Play-by-post D&D that fits around a life.

Your pace, not a calendar's

The whole thing is built around taking your time. A turn can be five minutes on a break or a long think overnight. Everything saves — close the tab mid-fight and pick up exactly where you left off.

If your group wants a little pressure, set a per-turn clock: four hours, or up to a day. If someone goes quiet, their character holds the line — or defends, in a fight — and play moves on rather than everyone waiting.

Games that survive a busy week

Play-by-post's chronic failure is the game that quietly stops: someone fades, the DM burns out, a week becomes a month. Everything here is aimed at that — a pace you set, a table that keeps moving when one person can't, and a nudge only when the game is actually waiting on you.

The story is an append-only log. Nothing is lost when you step away, and you can always read back exactly what happened.

Run it yourself, or don't

You can be the Dungeon Master — the world is yours, and the dice, maps, combat, and sheets are handled for you.

Or, if your group is like most and nobody wants to run it, an optional AI Dungeon Master will: it narrates, plays every monster and townsfolk, calls for the rolls, and picks up your turn the moment you post it. Start an authored adventure, or describe what you're after and let it build one around you. It's opt-in, clearly marked, and never touches the dice.

Real fifth edition, under the hood

This isn't freeform storytelling with a die roll bolted on. Characters are full 5e sheets with the math done right. Every roll comes from a real dice engine — seeded, logged, replayable — and the DM never touches it: it narrates the result, it doesn't decide it.

Combat runs on initiative, with armor class, saving throws, conditions, and death saves all tracked. The whole game is an event log you could replay move for move.

Solo, or gather a table

Play by yourself against the DM, or send a friend a link and adventure together. A party can take turns in order, or everyone can submit at once and the DM resolves the round when the last person's in.

Everyone gets a nudge when it's their move. Two to six players, and no one has to be online at the same time.

Who it's for

If you love D&D but life doesn't leave room for a standing four-hour session — a parent, a shift worker, friends spread across time zones, anyone whose group drifted apart when everyone got busy — this is for you. If you already have a weekly game and a great GM, keep them. Bring SlowDelve for the weeks in between.

Common questions

What is play-by-post?

A roleplaying game played in writing, a turn at a time, instead of in a scheduled voice session. You read what happened, write what your character does, and post it — on a break, over lunch, before bed. Nobody has to be online at the same moment.

Do I have to run the game as Dungeon Master?

You can, and the tools make it easy — the dice engine, maps, combat, and character sheets are handled for you. Or you don't have to: an optional AI Dungeon Master will narrate the world, play every monster and townsfolk, call for the rolls, and resolve each turn the moment it's posted. It's there so a missing DM never means a missing game.

What happens when someone goes quiet?

The game keeps moving. A slow player's character holds position — or defends, in a fight — and play continues, so nobody's enthusiasm is held hostage by the slowest poster. Everyone gets an email nudge when the game is genuinely waiting on them.

Is this real Dungeons & Dragons 5e?

It runs on fifth-edition-compatible rules from the System Reference Document 5.1 — full character sheets, initiative, armor class, saving throws, conditions, and death saves, all tracked. Every roll comes from a seeded, logged dice engine that the DM never touches. It is an independent work, not affiliated with Wizards of the Coast.

Is SlowDelve free?

Yes, while we're building it. Games with a real person behind the screen — you or a friend — will stay free. The AI Dungeon Master has a free allowance to play with, and eventually a paid tier for people who lean on it heavily. No ads.

Can I play solo?

Yes. Solo against the Dungeon Master is a first-class way to play, not an afterthought — pick an authored adventure or have one improvised around you.