How play-by-post works: a week in a sim

A week in a sim

Early in the week the CO posts what is happening on the ship. Writers read it, decide how their characters react, and reply with scenes of their own. Some writers team up for a joint post. By the end of the week the story has moved on, and the next set of posts picks up from there.

How much time it takes

Each group asks for a certain number of posts, often a few a month. Some also ask for a minimum length. A post can be a few paragraphs. Reading the crew’s posts takes a little time too. Each group sets its own expectations, so check before you join.

Nothing happens live, so you can write on a lunch break or late at night. If a week gets busy, a short note to your CO covers it. That is why people who could never keep a weekly game night going often stay with a sim for years.

Who decides what happens

The CO, or a small team of senior writers, plans the mission. They decide the problem the crew faces and roughly where the story is heading. Inside that, each writer decides what their own character does. Big turns in the plot are usually talked over first, so nobody's character gets written into a corner without warning.

What an exchange looks like

Here is a short, made-up example of two writers trading posts. Each post is written by a different person, from their own character’s point of view.