Re: [Announcement] Eldritch Commercial Launch

From: "Juggernaut Press" <pbm@gamesbymail.com>

Date: Fri, 17 Jul 1998 00:00:00 +0000

CasbahCarl wrote in message
<1998071712532200.IAA21844@ladder03.news.aol.com>...
>wlfobe@aol.com (WLFobe) Wrote:
>
>> Talking about depth?  They sent me (e-mail) a copy of the rulebook
>> and told me that I should sign up by the next day (July 15).  When I
>> unzipped the rulebook it was 158 pages.  I couldn't even get this
>> printed out on my dot-matrix printer by the next day!  I guess this
>> is depth.

>There is a great deal of complexity to Eldritch, at every level --
including
>game mechanics.
>
>I think it's important to note that this degree of complexity may not be
suited
>to certain players, especially those new to pbm gaming.

It's easy to confuse complexity with depth. Eldritch is not the most complex
play-by-mail game on the market. Other games, such as Odyssey, have steeper
learning curves. I don't doubt that Eldritch requires more commitment than,
say, Monster Island, but an average play-by-mail gamer who reads the
rulebook and devotes some effort to his position should not have any problem
learning how to play Eldritch. And for those unused to 'big' games, I offer
as much help and 'hand-holding' as necessary. Eldritch also benefits from a
mailing list frequented by several veteran players who routinely offer to
assist new players. Make no mistake that Eldritch does require a real
commitment of time and effort, at least if you want to do well in the game,
but after the first few turns the average player should have a firm grasp of
the mechanics.

I don't accept the argument that new PBM gamers should be led toward simple
PBM games. PBM gamers don't spring fresh from the womb. Most of them have
substantial experience with computer games, board games, and role-playing
games. For a typical wargamer, Eldritch might itself appear too simple! Each
new player will have to decide for himself what is and what is not
'complex'. Your tic-tac-toe might be my Stalingrad. The best way for new
players to evaluate games is to read the rulebook, ask questions of the
moderator and other players, and read reviews and articles about the game,
if available.

Bob McLain
Juggernaut Press

References

Re: [Announcement] Eldritch Commercial Launch
wlfobe@aol.com (WLFobe)
Thu, 16 Jul 1998 00:00:00 +0000
Re: [Announcement] Eldritch Commercial Launch
casbahcarl@aol.com (CasbahCarl)
Fri, 17 Jul 1998 00:00:00 +0000

Referenced By

Re: [Announcement] Eldritch Commercial Launch
wlfobe@aol.com (WLFobe)
Thu, 16 Jul 1998 00:00:00 +0000
Re: [Announcement] Eldritch Commercial Launch
casbahcarl@aol.com (CasbahCarl)
Fri, 17 Jul 1998 00:00:00 +0000