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The DM: Hello All. It is January 4th. I've slept in a bit, so give me a few minutes to get my bearings. Let me start by asking, is anyone here?
Vafrandir: Present!
The DM: Good morning. Have a good Christmas?
Vafrandir: Very good: had another baby right before the holidays so all around very pleasant (lack of sleep aside!). How about you?
The DM: Relatively pleasant, though of course didn't get together with anyone. Been exchanging presents across lawns and such. Been thinking about the format of the campaign and changes that could be made to build better communication. For example, there are just two of us here, and we don't know who else might be lurking.
The DM: So, for starters, I suggest we begin by managing more clearly whose here and who isn't. I suggest that, if the player is here, and plans to check their status at least every 20 minutes, that they should write:
The DM: In.
And that they should, if they know they're going to be out of touch for at least an hour, they should write:
The DM: Out.
Vafrandir: In.
The DM: Exactly. Then we know who's here; and players should be less concerned about waiting to see what someone else wants to do, because they're not here. This would, then, at this time, make you the quorum, Vafrandir, regarding what the party does next. Questions?
Vafrandir: Pandred has attacked the wolf; we took a break mid-swing, as it were. After that action is completed, I assume the wolf will act. Since no one else is here, I can make my wisdom check again and attempt to attack at that point. Is that correct?
The DM: My apologies. I just deserted the campaign badly, didn't I? Upon being hit, the wolf will vanish again, just as it did before. But just at present, I'd like to sort out any issues with getting the campaign to move along a little faster. As it's going, it can take days just to manage some small momentum.
Vafrandir: I think the quorum will help. But being asynchronous is a pretty big obstacle. Parties can discuss options for long enough in person; when there's a lag of minutes or hours then decisions can take weeks to reach. If we can resolve those questions of "what to do next" more quickly then I think that will help significantly. But I'm not sure the best way to do that: perhaps a time limit on how long we can discuss before one of the options must be picked?
The DM: I think with some matters, it makes sense to request a general consensus, such as spontaneously going back to Treborg. Any major relocation should require at least 3 members of the party. But the issue has been that players are concerned about taking any bold action. Rather than say, "I am going back to the camp," they will say instead, "I think we should go back to the camp." This calls for others to answer, which can take all day.
