1.        What is the purpose of this work you'll be doing, or why do you want to run an IRC game?

You might want to roleplay, and be without a good group of real-life players or people to form a game.

You might be in circumstances that make it impossible to get together "face-to-face" (FTF) for a game very often.

You might be tired of attempting to roleplay in a slow PBEM.

You might even be tired of the turnover in such a game.

You might want to try out your own plots and ideas for character stories.

You, most likely of all, probably want to have fun and enjoy the time you spend doing the game.

         The players want the same thing. To attract people who will enjoy themselves and as a result, remain in your game, you must describe the game you're creating. This description must be detailed without restricting your imagination too tightly. So, here in the beginning, decide on what type of setting you want, and how much you want to script it. Here, scripting refers to how tightly you control the direction and spirit of the game's plot and action. There are some excellent resources around to help a game's master (sometimes also called the Game Master (GM), the Dungeon Master (DM), or the Game Keeper (GK), etc.) formulate every detail involved in role-play gaming.

         This is usually overdone. Too much of a "good thing" is the frequent result of a conscientious game's master. So much time and effort is devoted to designing a certain dungeon, a certain scene, or a planned plotline of an adventure that there is no room for the characters (or even the players themselves) to have any affect whatsoever on the game's direction. Like some uncaring juggernaunt, the game is forced right over every action, good or bad, the players perform through their characters. Or, if the game's master has the good judgment to allow the game's plot line to wander, the game's master then feels 'cheated' because all that hard work and planning will no longer be of use in that particular game.

         So, particularly before you've even begun to advertise your game, you are well-advised to plan only in the broadest of strokes. Define your purposes, and make sure that your design of the game has a good chance of fulfilling what you desire to do and get out of the time you spend. If you want to have fun, play a game that you know already you enjoy. Decide how much time you're willing to commit, and what specific time you will meet regularly to play. Ad-hoc one-on-one gaming sessions are nice, but to give the whole group fair 'stage time' you should meet for some substantial time period to play as a full group on a decided and mutually agreeable schedule. This schedule should not be changed lightly, as getting together can be exceedingly difficult.

2.         Decide on the game you'll use.

         You must know the rules exceedingly well. Study these, and try to foresee any problems with taking the game's mechanical system into an IRC environment. Specifically, decide if cheating is possible, and the requisite steps you want to take to limit or eliminate the possibility of such. Write up any changes to normal rules, and get a web site to post these rules specific to your game on the Internet. Posting a description of your game and adding material as the game goes on can be fun, but time consuming. The level of documentation you do can be a real help to keeping your game alive. Let the players help you if you are lucky to have someone technically skilled, or willing to write journals or keep character quotes filed.

3.         Choose a general setting.

         From space opera to manga, AD&D to Toon, every game occurs in some place or other. Choose one you really like, and write out it's general description in a page or two, by hand, no more. This gives you enough to start with. Done broadly enough this will both let you remain true to your original inspiration and fit in detail work as the game progresses. If you're using a setting from a particular work of fiction, write down the name of the book and the author. List these later as you advertise for players - even if a player hasn't read that book, they likely will as the game begins. This can create a wonderful 'common' view of the setting and background history. Here are some online games for examples, and some references to help you develop your own ideas.

         At the very least, a player might have a much better idea of what kind of game you WANT, and be more true to your desires for it. Posting these as part of your game description when you attract players will help in making sure they will enjoy the game. This will reduce turnover (people leaving and being replaced), which can really spoil the continuity and atmosphere of a good game. Some common books in use or inspired by roleplay gaming include all the AD&D ones, J.R.R. Tolkien's work, E.E. "Doc" Smith's Lensman series, Anne McCaffrey's Pern series, all the multitude of cyberpunk books, Star Trek, Babylon Five, the Men in Black, H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos, various vampire tales, murder mysteries, etc.

4.          Decide how much time you'll always give to working and playing on your game.

         This is a lot of work. Do not try to bite off more than you can chew. Estimate how many hours you'll really have to work on the game, play the game, answer questions about the game, post things to a website about the game, etc. Decide how much time you're really going to spend on it after the new wears off. How many times will you call off a game session? How many times will you procrastinate, then function in a burst of activity? Instead of doing either, start at the pace you can maintain, and stay there. Players who join will get used to it, and not expect otherwise. In games where the pace slows to a crawl, then picks up to frantic, most players will eventually leave for a more predictable commitment and degree of enjoyment.