Re: Forming Co. ???????

From: dani@netcom.com (Dani Zweig)

Date: Wed, 26 Aug 1992 00:19:38 +0000

<34RIPSE@CMUVM.CSV.CMICH.EDU>:
>Do you regular players think that you get your moneys worth?
>I won't degrade anyones effort but I expected MUCH more.  What we saw was
>enough to get us discussing our own public PBM co.  What are your thoughts?
>What might be the aspects that we are overlooking?

Two aspects.  First, note that most PBMs go out of business, and most of
the rest aren't pulling in big bucks.  This should suggest that the
expenses (moderator time, postage, printing, computer programming and
resources, etc) are much higher than you'd think.  So the challenge
often becomes one of producing a game that's fun while minimizing
the GM's expenses.  Or, to put it differently, of producing interesting
and enthralling output from simple and minimal inputs.

Second, the way many games manage this is by emphasizing the diplomacy
dimension, so that much, if not most, of the game is played between
the players without the company's mediation.  This can add considerably
to an otherwise simplistic game.  It can also add considerably to a
player's costs, but not directly.

It's easy to underestimate the cost of a PBM company.  I'd suggest that
you're unlikely to make a go of it as a spare-time activity, and that
if it's a full-time activity, you shouldn't expect a significant amount
of income for the first year or two.  To put it another way, a
reasonable cash investment would be on the order of $100,000.  If
you think you could get by with $20,000 or so of start-up funds,
don't waste your time.

-----
Dani Zweig
dani@netcom.com

The inability of snakes to count is actually a refusal, on their part,
    to appreciate the Cardinal Number system. -- "Actual Facts"

References

Forming Co. ???????
<34RIPSE@CMUVM.CSV.CMICH.EDU>
Tue, 25 Aug 1992 15:24:48 +0000

Referenced By

Forming Co. ???????
<34RIPSE@CMUVM.CSV.CMICH.EDU>
Tue, 25 Aug 1992 15:24:48 +0000