Your Story, Your Pace, Your Adventure
The Play-by-Post Adventure League is a new kind of creative experience—one where kids write their way through epic adventures at their own pace, collaborating with other young storytellers to build rich, ongoing narrative worlds.
Unlike traditional roleplaying games that happen in real-time, Play-by-Post is asynchronous. Players create characters, respond to story prompts, write character journals, and interact with other characters through posts they can craft thoughtfully, without pressure or time limits. It’s perfect for kids who love writing, enjoy deep character development, and want the creative collaboration of roleplaying without the scheduling constraints.
Think of it as a collaborative novel where kids are both authors and characters. Each player contributes to an evolving story, responds to others’ posts, and helps shape the direction of the adventure. Our experienced Game Masters provide story structure, introduce plot twists, and guide the narrative, but the real magic comes from what players create together.
How It Works
When your child joins the Play-by-Post Adventure League, they’ll:
Create a Character: Using our guided character creation system, they’ll develop a unique character with personality, background, goals, and quirks. Characters can be anything from fantasy adventurers to space explorers to mystery solvers—depending on the current story arc.
Join a Story Thread: We run multiple concurrent story arcs, each with its own setting, theme, and plot. Players choose which stories they want to participate in (they can join multiple threads if they’d like).
Write and Respond: A few times a week, players check the story thread, read what’s happened, and post their character’s response. There’s no pressure to write immediately—posts can be crafted whenever it works for your child’s schedule. We suggest posting 2-3 times per week, but there’s flexibility for busy schedules.
Collaborate and Connect: As the story unfolds, characters interact, form alliances, solve problems together, and drive the plot forward. Players often develop friendships through their characters, discovering shared creative interests.
Develop Skills: Our Game Masters provide regular feedback on writing, story structure, and character development. Players see their writing skills improve naturally through practice and gentle guidance.
Why Play-by-Post?
Perfect for Introverted Writers: Kids who might feel overwhelmed by live, in-person roleplaying thrive in the thoughtful, paced environment of play-by-post. They have time to craft the perfect response, develop their character’s voice, and participate without social pressure.
Builds Real Writing Skills: This isn’t just play—it’s writing practice disguised as an adventure. Kids write thousands of words over the course of a story arc, developing narrative skills, dialogue, description, and character voice.
Flexible and Accessible: No commute, no specific meeting times, no geographic limitations. Kids can participate from anywhere in the world, fitting writing into their schedule whenever works best.
Encourages Reading: To participate effectively, kids need to read what other players have written. Many reluctant readers find themselves devouring posts because they’re invested in the story.
Safe Online Community: Our moderated platform ensures appropriate content, positive interactions, and a supportive creative environment. All posts are reviewed by Game Masters, and we maintain strict community guidelines.
What Parents Are Saying
“My daughter has always loved creative writing but struggled with motivation. Since joining the Play-by-Post League, she writes every day and her skills have improved dramatically.” - Jennifer K., Parent
“As an introverted kid, my son found traditional camps overwhelming. Play-by-Post gave him the creative collaboration he craved without the social anxiety.” - David R., Parent
Story Arcs and Themes
We run seasonal story arcs (usually 2-3 months long) with different themes:
- Fantasy Quests: Classic sword-and-sorcery adventures
- Mystery Investigations: Detective stories and puzzle-solving
- Science Fiction: Space exploration and futuristic adventures
- Historical Fiction: Adventures set in real historical periods
- Superhero Sagas: Modern-day heroes with extraordinary abilities
Players can join ongoing arcs mid-session or wait for new story arcs to begin.
Age-Appropriate Groups
We separate players into age-appropriate groups (10-13 and 14-16) to ensure content and interaction styles match developmental stages. Each group has dedicated Game Masters who understand the needs of that age range.
Perfect For
Play-by-Post Adventure League is ideal for kids who:
- Love writing and creative storytelling
- Enjoy roleplaying but prefer asynchronous interaction
- Want to improve their writing skills in a fun context
- Have busy schedules that make regular in-person commitments difficult
- Are introverted or prefer thoughtful, paced social interaction
- Love reading fantasy, science fiction, or adventure stories
- Want to connect with other creative kids
Join the Adventure
The Play-by-Post Adventure League runs year-round with rolling admissions. New players can join at the beginning of any month. We offer a free trial period so your child can experience play-by-post before committing.
