Reply schedules and group play

What you’ll learn

Agree on reply schedules, check-ins and group turns without pressuring others.
Compare group size, shared control, live or asynchronous play, writing style, post length and reply frequency.

Choose a pace you can maintain

Play-by-post lets people write at different times. Some partners exchange several posts a day; others write weekly or less often. Say what is realistic for you, including busy periods. Post length does not tell you how quickly someone will reply, and being online does not necessarily mean they have time or energy to write.

Describe your usual availability and how much it varies.
Ask whether reminders are welcome and when a check-in would be useful.
If you can, send a short note when you need more time. Neither person needs to explain private circumstances.
If delays become the norm, discuss a slower schedule, a pause or whether to end the game.

A demand

You were online yesterday. If you cared about the story, you would have replied.

An agreed check-in

We said we’d check in after a week. Would you like more time, or would a pause work better?

Decide how the group takes turns

A group might use a fixed posting order, flexible rounds or separate scenes for different characters. Agree on what happens if someone cannot reply: wait, continue another scene or skip after a chosen interval. Skipping a turn does not give the group permission to move the absent character or decide their reaction. Make it clear how that player can rejoin.

Try it yourself

Four writers agreed that after three days they may skip a turn without moving the absent character. One writer has been away for four days. What can the group do?

Show explanation

Follow the arrangement they made, including any agreed check-in.
Continue without writing the absent character’s actions or reactions.
Leave a way for the writer to rejoin. If the schedule keeps causing difficulty, discuss changing it.