Farcaster
12-10-2007, 07:08 PM
For a long while now, I have been eying the Campaign Invitations section for a serious face lift. In fact, at one point I considered getting rid of the entire section in favor of just using the Player Registry. But, while the registry is an excellent tool for finding other players, it doesn't allow GMs to specifically advertise a campaign he's running. So, since our doors first opened, we've had a forum for GMs to post their games. Unfortunately, like the countless other forums out there that do this, the GM has to hope that a player will stumble upon his entry amongst the countless others, and will happen to be in his area, and has the same availability, and wants to play the same type of game...
The New Tool
At long last, the Campaign Invitations (http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=17) section has undergone the first stage of transformation into becoming a great tool like the Player Registry. Campaigns posted in the CI forum can now be searched by distance, genre, days the game will be held on, and if that campaign is actively seeking players. You can also now search for games specifically being held online and with a particular software package (i.e. KloOge, OpenRPG, etc).
Once you complete a search, you'll have a listing of any campaigns that met your criteria. You'll notice a quick summary of the genre, name of the campaign, approximate distance, days the game is played, and frequency of sessions. You can also sort the results by when the campaign was posted, the last time a post was made on the campaign, or the distance. You can open up any of the campaign threads to get more details, including: the system being used, the style, the size of the group desired, and among other things, the familiar Google Map that you can zoom in on to find out where the game is.
Posting a New Campaign
Posting a new campaign (http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/newthread.php?do=newthread&f=17) isn't much different than before, except now you will have a number of new fields to add summary information. When you post a new campaign, complete as much of the form as possible, because this is these new fields will be used by potential players to find your game. Even with all the new wizbangs, though, don't forget to put some love into the campaign description area. The better written your description is, the more likely players are to be attracted to your game. Also, keep in mind that things like the "Street Address" are publicly visible, so if you don't want your address to be broadcast across the world, you may use just the crossroads, or leave that section blank and just use the city, state.
Previously Posted Games
If you previously posted a campaign in the Campaign Invitations area and haven't already updated your listing, please do so as soon as possible. Players using these new search tools will not be able to find your campaign if it isn't updated, and old campaigns that haven't been updated to use the new system will be archived in the coming weeks.
Thoughts / Suggestions?
Keep in mind that this is just the first phase, so there are more features in store. But, please, share any suggestions you have that could make this tool even better -- including other summary fields we could add, features or even layout.
Below are some screenshots of the new section.
The New Tool
At long last, the Campaign Invitations (http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=17) section has undergone the first stage of transformation into becoming a great tool like the Player Registry. Campaigns posted in the CI forum can now be searched by distance, genre, days the game will be held on, and if that campaign is actively seeking players. You can also now search for games specifically being held online and with a particular software package (i.e. KloOge, OpenRPG, etc).
Once you complete a search, you'll have a listing of any campaigns that met your criteria. You'll notice a quick summary of the genre, name of the campaign, approximate distance, days the game is played, and frequency of sessions. You can also sort the results by when the campaign was posted, the last time a post was made on the campaign, or the distance. You can open up any of the campaign threads to get more details, including: the system being used, the style, the size of the group desired, and among other things, the familiar Google Map that you can zoom in on to find out where the game is.
Posting a New Campaign
Posting a new campaign (http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/newthread.php?do=newthread&f=17) isn't much different than before, except now you will have a number of new fields to add summary information. When you post a new campaign, complete as much of the form as possible, because this is these new fields will be used by potential players to find your game. Even with all the new wizbangs, though, don't forget to put some love into the campaign description area. The better written your description is, the more likely players are to be attracted to your game. Also, keep in mind that things like the "Street Address" are publicly visible, so if you don't want your address to be broadcast across the world, you may use just the crossroads, or leave that section blank and just use the city, state.
Previously Posted Games
If you previously posted a campaign in the Campaign Invitations area and haven't already updated your listing, please do so as soon as possible. Players using these new search tools will not be able to find your campaign if it isn't updated, and old campaigns that haven't been updated to use the new system will be archived in the coming weeks.
Thoughts / Suggestions?
Keep in mind that this is just the first phase, so there are more features in store. But, please, share any suggestions you have that could make this tool even better -- including other summary fields we could add, features or even layout.
Below are some screenshots of the new section.