GALAXY: How to join a game From: graeme@abekrd.co.uk (Graeme Griffiths) Date: Wed, 08 Mar 1995 10:05:08 +0000 Graeme's Galaxy PBeM Guide v1.01 The number of Galaxy games running at one time is entirely dependant on the number of willing GMs. If no-one runs the games, there are no games. The key to joining a Galaxy game is hearing about the start-up of a game in time to join in. Before we discuss how to join, some caveats: You will need _some_ disk space. Turn reports can get huge !! Some people (esp. at academic sites) have a restricted disk quota, if this is you, you may have a problem. Also make sure you have a large enough mail-feed capacity to accecpt (sometimes up to 500K) the turn reports. Galaxy is a very LONG game. Some games have lasted nearly 2 years. Basically the larger the game the longer it runs. You will need to have uninterrupted Email access for that period. N.B. Students take note : If you're likely to lose access for a long period of time (summer holidays for example) you should take this into account before joining a game. Obviously everyone has time-off, and this can be got around, the GM will often call a halt during a holiday period or you can sort out advance orders for short breaks. The further on in the game you get the longer (and hence more time-consuming) the turns get. If you can't spend the time doing the turns you really aren't going to win. Some people quote anything up from 5 hours a turn for end-game turns. For Blind games (Thanks to Howard Bampton for this info) > Inital setup, maps, turn 1 orders (assuming new player): > 2-3 hours. > > Turn 2-10: 1-2 hours > Turn 11+ 2+ hours > > Add in time for diplomacy above that. If you can fulfill your responsibilities to the other players and the GM you are ready to play. Read on. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- How to join. ----------- Almost without exception games are announced in rec.games.pbm. Watch for these announcements and follow them up and you are in a game. Originally this section read: > However, as many are finding out, these announcements have recently become > scarcer than hens-teeth, less games are starting. But I'm pleased to say that the search for GMs, although far from over, has fruited a few willing souls and a number of games are either just starting or on the way. To help GMs find players I started a waiting-list that people who want to play can join and hence be the first to know about games that are registering players. Information about Galaxy can be obtained from the Galaxy PBeM Home-Page http://www.abekrd.co.uk/Galaxy The waiting-list form can be accessed from here. For those without Web access (I would really appreciate the form being used, its all automagic) you can Email graeme@abekrd.co.uk. Use subject "Galaxy waiting-list entry" and copy and fill out the form below. You should receive a reply showing your current waiting list entry. --------<Cut Here>-------- Name: Joe Bloggs Mail: jb@my.machine.domain Length: n months Turn: m Type: Normal Comments: Any special topics not already covered. --------<Cut Here>-------- Notes: All lines are case insensitive (Though I keep cases for names and mail addresses). Order is important "Name:" must be before "Mail:" and both must be before "Length" etc. You can have multiple "Turn:" and "Type:" lines to show inrerest in two/three different turn frequencies (e.g. 1 or 2 turns / week) or that you wish to play both Blind and Normal galaxy games. The "n" in "n months" should be divisible by 6 (i.e. 6, 12, 18, 24...) Replace "n months" with "indefinite" if you have no real time constraints. Comments are ignored by the parser the only records I keep are the original mail messages, and probably not for long. The parser _tries_ to ignore lines that don't parse, this means that if you send two "Turn:" lines and spell one "Trun:" (for example) the misspelt one will be ignored but the entry will pass as a valid entry (it has at least one "Turn:" declaration). -- Graeme Griffiths, | "I'd love to talk philosophy, but I gotta Abekas Video Systems +44 1734 585421| take a piss. Man that philosophy, runs graeme@abekrd.co.uk | right thru' ya." - Dave Lee Roth 1994 Ge e+ -k++++++ C- o# -d& e?????? B-- i** -t+=%% -e+ M-@ e+ !!!!!! Up