Want to try a new PBEM game? From: pbem@aol.com (PBEM) Date: Mon, 17 Jul 1995 00:00:00 +0000 Dear Gentle NetGamers, My name is Mark. I have run a few games through email before. They can be a lot of fun. I am kicking of a new email game. It is free, and you do not have to have any specific books or files to play. The format is really that of interactive or group fiction, with a bit of game structure thrown in. The playing will basically consist of creative writing. To keep the project focused the guidelines for questionable content will be a "PG-13" sort of rule of thumb. The whole focus is to entertain and have fun, but because everyone has their own tastes, styles, expectations, etc..., I do not want offended sensibilities and hurt feelings to mar the game. I'll explain this more as we go along, and give examples as we play. Of course in a game based on horror the limits will be pushed a bit here and there, but powerful writing does not have to be excessivly graphic or adult. Consider the scene in Bambi where his mother is killed by a hunter. That is an incredibly powerful moment of dread, yet presented in a style tolerable by most five-year-olds. The setting is a shadow world, a fragmented dark dimision that is like a reflection of all worlds ever imagined, reflected in a darkly tinted, dirty, and shattered mirror. It is an irrational nightmarish world where the unexpected and the unexplained are always possible. Almost all the inhabitants (NPC's, normals, etc...) picture their world as a logical and rational place, and are horrified when someone bursts into flames on the street without explanation. But the characters number among those that sense the dark, irrational elements of life. The opening scenerio is in a city of eternal night, with a dark gothic, punk flavor. Think of Gothem from Batman, or the city from The Crow. The genre is mixed and chaotic, but has a constant theme of horror. The focus may shift at times (depending on shifts in the setting mainly) to fantasy, sci fi, cyberpunk, etc... Character types consist of a variety of traditional monster types, and a few human types. Just about any character type from the White Wolfgames would be acceptable (vampire, were wolf, wraith, etc...) but do not assume the world is the White Wolf world is the world. There are MANY basic differences. Other types could include gollems, zombies, government agents, psychics, and sentient animals. If you have an idea for something else, just ask. General play will consist (after character creation and approval) of me writing your character into a situation, and you writing it out. The resulting group prose should look somewhat like a story. (It is my intention to circulate the resulting stories amongst players, and post them on the net to be read by others. If you object to this, do not respond to this invitation to play.) Initially I need a character concept summary. It should be no more than one page long, and could be shorter. Until you and I have worked out a character that will fit in this world of dark dreamlike adventure, the method of "play" is just email back and forth working out the deatils, history, appearance, etc.... of your character. Once that is done we will start co-writing the story of your character. If you are interested, send me a character concept. If you have any questions, just email me. Mark PBEM@aol.com Up