Utility: How To Run a Game

[Gandalf Parker]

Create a thread, or a post to a multi-thread. This is to announce your game and let you get people interested in joining it. Usually the person doing that is considered to be the person running the game. The Game Master, the arbitrator, the decider of arguments, the judge, the final say on "OK its been decided and this is what we are going with". Also its generally accepted to be the official person who is expected to contact the Host letting them know of the game settings and any changes in those later on (please dont expect all the hosts to read all the threads if they arent in the game that is being played).

Make the subject say that its a game starting. As the person who created the thread you can edit the subject later to say game has begun and the name of the game. The first post in the thread (yours) should be used for the basic game information. So if you dont have any of that yet then make the first post a placeholder. Or fill it in with what you want the game to be like in short details. Then the following posts are for longer explanations and discussions of game settings. That is of course IF you want discussion on game settings but keep in mind that YOU are the person that is running the game that YOU want to run. There are plenty of options for other games with other settings so dont feel pressured to change the game to something else that you might bail out on early. If you do quit the game then quitting the game is not as big a problem as dropping it. PLEASE be honorable enough to pass the torch of running the game to someone else if you quit.

Here are some things you might decide for the game you want to run, or allow the players to debate, or a mix of both. You should probably state right off in the first or second post which things you feel are pre-decided and which you are allowing to be open for discussion.

PbEM (Play by EMail)? Direct Connect (TCPIP)? Both?
Player hosted? Neutrally hosted? What host are you hoping for? Backups?
How often should it host? Quickturn (as soon as all player files are turned in)? 24 hours? Both? (all files or 24 hours)? host set for specific day or time? automatic pause day (hosting time paused on Suday)?

What era? any nations not allowed?
How many players? How long will you wait for joiners? Uploadtime auto-enforced by the host?
Hall of Fame 15? Renaming on?
Simple Victory (there can only be one)?
Scenario? (one example would be having one of the expert players or the IRC group role-play a common enemy)

Money (gold) turned down? turned up? default?
Supplies (food) turned down? turned up? default?
Resources (production) turned down? turned up? default?
Magic (research) slower? faster? default?
Magic Sites? 40 (default)? more? less? maximum? none?
Independents Strength? low? high? chaotic? none?
Number of starting provinces to speed up start (but can break balances). 1? 3? 5?

Map Victory (take VP locations)?
Info on nations available in game (graphs)? Scoreboard visible (html)? Stats file visible?
Will you demand email addresses? Demand passwords?

MODs? No MODs? (keep in mind that mods can make it harder to get hosting)
Certain spells removed? CBM? Heroes Mod?

Rules on NAPs? Rules on missed turns?

AIs? (computer players at the start? maybe filling in any unfilled nations)
AIs that are not part of the game (MOD'd nations as AIs for more challenge)?
AIs as a major opponent?

Map and map size: Discussion of how many provinces per player? 5? 10? 20?
A map that came with the game and everyone has it?
A map created and made available here in the forum?
A Random-Generated map so that no one has seen it before?
A Random-Generated map that has been checked by a 3rd party for balance, reasonable start sites, etc?
Wrap-Map?
No-Independents Map? Chaotic Independents map? Semi-Randomized map?