Play-By-(E)Mail
What is Play-by-Mail (PBM)? I'm glad you asked!
The process is simple. Players send their orders for each turn in the game to a
central moderator (or GM), who works out the results and sends them back.
I've lifted this description from Flagship Magazine
, a bi-monthly magazine based in the UK that covers the PBM scene:
So there you go. What are you waiting for?
This simple process allows hundreds of players to enter game worlds of great
depth, to contact each other between turns for discussion and negotiation and
to play at a time that suits them.
...
There are all sorts of games, with all sorts of settings: roleplaying, wargaming,
adventuring, empire-building, sports games and plenty more! Some are simple,
some are complex, but they will all take skill and planning to play them well.
Here's some links to get you started:
Flagship Magazine (UK). Game reviews, diaries and links
Pagoda Games (UK). World War IV, Godfather, Adventurer Kings
Rolling Thunder Games (USA). Victory!, Supernova: Rise of the Empire
Roma Games (Australia). Darkness of Silverfall
Greg Lindahl's PBM links
In 2000 I played a game of World War IV, a medium-complex war game set in the near future. You must conquer up to 39 other players to win. The variant I played was set in North and South America, with 10 players, and lasted only 20 turns. A short, bloody campaign! I've zipped my turns if you're interested, you can download them here. I played with Pagoda Games , but other companies offer it too.
A friend of mine played in a game of Adventurer Kings back in '97 with Roma Games, and wrote a diary about it. It's hilarious reading, and remember, it's all true. We have the turn sheets to prove it! Get it here. Enjoy.
If you've played in any PBMs, feel free to email me turns, I'm always interested to see how other people play.