated to appropriate meta-players)
  follow inspection process and game ramifications
    (ex: one PC sheet started a major discussion
     that among other things caused us to re-examine the differences
     between the magic system and the cleric system,
     which I believe we have answered better than most other
     systems around. (discussion redirected to another channel))
  approve the character and power level
  make sure its equipped
  introduce the character at some point in the game

- similar vein of thought for introduction of a new meta-player;
  this usually takes some of what I loosely thought about
     a topic and hand it to somebody with the intention
     that they breathe life into what was just some loosely
     connected pieces of information.
  currently, meta-players get more in demand as
     players start asking more questions

would anyone like to suggest ways to improve this registration
process;  would anyone like to be a part of JUST the registration
process?  I have been given the impression that in order to
gain/maintain certain additional aspects of operations, that we should
keep an open door policy.

-------------------------------------------------------------

following the game

People have been kind enough to include me in on the
meta*-PC discussions, sometimes I get confused as to who
is playing who, (especially, when someone jumps out of registration
early) and to what their goals/intentions are, (when they
have a fully approved character, I can always recall my
memory or recall the file of their character)

allowing others to follow the game

Some people have taken to keeping track of parallel
discussions and movements and such.  What would be a more
helpful way of tracking/condensing/displaying it
(obviously, there are issues of private/public information;
tracking where/when people are and when to reveal intersecting
pieces of data to each other (shared knowledge)
ex: if 2 adventures were running independently,
someone has to be coordinating this in case they "walk in front
of each other")

contributing to the game

part of my responsibilities include coordinating the interactions
and resolving any conflicts that occur, providing the appropriate
information to everyone in such a way as to not overwhelm them
nor drag them around and spoon-feed them the information in a
sheltered environment.

What are other people's views/suggestions while running a pbem game?

Steven D. Gabai

References

The Broad Axe Tavern is now open for busy
gabai@paul.rutgers.edu (Steven Gabai)
Sat, 17 Jun 1989 13:51:03 +0000
Re: The Broad Axe Tavern
gabai@paul.rutgers.edu (Steven Gabai)
Sat, 17 Jun 1989 15:52:24 +0000
Re: The Broad Axe Tavern
gabai@paul.rutgers.edu (Steven Gabai)
Sat, 24 Jun 1989 11:46:32 +0000

Referenced By

The Broad Axe Tavern is now open for busy
gabai@paul.rutgers.edu (Steven Gabai)
Sat, 17 Jun 1989 13:51:03 +0000
Re: The Broad Axe Tavern
gabai@paul.rutgers.edu (Steven Gabai)
Sat, 17 Jun 1989 15:52:24 +0000
Re: The Broad Axe Tavern
gabai@paul.rutgers.edu (Steven Gabai)
Sat, 24 Jun 1989 11:46:32 +0000