Basic Assumptions:

1. This is play-by-post, not tabletop. We’re not going to bother with standard turn order or formal initiative or anything like that.
  If the bad guys get the drop on you, I’ll post their action(s) when I set up the encounter. Other than that, we’ll play out fights in turn as individual duels between two(ish) characters. Since this is PbtA, the players will assume more of the storytelling duties than they might in other types of RPG. That's to be expected. The GM will provide direction and NPC (re)action as necessary. PCs are also welcome to coordinate actions on a case-by-case basis--NPCs will do the same.
By handling fights in this way, we don’t have to worry about whose turn it is. One PC may get more screen time than another, but that’s okay. That’s the way it works in the movies, too. If a player misses a few beats, we’ll assume he’s handling his opponent offscreen, recovering from his last action, or setting up his next action.
There will be a couple of ramifications to this:

  A. No more than one round per PC per day during combat.
  That's one round, which may take several posts if there's a question or clarification.
This rule is just so people that are busy IRL don’t get left in the dust. If everybody is free and getting screen time, we can relax it.

  B. Players that post less often get more leeway for time on the turns they do take.
  For a player that posts every day, I’ll be pretty strict about how much he or she can accomplish in a single turn. For a busy player that’s getting less air time, it's okay to fudge actions, especially movement, reloading, spellcasting, and other extended actions, so he can get an attack or spell in. It’s not prejudicial treatment—it’s just game flow management.

  C. If you know you’ll be unavailable for a few days and don’t mind me resolving your actions for you, you can queue up actions in advance.
  If a player knows he or she will be busy for a few days during a combat, it’s okay to list several turns' worth of actions in the same post ahead of time for the GM to resolve by proxy.

2. Always spell out the options you take WHEN YOU MAKE THE ROLL.
  One benefit of PbtA is that we all pretty much know how the rules work. Go ahead and indicate your plans and relay your narrative, unless you have any questions. If I need to ask questions or make adjustments, I'll let you know.

3. Since this is PbtA, I will usually stat enemies at the beginning of the encounter.
  In the middle of a scene, PbtA games aren't heavy on GM secrets. As such, I'll be providing most of the details you'll need to resolve things on your own. Run with it.

4. Remember: Most attacks trade damage; they don't deal damage.
  That means, unless you take an option to mitigate the damage your character takes, you always need to account for taking damage in an exchange in your narrative. Don't forget!


  I expect combat posts in the game to go something like this:
    1. Player decides on the target(s) to attack and uses the Dice roller. Based on the result, ze lists options ze chooses. Then ze writes a description of the exchange on both sides. This means that in this game, players can and should write up actions for NPCs.
    2. If two or more players attack the same NPC in a turn, the second and following players can usually make Offensive Combat Checks (i.e., the NPC can't inflict harm to the PC) instead of trading damage.
    3. MC may respond as appropriate to player posts, acknowledging, answering questions, or just replaying the action from the NPC's perspective.
    4. MC may write a post covering any NPCs not engaged during the turn. This may precipitate Defensive Combat Checks or Saves from PCs as appropriate.
  You'll notice that, in this game, it may happen that players post several rounds on their own without the GM interfering. That's okay as long as all the players are involved and having fun and nobody has any questions or problems.

5. Roll the dice when you're under pressure. Otherwise, don't.
  You don't have to roll to use a skill in which you're trained unless you have to use it while people are shooting at you or while you're under serious time pressure or if you only get one chance to do it right. If you have time to work and aren't in the throes of an adrenaline rush, you don't have to roll unless the task should be too hard for you to accomplish.