MAINTAINING THE GAME

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Maintaining the game is relatively easy. It is more time-consuming than anything else, so be prepared to devote hours to your game, especially if you don't have helpers. As I mentioned, have some reserve helpers in case of a real-life event that keeps you from the game.

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The main thing you'll be doing is writing GM updates. When composing new bits of the story, it is important not to rush your characters. You might get impatient with wanting to get to a surprise or plot twist, but it's important to let your players take their time. Not all of your players will respond as quickly as you do, and they may need some prompting. It's best to first establish a posting order.

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While you may have several plotlines going on, each plotline should have a posting order. All that is is a list of when the players should respond. For instance, you (as the GM) makes a post, then Player 1 responds after you, with Player 5 following that, and so on. Just make note of the posting order like this:

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Posting order:

1. GM

2. Player 1

3. Player 5

4. Player 4

5. Player 2

6. Player 3

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The reason for this is so that you and your players know who posts next and so you know when you need to write more plot. I highly recommend this because it can get very difficult keeping track of who is supposed to respond next. This also helps when you bring in new players (see below for more on this.)

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When you write your updates, make you sure address each player (as well as tag them). Do not favor one player over others and do not ignore a player simply because his posts aren't interesting. In other words, be mature. You must find your own balance between rushing the story and taking your time, but always be sure to adequately describe the environment as well. This helps your players respond and come up with interesting ideas. Also, be very clear and detailed! You'll risk muddling things with unclear instructions or unclear posts. It takes time to explain ambiguous posts and fix posts that misinterpreted the GM update, so clarity is good!

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Above all, when writing updates, keep the end goal in mind. This is not to say you can't go off on a mini quest or another little battle -- this keeps it interesting -- but remember the plot is partly why your players signed up in the first place. Again, balance is key. Don't let your characters get frustrated with endless distractions, so try to have each little "distraction" mean something for the main goal. If a skirmish erupts in a village (using the holocron hunt example), say it is caused by the holocron having an adverse effect on the population. Your characters need to survive the skirmish to get to the holocron. 

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Another key part of maintaining the story is bringing in new players. Unless you prohibit new people from joining (I do NOT suggest you do this), you're going to have to fit in characters into the plot. There is almost no way you won't be able to fit in just about anyone into your game. But don't be sloppy about adding new characters. Find a great place for them to come into the game, and keep their story going from there. 

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Ultimately, it is your decision how you add players and advance the game. You already have the game structure, so use the RPing skills you learned in Part 1 and Part 2 to make a really great experience for your players!

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