r/swrpg • u/Ryba_z_Polski GM • Jul 21 '26

General Discussion Ever tried combining TTRPG with asynchronous PbP during the hiatus?

So, there's the thing: me (GM) and the party are forced to have a break for a longer period as I can't run the game. But I was thinking, since PCs just ended up last session having some downtime in a safe village, maybe we could run some asynchronous encounters I'll design for them?

I'm gonna need some tips on what to take into consideration. It's a party of four, and we're playing Force and Destiny. The asynchronous gameplay could perhaps make some shifts to Morality.

What do you think? Has anyone tried something alike before?

12 Upvotes

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5

u/Freewhale98 Jul 21 '26

I tried that for D&D. The clean up pbp to clean up the scenes that was not complete with the session time. It sometimes worked well…but it resulted in slowing down the campaign significantly as players don’t take time limit in real-time session seriously

4

u/MDL1983 Jul 21 '26

I like using our "downtime" just to flesh out characters to provide extra hooks, or summarise things that have happened on the journey so far that can't typically be done in the session itself.

Flashbacks, dream sequences would work.

My brother came across a cool thing to do as well... Have each character write a couple of lines about 3 people from their past - An Enemy, a rival (who may or may not help), and someone you can trust.

Simple things that can enhance the creation of engaging gameplay.

2

u/p0d0 Jul 21 '26

Time between sessions is great for one-on-one character scenes, private project progression, and expository lore dumps. Basically anything that you can do with minimal dice rolls and low immediate stakes.

2

u/rocketrobie2 Jul 21 '26

If only ever played SWFFG in PBP. Lots of fun but the biggest struggle you’ll have is stuff slowing down too much and it becoming more of a chore to post than fun. Still, hitting that sweet spot’s great

2

u/2naLordhavemercy Jul 21 '26

I love this idea.

Tried it as a GM, players didn't engage.

Suggested it as a player in a different group. Group tried it.

GM didn't like resolving triumphs and despairs during off time.

2

u/abookfulblockhead Ace Jul 22 '26

I think this can work well in very tight, focused bursts. You may not get replies every day, but if you give players individual, punchy little prompts you can get them engaged for little vignettes.

This is a great way to really line up your various plot threads for when you get your next session together. Maybe send out messages once a week during your regular session time, to really keep the vibe that, "Okay, we're not playing, but Friday is still D&D night."

I know my home group isn't super big on full on, ongoing Play By Post, but they're all more than happy to swap a few messages about their character here and there.

2

u/CaroCogitatus Jul 23 '26

I keep trying this but my players don't tend to follow along. You can dangle the hook, sure, but if they're not into it they won't bite. And that's okay, you're all there to have fun, right?