Novice GM here. How do you handle large player groups of players (my new group is 8 players, never had more than 4 at a time), how do I keep them all interested in the story without breaking the group apart, making people wait for their turn to roleplay?

Don't force them to wait their turns - let them RP as they wish.  The only time this might be an issue is combat, but I usually allow my players to post as they can and then I determine what happens when, automatically redirecting attacks to opponents still standing (or asking players for clarification if required).

To keep things from getting bogged down, I'll watch how often people post, and if it's been a few days and I'm still waiting on someone, I'll either send them a PM or do a general OOC post.  It usually works pretty well.

That is the eternal question. Haven't succeed at it yet myself. Not even in a live action Table Top game. It's a Rodeo. ROFLMAO

More like herding cats...

Cat Herders . . . Unite!

As Prowler has said, just let them post. I sort it out as DM.

After each Player has posted -- in regards to combat -- lock the thread and sort out how the action actually took place. I sometimes copy & paste their post, using their avatar, arranging them in the proper sequence.

For instance, Player 4 posted before Player 3 -- in the Initiative Order -- but in proper sequence it was Player 3's blow that finally killed the monster. I shift their posts around accordingly and instruct Player 4 to repost, thus allowing him to attack someone else, if there's anyone else to attack.

A little painstaking, but then, that's the life of a DM, here on RPoL.

Remember, everyone is NOT going to post everyday, so it can be slow moving.

Some of the best GMs I have played with on here simply maintain a consistent update schedule.  Players who haven't postex without the time frame allotted lose their chance to do anything that turn and are assumed to just be following along (or, in combat, to be having equipment difficulty or to have been shocked into a catatonic state, where they aren't doing anything).  It doesn't work for everyone, some players resent it (even when they've been told in advance that's what would happen), but players either adapt to it or leave the game.  The ones who stay enjoy the fact that the game is moving.

Personally, I've seen the best results with two GM updates per week, in a pretty casually-paced game.  I had a GM try once per week, which was okay for a while, but after a while the break was long enough that it seemed like the GM kept forgetting the game.

As long as it's just RP - let them do it. If it's combat; just update regularly, sort it out. Unlike what was previously suggested; I usually have a rule that means they'll attack someone else; though I'm a bit more likely to ask for a repost if there's a few named NPCs.

As a GM I tend to do minor posts as I can, an NPC answer here or there.
A PM to clarify or point out things that only some characters noticed.
I do a "major" post ever 3-ish days to help keep the story going.

In reply to dorito78 (msg # 1):

Generally let them get on with RPing. Turns only become relevant in combat. Outside of combat be a little flexible in timelines to allow a player to go back to an earlier action/conversation to add their opinion.

However, if you notice a couple of players lagging behind or getting bored then introduce something to get them interested. It could be a trap, an NPC, an interesting item.

The big thing to watch out for actually is timezones. If we're talking people are able to post heaps faster over a full day - yeah, give them something to do. But be wary of letting things advance a lot when some of your group might be asleep.

That's a very good point. I have participated in a few games where I posted once, maybe twice, before going to bed - only to wake up the next morning and find out that I was lagging way behind. I prefer games with a much more sedate pace.

Hi dorito. You've gotten some good ideas already.

The best news is that, with 8 players, you can afford to lose a couple for whom the pace is too fast or too slow. Keep in mind also that the pace will probably slow after the first week or so when initial enthusiasm scales back.

I'll leave combat/action aside for now and just talk about regular story posts.

There are really two problems here: players who don't post often enough and those who post too often. Both issues can throw your game out of whack. It's important to address them early.

First, make sure you check the game often, like three times a day. That way, you'll be on top of things and you won't be the problem. Always know what your next post will be if the characters do what you expect. Then modify it when they do something you never expected.

Let people know at what point you'll NPC them to keep things moving. That might be 2-3 days in story segments (and 24 hours in combat/action).

It's unlikely that your players will all have the same schedule and occupy the same time zones. That's okay as long as you regulate the pace.

A good rule is that everyone should allow a certain interval after her/his post before posting again. Ideally the interval is everyone else posts (or at least looks in), but if someone is distracted from the game by RL or can't think of anything to post, the story lags. So the addition is that its okay to continue after a time span of 12 or 24 or 48 hours. This keeps a couple of fast players from running away with the thread and also prevents slow players from holding things up too long.

Now this can also slow the pace, if people are making inconsequential posts. The biggest problem is sentence-by-sentence conversation between PCs or with NPCs. A natural conversational style is great around the tabletop, but on PbP it's slooooooooow.

Ask your players to compress their conversation by asking all of their questions at once, indicating descriptively if they intend this to be a query barrage or if they allow each question to be answered before asking the next. When you're posting for NPCs, go ahead and presume the follow up questions and/or give a lot of information at once. Don't let one character's interaction with a minor NPC consume a week while everyone else posts how their character is bored.

These practices should keep things moving and everyone involved.

This is especially true when in Conversation Mode.

"What do we do next?"

"Shall we bail him/her out of jail?"

Etcetera.

Fast Players -- those who post often -- will tend to dominate the conversation. Sometimes it's best to allow some time before you -- the GM -- respond. I respond a couple of times -- the GM runs the NPCs -- but no more, before I wait a day -- 24 hours -- to give the slower posters a chance to offer their two cents. Every one of the Players should have a say in the Group's decisions. Don't let one, or two, dominate and dictate every action the Group makes. Such a game will prove unenjoyable to some Players and you'll lose them.