Re: Help with creating new FREE PBEM...

From: phoenyx@southwind.net (Karen J. Cravens)

Date: Wed, 04 Dec 1996 00:00:00 +0000

In article <5835og$l6p$1@gollum.kingston.net>,
wu062@freenet.victoria.bc.ca wrote:
>
>Hi folks, I'm thinkin' of making a new game base on one of three RPGs that
>I own:
>Chill - by Mayfair Games - a modern-day horror thing.
>Ars Magica - by Whitewolf Game Studios - a fantasy RPG set in a magical
>version of our own early 13th century history.
>Living Steel - by Leading Edge Games - a hightech, bughunt type with social
>overtones.

(Aside from the fact that Ars is now owned by Atlas Games who is
about to release a new edition that has hopefully gotten over
being mauled by a Wolf...)

I'm confused as to what you're wanting to "adapt."

Roleplaying games don't need any adaptation at all to the PBeM
medium, rules-wise.  The actual implementation of them gets a
little more "prose-y" than a normal face-to-face game, and a
heavy-mechanics game (like Champions, frex) gets really bogged
down if you go blow-by-blow and don't have rapid turnaround, and
the whole thing gets a little attenuated (it usually takes
a minimum of "a month per hour" - an adventure that would play
out in four hours of face-to-face gametime will easily take four
months of PBeM play).

Now, if you're talking about somehow making the whole thing
computer-moderated, you're really talking about creating a *new*
game.  A computer-moderated game pretty much demands competition
between players, whereas a conventional roleplaying game is
geared chiefly toward cooperation, with the GM providing
opposition.  Among all the free or commercial games, I don't
think you'll find any roleplaying games that are computer-
moderated.  They rely too heavily on conversational interaction.

Now, again, there's another breed that sort of shares the RPG
label and that *is* computer-moderated, the so-called "computer
roleplaying game."  I don't consider those "roleplaying games,"
myself, but since I can't come up with a better name and am
unlikely to change the minds of the entire CRPG industry, it's a
label we'll have to live with.  Those are often tied in with
conventional RPG's, but designing them really requires a whole
different paradigm, one that's better served by
rec.arts.int-fiction or rec.games.int-fiction (you'll have to
read their charters to see which one is more appropriate; I can't
remember the difference).  They chiefly discuss single-user
games, but aside from sequencing considerations and the e-mail
interface, the fundamentals are the same.  Doubtless there's a
certain amount of wisdom to be found in MU* programming
discussions, but I'm not familiar with the particulars of any of
those groups so if you're interested, someone else will have to
step forth with a recommendation.

--..............Karen Cravens .. phoenyx@southwind.net ...............

Keeper of the Phoenyx Play-by-Email Roleplaying Listserver
     http://www2.southwind.net/~phoenyx/    majordomo@phoenyx.net

References

Help with creating new *FREE* PBEM...
wu062@freenet.victoria.bc.ca
Wed, 04 Dec 1996 00:00:00 +0000

Re: Help with creating new *FREE* PBEM...

References

Re: Help with creating new FREE PBEM...