In reply to Wulf (msg # 7):
Wulf:
I don't mind what system we use but past experience has taught me that the quickest and simplest way is the best way for RPOL play. If you want combat be as fast as possible, just to 'team' initiative, allowing people's goes to take place in the order that they are posted. If you have an initiative order for PCs to post in, thenthe game is slowed to the post-rate of the slowest poster.
That said, if you're going for individual initiative, like 3e or 5e has, that's all fine and good. I don't have strong feelings either way.
What I've seen in the games where individual initiative is used is that everyone rolls and posts regardless of initiative order. The DM then marches through the actions in order of initiative and lets the whole party know the results of that round of combat. Don't force people to post in order, you get x many days, real time, from the declared start of each round of combat to get your action in. No posted action, the DM could NPC your character for that round or no posted action=no character action for the round, whichever the DM declares to be the way things will be handled for the game.
In fact, I typically play in PBEM games, not RPOL, and the DM handles initiative rolls, a secret rolls, for everyone so you post your action and hope for the best for timing of it within the round.