I'm running an Achtung! Cthulhu game and will probably run another when it's done. I'm fairly new to RPOL so I'm still learning.  Trying to convey a horror atmosphere is a little harder via pbp and I'm exploring how to do it beyond written descriptions, linking to creepy photos or ambient background noise, etc. One thing I'm wondering how to do/if it's kosher is how to create hallucinations and sow distrust among the players.

Is there a way to perhaps edit what one character reads in a scene compared to others?  Slightly change what different players read when another player posts dialogue?  For example, if one player unknowingly has a spell cast on them to distrust another party member, alter how the hexes player sees that player's posts or dialogue. If so, what is considered good DMing versus unfairly sabotaging a player?  I want to be able to mess with the players a little in a way that's hard to figure out, but not so much that they feel like they don't have agency or that they get frustrated.

Any thoughts welcomed.
This message had punctuation tweaked by a moderator, as it was the wrong forum, at 18:15, Wed 20 May 2015.

The biggest thing you're going to have to rely on is the willingness of your players to allow themselves to play into the hallucinations and dementia.  With complicit players, it's a whole lot easier than you probably think it is.

If you simply give someone a private line that says "In addition to the above, for a second there, you could have sworn a cockroach scuttled through his hair.  Please react accordingly." and they run with it, it works great.

If the PCs are being adversarial, you've got bigger issues... and the game type just might not be for them.

Using secret text can have a similar effect (give someone a different description than everyone else), but the text-based medium is so prone to misunderstandings, anyway, that it can fall flat.

Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. Very easy to read things the wrong way and I don't want to create discord between the players.

Thanks!

In reply to swordchucks (msg # 2):

Remember, giving a player a Private Line makes them aware that they know something that others don't, and they can react accordingly. Using a Secret Line doesn't let the player know this, they will assume that all have the same knowledge. You can use both to mess with players heads.

For this to work effectively you need to write well and have players you trust to react appropriately. Done well it can be great fun!

Jarodemo, I'm aware of the difference, but what I'm saying is that the medium can make it difficult to use secret text effectively.  People don't always read things closely and often forget details when we're talking about the time spans likely in RPOL games.  Secret text works best when it's a big, immediate thing that they can't help but notice or react to.  More subtle stuff... may get lost in the natural noise of an RPOL game.

There's nothing wrong with having the PCs aware of that their heads are being messed with.  They just have to be willing to run with it.

I agree the intent of Secret makes sense, but in practice it's very hit or miss.

If you don't judge the weight of your Secret message to the player just right, you may end up with the player immediately mentioning it in character or out, and/or confusion emerging (in a bad way) a few posts later.

On the other hand if it's not immediately important, then player forgetfulness is very likely when they have no particular reason to pay attention to what appears inconsequential.

Savvy players can tell when secret lines are flying because they're aware of them and see irrational (in the metagame sense) behavior from their comrades. I agree it's much better to have cooperative players in that respect.

With Private messages, the player understands it's noteworthy and will generally have their character respond in an appropriate but not derailing way.

EDIT: Example: One PC sees a monster that nobody else can see, because it's in his head.

If the player is on board with that distinction, the character will act appropriately and draw a weapon, and RP being ready to fight. If the player is not on board with that distinction, they might roll initiative citing a new troll encounter, and begin to coordinate OOC tactics, which throws the game off. Now everyone is painfully aware the GM is feeding Secret lines to people.
This message was last edited by the user at 15:36, Sun 24 May 2015.

How does on post "secret text?"  I use private lines in text, but I've never heard of secret text on rpol before.

When you're composing a message, in the drop-down menu in the bottom-right (just below the "Cancel" button) you can select "Private to..." or "Secret to..." :).

As a cover for messing with private and secret lines, actually use them in play. roll perception often for your players. And feed them results privately or secretly according to how good their roll is. Some one going mad simply will hear some things when they make a critical failure.  Or even worse the tainted player character may actually be hearing sounds from the other side of the "curtain". And that is really a successful perceptoin roll.