Milo Lofranco
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ritehunter.bsky.social
Milo Lofranco
@ritehunter.bsky.social
17 followers 130 following 6 posts
Lover of economics, art history, and tabletop games. Trying my best to develop a deeper understanding of play-by-post roleplay.
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ritehunter.bsky.social
Milo Lofranco @ritehunter.bsky.social · Feb 16
Play-by-Post Design Is Like Street Art

Heyo! My name is Milo and I've been hosting and designing play-by-post (PbP) games for over 4 years now. PbP is a format rarely discussed and I'll be sharing perspectives from my own community.

Hopefully these insights can enrich other PbP communities too.
Play-by-Post Design Is Like Street Art It’s everywhere if you care to look for it. There is something foundationally innocent in the idea that no matter where you go, people will find a way to play games with each other. If someone could leave some mark somewhere, another one can respond and connect beyond the confines of synchronicity or physicality — a mural that screams to the world that I was here and you found me. Virtual spaces are also community spaces. They are places where people can congregate, talk, explore, and play together. Except, we can only communicate with each other by altering the very space we navigate. Messages hang in the air for everyone to see; forum posts don’t leave once their contents are understood; every single bit of communication is an artefact of play — much like chalk marks of a hopscotch game yet to be washed by the rain. Yet we can only express through what we are allowed to alter, confined by the architecture of the digital space, its layout, and the tools it provides. One must first learn to navigate the space before learning the rules of the game. It is here that play-by-post designers see beyond the confines of what was intended. While they can’t construct new elements, they can design over the virtual space itself, augmenting and reframing its features. Any website can suddenly become a rich tapestry of collective storytelling — displacing corporate intention with mediums of expression. Every site has a dedicated play-by-post community. It is perhaps one of the most enduring formats there is. Even if we could never be together in time or space, we can still play together. Our writing will be there for anyone to find.
ritehunter.bsky.social
Made an unofficial TRPG of Reverse: 1999. It started as a small game for friends but I figured I'd polish it up a bit so that the greater #Reverse1999 community can enjoy this too.

Here's hoping y'all would find as much joy with it as my friends did!

ritehunter.itch.io/unofficial-r...
Unofficial Reverse: 1999 TRPG by Ritehunter
An Unofficial R1999 TRPG
ritehunter.itch.io
December 18, 2025 at 10:49 PM
ritehunter.bsky.social
Life was a bit rough recently but I finished part 2 of the pbp design series.

It's about how we synchronize stories, bend time, branch replies & parallel timelines. Tons of practical insights for anyone who loves tinkering with systems or designing for async play.

www.laciesbox.com/articles/unp...
Lacie's Box | Unpacking Play-by-Post Design, Part 2
Welcome to part 2 of play-by-post design as we explore how we weave stories through synchronicity, liquid time, anticipation, and parallel timelines.
www.laciesbox.com
October 23, 2025 at 11:02 AM
ritehunter.bsky.social
I've finally put together an article on my thoughts on play-by-post game design. I wanted to lay the groundwork for discussing play-by-post games and their limitations and nuances.

I'd love to hear more thoughts on this or if I missed anything.

www.laciesbox.com/articles/unp...
Lacie's Box | Unpacking Play-by-Post Design, Part 1
Welcome to part 1 where I aim to analyze and articulate the unspoken mechanisms and foundation for play-by-post design.
www.laciesbox.com
September 29, 2025 at 4:51 AM
ritehunter.bsky.social
Finally managed to write about one of our recent play-by-post campaigns. This one is a retrospective article about our letter-writing roleplay, 21 Telford Lane, with added insight from my interview with ones who organized and ran it.

www.laciesbox.com/articles/cur...
Lacie's Box | Curtain Call: A Final Letter For 21 Telford Lane
We'll be doing a retrospective on 21 Telford Lane, a roleplay that transformed letter-writing into an exploration of communication and connection.
www.laciesbox.com
July 15, 2025 at 1:42 PM
ritehunter.bsky.social
Play-by-Post Design Is Like Street Art

Heyo! My name is Milo and I've been hosting and designing play-by-post (PbP) games for over 4 years now. PbP is a format rarely discussed and I'll be sharing perspectives from my own community.

Hopefully these insights can enrich other PbP communities too.
Play-by-Post Design Is Like Street Art It’s everywhere if you care to look for it. There is something foundationally innocent in the idea that no matter where you go, people will find a way to play games with each other. If someone could leave some mark somewhere, another one can respond and connect beyond the confines of synchronicity or physicality — a mural that screams to the world that I was here and you found me. Virtual spaces are also community spaces. They are places where people can congregate, talk, explore, and play together. Except, we can only communicate with each other by altering the very space we navigate. Messages hang in the air for everyone to see; forum posts don’t leave once their contents are understood; every single bit of communication is an artefact of play — much like chalk marks of a hopscotch game yet to be washed by the rain. Yet we can only express through what we are allowed to alter, confined by the architecture of the digital space, its layout, and the tools it provides. One must first learn to navigate the space before learning the rules of the game. It is here that play-by-post designers see beyond the confines of what was intended. While they can’t construct new elements, they can design over the virtual space itself, augmenting and reframing its features. Any website can suddenly become a rich tapestry of collective storytelling — displacing corporate intention with mediums of expression. Every site has a dedicated play-by-post community. It is perhaps one of the most enduring formats there is. Even if we could never be together in time or space, we can still play together. Our writing will be there for anyone to find.
February 16, 2025 at 9:20 PM