RPG Crossing has a number of special tools to help make running your game easier.

You've had a creative brainstorm, or have found a module you'd really like to run--Great! You've figured out how the plot's going to go, what the setting will be, and how you'll run the game as far as player numbers and party composition. Right on! Now, make sure you know what kinds of games get approved here--read the FAQ item on this, if you haven't already. Now it's time to...

Apply for your Game

Go into your Tools menu in the main navigation bar. Click Request a Game. Remember, any non-banned member with more than four posts can apply to create a game.

This link will take you to a form where you input the information for your game. First, you must choose a title for your game. While naming your game, please follow the site conventions for naming games: the first letters of all the words in a title are capitalized except articles (unless these articles are the first word of a title) such as the, a, in, of. Subtitles (after a colon) are similarly treated; in addition, no title should be much longer than 25 characters. Get the title in the right category, because changing it would have to be done manually by a member of the site staff, and doing so is just not that much fun.

Next, you must select if this new game is to be a solo game or a group game. If it is to be a solo game (one player with one DM), please check the Solo Game checkbox.

Specify Moderators (a.k.a DMs). Do so with discretion, and only add those names that are going to need permissions to modify, delete, and move posts and other moderation tasks. All DMs will be able to see all private threads and secret sections of posts in your game forum. You are automatically placed as a DM. If this is to be a solo game, leave this section blank.

Next, you must begin the process of describing your game. The theme and flavour of your game should be entered in the appropriate fields, and should generally be no longer than a sentence. These are meant to be a guide to the planned general "feel" of the game, and not a detailed description.

Now, describe the general plot of your game. It's OK to copy the text of your recruitment post, too. The rules for description (see validation below) are generally vague, so that we don't get bare-bones "meet-the-requirements" descriptions. We look for effort, language use and ability, creativity, a good storyline, and apparent staying power of the game. This is the only field in the application in which BBCode is parsed.

Can't describe the storyline because the game is based on player freedom? That's okay; you can still describe the setting, and your cast (should there be one). There is really no point to complete freedom if there has been no definition with what to be free about. What do your players know about this world?

Now, choose the game system that you are going to play. Please do not make a mistake while requesting this, as changing it requires moderator intervention, and again is not the favorite activity of our staff.

Optionally in the case of group games, you may also include a list of accepted players. In the case of a solo game, please include the name of your player in this slot; if you do not do so, your player will not be able to see your solo game.

If you would like the software to automatically post an application thread for you at this time, please check the checkbox titled "Post Advert Now." The software will automatically post an advert thread for you in the appropriate place, and you will receive a PM-ed link to the new advert thread. (The DM Control Panel is now the only way to post an advert thread for your game; you can, however, opt to do this later.)

Click Request Game, and your game will be requested. Your game will be placed in a queue for our moderator staff to review. You may receive several PMs over time describing comments on your game - any PMs so received should be taken into account, and edited into your request. In order to edit your request, visit the Dungeon Master Control Panel and click the appropriate edit link next to your application.

Once your game has been approved or deleted, the game forum will be automatically created. You will receive a PM with a link to the game forum, and the game forum will be added to the list of subscribed forums (without email notification) as well as showing up in your list of DM-ed games in the Dungeon Master Control Panel.

If this does occur, you've been approved! If you didn't need to advertise in advance, now's the time. In order to do so, click on the View Details link next to the game in the Dungeon Master Control Panel, then on View Description. Near the bottom, there will be a link to post your advert. Click it, and you will be automatically redirected to your newly posted advert thread.

Once that you have a forum and players, you need to give them information about your game, and organize how your game board will function. You must create...

Folders and Stickies

Folders: Let's say that you know that you're going to have many game threads, for your game will be fast-paced and have many chapters. Let's also say that you know you'll need a lot of information threads, you've REALLY worked hard on your setting. Folders can help you organize all of this more easily, so that you don't have many pages of threads to look through. Sounds good? It is. But as it stands now, only Community Supporters, or members who meet certain requirements for length of membership on the site, can have folders. Click on the Manage Folders link under Game Tools in your game forum in order to manage your folders.

Stickies: can help keep important information visible in the forum view no matter what. Stickies will always be at the top of the thread listing. They are useful for game announcements and important information threads. To make a thread a Sticky, check the option: Stick Thread when creating it, or go into Edit Thread and stick the thread from there.

Now important threads will always stay on top and be visible!

Now that you've organized your game, it's time to get to playing! But wait; the party isn't together yet? Don't want them to be able to see what happens to others, or just want to keep game notes on the board? No problem, you can use...

Private Threads and the DM's Notes

When creating or editing the thread, you'll see a text box where you're able to add the names of players to whom the selected option will apply. (Note that this doesn't work at all for those rare players with apostrophes in their names.) Follow the instructions there to disallow certain players from viewing the thread, or to make it so that only selected players can view it.

In order to edit your DM's Notes, go to your Dungeon Master Control Panel. Next to the game that you want to see the notes of, click View Details, then Game Description, then on the link next to Game Notes. You will then be able to view and edit the notes that are attached to your game. BBCode works in these notes, and they are shared among all DMs of the game.

Great! Now you're playing and you've just gotten to your first combat. Uh-oh! You want to use an image to show what's going on. This is quite simple to achieve with...

Attachments

Attachments can be added to a post when you're initially creating it, or when you're editing it. But wait, not all images are good for uploading; some are too large, or will take too long to load. That's why we have our Guide to Internet-Friendly Image Formatting!

FURTHERMORE...

Please be aware that we also have DM Mentors (DMMs) who offer their time and considerable expertise to help you, the new-to-PbP-DM, get your feet under you, set your imagination free, and create a fun, memorable experience for your players. The DMMs can help with the following kinds of things:

And don't forget to avail yourself of our DM Screen forum, where you can freely plot against your hapless PCs with the aid of some of the more devious game masters on the site.

So get out there and have a great time!