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Wordsmith's Forge XII: Command & Conquer

Greetings, reader, and welcome to the twelfth- and final- Wordsmith's Forge. Those of you who've been regular readers of the column will now have characters made up and ready to roll. You may even have already decided what type of roleplaying you prefer, as we discussed last month. This month, I'm going to list off what it takes to start and run your own role-playing game, whether live chat, message board, or even pen and paper.

First off, whatever type of game you want to run, you're going to need lots of time to dedicate to it. Having run, at various points in my career, all but one of the game types, I can testify that lack of time is the bane of role-playing in general, and of administrators in particular.

The second thing you're going to need is players. Somewhere in the neighborhood of five or six people make a good group for a beginning game; more for some types of game- each game outline will have a suggested number.

The third and final thing you're going to need is some idea of a 'starter plot'; that is, a reason for the characters to be having the adventures they're having.

Message Board Roleplaying

Minimum suggested players: 4
Maximum suggested players for a beginning administrator: 8
Requirements: Computer, internet connection, web-host with messageboard.
Time spent per week: Anywhere from one to fourteen hours.

This type of game is fairly simple to run; you need merely set up a messageboard, then you and your players can begin. In terms of administration, all you need to do is read through the messages and make sure the rules you set are followed, as well as posting when needed to keep interest up.

Chat Room Roleplaying

Minimum suggested players: 4
Maximum suggested players for a beginning administrator: 8
Requirements: Computer, internet connection, access to a chat-room or instant messenger such as AIM or ICQ; web-space for archives (recommended).
Time spent per week: Anywhere from one to fourteen hours.

This type of game is slightly more difficult; you must first ensure that your players know when and where to go to play the game- usually on a weekly schedule, rarely on a daily schedule. That done, you have to take on the role of any non-player characters encountered in the course of the game. Finally, you have to remember to save the chat, then edit it, and finally upload the logs to the web or otherwise save them.

M.U.C.K. and its variants

Requirements: Computer, internet connection, Telnet client; MUCK character, good imagination.
Time spent per week: Anywhere from zero to forty or more hours.

This one's a little different, as you don't so much run the game as you do build a place in which people- perhaps you and your friends at a scheduled time, as in chat-room playing, or perhaps just random people- can play. Building- there isn't really any administrating involved- is difficult to learn, but fun once you've got the hang of it.

Furcadia

Minimum suggested players: 3
Maximum suggested players for a beginning administrator: 6
Requirements: Computer, internet connection, Furcadia program.
Time spent per week: Any amount.

Like the MUCK, you build a place for people to play. Unlike MUCK, however, you can build it using a graphical editor which makes it far easier to design. Also unlike MUCK, you set the rules in your own Dream, or area of the game. Your specific areas, however, are only online when you are. Administration is simple- if you see something you don't like, warn the person or, for extreme behaviors, kick them out.

"Sali-Dance" style roleplaying

Minimum suggested players: 4
Maximum suggested players for a beginning administrator: 8
Requirements: Computer, internet connection, web-host with messageboard.
Time spent per week: Anywhere from one to sixty hours.

This type of game is not reccomended for novice administrators, as it would take a phenomenal amount of dedication to administrate. Like message-board roleplaying, but more effort and time-intensive, as you must look through all the messages quickly.

Pass-Along-Stories

Minimum suggested players: 2
Maximum suggested players for a beginning administrator: 20
Requirements: Computer, internet connection, e-mail OR pen and paper
Time spent per week: Anywhere from zero to ten hours.

Simple. Merely line up a bunch of people willing to contribute chapters, give them a vague plot outline, and get started, passing the story's completed chapters on to the next author as the current one finishes. Continue this process until the story ends.

Play-By-Email roleplaying games

Minimum suggested players: 4
Maximum suggested players for a beginning administrator: 8
Requirements: Computer, internet connection, e-mail access
Time spent per week: Anywhere from one to fourteen hours.

Very similar to message-board roleplaying, but with the added bonus that the messages arrive right in your inbox. Simple and easy to administrate.

"Survivor" roleplaying games

Minimum suggested players: 8
Maximum suggested players for a beginning administrator: 11
Requirements: Computer, internet connection, web-host with messageboard, access to some type of web-poll feature; large audience.
Time spent per week: Anywhere from seven to forty-two hours.

This is the most time-intensive, though not difficult, type of game to run. First, you must advertise for players, then you must select the number you want- usually ten, though more or less are also acceptable. The game then begins, with the players writing and the audience voting on which is worst each week. That player must die or otherwise remove their character from the story, as dictated by the rules, until a predetermined number of characters- usually three- remain, at which point the audience chooses the overall winner.

Do note that in this, unlike in most other types of role-playing, it's considered unacceptable for the administrator to have a character.

Pen & Paper table-top roleplaying

Minimum suggested players: 3
Maximum suggested players for a beginning administrator: 6
Requirements: Notebook, various dice depending on the rules (Can have four, six, eight, ten, twelve, or twenty sides), pencil, character sheets, plot outline, map of gameworld, extremely good imagination, set of rules; other things (Miniature figures of the characters, measuring tape for distance-based games, etc) optional.
Time spent per week: Varies widely: Anywhere from no time at all to seventy hours or more.

The most difficult type of game to run, Pen & Paper is also the most rewarding. Using a set of rules, the players may build their characters, then go out ant explore the gameworld as they please, meeting with many, many things along the way. The administrator (Also called a Gamemaster, Dungeon Master, GM or DM) is responsible for creating the rules, ensuring that the players follow the rules, scheduling the game sessions, chronicling what happens to the players, creating the game-world, playing the part of any NPC's the group meets, taking the part of enemies in combat, telling the party what happens to them as a result of their actions... the list goes on.

In conclusion, I'd like to thank everyone who read this and all the other articles in the series, and to wish you happy writing. As always, I can be contacted if you have questions via the Private Message system in the Terrouge Forums, or by e-mail; my e-mail address is listed on my staff page.

As always, feel free to drop by the Wordsmith's Army in the Terrouge Forums to discuss this article or request help with a character, plot, or world.

Time to close the doors of the Forge for the final time. Onward, and may your pens stay ever sharp and ready!

By: Sean A.