[Tassyr]

So... the title. I admit I haven't gone through and read any PBP games yet, but after losing yet another gaming group I'm beginning to think I might be on the wrong track entirely trying to set up anything realtime.
I'm curious about how PBP handles things like combat though- all those rolls, wouldn't they bog down? And how often are you supposed to post?

[farothel]

Play by post games take a long time, so you need a good group of players and GM.  Most stop after a while because players or GM stops.  RL has this annoying habbit of throwing wrenches in the machine.  And depending on the players you can have hiatus when finals at school are taking place.

I'm lucky to be in one that's been going on for a long time.

Combat indeed takes a long time, but this can also be an incentive to try something else than 'I shoot him in the face'.
As to the posting frequency, that's something that differs in every game.  Best is to have a group of people who at least check daily

[Medicineman]

.....oO( I remember the Time when PBM existed ! I never participated though , but I had some Friends who did
So much for PBP is slow )

He who won't dance with Snails
Medicineman

[nylanfs]

Should you be interested in online playing (because RL group fell apart, no SR players local, etc.) IanMWard made a Shadowrun 4e ruleset for Fantasy Grounds and is working on a 5e.

You might have some luck finding a group using that.

[Whiskeyjack]

Combat indeed takes a long time, but this can also be an incentive to try something else than 'I shoot him in the face'.
As to the posting frequency, that's something that differs in every game.  Best is to have a group of people who at least check daily

These are really things that need to be discussed before play ever begins.

If someone brings a kill-em-up-sam who can't string two words together before drawing his revolver, that can work a lot better in tabletop play that moves relatively quickly, versus a combat that takes weeks (yes, weeks) of back and forth to resolve in PbP.

[Jack_Spade]

There are a few tricks to speed combat up:
1) The GM rolls initiative and perception checks for everyone
2) The GM posts the relevant defense stats of the NPCs, so the players can resolve their whole phase, including the potential death of an opponent.
3) The GM defines some basic behavior for the NPCs (e.g. as soon as they take damage they go on full defense)
4) The GM ends a conflict narratively as soon as it's ending becomes obvious (After killing their boss, the mooks get scared and run away. It's no problem for you to finish them of if you want to)
5) The players do communicate beforehand about certain tactics, so even if someone hasn't posted its pretty obvious what he's going to do.

Since SR is a pretty deadly system combat shouldn't take longer than three rounds that way.

[rednblack]

From my admittedly very limited experience, it seems that posting frequency really beefs up once the guns are drawn.  Most of the PbP combats that I've been a part of take about a week of real time to resolve, and these typically aren't the "over in 1.5 turns" kind of combat either. 

Unfortunately, if you're thinking about PbP because you're a bit dejected that your real-life games have died, you'll be sadly disappointed.  I've been posting in the PbP forums for almost a year now, and I've yet to see a single run come to a conclusion.  Hasn't stopped me from trying though.

[Kincaid]

Having a really well-organized GM is absolutely critical.  That can be a very time consuming job given how quickly things change in Shadowrun (wound modifiers, penalties, etc.).  One of the other things that can bog a group down is an excess of exposition.  Really from anyone, but it seems like especially from the players.  You can find games where it feels like it takes three pages of posts to actually get to Matchsticks to meet the Johnson because 2 of the six runners have amazingly complex inner monologues and need to call 15 contacts before going to Matchsticks.  I sort of get that.  PBP games are can be a fun creative outlet and using a written format allows you to convey more information about your character than a normal tabletop experience might.  And you're character is (hopefully) interesting!  S/he has an interesting backstory that you want to share!  If we were really honest with ourselves, part of it is showing off too.  Either through system mastery or setting mastery, it's nice to flex those muscles every once in awhile.  I'm totally guilty of this when I play PBP L5R games, which have all sorts of esoteric customs when it comes to etiquette and honorifics.  Do I describe exactly how my daisho is tied and how deeply I bow?  You bet I do!  But I try to do it in a reasonably efficient fashion.

The problem is when all of this happens all at once, you end up in a game in which nothing actually happens--things just get described.  Stuff that takes 10 seconds at a tabletop ("Your Vory contact tells you that Matchsticks is a pretty famous place and questions why you've never heard of it before") can run into days for a back-and-forth commcall.

[Jack_Spade]

One thing that should not be forgotten: If you play a game, it's your responsibility to keep it alive, no matter if you are PC or GM.
That means: Engage with other players and NPCs so there is something they can react to. If nothing happens and yours isn't the last post, you should try to post something that will bring the story forwards.
Also: Don't block! Accept impulses and add to them so that there can be action. Doing nothing to wait and see may be a sensible course of action in RL, but for a game it's deadly (boring).

Oh and most important: If you can't keep up with a regular posting schedule, be realistic and excuse yourself from the game. Do not just drop out without notice.

[rednblack]

One thing that should not be forgotten: If you play a game, it's your responsibility to keep it alive, no matter if you are PC or GM.
That means: Engage with other players and NPCs so there is something they can react to. If nothing happens and yours isn't the last post, you should try to post something that will bring the story forwards.
Also: Don't block! Accept impulses and add to them so that there can be action. Doing nothing to wait and see may be a sensible course of action in RL, but for a game it's deadly (boring).

Oh and most important: If you can't keep up with a regular posting schedule, be realistic and excuse yourself from the game. Do not just drop out without notice.

Bolded for truth.  I was never much of a drama kid, but I remember when we were working on improv two big things that have stuck with me for RPing.  One is "Yes, and. . ." where you build off of what someone else is describing/saying/doing, and the other is to leave your section off at a point that encourages someone else to step in and fill out the necessary details.  Of course, this is important around the table as well, but PbPs most often drag when the end of someone else's post is more like an ending than a jumping off point -- both players and GMs -- including myself in both roles -- are guilty of this.

[BetaCAV]

"Your Vory contact tells you that Matchsticks is a pretty famous place and questions why you've never heard of it before"

Ooh! A direct hint-- I better follow that up.

I turn it around on my contact, asking angrily "More to the point, priyatel', why have YOU never told me about it until now?"
Intimidation roll (if necessary) http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4840203/

Torpedo 1 launched and running (because trying to intimidate Vory always works SO well).