Re: New PBM Announcement

From: jeremy@insignia.com (Jeremy Maiden)

Date: Sat, 14 Oct 1995 00:00:00 +0000

I wrote

> >>Presumably this is a general purpose advert written for a different
> >>audience to r.g.pbm, your (hopefully feigned ) ignorance of computers
> >>and pbm won't appeal to this group.
>
and Erik Stephans responds:

> As far as "ignorance", I have been playing PBM games since the early '80's,
> commercial & free. I have never found a commercial PBM worth the money
> because they were always like playing a computer game through the mail on
> a pay-per-turn basis. Not my cup of tea.

I think you've been unlucky then, there are plenty of pbms and pbems
which are true multi-player games that reward contact and co-operation
between players, quite unlike computer games. It was your remarks
on this theme, dismissing existing pbms/pbems, that made me think you
didn't know them as well as your potential audience here.

> >>Charging for rules by email is crazy, it just eliminates 99% of
> >>your potential customers before they start. It only makes sense if
> >>the game doesn't exist or is visibly no good from the rules.
>
>   First, I am not charging for the rules by e-mail. I am charging $2.50
>   to set up your account (the other $7.50 is for your first turn). I'll
>   send a copy of the rules by e-mail to ANYBODY who wants them. I just
>   won't send the set-up packet until they decide whether they want to
>   play or not. Fair enough?

Yes, I must have misread your advert (and don't still have it to
check).
It came over as charging for the rules, rather than an offer to send
them free. Please accept my apologies for that part, and send me the
rules (jeremy@insignia.co.uk).

Jeremy