[DL] DL via email....

["Jeff Shoffner" <shoffner@usit.net>]

Sounds like a couple of you guys play DL via email, so I wanted to pick your
brains a little....

How do you do email posts & whatnot?  Daily? Weekly?  Time limit & anyone
who doesn't post by then is "hesitating" & out of the action?

HOw do you handle dice rolls & card dealing?  Character creation?

Does anyone out there do a website, have folks email their moves in, then
update the story on the website?  (I think I've seen this done
once....Once!)

Reason why I'm asking is my current group of players is being gutted.  As of
mid February, I'll be down to one player, one marshal.  So, I'm seriously
considering opening up a RPbemail for DL.  I've done this once with Cthulhu,
but not sure if it would work for DL-- my means of running the Cthulhu used
in DL, that is.

First off, previous experience was with a bunch of friends that moved to the
far reaches of the Earth.  DL would be total strangers.

Second, my way of doing the email posting is I'd do a segment of the
storyline, give everyone a week to decide on what they wished to do during a
clump of story time, then next week, post the results, etc.  When the group
wound up in "Combat Mode," I'd bump this up to every day so that the combat
would go faster.  Instead of doing a "Okay, next segment, what do you do?"
'I shoot it.' "I shoot it.' 'Likewise.'  I would give a general description
of the action, then folks would reply with several options, like, "Okay, if
the bad guy runs towards me, I shoot him, if he drops the gun, I tell him to
put his hands over his head, if his skin splits open to reveal a gross
looking critter with eight arms, I run like hell." (Hey, it Cthulhu....)

Third, I did all the dice rolling.  I thought that would be fair to
everyone.

So, my thoughts in running DL would be to do a similar week posting of story
time with everyone ringing in as to what they wish to accomplish, switch to
daily combat postings when needed, & me handling all card dealing & dice
rolling.  Would something like that fly?  ALso, have no clue as to having
strangers roll up characters.  Yeah, I guess let them use whatever they roll
up or have handy, but what I'm trying to eliminate is the munchkin type
player that has all stats at D12 or D10, never misses a dice roll, & always
gets dealt five cards--RJ, four Aces, & one King.  I don't mean to say I
don't trust total strangers to be honest with dice rolls & cards, but just
having one person in the group ruins it for everyone.

At any rate, what do you guys suggest?  Oh, & as for doing the website
thing, I've never done that & don't intend to.  I have other things to do
than to sit here & mess with html coding....


So, what is the whole point of all this?  Well, since I've lost my playgroup
(& all of them do not wish to do RPBeM again), I might chance doing one with
some folks from this listserv.  Please note that I said MIGHT!!!! Don't
start sending me email wanting to play--I'm in the planning stage right now.
If I do, I will also tend to be a strict on the requirements; ie: if you
can't follow simple directions when asking to play, I won't even consider
you.

Jeff S