Re: PBeM RPG's: Free or Pay?

From: soliiigm@aol.com (Sol III GM)

Date: Thu, 19 Jun 1997 00:00:00 +0000

Christopher Robin said:

>PBM's are expensive, very expensive.
>Let's say $6 a turn, though many are more.  26 turns a year (turn every
>2 weeks) is $156, plus every game I've played usually required at least
>$5 in phone calls for diplomatic activity, another $130.

Most PBeMs that I have seen are much less.  The more expensive ones
don't do well in PBeM.  Sol III costs $160 a year (Paid a year in advance)
and is a turn every 3 Business days or less.  Other moderators have things
set even cheaper, and less than $2 a turn seems to be common.

>So for $286 dollars in a year you get to play ONE PBM game.  For that
same
>$286 you could buy around 7 board games *PLUS* you'd get to keep all
those
>board games to play for years and years.  One your PBM money is spent
it's
>gone never to be seen again.

I was actually referring to RPG players when I said Gamers.  The
differences between the two are many, especially when it comes to outlay
of funds for games.  With basic rules books starting at $20 and going to
$50, it only takes one such purchase a month to more than equal what PBeM
costs, and quite frankly, I don't know many gamers who would limit
themselves to that little of a monthly game budget.

>The PBM industry has been pretty stagnant for years and years now.  I
stated
>about 2 years ago and I still believe, PBM will never grow unless turn
>fees come down by probably 50% and things move to email/www where
diplomacy
>can be conducted online instead of through long distance.  And turn
around
>times can move to 1/week.

Um...I hate to say this, but I suspect that you are out of touch with
PBeM.  I believe that all of those things are now common practice amongst
PBeM companies.

>All that said, I still find I play a PBM now and then, though preferrably
>through email.  It's always easy to join a game, the GM handles finding
>opponents, and you get to play when you want instead of trying to set up
>a time where all the people can play (like a board game).  PBM is about
the
>only way to play a game with 15, 20, etc other people at a time.

Agreed, agreed, and agreed...Once more, things that free games don't
offer except on a limited scale.

>Just my opinion of course.
>
>--
>-----------------------------------------------------------------------
>Christopher Robin Kessel        Portland, Oregon | Yes, I was named
>chrisk@protocol.com             Protocol Systems | after *that*
Christopher
>-------------------------------------------------| Robin.  Winnie the
Pooh
>Pooh:  I'm Pooh.                                 | is my hero. :)
>Tigger:  What's a Pooh?                          |
>Pooh:  You're sitting on one.                    |

Eagle
Sol III Game Master
Sol III Play By E-Mail Role Playing Game
http://members.aol.com/soliiigm/

Friends come and go.  Enemies accumulate.

References

Re: PBeM RPG's: Free or Pay?
chrisk@iago.NoSubdomain.NoDomain (Chris Kessel)
Thu, 19 Jun 1997 00:00:00 +0000

Referenced By

Re: PBeM RPG's: Free or Pay?
chrisk@iago.NoSubdomain.NoDomain (Chris Kessel)
Thu, 19 Jun 1997 00:00:00 +0000