E-Mail and Mail

From: madcentral@aol.com (MadCentral)

Date: Sat, 28 Nov 1998 00:00:00 +0000

>>Whatever<sigh>. The point is in the attitude, not the content. But if you
want
to discuss that too, I'm game.<<

Me too, although we'll be going over stuff discussed to death recently in which
I am always on the 'little' side because this list is primarily PBEM fans.  But
I'm always game! <grin>

>> Do you think PBM has much future if GM's continue to send ASCII (even
non-ASCII and badly formatted as in this case)
reports to players and calls it an email game?<<

You are asking me two different questions there.  First of all, if you are
talking about GMs sending ASCII files then you aren't talking about PBM, but
PBEM.  In which case I would say that yes, there's plenty of future, but of
course the prettier ones are going to do better.

If you are asking me about PBM, ie Snail Mail turns... then my answer must be
predictable since I'm famous for my PBM-Supporter stance! <grin>  All I can say
is that my firm is currently making very healthy profits on PBM.  Less than 1%
of my players have expressed an interested in full PBEM play.  We are still
getting lots of new players regularly and they all want to play by Mail.  Not
E-Mail.  Admittedly, I target the PBM market (not the PBEM market) and
admittedly, the UK is very different to the USA scene.  But I still believe
that the best future for the sort of games *we* make is in Mail turns.  I'm
happy if some of you don't agree, because that's that much less competition for
me. <grin>

>> Maybe in the short term, but I
think it could be a case of burying of heads in sand.<<

Anybody who sticks their head in the sand is a fool.  That's why we make pretty
E-Mail turns too.  I cover all my corners, but I have to say that my PBM corner
is the most healthy and prosperous of the lot.  You could argue, as everybody
on this list *does*, that I'll see a change in the next couple of years.  But
to that I would reply that people have been saying that to me for the last two
years and the only change I have seen is better profits and more new players
for Mail turns. With so many eager customers for mail turns I'd be mad to try
and sell to the saturated E-Mail market instead, where everybody is so used to
getting stuff for free!  Uh-uh.  Madhouse is still here with so many other
companies dropping like flies because of our policies.

>>I'm wondering what the point is of playing by email if the game is identical
to
what it is through snail mail<<

What a weird question.  A game is a game, whatever method of play you use.  So
asking ''what's the point'' is madness.  the point is.. to play the game.  For
fun!

Steve
-Madhouse UK

References

Re: Spellbinder Games - best avoided!
ggshaw11@aol.com (GGShaw11)
Fri, 27 Nov 1998 00:00:00 +0000