Re: pbem role-play - hints?

From: "Jason Paul McCartan" <jason@mindshift.prestel.co.uk>

Date: Fri, 09 Jan 1998 00:00:00 +0000

You're right, but I was trying to draw a distinction betwen PBM and
'traditional roleplaying'.  I wasn't saying that  there were few of these
games going on by email. I was also trying to draw attention to the fact
that there is a lot of work going into these games, and it CAN (note CAN)
exhaust a GM.

K.  you're right about running games and players expecting GMs to handle
things, but when I run RPGs i'm not the only one that has to get fun out of
it - that's why i talk to my players and work out what they want form the
game as well, then compromise so that we're all happy.  That is of course in
'traditional' games.  Its so much harder to do in PBMs.

True, there are a lot of people who enjoy rpgs, but don't enjoy PBMs because
they feel that its restrictive.  My company is soon to begin beta testing
its new PBeM.  Its computer moderated - but the software has been
specifically written to make it data-aware and create open-ended situations
from the players inputs. Its taken us a year to get everything up and
running, and there was a lot of sleepless and beerless nights in the design
and development of it.

Human GMs DO provide more flexibility, but for Shattered Isles, which can
cater for over 1,000,000 player parties in each game, THERE IS NO WAY I'M
WRITING THAT MANY RESULTS IN ONE WEEK <grin>. With the right design,
computer moderated games need not be restrictive, and can in fact be almost
as 'real' as a 'traditional roleplaying' experience. After all, most
roleplaying games gave a core engine "the rules" that everything is bolted
onto. sic

Also, there's a problem with defining exactly what 'roleplaying' is. Taken
literally, it means 'playing a role' and that can mean just about anything,
depending on your point of view, and your basis for comparison.

Quite right about it being harder to keep players, than to get new ones ...
wish they'd think of that sometimes <g>

Yours In Gaming

Jason Paul McCartan
jason@mindshift.prestel.co.uk
www.commercepark.co.uk/mindshift

References

pbem role-play - hints?
tim@leaphome.pelican.org (Tim Franklin)
Mon, 05 Jan 1998 00:00:00 +0000
Re: pbem role-play - hints?
"Jason Paul McCartan" <jason@mindshift.prestel.co.uk>
Wed, 07 Jan 1998 00:00:00 +0000
Re: pbem role-play - hints?
"Carl D. Cravens" <cravens@southwind.net>
Thu, 08 Jan 1998 00:00:00 +0000

Referenced By

pbem role-play - hints?
tim@leaphome.pelican.org (Tim Franklin)
Mon, 05 Jan 1998 00:00:00 +0000
Re: pbem role-play - hints?
"Jason Paul McCartan" <jason@mindshift.prestel.co.uk>
Wed, 07 Jan 1998 00:00:00 +0000
Re: pbem role-play - hints?
"Carl D. Cravens" <cravens@southwind.net>
Thu, 08 Jan 1998 00:00:00 +0000