[FAQ] The New PBM FAQ

From: kmgraphiks@aol.com (KMGraphiks)

Date: Tue, 24 Mar 1998 00:00:00 +0000

=================
NEW PBM FAQ
for rec.games.pbm
-----
Last Updated March 9, 1998

This newsgroup (rec.games.pbm) was established for the open discussion of
commercial and free play-by-mail (PBM) games, and all other topics related to
PBM gaming. We hope you enjoy the discussion and we hope you contribute to it
often. Before you make your first post, we suggest you read this short FAQ to
familiarize yourself with the hobby, with rec.games.pbm, and with the few
guidelines of etiquette which govern the newsgroup.

Send questions, comments, and suggestions to Ken Mitchell <kmgraphiks@aol.com>.

1.   What is a play-by-mail (PBM) game?
2.   Are there any PBM web sites?
3.   Are there any PBM mailing lists?
4.   Are there any PBM magazines?
5.   Can I play these games for free?
6.   What is an acceptable post to rec.games.pbm?
7.   Is advertising allowed on the newsgroup?
8.   Where can I find opponents for private gaming?
9.   Who will answer my questions?

1.   What is a play-by-mail (PBM) game?
     -----------------------------------

A PBM game is a multi-player, turn-based game played through the mail. Each
turn involves an exchange of information between the players and a single
moderator. The player submits orders for his character or his position, the
moderator processes those orders (often simultaneously with orders submitted by
all of the other players) and returns the results to the player in the form of
a turn report. This cycle continues until the game ends or until the player
decides to stop playing. All PBM games share several common characteristics:

THEME.  A PBM game may have virtually any theme, e.g., fantasy, science
fiction, war, crime, sports. Additionally, it may have virtually any variation
on its main theme, e.g., role-playing, wargame (tactical or strategic), etc.
Regardless of your interest, you will be able to find a PBM game to match it.

SPAN.  A PBM game is either finite or infinite. A finite game lasts only until
one player (or a team of players) satisfy the victory conditions. An infinite
game lasts, theoretically, forever, with players entering and leaving at
different times. You can't 'win' an infinite game; instead, you establish your
own goals and pursue them. Virtually all role-playing games are infinite.

MODE.  A PBM game is either manual or automated. A manual game is run by hand,
with little or no computer assistance. Most role-playing games are, by their
very nature, manual. An automated game is run by computer, with no input from
the moderator. The turn report in a manual game is usually in the form of a
custom written narrative; in an automated game, it's usually a set of
statistics or other tabulated information.

DELIVERY.  A PBM game is either postal or email. A postal game is played
through 'snail' mail, though often you are able to submit your orders in other
ways, e.g., email, fax. Your turn report, however, is always sent by post. An
email game is played entirely through email, and tends to run at a faster pace.

A few examples. Starweb is a finite, automated strategy wargame set in a
science fiction universe, available by post or by email. Absolute Fantasy is an
infinite, manual roleplaying game set in a fantasy universe, available by post.
The moderator should offer you enough information in his brochure or
advertisement so that you can similarly categorize his game(s).

Commercial play-by-mail began in 1970 with the formation of Flying Buffalo,
Inc. by Rick Loomis and the release of his first game, Nuclear Destruction,
which is still running today. Free play-by-mail has much deeper roots, and
might arguably be traced back to the first time a couple of chess players
swapped moves by post (or Pony Express, or royal messenger). It has recently
grown exponentially with the advent of free games of all description available
by email and supported by web pages on the Internet. The commercial PBM
'industry' probably has 5000 active players worldwide. Many, many more folks
play free PBM games.

2.  Are there any PBM web sites?
    ----------------------------

There are several general interest web sites and hundreds of other web sites
devoted to a specific company or game. The best way to find these web sites is
to use an engine like http://www.yahoo.com or http://www.altavista.com and
search for 'play-by-mail' 'PBM', etc. Most PBM web sites have a page of links
leading to other PBM web sites, so once you find one in theory you'll be able
to find them all. The best place to start is:

Commercial Games:   http://www.tightbeam.com
Free Games:   http://www.pbem.com

Both of these sites have lots of links and plenty of information. Both have
been around for years and will likely stay around. TightBEAM focuses on
commercial games (you pay a fee for each turn), PBEM.COM focuses on free games
(you don't pay anything), though it has a small section about commercial games,
too.

3.  Are there any PBM mailing lists?
    --------------------------------

Some PBM games have their own mailing lists where players can post messages
about the game, ask questions, and brag about their exploits. Ask your
moderator whether he offers a mailing list for your game. To join a list, you
usually send email to the server with the single unquoted word 'subscribe' in
the body of your message (some lists may have different procedures). A few
lists we know of:

Beyond the Stellar Empire (science fiction adventure)
   --->  send email ('subscribe bse-list') to majordomo@pbm.com    (US version)
   --->  send email ('subscribe uk-bse') to majordomo@pvv.ntnu.no  (UK version)
Godfather (gangster wargame)
   --->  send email ('subscribe godfather-list') to majordomo@tightbeam.com
Legends
   --->  send email ('subscribe Legends') to legends-request@fdemocracy.org

**UPDATED 3/9/98**
Lords of the Earth (historical simulation/wargame)
   --->  send email ('subscribe LOTE-L') to majordomo@list.play-by-mail.com

Midgard (medieval roleplaying/power game )
   --->  send email ('subscribe midgard') to majordomo@midgardusa.com

**UPDATED 3/9/98**
PBM-FORUM (general PBM discussion focusing on player interests)
  --->  send email ('subscribe PBM-FORUM') to majordomo@list.play-by-mail.com

**UPDATED 3/9/98**
PBM-AGRA (general PBM discussion focusing on moderator interests such as
game design and marketing)
  --->  send email ('subscribe PBM-AGORA') to majordomo@list.play-by-mail.com

Stars of the Dark Well (science fiction adventure)
   --->  send email ('subscribe sdw') to majordomo@kern.com

The PBM Mailing List (general PBM discussion)
  --->  send email ('subscribe') to pbm-list-request@tightbeam.com

**UPDATED 3/9/98**
Victory! The Battle For Europe (WWII wargame)
   --->  send email ('subscribe VICTORY-L') to majordomo@list.play-by-mail.com

World War IV (wargame)
   --->  send email ('subscribe ww4-list') to ww4-list-request@tightbeam.com

The Phoenyx offers a large number of mailing lists for on-line role-playing
games. For further details visit http://www.phoenyx.net/. Don't use 'subscribe'
here unless you want to subscribe to all their mailing lists. Try 'help' to get
more information on how to selectively subscribe.

4.  Are there any PBM magazines?
    ----------------------------

In North America there are publications devoted to PBM games:

Paper Mayhem (David Webber; 1518 Adams Ave.; Ottawa, IL 61350-4770). A one-year
subscription is $24.00 for 6 bi-monthly issues. Paper Mayhem has been in
business for for over 15 years.

PBM Report (Ken Mitchell Graphics; 3508 Ashwood Dr.; Urbandale, IA 50322-3028;
kmgraphiks@aol.com). A one-year subscription is $15.00 for 6 bimonthly issues.
The PBM Report is a 12-page newsletter, not a magazine, its first issue was in
September, 1997. A free sample issue is available upon request. More info
available at: http://www.tightbeam.com/pbm-report/

In Europe there are also two magazines devoted to PBM games:

Flagship (PO Box 39; Exmouth, Devon EX8 1YR; United Kingdom;
76370.3220@compuserve.com; http://www.antsnest.demon.co.uk/flagship). A
one-year subscription is L16 (pounds) for 6 bimonthly issues. Flagship has been
in business for over 15 years. A free sample issue is available upon request.

Games without Frontiers (37 Wendover Court; North Acton, London W3 0TG;
gwf@suilven.demon.co.uk). A one-year subscription is L10 (pounds) for 4
quarterly issues. GwF published its first issue in early 1997.

5.  Can I play these games for free?
    --------------------------------

Quite a few PBM games are available free of charge. Most of these games are
role-playing adventures, some of them using worlds and universes created by the
moderator, most of them using commercially available systems, e.g., AD&D,
GURPS. You'll find the vast majority of free PBM games on the Internet. There
are extremely few free postal games (as running them would entail an expense
for the moderator). The Phoenyx server and the PBEM.COM server have information
about hundreds of free role-playing games:

Phoenyx: http://www.phoenyx.net/
PBEM.COM:  http://www.pbem.com

A number of wargames are also available for free, among them VGA Planets,
Stars!, and Galaxy. To join one of these games, visit:

Galactic Traveller:  http://www.jacobean.demon.co.uk/gtrav.html

With all these free PBM games available, why pay for turns? Generally, but not
always, a game run for profit by a commercial company will be around longer,
will offer better service, and will provide a more 'polished' gaming
experience. We realize that exceptions abound, and that many commercial games
have 'gone under' without refunding their customers' accounts. The best advice
is to find a game you like and then, if it's not free, decide whether you can
afford it. No PBM company makes a lot of profit: the turn fees are usually not
much above the cost of labor and supplies. If you do think a company is
charging a high turn fee, let them know and remind them of all the free games
out there...

6.  What is an acceptable post to rec.games.pbm?
    ---------------------------------------------

Obviously, the post must deal with a play-by-mail game or with an aspect of
play-by-mail gaming. Many posts are questions about game mechanics or queries
about game openings. Others are requests for help in developing a game,
announcements of new games, and so forth. Some moderators post their
newsletters. If you're unsure whether your post is 'acceptable', read the
newsgroup for a few days to learn what other people post and how their posts
are received. A few specific guidelines:

1.  Be courteous. Don't insult anyone, don't 'trash' anyone's game.
2.  Keep it short. Limit quotes of previous posts to relevant text.
3.  Follow the guidelines below, for posts that advertise games and services.

You should, whenever possible, label your posts. For instance, if your post is
a question about Middle-Earth PBM, it should include 'ME-PBM' or 'Middle-Earth'
in the subject line. If your post is an ad for a PBM game or service, it should
include 'AD' in the subject line. By labeling your posts, you won't waste the
time of readers who don't play a particular game or who aren't interested in a
particular topic.

If your discussion with another member of the group degenerates into a 'flame
war', you should move the discussion to private email. Even though the
discussion is quite interesting to you and may consume the greater part of your
daily thought, it's usually dull and offensive to others. You rarely 'gain
points' by perpetuating a nasty or rude discussion. On the other hand, if you
disagree with another reader, you should not hesitate to put forth your views.
A frank discussion isn't a flame war; it's a frank discussion. People who
complain of 'being flamed' are often, in actuality,  complaining about posts
that contradict or deny their own opinions.

Finally, and perhaps most important, rec.games.pbm is a non-moderated (open)
forum. Everyone is equal. Some readers will try to assume authority and set
arbitrary policies, but you have no obligation to listen to them unless they
make sense.

7.  Is advertising allowed on the newsgroup?
    ----------------------------------------

Limited advertising of commercial and free PBM games is allowed on
rec.games.pbm, provided that the following guidelines are observed:

1.  Label each advertisement clearly with '[AD]' in the subject line.
2.  Avoid hype. Avoid opinion. Avoid bombast. Stick to the facts.
3.  Limit the advertisement to a couple of paragraphs.
4.  Include an email address or web site URL where readers can find more
information.
5.  Do not post the same advertisement more frequently than once per month.

Generally speaking, your 'advertisement' should be written in such as way that
it doesn't seem to be an advertisement, but rather an informative announcement
or report about your PBM game. Many people on the newsgroup don't like
advertisemenets. The more your post resembles an advertisement, the more you
will anger them. You are much better served by sticking with a short
description of your game. If readers are interested, they can visit your web
site or contact you. Advertisements for free games should follow the same
policy: just because it's free doesn't mean you can hype it!

If you choose to ignore these guidelines and post frequent hype-ridden ads
about your game, most readers will not want to deal with you and will tell
their friends not to deal with you. Play-by-mail players tend to be
intelligent, well-educated, friendly people: you can't market games to them
using the tactics of a used car salesman.

8.  Where can I find opponents for private gaming?
    ----------------------------------------------

Iif you want to play board games or computer games on-line, and you're not
interested in joining one of the many commercial or free games that include, as
part of their service, a steady stream of new opponents, you should visit Eric
Pass' web site:

http://www.nyx.net/~epass

You should also check the web site of the manufacturer who produced the board
game or computer game you want to play on-line. They usually have lists of
interested players.

You will likely need a dice server. You'll find one at:

http://www.irony.com/webdice.html

9.  Who will answer my questions?
    -----------------------------

If you have questions, the best place to ask them is right on the newsgroup!
Everyone welcomes questions, and you will often get many useful answers. If you
don't want to post a question, you can send private email to the FAQ
maintainer, at the email address below, who will respond to all questions
promptly and politely.

We hope you enjoy rec.games.pbm, and we hope you enjoy all your PBM adventures!

-----
Ken Mitchell
kmgraphiks@aol.com

References

Re: Games for postal play
bruno@cerberus.csd.uwm.edu (Bruno Wolff III)
Tue, 24 Mar 1998 00:00:00 +0000