New Game Description Requirements?

[Matt]

I would like to create a form for all STs that want to create a new game to fill out. It is my ultimate goal to have this be searchable so that players can more easily see what games are open and to find out quickly if it interests them.

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Here is my initial list:

• Game System
• Game Name
• Number of PCs Desired
• ST Posting Frequency
• Player Posting Frequency
• Starting PC Power Level
• Open to New Players? (yes or no. would need to be updated as game progresses)
• Setting Description (Short description of setting)

You would still be able to describe your game in any detail you want.

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I am looking for people to help me modify my list to create something that makes sense for every game on here. What ideas do you have for my list or anything else that we can do to make it easier for new players to join a game on this site?

[Justin OOC]

I actually really like the list you have, though I wonder if a basic rundown on character creation would be good to include.

[Dawn OOC]

It might be good to include House Ruled - Yes/No as an option at the front since most people will want to know if there are alterations to the standard rules up front.

[JoeChuck]

I agree with putting a house rules entry for the game description. Character creation, I could go either way. I mean a lot of times house rules are about character creation. So, I don't know if they need to be separate entries.

[Dawn OOC]

I meant a checkbox for that, so a player could search for a house-ruled Abby game, if they so wished. But yes, house rules should be in the character creation or the description fields.

[Sailor OOC]

That is brilliant. I would wager this would be an application page where the information is put in and then the application information is made into a database? Just asking about the technical stuff.

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As for the question itself, I think it should also have an entry for "Player Cap". For instance my game started with a 4 player cap. This of course should be expandable (for instance my game now is taking 2 more players, and one has already joined).

[Dawn OOC]

Chosen has a spot for "Number of Players Desired" listed in his post.

[Sailor OOC]

Ah... didn't process that meant "Hard Cap." My bad.

[Heritage]

This is a great idea, and I fully support it!

[Dave ST]

Making a list is kinda easy, but it always leaves me wondering if I'd forgotten anything. I use this method where I actually make an example based on the contents of the list.

Game System: Trinity (Storyteller d10)

Game Name: America Offline

Number of PCs Desired: 6 (one of each Order represented)

ST Posting Frequency: 1/week minimum

Player Posting Frequency: 1/week minimum

Starting PC Power Level: Base, +25XP

Open to New Players?: No, unless the count drops below 6. New players are expected to make a PC that fills the Order requirement of the PC that was lost/dropped out of play.

Setting Description: America Offline is a core Trinity setting. 6 Psions are assembled as a team by the Æon Trinity to take on missions that will benefit humanity, take the fight to the Aberrants and Chromatics, and help ensure a more unified world. This is a game rife with espionage, conspiracy and possibly secret discoveries that may force the PCs to choose whether they are loyal to their orders and the Æon Trinity, or each other.

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Where will your loyalty lie?

Okay... I like it. It's missing something though from my perspective. Aside from setting description I would place in an expectations part. For example:

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What to Expect: This is a 'by the book' Trinity game which means character death is a possibility. While the game will lean towards 'action hero' in it's themes (meaning the PCs will look really cool doing really cool things), the dice may, on occasion not fall in your favor. Armor will break, equipment will fail, you get the idea.

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I might also include a 'Rating'.

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Theme: This will be a 'dark' and gritty game that will include themes of an adult nature. Drug use, language, sex, violence. This game has a mature player requirement.

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Now, take a second and add your ideas to mine... and go from there. We'll be able to see what fits, and what's extraneous. Like Carver's House Rule idea... I'd put that right under 'Game System'.

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Game System: Trinity (Storyteller d10)

House Rules?: No. But some of the 'optional rules' will be in play.

Game Name: America Offline

Number of PCs Desired: 6 (one of each Order represented)

ST Posting Frequency: 1/week minimum

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Hope it's helpful.

[Matt]

Thanks for the feedback so far all. And thanks for working through the example Dave.

[Matt]

Below is the site integration using Dave's example data.

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Here is the current edit screen:

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Here is the thread view:

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And here is the forum view:

[Matt]

I think it is nice to show the details for open to new players, but for my purposes I will probably need to truncate it to just yes or no. Part of the reason of doing this is so that I can set up a script to show games currently accepting new players.

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Do you think having that much info on the forum view is worthwhile or overkill? That would be the updated look per game for this page: http://www.rpgpost.com/forum/303-new-rpg-game-recruitment/

[Dave ST]

I think the yes/no option will be fine. Covering additional players i something that could be discussed in the expectations section or individually as the situation came up. As far as the forum view goes, I think it's worthwhile. I think the more information the better. It allows people to know exactly what they're walking into or assists in narrowing down what sort of game they're looking for. I know some people don't prefer certain themes and the more we can narrow the search the less likely they are to be blindsided. All around I think the more informed players are the less disappointed they are likely to be.

[Matt]

I'll give people some time to see if they have suggestions for the current list of questions.

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The next step is to figure out how people would search for a game and what is important to provide for the search.

• Option 1 - Just have an option to display open games.
• Option 2 - Make as much of the data as possible selectable instead of text so that people can search for specifically what they want.

Which option makes the most sense to you?

[Stargaizer]

If you could have an option for open games in a particular system. Like all open M&M, or all open Trinity. Or they could leave the system blank and just look for all open games.

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Would that be too much?

[Matt]

I'm not sure what is too much.

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How many games are currently accepting new players? If the list is pretty short then there is no need to add additional filtering. So if you are running a game and are willing to take on new players please post the name of you game here so that I can get a number.

[Matt]

Here are the games listed in the recruitment forum:
[M&M3e] Dark Fantasy (redux!)
The Magic Earth, a M&M 3e Game
Dungeons and Dragons 3.5?
BESM: World of Recovery


So that's 4 to start.

[Dawn OOC]

Magi will take new people.