Re: pbm game fees

From: Bill Rapp <conquest@dnai.com>

Date: Thu, 31 Aug 1995 00:00:00 +0000

> You inadvertently touched on another factor to consider in pricing turns
> - the frequency.  I tried at first to run ONE TRUE FAITH with a 2 week
> turn-around, but players said that was not enough time to do all the
> negotiating they wanted to do, so by player request I extended it.  Now
> the deadline for each turn is 20 days from the day I mail the previous
> turn's results, and that seems to be about right.  PBEM brings with it
> the possibility of daily (or even hourly) turns - so even if the
> per-turn price drops because of the lack of paper costs, the overall
> cost per paycheck can really skyrocket.  This is especially bad if there
> is no limit on frequency - how can even a good player compete with
> people who, because they are wealthier, can get four moves processed in
> the time it takes her to get one?

You're right for most games; frequency is a factor for games that use
SEQUENTIAL play. As an avid PBMer, I found that the above factor can
be a 'fatal flaw' in a game system and consequently, I avoid using
that method when I design a game system.

My game, World Conquest (WC), and others that uses SIMULTANEOUS turn
processing eliminate the potential for this flaw to exist; all players
must have their turns submitted before the game is processed. This
ensures that all players have an equal opportunity to play.

Although WC does offer games that are due with one week deadlines (to
email players only), I agree that the cost of maintaining several
games with expedited turnaround could be more than most individuals
would want to bear. How did WC combat this?

We developed a FLAT MONTHLY FEE for access to our Head-to-Head (H2H)
game system. We allow players to play as many games as they want for
less than $10 monthly! I have some subscribers that play in 10-15
games simultaneously and submit turns for them on a DAILY basis.

GREAT FUN!

Bill Rapp
http://www.dnai.com/~conquest

References

Re: pbm game fees
keith.langley@mdcs.com (Keith Langley)
Tue, 29 Aug 1995 00:00:00 +0000