How to run a play-by-post campaign
Play-by-post is the slowest way to play a tabletop RPG and, for a lot of groups, the only one that fits real life. Nobody has to find the same four hours every week. The trade-off is that a campaign lives or dies on rhythm. This guide covers what experienced play-by-post DMs do to keep a game moving for months instead of weeks.
1. Set the posting rhythm before anything else
The single biggest cause of dead games is a mismatch in expectations. Decide, and write down:
- How often players should post. "At least once every 48 hours" is a common baseline. Daily works for keen groups; every 3 days is the slowest that still feels alive.
- How often you'll post. Your posts set the pace. If players post daily and you post weekly, they'll drift away.
- What happens when someone goes quiet. For example: after 48 hours the DM moves their character along sensibly; after a week the character steps into the background.
2. End every post with a question
In live play, the table's attention is automatic. In play-by-post, a post that just describes a room leaves everyone waiting for someone else to go first. Close each post with something to answer:
"The ferryman holds out his hand for the toll and says nothing. Brannoc, he's looking at you. What do you do?"
Naming a character does two things: it tells one player it's their turn, and it frees everyone else to react around them.
3. Don't wait for everyone
Waiting for every player before moving on means the whole game runs at the speed of the slowest poster. Instead, move the scene forward once most players have posted or your deadline passes. Write the absent character doing something reasonable and low-stakes, and let them catch up.
4. Run several small threads at once
When the party splits, play-by-post handles it far better than a live table: each group can carry on without the others waiting. Use that. A scene in the tavern and a scene on the rooftops can both move every day.
5. Make combat quick
Strict turn order is the slowest part of play-by-post. Common fixes:
- Group initiative: all players act, then all enemies act.
- Post-order initiative: players act in whatever order they post; the DM resolves the enemies once per round.
- Roll for the players when they say what they're doing, or let them roll in the same post, so no one waits for a second round-trip.
- Keep fights small. Three to five rounds is plenty in play-by-post. Let morale break and enemies flee.
See also How to keep combat moving in play-by-post.
6. Recap often
A campaign that's three months in has hundreds of posts. Every week or two, post a short recap: where the party is, what they know, what they were about to do. It helps returning players and newcomers equally.
7. Give each player a hook
Read every backstory and pull one thread from each into the first few weeks. Players who feel the story is about them stay. (Our guide on writing a backstory your DM can use is a good link to share with your players.)
8. Start with a session zero
Agree on tone, content limits, posting rhythm and how the group handles absences before the first scene. Use our session zero checklist.
How Talewrite helps
Talewrite is built for exactly this: character sheets and dice that live in the same place as the story, hidden rolls and a private DM book for the person running the game, battle maps when a fight starts, and email or text nudges when it's someone's turn. If you'd rather play than run the game, an AI Dungeon Master can take the chair instead.