OOC - Tips from a Hobbit

For Lucian...

Ok here are my top ten tips for making a game work. They are completely subjective and could be a load of bunkem but have a read and see what you think.

1. Use this platform not only to promote but also to develop your game and world. Every time I run a Maelstrom worldbuilding post two things happen, I gain a deeper understanding of my world and I generally gain a new player.

2. Get at least one experienced writer who has been a successful moderator on board. Beg borrow or steal them, it matters not. Even if they only stick around to help you get started it will set you up for success.

3. This is your world, you need to love it more than anyone else and even if you decide to Co-mod, it will still need to be your passion and commitment that drives the game forward. Don't just set it up an expect it to flow because sooner or later it will flow of a cliff edge and game over.

4. This is not your world! As soon as you open up your world to a collaborative fiction project/game like this it ceases to become yours only. People will change it, add to it and sometimes in ways that you do not like. Suck it up and unless it breaks the game then roll with it.

5. Be nice but be the boss. So I did not want Dragons in Beyond the Ragnarok yet because it would spoil something I had planned, so I had to jump right in and say so. I did not want Maelstrom to become a quick fire casual game so I had to address a new player that turned out to have that play style (I have nothing against that style by the way, in fact I enjoy it in other games).

6. So on the matter of play style unless you are strict on who joins, which is not really possible when the game is new, the style and pace of your game will be dictated by its initial cast. You may be able to steer it over time, but for the most part you just need to go with it. If you play against the posting style of your members you will put them off.

7. Give yourself a small cast of NPCs besides your main character and use them to drive the story and to bring new players into the action. It allows you to steer the game without turning your character into the central character of the game.

8. Decide between an open world or a linear adventure. An open world is harder and will take up much more time and even in this type of world you need a larger plot to be happening in the background to give the game pace, even if characters are not directly engaged with it. A linear adventure gives you much more control and simply requires you to tell a good tale and keep people entertained. I say simply... ;)

9. Blimey I'm at 9 already... Communicate. Use email of you can, people are nicer and more constructive on email. Plus it saves littering your early game with OOC after OOC. if you communicate on email you can plan for players leaving or being busy. It makes joint posts possible and it allows you to world build and plot with people away from prying eyes :) Always remind players that real life comes first and take the pressure off when ever you can, when players feel guilty they hide and when they are hiding they do not post.

10. When things are quiet time your posts and give other players ideas for theirs. You will spot opportunities for story that others may not so tell them and for the most part they will appreciate it. Also, when it is quiet and someone posts you may want post back straight away. Don't. Instead watch the front page and post just before it drops of the bottom. This will give you a balanced pace to you game. You see games where players post several times in a day and then nothing for a week or so and the game becomes obscure and unattractive to new players. I also dont like posting too many times in a row as moderator as it starts to feeling like I am talking to myself and looks a little desperate.

So there you go, those are my thoughts and I did not even tell you to embrace the power of god modding, for fear of being pelted by rotten fruit. Or maybe i did...