From Clueless Newbie to PBM Stud in Two Years! From: casbahcarl@aol.com (CasbahCarl) Date: Fri, 05 Jun 1998 00:00:00 +0000 +-------------> Action! Adventure! Strategy! Let's Play: "From Clueless Newbie to PBM Stud in Two Years!" :) The Setting ^^^^^^^^^^^ Okay, let's say we've got a totally clueless newbie who just learned that there's such a thing as play-by-mail and play-by-email gaming. He's bright, but did not major in statistics or database management. He's also interested in playing pbm/pbem games and realizes (okay, maybe he's not completely clueless) that there's a wide variety of games available, with differing themes and levels of complexity. The Challenge ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Design a two-year programme for our clueless newbie that will take him from basic games that can provide him a good introduction to the hobby (remember, he knows nada, and has no prior gaming-related experience) to PBM Stud (think of your favorite semi-pro pbm hobbyist) in just two years, with a monthly gaming budget no more than US$60! (Yes, he'd have to be a U.S. player. We all know there's no such thing as a clueless newbie in the U.K. ;) Along the way, he should get a good grounding in every game-type and theme currently available (that does NOT mean playing every existing game, he's only got two years, not twenty!). He should get a fairly broad exposure in everything from soccer (oops, sorry, "football") games to intergalactic bugjuice-zapping, and ultra-anal computer mods to stroke-n-choke hand mods, from full-metal-jacket wargaming to daisy-daze interactive fiction. The Drama ^^^^^^^^^ Can it be done? Does anyone care? Will our newbie survive the ordeal? Should we just shoot him now, putting him out of his misery and take his 1500 bucks (that would be much more efficient!). Inquiring minds want to know! :) ----------------------- I'm cross-posting this to rec.games.pbm and to the two pbm mailing lists. I'd like to get as much input as possible, and I know some folks that aren't on Usenet are on one or both of the lists, while some folks don't subscribe to rec.games.pbm. For those who are on one or more of these, please pardon the redundant posts. Up