There is a thread in the main forum about Play by Post or Play by email, a few people have expressed interest. I sent the below portion of my game to them showing how we are doing the play by email. I thought I would post it here for an example and hopefully for your reading enjoyment.
The current game is a a rag tag group of characters. A Thug named Kesh, a Barber surgeon named Arz, a Bright mage named Rylan, and a Priest of Morr named Konrad. These 4 characters where controlled by 2 players, but one player dropped out, so now Kesh and Arz are being controlled by 1 player and I took over the mage and Priest as NPCs. I have 3 people wanting to join now, so I will probably phase out the NPCs at the right time.
We started doing email after we had finished a live game. the guys live way too far away to play regularly.
Here is the latest few rounds that just happened in our game over the last week (if combat gets heavy and detailed, I will have blocks of character information included in the email that keeps track of health, fatigue, etc.:
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[At the site the witch was spotted, Arz and Rylan are investigating]
(Player) Arz will finish his investigation at the site where they fought the witch and then ask Rylan to join him in checking in on Pirn van Beek and Saskia. They may be able to give them more details about what happened that night.
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[back at the Inn, Kesh has been in conversation with some of the locals]
(Player) Kesh will answer Steffan, "I come out here because my arms will grow weak if I spend all of my time lounging around in a drinking hole throwing out drunks, even the the fat ones." He says this with a smile on his face. "As for the army or KNIGHTHOOD, my standing by birth is probably lower than the worms in your marsh. Besides, as things are now, I command myself and my sword still drinks it's fair share of blood. And I still drink my fair share of beer. Speaking of which, how about another round?"
Kesh would probably have one more round of beer with them and then go out looking for Arz and Rylan or Konrad. He will have determined that he may have made a few friends and at least decided that there was not much more information to gather from these men.
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(GM) Arz and Rylan approach the location they heard they could find Pirn van Beek, in his simple hovel of a home near the back of the village. You heard he is a simple fisherman, but now the villagers regard him as a hero.
You see a small boy playing out front, once he sees you coming he calls for "Mom". A woman comes to the makeshift door. Her name is Janna and she is Pirn's wife. She let's you in. You smell some kind of stew cooking in a small black pot over a fire, it doesn't smell great, but it helps kill the rotten fish smell outside. Inside is a simple dirt floor, a wooden table with a few stools, and two beds that are simple piles of hay on the floor covered with blankets. In one of them is a man bedridden who you assume is Pirn. Kneeling next to him is a petite woman who looks to be in her early 40s with corn-colored hair and fading good looks. Her blue eyes turn to look at you and she greets you. Her name is Saskia. Pirn takes another swig of what looks to be a healing draft and then stammers as he greets you. Pirn's wife tries to smile but it fades to a worried expression for her husband, she turns and goes back to her cooking.
Saskia stands up, "You are hear to find the Witch?"
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(Player) Arz will say to Pirn, "Hello good sir. My name is Arz von Helwulf. I was once a field surgeon for the great army of Reikland. If you would permit me, I wish to inspect your wounds and lend any assistance that my humble skills could provide for you. Afterwards, we can talk about the witch."
Arz will attempt first aid on the man if he is willing.
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[GM] [i am going to take over a bit to set the scene]
Pirn looks very pale and his skin is covered in sweat, "Sa -- Saskia, takes g - good care of me." He says weakly.
"I've been giving him healing potions, but he is not responding well to them, he is in a lot of pain." Saskia says.
Arz pulls back the cover over Pirn, you can see that he has burns on his right side, facing you, his right arm was also burned. The majority of the wounds are wrapped with cloth, that look like they haven't been changed since the first time, they are dirty and damp with sweat, you also see blackish red stains coming through the cloth.
Pirn's wife holds back tears. Saskia looks surprised, "He's bleeding."
"Get some new cloth ready." Arz says as he pulls a cutting tool from his pack.
Arz cuts along the cloth and pulls it back, and just about everyone gasps. Pirn's side is pitch black, strands of sticky black blood pull like glue as the cloth is pulled away. The smell is terrible. Pirn lets out a moan of pain.
"It's gotten worse!" Saskia says.
In the light it is hard to make anything out, his side being so charred black. Arz sees some spots that look like either puss filled bumps, or even worse, blackened ribs poking through the skin. Arz sits the cutting tool down, grabs a nearby candle and holds it close to the wound. With his other hand he tries to inspect the protrusions, and touches it. And then it happens...
Pirn lets out a horrible scream of pain. With the candle light close to his side, Arz suddenly realizes that the surface of his skin is transparent like -- he is shocked by both Pirn's scream and also what, terrifyingly, looked like movement underneath the surface of Pirn's skin. The protruding objects look like spidery fingers sticking through his side, with puss and blackened blood dripping around it. Arz only has a second to take this all in before Pirn's side explodes! The fingers stretch out into a long, black, oozing arm and grips Arz by the neck!
Pirn's eyes roll into the back of his head as he goes limp. His wife and Saskia scream out in horror!
[At this point, unless you don't want to, you can take over Rylan for combat, let me know]
[Roll Discipline vs terror 3 -- 3 purple]
[Arz needs to roll Athletics vs 2 purple]
[Then Roll initiative -- Arz gets 2 black die]
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[Player - This stuff would look awesome in a movie]
As for my discipline roll on Arz, please note that I did just train it. I will let you roll it. I have a base of 3 willpower I think and with it trained that should help a lot. I hopefully am at least one stance in conservative since I was checking his wound in that fashion.
For athletics, Arz has a base of 3 strength. Even with a conservative die, two purple is a lot. I will use my human trait "favored by fortune" to roll two extra fortune dice with it.
For initiative, I believe that I have a base agility of 3 with an added white fortune bought by one experience point. I will let you do my rolls.
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Rylan, I don't have his sheet in front of me. I would expect him to yell some exhortation of disgust and shock, "By the fiery beard of Montag!"
Does Rylan have a flaming hand thing where he could grab the black arm with fire? If he does not have such a spell, then he should do the magic dart spell.
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[GM] Arz is stunned, never in his years of working on the human body would he ever imagine such a thing being possible. The events at the Grunewald Lodge several weeks ago was his first encounter with such madness, but this?! This can't be happening!
The women scream as the thing oozes and expands out of Pirn's body, as if he is giving birth. Pirn's torso stretches and rips with puss and black gore as it gives way to the creatures increasing mass.
Its grip gets tighter around Arz's neck as it expands and begins to take some twisted, deformed shape. Its torso stretches upward as red eyes form and now look down on Arz. Several flailing appendages burst from its side, splattering black gore everywhere. One of them strikes a lantern and it falls to the bed and catches the hay on fire.
Arz grips the arm and does all he can to try and break free, and finally he does. He scrambles back into Rylan and tries to get to his feet.
This snaps Rylan out of his stunned stupor, "Get out of here!" He yells to the women.
A fanged maw forms under the eyes of the creature as it lets out its first gurgling shriek, black gore spews from its mouth. It shambles forward and strikes out with its flailing appendages! A tentacle slams Arz across his face as he is getting to his feet. Another hits Rylan -- a sharp tip slashing a deep wound across the cheek, and then another grabs Saskia by the ankle -- she falls to the ground as it pulls on her.
With one arcane word, the tip of Rylan's staff bursts into flame, and Rylan jabs it into the appendage that pulls on Saskia. It lets go and she scrambles out the door behind Pirn's wife.
"Come, let's get outside!" Rylan yells to Arz, as he moves backwards out the door.
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[GM -- Meanwhile, Near the Inn]
Kesh had only been outside the inn for a few minutes, the drinks not mixing well with the terrible smell in this village, when he hears faint screaming coming from somewhere. He looks around and off across the square he sees others reacting to it. Several people start heading to the back of the village.
[both Arz and Rylan are struck by terror, suffering 3 stress and 3 fatigue. Rylan also has the Frightened Condition.]
[Arz has a Successful athletics check on breaking free]
[Arz takes 5 wounds, Rylan takes 7]
[Arz Initiative 1]
[Rylan Initiative 2]
[Kesh is at extreme range, going from extreme to long takes 3 manoeuvres]
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[Player] Arz will run out the door as well. He will attempt to take his blunderbuss out of his gear pack on his back and load it. I don't know if there are enough manoeuvres in there to fire as well or not. If so, then he will shift one stance into conservative and attempt basic ranged attack. If he is engaged with the enemy, then he will attempt the close quarters shot unless the enemy is engaged with another bystander.
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[Player] Kesh will shift one stance into reckless and run hard to get to the commotion. He will take a fatigue to move from extreme to long. One manouevre for free, another for his action, and another by taking a fatigue.
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[GM] It would take 3 manoeuvres to move back, take out a weapon, and load. I was thinking u kept it loaded though. But that would still take 2 moves before firing. Do you want to suffer a 4th fatigue to do an extra move?
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[Player] No, I'll just run out as far as I can without creating fatigue. As for keeping it loaded, guns like that may not realistically stay loaded. The shot may not stay in place. If it was a revolver style, then yes, but a blunderbuss or single shot gun of that era or style, then no.
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[GM]
Arz runs out the door. Everything is a blur as his heart beats heavy in his chest; he feels the warm, black gore still on his face and around his neck. He hears it coming from behind him ... he hears its gurgling shrieks ... he sees the blur of a crowd gathering and then hears their gasps ... gasps that turn into screams of panic. He sees Saskia and Pirn's wife running also. But Rylan ... where is Rylan?! Arz turns and sees Rylan near the home...
The thing nearly shatters the door frame as it shambles out, the gathering crowd is stunned; some scream, some run, and others just stand in awe. Impossibly it has already grown to the size of a man, a horribly twisted abomination. It slams into Rylan, a flailing arm with spike like growths slams across his face and black gore mixed with Rylan's red blood flies. He is already going limp when he is struck again and his body just bends like a rag doll being abused by a child.
[The sight of this attack, Rampaging Mutation, causes terror 2, and Arz fails, increasing his stress and fatigue by 2, now 5 each. He also gains the insanity: Terrifying Visions - At the end of each encounter, or after a full nights rest, you recover 1 less fatigue and and 1 less stress than normal.]
Kesh can hear the screams as he runs, his heart thundering as he moves quickly through the crowd. He can see people running from around a house. What could cause such a thing? Has the witch returned?
[Kesh is now at long range, it takes 2 moves to go to medium.]
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[Player] Kesh will know something bad is happening. He will probably think that the witch has returned. He will draw his sword and equip his shield and move closer.
Arz will yell for Rylan. It is probably too late though.
Arz is going to have to create more distance from this monster. He is going to run away some, draw out his blunderbuss and load it, but try to keep distance between him and the creature. If it is coming straight for him, then he won't waste time with the blunderbuss, he'll just keep running.
[btw, very gruesome, but very cool]
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[GM] Kesh comes around the corner as people nearly run over him fleeing for their lives. He then spots Arz, who looks like he saw a ghost, running toward him. What the hell has gotten into these people?! And then he sees it, something dark and misshapen moving rapidly toward the crowd, coming right at him. His mind can barley wrap around it trying to comprehend what he is seeing. He sees Rylan laying in the mud behind it, possibly dead. Smoke rises from a small hut in the back.
[At this point Kesh and Arz are at long range from the house, but the creatures turn comes up again and it moves from long to medium (2) so it is now at medium range. Do you wish to add anything to Kesh's roll vs terror? Also go ahead and do your actions, in any order.]
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[A phone discussion takes place where the player says he will Assess the Situation, then I continue]
[Kesh fails his Terror check]
Kesh is floored by what he sees; such a thing seems impossible to exist. As it shrieks and moves, its appendages flail about violently -- it's form is twisted and against nature.
The crowd continues to run away, some run into their homes and slam their doors shut, a boy tries to climb over a 5 foot wooden fence as two dogs behind the fence bark madly. You see a couple of guards gather on the wall, and fire their crossbows at it, but they are too far and miss.
The creature seems set on Arz, it moves quite fast. Black slime spews out of several gaps in its flesh and mouth. It gains on Arz and starts striking and grasping at him violently as its horrific shrieks pierce the air..
[The creature moves from medium to close. to engaged with Arz, does Arz dodge or anything?]
[Arz is now at 4 stress and 4 fatigue, Kesh is at 3 stress and 3 fatigue]
[Go ahead and tell me actions you perform if you want to attempt after its attack, and any stance, dice modifiers you may have]
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[Player]
Arz is somewhat terrified.
Arz has the chain shirt on so that should help with his defence. Also, he will use his parry and his dodge for two more misfortune dice. He will use up all three of his fortune dice for three more misfortune dice to the creature's difficulty. He is basically scurrying and doing all that he possibly can to get away. Don't forget the defense added black die for assess situation to help Arz also.
If he is conscious after the attack, he will shift one further step into conservative (trying to pull himself together) and use a manouevre to go from engaged to close and fire his blunderbuss at the creature. He will have one extra misfortune die because of his fatigue. Don't forget his fortune die that he has with his agility now though.
Kesh will run to help Arz and attack the creature. He will shift one further step into reckless, use one manouevre to get engaged with the thing and attack it with RECKLESS CLEAVE. He will use his "favored by fortune" human ability to add two fortune dice to the attack. The passive defence that he'll put tokens on (part of reckless cleave's disadvantage) will be block. Kesh should have 1 reckless die, 4 characteristic dice, 1 expertise die, 4 fortune dice (one for specialization, one for superior sword, two for human ability). If I am forgetting any, please add them.
and that is where we left off today