initial info for Emerald Flame?

pages/emerald-flame/index.md

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+Title:          Emerald Flame
+Description:    bss's play by email TTRPG meta-campaign.
+
+# Emerald Flame
+
+Emerald Flame is a PBEM Cypher System campaign set in my "house" setting of [Etravar](/etravar/). I run my campaigns
+pretty free-form, with setting details filled in by everyone as we go, so there's no premeditated plot to start with,
+other than exploring a high fantasy game and seeing where it takes us.
+
+I'll fill this page in as the game progresses, but for now, here's some starting and organizing information.
+
+## Etravar
+
+I have successfully run games in established settings, such as the Forgotten Realms, but I tend not to hew too close to
+the setting canon, so for this campaign, I'm going to use the setting that I have just started putting some bones
+together for, and as we play, we'll provide more detail based on our wants and needs. The link above includes said bones
+and whatever else we've defined to this point --- at its briefest, Etravar is a high fantasy campaign setting, with some
+in-world justification for embracing weird stuff to encounter and explore.
+
+We'll start in a small town in Trezuria, which we can figure out the details of as we start creating characters with
+backgrounds. Assume there's a new weird anomaly in the area that you're interested in for whatever reason.
+
+## Play By Email
+
+I have started an [Emerald Flame mailing
+list](https://lists.incorporeal.org/postorius/lists/emerald-flame.lists.incorporeal.org/) for people to subscribe to.
+Both players and readers/lurkers are encouraged to subscribe, and can do so via the web form (known/interested players
+should further send an email to the list and/or ping me off the list, so I can set up the moderation settings
+appropriately). The list will be moderated to allow only the current players to post to the game, but anyone is welcome
+to read, and there will also be a public archive if people would prefer to read that way.
+
+A draft of thoughts on how to conduct our game over email is available [here](/play-by-email). These are some things
+I've learned from similar ventures in the past, and also some ideas that I think should be good --- but they are just
+guidelines, and of course malleable to our group's needs.
+
+### Reminders and Pings
+
+I've also started an IRC channel, #emerald-flame, on [Randomus](https://randomus.net/), my IRC network. Players are
+encouraged to join for reminders and other out-of-game conversations ([web IRC
+link](https://webirc.randomus.net/#emerald-flame), or ask me for access to [persistent web
+connections](https://lounge.randomus.net), or see the Randomus site for client setup info), but it is expected to be
+very low traffic, and optional.
+
+## Cypher System
+
+I love [the Cypher System](/cypher/). It's a flexible system with a lot of room for homebrew and game-specific rules,
+with rich character customization options, and yet the core game mechanic is pretty simple and well-suited for
+asynchronous play. There's a great rendering of [the Cypher System Reference
+Document](https://callmepartario.github.io/og-csrd/) that I suggest reading if you are not familiar with the game, and I
+also have some ever-expanding [set of homebrew and house rules](https://orb.moe/cypher/#homebrew-and-house-rules) that
+will probably be relevant to the game.
+
+### Character Creation
+
+Firstly, I encourage talking through any ideas and questions you have on the mailing list (I'll start a thread after
+some signups), so folks can see them and build ideas around the group. But, if you're still interested or on the fence,
+feel free to just ping me with any questions.
+
+[Old Gus' Unofficial Cypher System Player's Guide](https://callmepartario.github.io/og-csrd/og-cspg.html) is a really
+good starting point for getting into the system and character creation in a guided way, if you want to just take a crack
+at it on your own or get a feel for it. I have some homebrew character options and house rules, as linked above, that
+I'm working on integrating into my own copy of the CSRD, but for the moment you can just refer to that above as you're
+building a character.
+
+Things to be sure to look at:
+
+* [How to play](https://callmepartario.github.io/og-csrd/#this-is-how-you-play-the-cypher-system)
+* [Key concepts](https://callmepartario.github.io/og-csrd/#key-concepts)
+* [The fantasy genre in general](https://callmepartario.github.io/og-csrd/#chapter-13-fantasy)
+    * [Common foci](https://callmepartario.github.io/og-csrd/#fantasy-foci)
+    * [Options in building common concepts](https://callmepartario.github.io/og-csrd/#fantasy-character-options)
+    * [Species](https://callmepartario.github.io/og-csrd/#fantasy-species-descriptors)
+* [Types](https://callmepartario.github.io/og-csrd/#chapter-5-type)
+* [Examples of character arcs](https://callmepartario.github.io/og-csrd/#sample-character-arcs)

pages/play-by-email.md

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+Title:          Play By Email Games
+Description:    bss's thoughts, guidelines, and etc. on playing "tabletop" roleplaying games over email.
+
+# Play By Email Games
+
+I'm providing some notes (still in draft form) for plans and procedures on playing RPGs over email. This is meant, for
+the moment at least, to be an organization of what I'm thinking will work, to see if others will think it'll work too.
+~bss
+
+## Timing
+
+PBEM is a great format because it allows a variety of players in different timezones and of different availabilities to
+play a game together, but PBEM is tougher because it can take weeks to accomplish something that might otherwise take an
+hour. I think the most effective way to keep the game moving is regular posting to keep the action moving. A good
+posting cadence might be every few days, hopefully no more than once a week?
+
+## Updates
+
+Of course, half of the fun is having the space to write to a desireble length in one post and let the game play out
+between what you present and the others' reaction to that post. We just need to make sure the focus is on action. These
+are some guidelines (not rules) that I think make sense.
+
+**First:** describe your character in terms of the actions they take.
+
+You should frame your updates in terms of what your character does. Internal monologues and scene setting are welcome
+(encouraged, in fact), but in the end, the update for the rest of the players is what *is happening*, not merely what
+your character sees or thinks. This gives the group something to riff off of and respond to or use to consider their
+next action. Worry less about the game terms for doing a thing, and just do the thing. Or...
+
+**Second:** ask questions if the details matter, but don't let them stop the action.
+
+If you need more information, or a ruling to be made, ask, but see if you can provide contingent actions based on the
+expected results, where appropriate. This is just to save time of back and forth. Feel free to update with a modest set
+of options, e.g. "if the dragon rears to attack, I quickly jump behind the pile of treasure next to me, but if it
+chooses to negotiate, I would like to take a diplomatic tone." "If that awning looks like it'd be possible for me to
+reach, I'll jump up there, spending effort if I need to, but if it seems impossible I'll run around the corner." Or
+whatever.
+
+**Third:** if the details don't matter yet, embellish, but also embrace "yes, but".
+
+If a minor NPC is a valuable (or maybe even trivial) addition to your post, add them and write how they respond. I don't
+need to get in the way of that, and I consider world-building to be a collaborative thing. Describe something noteworthy
+in the marketplace, elaborate on the manner or demeanor of the people in the street, or have a merchant agree to common
+terms on the cost of normal items. This too keeps the game moving, and gives more in the world to react to (or have
+react to you). Just don't go overboard.
+
+**Fourth:** I reserve the right to make a basic, but reasonable, action for idle characters in combat.
+
+For most out-of-combat situations, it's easy to assume that any players not taking an action are happy to go along with
+the flow, so if players are quiet for a bit, the action still progresses. In combat, however, charaters doing nothing
+can disturb the narrative and the gameplay, so if it's been days (or a week?) since a post and we're in combat, I may
+take a reasonable action for your character to keep the game moving.
+
+## Post Format
+
+I don't want to make posting updates arduous; getting the post out there is the important part. I think some guidelines
+will help, however.
+
+**First:** out-of-character questions, updates, etc. in brackets (`[]`).
+
+Describing action should be done in paragraphs with no specific formatting. Dialogue should be in quotation marks. Out
+of character information, questions, mechanical stuff, however, should be in paragraphs enclosed in `[` and `]`.
+Example:
+
+```
+Having dodged the dragon's terrible acid breath, Croma is undeterred by the
+assault and charges forward, broadsword primed over his shoulder, yelling
+a challenge. When he reaches the dragon, he swings down, focused, perhaps
+overconfidently, on decapitating it in one blow.
+
+"I swore that I would return with your head as a trophy!"
+
+[This is a pretty tough dragon, right? I think I'm going to use two
+levels of Effort on this just to make sure, and as a reminder I am skilled
+in "making reckless attacks", which I think this qualifies as? Either way,
+a Might-based attack, and I don't know the difficulty so I'll let you roll
+it.]
+```
+
+**Second:** if you are quoting a post, post your reply *below* the quote; everything should read in order from the top
+of the post.
+
+AKA "bottom-posting", put your reply or continuaton of thought below the text you are responding to, so that it reads
+logically without scrolling to the bottom to find the context. Try to chop the post to its specific context as well,
+when possible, to reduce the amount of quoted text people have to reread. Example:
+
+```
+> When he reaches the dragon, he swings down, focused, perhaps
+> overconfidently, on decapitating it in one blow.
+
+[Attacking the dragon is Difficulty 5, but with your Effort and skill, the
+7 I rolled for you is just enough.]
+
+Crome's broadsword strikes the dragon's neck soundly, but, surprisingly to
+Crome --- and perhaps no one else --- the dragon's head is *not* severed,
+and it reflexively lashes back in pain, knocking Crome back on his feet
+next to the dragon. A bit of acid drips from the dragon's open wound, but
+it looks angered and committed to continuing the fight.
+```
+
+**Third:** reply to the existing thread whenever possible.
+
+Mail clients that do threading of posts make it easy to collect emails by subject, and can result in a nice tree view of
+the proceedings. Generally, a new scene warrants a new top post with a new subject, but otherwise updates within that
+scene should usually be replies to the most recent or relevant post in the thread.
+
+**Fourth:** if you have an out of character update or question or so on, start a new thread starting with "OOC:"
+
+If you have a question or update for the group --- you have a question about a rule or character option, or maybe you're
+letting the group know you'll be on vacation for a week --- rather than complicating the gameplay with a tangent, make a
+new thread and start the subject with "OOC: ". In OOC threads, the rest of the formatting guidelines don't really matter
+--- they're just emails.
+
+## Rolling Dice
+
+Personally, I think I'm good with the honor system. If you know the parameters of the roll and are ready to roll, make
+the roll yourself with whatever tool you prefer and tell us the result, both in game terms and in narrative terms. (In a
+Cypher System game, this usually means you know the difficulty of the task you are attempting, are conscious of any
+Effort you are spending, and are at least fairly confident in the assets, hindrances, and skills in play. Just be okay
+with being corrected if you are meaningfully off in your calculations.)
+
+You can also just roll if you don't know the target or want to leave the math to me --- again, honor system in both
+directions. Cypher System rolls are simple d20 rolls, so you could just say (OOC) that you rolled an 8 and leave
+success/failure to me.
+
+And, as in the example above, if you'd prefer to just leave the whole business to me, that's fine too.
+
+## The Mailing List
+
+The mailing list created for a campaign will provide a common point for managing member email addresses, providing some
+list-specific settings, and automatically archiving our emails. **This list, and notably the archive, will be publically
+viewable.** This is advantageous to allow those casually interested to check out the game and potentially become the
+next player in the game. However, the list will be moderated and only allow the game's players to post to it without
+review. This is, of course, a spam reduction tactic, but will also help keep the game from drifting off-topic.
+
+My MTA *should* have a pretty good reputation with providers, but the state of email in 2025 is always on a knife's
+edge, so mail delivery may have issues from time to time; it's recommended to whitelist/accept/filter-on/etc. the list
+email address.