A. I dont have any hard Ideas for alternate methods of handling tactical encounters in PBP. I will try a more abstract story method at some point to see how it works.
B. scheduling is probably the single biggest challenge, Sam tried to do this on short notice suggesting that if we got a quorum we might move things along, looking for a quorum of members might be a way to do this- at my regular D&D group if one person didn't show we still played and NPCed his character that night but the problem with that is if one person's schedule means he doesn't make it everytime then its almost as if they are getting shunted aside from the game and I dont like that. We are all spread over various time zones and If need be I'm prepare to simply do everything in PBP.
If there is a possibility of meeting virtually then my best days are Friday after 9pm Eastern time and Sunday after 7pm Eastern, Saturday is a possibility in the late afternoon (6 or later but I need to plan a head as there is always the possibility of work wanting or needing me to stay to close which is 8pm)
Straight chat window Tom Stephens site has a very servicable chat window
C. Platforms
1. chat window can work and the one on this site is certainly serviceable (thank you Tom Stephens for you work in putting that one up)
2. I've used skype with google docs and for the Virtual con game that I ran and my experience there was that it was twitchy but we got it done
3. I'm played with software that you had to download and run on you computer and master its rather hinky learning curve to use it and I hated that.
4. Pierre Savoy just posted this link on the SF_Un yahoo group for a browser based table top that looks good but I've only jsut registered for the free account and watched the you tube overview video:
https://app.roll20.net/homeI like what I'm seeing with this especially since it seems that its built with rpg specifically in mind. its selling points are that its free, the 3d dice that roll on the map (plus other dice features for in chat or in a whisper to the GM) and that worst case is you supposedly need google chrome though I was just playing with it in firefox browser.
those I my thoughts I looking forward to hearing everyone elses comments
A second year delivery driver who still could not back up his van told me, "Its Not that I Cant back it up a van its that I Dont want to." Funny I use to say the same about sex in high School.