I play dice game. almost entirely online these days. Partially because of social distancing, and partly because its very convenient. The two main problems I have had with playing online, are player engagement, and spotlight management. It is very easy to get on discord and play some games, especially when compared to the logistical headache that is in person gaming as an adult, but its just as easy to browse twitter, or read a random wiki while sitting at your computer and playing a dice game. and without visual cues, and body language to guide us, we often spend a lot of time sitting in dead air, as players hesitate to talk over each other, or be spotlight hogs. I have begun using these player roles in my weekly dungeon game to help avoid these pitfalls.
Caller
Check with each party member and relay plans to referee every round/turn/watch when in dungeons and the wilderness
The classic caller. Not a leader, or a captain, more of an assistant referee of sorts. When i ask what the party is doing, the caller drives the conversation to reach that answer.
Marshal
Track Marching order, roll for initiative, keep track of and command Hirelings.
The Marshall is there to make my life easier, and also to make sure hireling and retainers don’t get ignored, (as the often do in my games). It also gives me a specific person to ask for party initiative, which is minor, but speeds things up.
Scribe
Take notes in real time, and ideally, read notes during play to look out for forgotten stuff i.e."Oh we do know that guy" (I will still likely point out things i think you’ve forgotten if i remember.) almost
This one seems unnecessary to me at face value. I take notes when i play, i expect my players to do the same. But formalizing and assigning the roles makes sure at least someone is taking notes for the whole party, and keeping those notes fresh in mind from week to week.
Results
So far it has been great, and my players seem to enjoy the roles, and the added engagement they convey. Caller took us a little bit of time to hammer out, as players struggled to shake the idea that they are in charge.