The Game Killer

[Sellsword]

Conversation is tough in pbp. Not that it shouldn't be done, but even a short conversation, two or three exchanges, can be several days in real time which can alienate other players that aren't involved. There's a balance there that's a struggle to find. As a DM, I love when dialogue between players happens naturally that the whole group gets involved in, but in my experience that's really rare.

I think it's even tougher at the outset, though it's probably most important to encourage it early on. For the most part, we're all a bunch of anonymous strangers, so it's hard to force a connection.

Not disagreeing with you at all, just sharing my experiences.

[Vladim]

2 hours ago, Sellsword said:

(snip)

which can alienate other players that aren't involved.

That's very true, which is why I find side-threads (private if need be) a godsent for these sorts of things. It doesn't interrupt game flow and it lets pairs of PCs (or more) to have conversations and RP without the other players (who may be just busy) feeling like they are excluded or missing out.