Re: PBM games how do they work?

From: bigmac@erg.sri.com (Bryan McDonald)

Date: Mon, 18 Nov 1991 17:19:58 +0000

In article <A7_HTX$@irie.ais.org> impster@ais.org (Charles Budensiek) writes:
>Seeing that I have never played a PBM game, exactly how are they run?
>
>The impression I get is that you are mailed a letter describing what
>is around you and your reply is your actions. Is it really that simple?

Basically that is correct, but it always depends on the game itself.
I have seen a few games that mail you other media like diskettes, but
the principal is the same.  Now, the depth of turn report you receive
varies dramatically depending on who you play with.

Many games played on the net involve a lot of interactive discussion
in between "turns", and some have no set turn date, instead relying on
a constant discussion between moderator and players.

Some games on the net, however, and all the commercial games played via
both electronic mail and US Mail, rely on a simply turn sheet/turn report
exchange.  Taking for instance my playing activities, I send in a weekly
turn to Out Time Days via e-mail, and get a weekly report letter in the mail, one
that ranges from 7 to 20 pages long on dense type.  I send in a turn
sheet once every 2-3 weeks for St. Valentines Day Massacre, and get back a
15 page report, both of these by e-mail to a Compuserve address.  Then
I send in multiple responses a week to the two big RPG's I play
here on the Internet, both of them fantasy scenarios.  One has a structured
turn report once a week encompassing all the inter-player discussion for
the last week, while the other runs updates as soon as something significant
happens that requires player decisions.

Each has it's own playing style, and they all work.  And they are definitely
fun.

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References

PBM games how do they work?
impster@ais.org (Charles Budensiek)
Fri, 15 Nov 1991 09:17:59 +0000