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{{trope}}
They're [[Role Playing Game|Role Playing Games]] and they're online. How cool is that?
These aren't [[MMORPG|MMORPGs]] like ''[[World of Warcraft]]'' or ''[[Eve Online]]''. They don't have fancy graphics. Instead, they rely on the imaginations of the players. Quite simply, you're taking an online bulletin board and you're running an RPG on it. Some are free-form, others use systems like ''[[Dungeons and Dragons|D20]]'', or ''[[GURPS]]'' (or create their own system based on one of these).
If Dreaded Real Life takes the GM into its dreaded clutches, depending on what manner of game it is, the game may survive. If it's an open-ended world, then the players will just play, with the players enforcing the rules (so long as there isn't a [[Small Name, Big Ego]] running a massive crime orgaization/cult/paramilitary group amongst the experienced players; he gets his way) and disciplining the newbies who break them. Also, you have the benefit of being able to ignore their posts if they refuse to change. Alternately, someone else might take over as the GM.
However, if it's a set story with a predefined goal or you're in combat with the Dragon Guardian of the Lost Treasure of the Order of High Knights of the Crown, and the GM disappears, then you can pretty much decide that the game's done until he comes back.
Postal gaming predates both computers and role-playing games, incidentally -- long-duration play-by-mail chess is an old tradition going back at least to the medieval origins of modern chess, if not further, making this at least [[Older Than Steam]]. If you ever see an old movie with a rich guy standing next to a mid-game chessboard with no opponent, he's probably got a postal chess game going with an unseen character. Play-By-Email, obviously, is the electronic version of Postal Gaming, and is easily as prevalent as Play by Post games using bulletin board software.
See also [[Journal Roleplay]], which is essentially the lovechild of Play-by-Post with [[Character Blog]].
<big>'''In addition to all the various [[Tabletop RPG]] tropes, you see a few others prevalent in [[Play-By-Post Games]], including:'''</big>
* [[God Moders]] and [[Munchkin|Munchkins]]: Since Play By Posts are more likely to have informal or diceless systems, or sometimes no systems at all, godmoding (using out-of-character knowledge to make in-character decisions, or calling the actions of something controlled by another player) can pop up at times. Playing on a poorly-regulated forum RP is one of the few times you'll wish for [[Min-Maxing]] - since on some forums, there's ''no minning required''.'<br /><br />These terms mean very different things in these games. A Munchkin tends to be a [[Heinz Hybrid]] or a [[God Mode Sue]] in games where numbers don't matter. [[God Mode]] is when a player writes the other character as reacting in a certain way or acting in a certain way without their consent. The former is bad writing, the latter is a breach of ettiquette.
* [[Long Runners]]:
** The ''[[Global Guardians PBEM Universe]]'' was begun back in 1994, and continued until 2006. You can count the number of these games that have lasted ''twelve years'' on one hand, and you'll have fingers left over.
** If you thought nine years was impressive, try [http://www.Aelyria.com Aelyria.com] forum boards (previously known as ''Alleria''). The game was formed back in ''1989'' and since then has crossed between three different boards to keep up to date. It now has its own site and is still running strong ''twenty-one'' years later.
** ''[[Freedom City Play By Post]]'' just celebrated its third anniversary and still has about 75 active player characters at any given point in time.
** ''[[US Gov Sim]]'' is a long running game based on American politics. The game originally began on AvidGamers before moving to its own IPB Forum. It has been running continuously since the early 2000s and is in its 8th "reset", or round.
* [[Orphaned Series]]: Online [[Game Master|GameMasters]] seem a lot more prone to dropping their campaigns without warning than people who game in person; or perhaps its simply that records of the dead games persist in forum archives. The average lifespan of a Play By Post game is around three months. The lucky ones last a year. A tongue-in-cheek guide to creating a Pbp forum stated, "Once you get your first post in an IC [in character] area, it's time to close up shop. Be sure to blame the members for being annoying and unfaithful."
* [[Webcomic Time]]: after a fashion. Face-to-face RPGs tends to be played for several hours at a shot on a regular basis; Play By Posts usually get much shorter updates whenever their players and [[Game Master|Game Masters]] are available. A six-second combat round can take ''weeks'' if someone doesn't log in regularly.
{{examples}}
== Adult Content and/or Sexual Roleplaying (possibly [[NSFW]]) ==
* [http://elliquiy.com Elliquiy Adult Roleplaying] for those who don't like fading to black when the action is getting good. Rather high-class and extremely active. It was created when its founders were kicked unceremoniously out of RPoL for being too naughty.
* [http://HouseEros.com House Eros Sexual and Adult Roleplaying] a new roleplaying site focusing on Adult, Erotic, and Sexual Roleplaying. It was created when the site admin got tired of Adult Websites that lacked the feature sets to rival the more mainstream websites.
* [http://elysiumroleplay.com/forum/ Elysium Adult Yaoi Role playing] a new Yaoi roleplaying forum created when a group of roleplayers decided to leave a website where the Admin was drunk on power.
* [http://bluemoonroleplaying.com Blue Moon Role Playing] a website that was created in 2007 when the website of its birth came down a time too many for some users to handle, it was built with the casual adult roleplayer in mind while at the same time introducing you to a message board unlike any other of its caliber, complete with a steady yet broad user base that have many different styles that many will enjoy.
== Regular Roleplaying (i.e. Safe for Work Content) Without Their Own Pages ==
* [http://blurringtheline.yuku.com/ Blurring the Line Between Reality and Fantasy] is a multiverse-setting RP community (with like 3 players), and is essentially a massive crossover between many universes. Including: Bleach, Naruto, Kim Possible, Pokemon, the Soul Series, Elder Scrolls, DC/Marvel comics, Kingdom Hearts, and some original worlds....and the list actually goes on. And on. And on.
* [http://hiddenvillage.net/ Hidden Village] is a warm, active RP community for NON-CANON Naruto-based role-play. All level role-players are welcome! Besides Naruto, we have games running in Fairy Tale, One Piece, Tenjou Tenge, Bleach, Air Gear, and so on. Come in and hop onto the chatbox to get to know a few of us before you make a commitment to the forum. The site has its own massive jutsu database, __ of the Year awards, marketplace system, and much more. The admin team is very welcoming and wants to make you feel comfortable. Come on in and have a look around. Note: broken URL is fixed! Sorry about that, we're still around!
* [http://www.maganicwars.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=47 Darkness Incarnate] An active community with Dungeons and Dragons style characters. What sets it apart, are the requirements for each class, and the importance of combat (it is the main part of the game)
* [http://coloholics.ca/ Coloholics Anonymous] is a large play by post RP forum where the roleplays are divided into massive RP forum worlds separated by genres such as Anime, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Nation-Building, and Modern and Miscellaneous. The name "Coloholic" comes from "Colosseum-oholic", meaning people who are fans of roleplaying.
* [http://virtual-hogwarts.org Virtual Hogwarts] has been an active Harry Potter-based RP for nine years and boasts a heavy emphasis on writing and a friendly atmosphere. Structured stat-based games are optional, limited to quidditch and duelling.
* [http://s4.zetaboards.com/A_New_Dawn/index/ A New Dawn] is a forum with an entire section devoted to RP'ing, although the rest of the site is a regular forum, mostly of friends. It has a wonderfully creative [[Space Opera]] going on called [http://s4.zetaboards.com/A_New_Dawn/topic/8043760/1/ Beyond the Stars] that borrows liberally from [[Mass Effect]].
* [http://www.ageofintrigue.com/board/ Age of Intrigue] is an historical RPG set in Restoration England, specifically 1676, at the Court of King Charles II, the Merry Monarch. It's relatively small but with active mods who give a good deal of personal touch to the game, and give players a wide array of NPCs to interact with. It's highly active and has been running for about two years at this point. The roleplay is for 18+ only, but so long as one is in that age range adult themes can be avoided per member request.
* [http://www.ajjegames.com: AJJE Games] AJJE Games is a role-playing community offering a unique play-by-post system and a wide range of genres, ranging from Sword & Sorcery to Star Wars and Stargate, as well as member-created sims. Started in 2005, the club offers a rich and deep role-playing experience.
* [http://www.theaurorar.b1.jcink.com The Aurora: A His Dark Materials RP] is one of the biggest RP's online based on Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials/The Golden Compass. It is set in an alternative Victorian world, where humans' souls walk beside them in the form of animals, where there are worlds within worlds and where a revolution against the ruling Magisterium is being orchestrated by the Republic of Heaven.
* [http://www.disneyworldofwar.proboards.com Disney World of War] is an RPG that features, you guessed it, Disney characters. The RPG focuses on a war fought by three armies: The Heroes who are led by Simba, The Animal Villains led by Scar and the Human Villains led by Frollo.
* [http://www.ichdienrpg.com Ich Dien] is an historical RPG set in Regency England. Set in the year 1812, players can immerse themselves in the world of Jane Austen and meet such diverse characters as the Prince Regent, the lady patronesses of Almack's, members of Parliament, and the Prime Minister, Lord Liverpool, while playing out the effects of war with Napoleonic France and the United States upon London society. Though a small community, it's run by a group of dedicated mods and follows the same basic play strategy as Age of Intrigue, listed above. Another game for players 18 and older, players have complete control over the types of themes and stories they wish to explore.
* [http://code-masters.forumotion.com/ Code Masters]. Take on different forms and abilities as you fight for fame or for power. Will you be conceited and care for only your own benefit or will you protect those around you. Will you join those who hunt the innocent or the guardians of the helpless. Will You Stand alone to obtain the power that is Code Eve.
* ''[http://forum.learnnavi.org/role-play/ Strange Lands: A Pandoran RP]'' is an [[Avatar (film)|Avatar]] based RP. It was moved to its own board but is now dead and the site was replaced by War of Discord.
* The ''[http://forums2.battleon.com/f/tt.asp?forumid=58 UCaG]'', a land on the forum of Artix Entertainment that attracts all kinds of roleplayers, you can find a game from a FSG (Forum Stratagy game) To an A&R (Action and reaction, like roleplaying without dice.)
* ''[http://www.vastempire.com The Vast Empire]'' is a Star Wars based RPG set in the Thrawn Era, and one of the better quality Wars play by post ones. It has a sizable community, a IRC channel, and a video game subgroup.
* [http://www.thestarwarsrp.com The Star Wars RP] A long-lasting and highly active [[Star Wars]] role-play in its fourth timeline. Originally set in the Knights of the Old Republic era, the story now takes place thousands of years earlier, in an era called the Hutt War developed by the site. Arguably one of the most successful, with roughly 2600 registered members.
* [http://www.starwarsrpg.net/forums/index.php Star Wars RPG] Star Wars roleplaying set in approximately 22 ABY. 8 Years Old in at least current incarnation.
* And last but not least, we have [http://jedivsith.com/index.php Jedi vs. Sith]. Originally stemming from a Facebook app, the site wound up popular enough to warrant its own space on the Internet proper. Like The Gungan Council, there is no set timeline (mileage varies site-wide as to whether this is good or bad), and the site features an entirely player-driven economy and faction system. Lacking the longevity of the other sites, however, it is still plagued with problems despite the best attempts of the moderators; powergaming is a common occurrence, godmodding slightly less so, and the site is rife with Expies (not all of them bad). On the bright side, the community spirit is near-unmatched, and for every bad RPer, there's at least one stellar one.
* ''[[Nation States]]'' is not itself one of these, but many player like to play them using their nations, either on the official forums or on the numerous forums created by players for various regions. And, amongst very vaguely and distantly similar lines, [http://forums.civfanatics.com/forumdisplay.php?f=69 Never Ending Stories] at the CivFanatics forum.
* Steve Jackson Games at one time ran a BBS on which a number of such games were played, including the free-form no-rules roleplaying forum which evolved into ''GURPS Illuminati University''.
* [http://bop.nfshost.com/ Patton]is a website dedicated entirely to games like this. The main focus is on a play-by-post adaptation of Chris Crawford's Balance of Power, but at any time a half-dozen to ten games are running. Some are roleplaying games, others are strategy, but everyone is welcome, especially tropers (most of the old members are tropers).
* [http://roleplayerguild.com/ Roleplayer Guild] is a forum dedicated to pbp roleplays. Rps are sorted into three categories: [[Idiosyncratic Difficulty Levels|Basic, Casual, and Advanced]].
* There is an entire site devoted to this known as [http://www.rpol.net/ RolePlay Online], or RPoL. It has a built-in software dice roller, among other features, allowing one to use dice in such a game seamlessly; however, quite a few of the games run there are still freeform.
* One of [http://www.rpg.net RPGnet]'s forums exists for this purpose.
* Pretty much the purpose of GreatestJournal until [[Serious Business|Boldthrough 2007 on LiveJournal.]]
** [[Live Journal]] hosted [[Journal Roleplay|quite a few.]] Most have since moved to InsaneJournal or Dreamwidth.
** Many of the GreatestJournal players have moved to InsaneJournal.
* The Giant In The Playground [http://www.giantitp.com/forums/ forums], for the D&D-based webcomic [[Order of the Stick]], feature a fairly large section devoted to PBP games. The board, like RPoL, even has its own dice roller. Some games have individual pages further down.
* [http://plothook.net Plothook.NET], another site devoted entirely to this.
* [http://www.myth-weavers.com Myth-Weavers], again, is solely for this purpose, and is known for its plethora of useful built-in software and message board mods, including a very popular XML [[Character Sheet]] database.
* Hundreds of other forums have threads or subsections dedicated to roleplaying or cooperative storytelling, particularly on Fan Sites where the games deal with the forum's particular subject.
* [http://www.cityofsupers.com/cgi-bin/discus/discus.cgi Prodigy] is a superhero-based play-by-post, made out of original characters and played in the [[City of Adventure]] of Prodigy, New Jersey.
* [http://forum.gateworld.net/showthread.php?t=12504 Stargate: Aftermath]. A [[Stargate Verse]] based RPG, creating an alternate universe after [[Stargate SG-1]] season eight. Started with a [[Earthshattering Kaboom]] and has survived one Goa'uld assault and one earthquake.
* [http://www.themuseacademy.com/prievillage/index.php?c=4 Muse Academy]. Only readers of Muse Magazine understand half of what happens, but it's the special crazy sort of randomness that comes from having no real GM.
* [http://www.birthright.net/ The Birthright] campaign setting for AD&D and D&D has a large number of games running. The PCs of Bithright campaigns where not adventures but rulers. A given party might consist of The Duke, his Court Wizard, the High Priest, the Master of the local guilds etc. As well as normal adventuring stuff the game system had domain rounds, where PCs administered various holdings, collected taxes and fought wars. Which translated quite straightforwardly to play by post play in which most if not all of the different kingdoms are take by PCs. As well as the default campaign settings the 'engine' has also been used to run similar games set in Fantasy feudal Japan, post Arthurian Britain, etc.
* There was an impromptu one on the [[Game FAQs]] [[Mega Man Battle Network]] 5 Team Protoman board, reffed to the Battle of Light and Darkness. A fight broke out and turned into one of these.
* The [[Game FAQs]] [[Mega Man Battle Network]] 6 boards also went through a similar phase with the (insert character here) RPGs of Some Sort, although most of them took place on the [[One Game for the Price of Two|Gregar board instead of the Falzar board]]. The one that started this phase involved [[The Rival|Protoman]], and a lot of [[Wild Mass Guessing]] and/or [[Fan Wank]] followed.
* [[BZ Power]] has a [[Bionicle]]-themed roleplaying forum, it being a Bionicle fan forum, but don't expect to just walk in and make a new RPG-only three RPGs besides the [[BZPRPG]] can ever be occurring at once. They have to place 3rd or better in a polled contest every three months to even get started, and to avoid being closed they have to enter the contest again and place 3rd or higher again. Thankfully, there is an official planning topic to refine RPGs and RPG concepts.
** There are also a few RPGs active in Lego General Discussion and Completely Off Topic forums. While more than three can be active at once, the former requires approval from an LGD forum leader (who acts as a quality control for incoming RPGs), while the latter requires 7 RPG judges, [[My Friends and Zoidberg|and Sisen, the RPG Leader]], to approve the RP (which acts as a more strict quality control.) Thankfully for COT, there is ALSO an official planning topic for refining COT RPGs and COT RPG concepts.
* [[wikipedia:Mafia (party game)|Mafia]] is a game seemingly made for this format.
** Indeed, there are quite a few sites dedicated to forum Mafia, which, given the nature of [[Message Board|Message Boards]], are much longer and involve much more detailed analysis than other formats. [http://mafiascum.net MafiaScum] is perhaps one of the best known sites devoted to the game.
** Mafia is also known as Werewolf. There's a very active Werewolf PBP forum on [http://www.boardgamegeek.com/forum/58/boardgamegeek/werewolf BoardGameGeek].
* [http://sosshinsei.proboards.com/index.cgi Suzumiya Haruhi no Yakuasobi], literally the RP of [[Suzumiya Haruhi]]. A relatively new forum that's [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin]].
* [http://www.zeldaelements.net/roleplay/ Zelda Elements RP]is a friendly, Zelda-based RP. Turned me on to RPing and tropes!
* Dating back to 1995 is the ''[[Final Fantasy]] 3 RPG'' (3 being the initial English numbering for VI). It was essentially collaborative fanfic: there were no rules save that you couldn't stomp on something that had already been written. There were moderators, but they were pretty lax. The game involved characters from pretty much anything Square made, as well as the home-grown variety. It died after a while, but [http://achurch.org/ff3rpg/ the archives] are still available. The quality is inconsistent (as one would imagine), but give some of them a read. Particularly the ones following Celes and Sascha&Akfek.
* ''[http://simrtk.net/ Simrtk]'' is a very large Play by post sim based off of the ''[[Romance of the Three Kingdoms]]'' video games, with some dashes of Dynasty Warriors thrown in.
* [http://www.thethirddawn.com The Third Dawn] is a [[High Fantasy]] RPG with an original setting, and built-in rules. Unlike most sites, it plays more like an MMO; you level by posting, and you attack and defense values are actually used in rule-driven on-site combat. There's a bit of a learning curve to learn the rules and mechanics, but once you learn them, it's a very rewarding experience.
* [http://stararmy.com Star Army] features an original [[Space Opera]]/[[Standard Sci Fi Setting|sci-fi setting]] created by its members and characterized by [[Cool Starship|sleek, powerful starships]], [[Powered Armor|power armor]], [[Artificial Human|cute catgirls]], and [[Badass Normal|heavily armed men of action]]. Star Army has run continuously since 2000 and has up to a dozen or so individual games within the universe's main factions at any given time.
* [http://asylums.insanejournal.com/kiseki_rpg/profile Kiseki], which is a [[CLAMP]]-based RP at Insanejournal. There's a mod who tosses events out every six weeks or so, but she doesn't really act as a GM per say and the gaming is very freeform.
* [http://ninja-academy-online.invisionzone.com/ Ninja Academy], a [[Naruto]] RPG with an active player base, an elaborate, custom-made game system and a solid pipeline for user-created content. 7 years old, yet still active and developing.
* [http://www.retributiongames.com/ Retribution Games] sprung from forum-based games History of the World and Divided We Stand played on the [[Something Awful]] Forums.
* [http://z7.invisionfree.com/_timetopretend/index.php Time To Pretend], an Academy RPG where characters have the spirits of [[Disney]] or other fairy tale characters.
* [http://www.online-roleplaying.com/index.php Online-Roleplaying] is yet another site, most active with D&D gamers but willing to host anything. It also has its own dice roller.
* [http://superhero-rpg.forum-motion.com/forum.htm Super Hero Rpg] is a rpg where you can design your own hero/villain/regendgae. It constantly updates and goes through Chapter Arcs. There have been 4 so far, but it's easy to come in the middle of one too.
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkPoSMClV1U This fictional commercial] advertises a service that allows [[FPS|FPSes]] to be played this way.
* [[MSF High]] has one on its forums (which gets more attention then the actual webcomic.) http://www.msfhigh.com/forum/index.php
** Link to the [[TV Tropes]] page: [[MSF High Forum]]
** Characters from the forum have even appeared in this comic, and a good few of the moderators are tropers.
* The Gaming Steve Forums have one: [[Gaming Steve Universe|The Gaming Steve Universe.]] The game itself can be found [http://www.gamingsteve.com/blab/index.php?board=18.0 here.] While the individual creations' pages can be found [http://www.gamingsteve.com/blab/index.php?board=17.0 here.] This is actually an offshoot of a Spore 2005 [[Fanfic]]; when Spore failed to live up to the expectations of the universe that was created, Origin became its own story. Especially notable are the Nauceans, a race so well-built that [[Will Wright]] himself CANONIZED them.
* [http://oberon.hawkwingaerie.com/ Oberon and Salvation] are two linked games, each following one of the eponymous ships in the Firefly 'verse. Like several examples listed above, these games emphasize writing as well as roleplay, and a general outline of the plot for each "episode" is worked out in advance, although there is a great amount of flexibility in the outline and deviations are generally accepted if they lead to good story.
* [http://digimontribute.proboards.com// Digimon RP] A board based on [[Digimon Tamers]], but as if it continued from [[Digimon Adventure 02]], and later [[Digimon Frontier]]. [[Digimon Savers]] is planned to be adapt later. Also included are Original Characters, and characters based from the mangas. This RP has lead to a spin-off, [http://pokemonanddigimonrp.proboards.com// Pokemon & Digimon RP] Unlike the previous RP, it isn't set in a universe mixed together, but a Multiverse which also includes a universe of Pokemon.
* [http://www.gaiaonline.com/guilds/viewforum.php?f=90883/ Pokemon: The Three Relics] A Pokemon roleplay of over six years of activity, boasting over 1400 pages of posts and a slew of well-developed characters mixed in with established NPCs.
* The [[Global Guardians PBEM Universe]] is now defunct, but over the course of its run it had close to a thousand players and over forty separate campaigns.
* [http://asylums.insanejournal.com/lightning_war Lightning War] is [[World War II]]-era game that mashes together multiple canons, mostly [[Harry Potter]], [[Heroes (TV series)|Heroes]] and [[Supernatural]].
* ''[http://rescueforce.forumotion.net/forum.htm Rescue Force RPG]'' is an RP set in a slightly [[Darker and Edgier]] alternate continuity 10 years after [[Tomica Hero Rescue Force]]. Where Rescue Force and [[Tomica Hero Rescue Fire|Rescue Fire]] have disbanded. It follows the adventures of the recently recruited fourth generation, the third generation having been killed in a Mach Train disaster.
* [http://u-w-l.com/ The Unified Wrestling League] is a professional wrestling PbP with the distinction of running 11 years and counting without closing. `
* [http://neverendingstrugglerpg.freeforums.org/ Neverending Struggle RPG], a massive crossover RPG with an unfortunatly low number of players. The story is about a war between 6 factions composed of characters from fictional media but the plot is pletty loose and it has no specific rules.
** There is now a [http://neverendingstruggle.free-forums.cc/ Neverending Struggle V2] and a normal-life massive crossover called [http://imagine.forummotions.com/ IMAGINE] but the same person.
* [http://wwcollision.proboards.com/ Where Worlds Collide] features a collection of RPs based on various settings, the main ones being a [[Kingdom Hearts]] one, an [[Avatar: The Last Airbender]] one and a Superhero school one with elements of both the Marvel and DC universes.
* [http://forums.superherohype.com/forumdisplay.php?f=353/ Superhero!Hype RPGs] also features a collection of RPs based on the various superhero comics, including [http://forums.superherohype.com/showthread.php?t=334525/ World of Heores] (a DC RPG), [http://forums.superherohype.com/showthread.php?t=334525/ Heroes vs. Villains] (a Marvel RPG) and [http://forums.superherohype.com/showthread.php?t=324523/ the One Universe RPG] (an RPG that combines elements from both canons).
* [http://monochromeblack.proboards.com/ Monochrome Black] is a new mystery-horror role play, featuring an intricate plot, a crap sack world, and a variety of characters and character types.
* [http://s1.zetaboards.com/Persona_Rebirth/index/ Persona: Project Rebirth] is essentially an [[Fan Sequel|an original RP based on the Persona universe,]] mostly [[Persona 3]] and [[Persona 4]]. There's original characters, an original story; generally everything is original except the entire universe it takes place in. It has recently started back up again, after a period of inactivity.
* Keeping with the subject of Persona, [http://personaheaven.proboards.com/index.cgi Persona Heaven] is a friendly casual RP environment which welcomes all new members.
* [http://w11.zetaboards.com/Island_Eight/index/ Island Eight] is an RP based on the titular Island, a place where creatures of myth and legend are thrown into along with humans who can use magic. It's rather new, and is looking for members to come and join.
* [http://www.tharshaddin.com/index.html Thar Shaddin] is a fantasy freeform PbP RP, known for its relatively high standards of literacy and commitment.
* Struggle Against Mecha Insano: A long running free form game run on the [http://spoonyexperiment.com/forum/index.php Spoony Experiment Play by Post Forums]. It concerns a resistance group fighting against the evil Doctor Insano (Yes that one.) It spans over twenty years in game and has several generations of the family fighting against Insano. Is known for large time skips lots and lots of drama and intense violence, putting characters through everything imaginable.
* [http://www.hexrpg.com Hogwarts Extreme] (also known as just HEX) is a rather popular Harry Potter forum-based RPG. It also works as a regular messageboard and general online networking community for Potter fans. Each individual roleplay thread is stand-alone, so it's a good site for beginners who don't feel ready for a more traditional Play By Post site.
* [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=24188.0 Multiworld Madness] is a "derelict flagship" of the [[Roll to Dodge]] game type. Having recently "celebrated" its second anniversary, spanning three mini-universes as of this writing, with six more to come, this action epic has pretty much drove the Roll To Dodge games forward, causing their explosive growth within the confines of the [[Dwarf Fortress|Bay 12 Games]] forums and being influential in their spread across the internet. Although progress in the game has [[Schedule Slip|slowed from two updates a day to one update a week]] (at most), it still remains the largest Roll To Dodge forum game on the internet.
* The ''[[MS Paint Adventures]]'' forum [http://www.mspaforums.com/forumdisplay.php?92-Collab-Roleplay Collab/Roleplay] section has a lot of these, the vast majority of them based on ''[[Homestuck]]''.
* [http://z7.invisionfree.com/VGAHD/index.php?act=idx Video Games and Hair Dye] is a [[Scott Pilgrim]] roleplay that's active and always welcoming of new members, although most action takes place on the in-character chatbox.
* [http://s4.zetaboards.com/Gallega/index/ Gallega] is a new Sci-Fi RP with a small but dedicated group. The RP focuses on user made content while the staff design most of back story. The RP itself follows the story of a crew exploring unknown space. Of course players can easily start their own stories.
* [http://z10.invisionfree.com/TARRRPG/index.php Totally Awesome Random Robot RPG] the mechtalk story that took on a life of it's own. Pilot a massive [[Mecha]] of your very own for either the Mighty Fandom or the Determined Earth Sphere Union. Lots of [[Gundam]] and other [[Anime]] influences collide in the titanic struggle for the Earth Sphere.
* [http://calloftea.co.cc/forum/index.php The Malkavian Madness Forum] is focused on both [[Western Animation/World Of Darkness|World Of Darkness]] settings, and is fairly new. Many of the members are active on [[Deviant ART]], and the forum was going to host a collaborative story-writing project (sadly discontinued).
* [http://tfdeadzone.proboards.com/ Transformers: Deadzone] is a multiversal Transformers RPG where Transformers from different universes and times are being pulled to the in-game universe for a currently unknown purpose. The Cybertron of said universe has been destroyed, Unicron's running loose, and it seems that no-one knows of the Transformers as a race. Very highly active, and has been in action since early 2007. No Megatron, and the only Optimus Prime is the [[Transformers Animated|most untested one]]. To go with one of the most-used taglines, "It's kind of like Lost, but with giant robots. And no, we don't know what the hell's going on, either."
* [http://siegmajestat.alternatehistory.com/discussion/forumdisplay.php?s=ae4b8870a76815220fc769a4b4db0f90&daysprune=&f=15 Shared Worlds] on [[Alternate History Dot Com]] bears host to several RPGs and collaborative works (such as stories); more often than not, they tend to converge. The works themselves. however, vary, from ''[[Nation States]]''-esque fare to Mecha RPs, Red Dawn "sequels" and even stuff based out of ''[[Axis Powers Hetalia]].'' It's split into Large Games and Sandbox folders.
* [http://narutoc.prophpbb.com/ Naruto Creation] is a [[Naruto]] RP that has a dedicated playerbase, and is recovering from a population decrease after the forum switched boards.. A lot of the players have a thinly-veiled distaste for the series, and it tends to deviate from the series at times.
* [http://swrponline2.proboards.com/index.cgi/ Star Wars Universe Rp]is a [[Star Wars]] RP with very loyal member base that is still going strong. This is the second incarnation of the site and averages anywhere from 40 to 60 active members a day. Their shortened version of the plot is:
* 3602 BBY. The galaxy has been thrown into upheaval as the forgotten Sith rise from the ashes of their ancestors. No one is safe from the effects of this political unrest as the Republic is forced to take the defensive against this dark tyranny.
* [http://mrsaturn123.proboards.com/ Dimensional Clash] is a multi-series crossover RP that takes place on an island in another dimension. There's no overarching plot, and much of the individual RPs on the site are about the interactions of various characters from various franchises.
* [[The Tandy Arena]] An arena based Play by Post game set in a town called Tandy.
* [http://s15.invisionfree.com/Overclocked_PBP_RPG/index.php Overclocked] is a story-heavy roleplaying game inspired by Persona 4{{spoiler|, Yume Nikki, and The Drifting Classroom.}} Set in a small town in Japan, players assume the role of highschool students whose investigation into a fortune telling rumor leads them into a strange parallel world {{spoiler|that might be future Tokyo.}} In addition to tradition public roleplaying on the forums, there's also the private message "cellphone calls" players can receive, containing information they can share, keep to themselves, or [[The Chessmaster|blatantly lie about.]] The game is currently looking for players.
* [http://www.doujinstyle.com Doujinstyle], an english-speaking website dedicated to, in their own words, "[[Doujinshi|doujin stuff, doujin music]] and [[Touhou]]", possesses several roleplaying sections. One club in particular, ''[[Shifting Worlds]]'', deals primarily with [[Touhou Project|Gensokyo]] but also involves a few other dimensions, some original, some not. The club has established its own very special alternate continuity, one in which, along the course of the roleplays, the [[Cool House|Scarlet Devil Mansion]] has turned ''sentient'' and also doubles as a [[Humongous Mecha]], [[Baka|Cirno]] [[Took a Level In Badass]] and gained control of a huge castle within the Forest of Magic, our universe (or at least the one Gensokyo is in) has turned out to have been created and protected by [[Fantasy Pantheon|a spider Goddess, among other gods/goddesses]]... and that's only scraping the surface of the insanity.
* [http://www.aeternaroma.com/index.php Aeterna Roma] is an alternate timeline ancient Rome RP set in about the 50's AD. The plot revolves around (what else?) the tumultuous lives of the people living within Rome's reach, specifically focusing on the inner workings of Rome itself. While a wide variety of main plots are made available, the game is generally player-focused - meaning that members can worry about their specific character's (or characters') plot(s) without needing to dive into any major site plots. [[Ae Ro]], as it is affectionately known, has been running since 2008 and has an active and friendly member-base.
* Along with a thriving Mafia community, [[Smogon]] has Create a Pokemon-Anime Style Battling, using both official [[Pokémon]]. While there isn't any sort of universal plot of any type (there ARE smaller roleplays within it that have plot-like structures, though,) it can be played with either a roleplaying combat mindset or a more strategic combat mindset.
* [http://wualityclobs.freeforums.org/ Wuality Clob] is a roleplay using characters from any fandom you want. Most of the fun comes from the IC Livestreams they do. Notable for the fact that [[Crack Pairing|anything goes]]
* [http://www.santharia.com Santharia] is a fantasy world-building site with two separate forums: one where the Dreamers help develop the world, and the other focused completely on Roleplaying within Caelereth (the world created). Recently there has also been development of an interactive game.
* [http://forums.spacebattles.com/forumdisplay.php?f=52 Star Wars: Rebuilding of Empires] is an ongoing [[Star Wars]] [[Alternate Universe Fic|AU]] taking place after the reborn Emperor Palpatine and virtually every major character in the series was killed in action above Coruscant, forcing Imperial and New Republic planets to form their own interstellar powers in order to survive. Each player leads an interstellar polity with a stable of characters. Highlights include politics, [[Loads and Loads of Characters]], epic conflicts of Dark and Light, and [[Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking|philosophy.]] The game is an example of [[Long Runners]], with thirty years of in-game history, and has been ongoing since 2004.
* [http://sdez.proboards.com Sonic: Darkness Eternal Zone] is a Sonic the Hedgehog RP set years after Dr Ivo Robotnik, in a final act of cruelty, [[Colony Drop|dropped the Space Colony ARK on the Earth]] setting off a nuclear winter. The old heroes are dead but new ones have risen to defend the only remaining vestige of civilisation, the Teams of Neo-Tokyo. They are faced by the numerically superior Gangs of Osaka. Taking Sonic, injecting a large dose of [[Darker and Edgier|Grim Dark]] and [[Fallout]] this equates to one hell of a setting. On its third revival, the original incarnation was so good it was plagiarised!
* [http://virtualwarriorworld.proboards.com/index.cgi/ Virtual Warrior World] is an active Warriors RP that is for all roleplayers, from beginner to intermediate.
* [http://s1.zetaboards.com/WarOfDiscord/index/ War of Discord] is an active RP that takes place in an original setting. It is closed to new members at this time.
* [http://s15.zetaboards.com/megaman_oblivion/index/ Mega Man Oblivion] is an RP that is set in the ''[[Mega Man Battle Network]]'', ''[[Mega Man X|X]]'', and ''[[Mega Man ZX|ZX]]'' worlds. It is fashioned in the style of an MMORPG with a slew of missions, boss battles, and character customization along with the main plot.
* [http://w11.zetaboards.com/DeSu_Dark_Gates/index/ Devil Survivor: Dark Gates] is a brand new RP based on the Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor games that current;y is need of new members.
{{reflist}}
[[Category:New Media Tropes]]
[[Category:Fora]]
[[Category:Web Original]]
[[Category:Tabletop Games]]
[[Category:Play-By-Post Games]]
[[Category:Index Index]]
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