The Pros and Cons of High and Low Post Frequencies

Nowadays, when you read the rules of most play-by-post roleplays, they tend to come with what has been termed here as a post frequency. Some ask that those that are considering joining can commit to a certain level of posting, which can be anything between once a day to once every two weeks. This article plans on addressing the differences between high and low post frequencies and why game masters and roleplayers alike might prefer one over the other.

The layout will be simple, purely because I imagine you all don't want to read a wall of hard to navigate text.

So, to the article!

High Post Frequencies

These roleplays tend to suit those with a small amount of free time every day to set aside to post or those who prefer quicker, if not always as long lasting roleplays.

The majority of play-by-post and tab roleplays tend towards this rule of thumb and can be split into two broad categories; 'once a day' and 'as frequently as possible'. The implications behind a high post frequency are unsurprisingly good and ill, as such quick replies obviously keeps the plot of the roleplay alive.

The players' minds can be kept upon the story and characters at hand, which seems to be particularly important when keeping a forum roleplay going at a steady pace. A high number of responses in quick succession ensure interest and longevity in a roleplay if maintained, but of course, this is one of the faults of near daily posting for if an idea has no planned goal or continuation in mind, it can quickly fizzle out.

Instruction to post daily or even once every few days puts a certain demand on the players and sometimes, this is reflected in this post quality. I stress that this is not always the case but the speed of the post output can have an effect on the quality of the posts, whether this be in terms of grammar or length, depending on a player's ability and preference. This is not to say of course that all high post frequency roleplays, whether they be daily or slightly more generous in time given, have a lower standard of post quality than low ones, for that is simply not the case. Still, the case remains.

Low Post Frequencies

Roleplays with a lower posting frequency tend to suit those that can only commit to a few roleplays because of time constraints and/or preference to be able to take more time thinking through their posting before needing to submit.

For ease's sake when it comes to comparing, I will consider all post frequencies of once a week or more as 'low', for this is the category that the rest of the forum based roleplays adhere to if not requiring a higher posting level. Again, such a condition, we find that there are two sides to preferring a slower paced roleplay.

The longer lengths between posts means that not only does the flow of a story not progress as fast, but it can also cause some roleplayers to lose interest due to the more relaxed tempo. However, those who tend to commit to such constraints tend to be those who like to plan for the long term as well, with low post frequency roleplays more likely to last the longest time-wise, even if plot doesn't progress as speedily.

Of course, it can also have the opposite effect of giving time for the player to be able to sit down and get fully into the character, allowing them to take the time to really formulate a post that is in keeping with the setting.

There is still much of a demand on a player's time to post even with a lower post inclination, but with more time to organise, construct and collaborate with other players before posting. This allows for a more united roleplaying experience that you simply cannot achieve when posting is near daily.

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High post frequencies tend to reflect a high level of interaction between the characters themselves, whereas less speedy roleplays can sometimes have each player focusing on a different set of events, rather than a number of interactions between players. Of course this is not always the case and reverse situations are always plausible.

Okay, I hope that helped provide an insight into the difference of not only advantages and disadvantages of both high and low posting frequencies but also into the kind of roleplayers and roleplays that might gravitate towards them both.

Thank you for reading!

Imehal.