Play by Mail games have been developed in all the major western countries since 1972. They are an extension of the Chess by Mail concept, where each player has a copy of the game and moves are submitted by letters.
With PBM this has been expanded to include all forms of games from Ancient battles to modern Science Fiction space empires. The number of players has been increased, some games now taking several 100's. All these players send their instructions to a central Moderator, who acts as umpire. The moderator uses a computer to determine the results of all the players order's, which are mailed back to each player.
This process continues for a period of time depending on the game being played. Some games last for only a small number of turns, some go on forever. The average game will last from one to two years, with a turn held every two weeks.
The age of personal computer and laser printers have greatly enhanced the quality of PBM games on today's market. The latest generation of games comes with VGA help programs than enable you to play the game by Disk (through the mail), modem or by the Internet, strengthening your enjoyment of the game.
Depending on the type of game, you might be the ruler of a nation, the commander of warrior bands or dictator of a galactic empire. Alliances may be made and broken, bribes offered and as a final resort, war declared, all at your commands. With time, player reputations become established and known both locally and world wide for their victories and playing style.
As mention above, each game can have anything from two to thousands of players, the most usual is somewhere in the range of 10 to 50. Every player receives a rulebook and a set-up describing the resources and characters he/she controls at the start. These set-ups may be different for every player, and the players sees only his/her own.
Players are usually given deadlines when they have to send in orders for the next move, and shortly after the deadline all the orders will be processed together (in a few games, you can submit orders whenever you like and each player's orders are processed individually). In most games however all orders must be in by a due date or you will miss out.
The computer prepares individual reports for each player. These are mostly personalised. You will normally learn only the headlines of what has happened to your rivals, while getting the details about your own fortunes. In Darkness of Silverfall you command an array of space fleets and will get a report each turn saying where they are, what they did and what they can see around them by way of other fleets, as well as a report of any battles they were in. In Adventurer Kings you control a group of characters in a world of magic. Here you can wander around as an individual seeking fame and glory, or you may take control of countries and lead large armies of various races.
In some games, players are told the names and addresses of all the other players at the start, in others you only get to learn about other players when you run into them in the game, when they can tell you who they are if they want to, or remain anonymous. You can send messages to players who you encounter, usually by sending a note through the GM, or by an option on your move sheet.
You don't have to enjoy writing letters to have fun in PBM, but if you do then it makes sense to look for a game with intense diplomatic activity of this kind. Someone running a big alliance in Victory or El Mythico can expect to get letters or phone calls nearly every day. At the other extreme are games like Lizards where it's possible (though not necessary) to flourish as a lone wolf, with little or no letter writing.
Some games are designed to run almost indefinitely, as a 'parallel life', while (more often) others have victory conditions enabling a player or alliance to win outright. In Adventurer Kings, victory points are awarded for a variety of different objectives; controlling territory, exploring, having the largest financial resources and many more! The winning player(s) often get prizes in the form of game credits; in addition many games conclude with a summary of all the positions sent to all the players, so you can learn the secrets which eluded you during the play.
In this age of high-tech computer games, the appeal of PBM is many:
PBM
enables you to take part in ambitious scenarios, rich in colour and detail
and populated with numerous players and non-player characters. Playing
board games at home limits you to your circle of game playing friends and
the number of people who can sit in your living room (whichever is fewer);
with PBM games the sky's the limit.
You
can play PBM in your own time, filling out the otherwise boring moments
in life. Over breakfast, in the canteen, while waiting for an appointment
- you can always take out the latest turn report and spend a few minutes
brooding on your plans to top the league or conquer the galaxy! There is
no need to keep a board set-up or memorise complex openings - every game
is different, and each turn report shows you the full current position.
PBM
is the only way to play with professional gamesmasters devoted to your
enjoyment. Boring administrative details in other games are handled by
him or his computer, leaving you free to enjoy the game.
Most
computer games you can enjoy playing for a few games, but it's not long
before they become predictable and somewhat monotonous. Because PBM games
involve real opponents, each game is completely different and creates a
whole new scenario.
When
you consider the many hours of enjoyment you will receive from a PBM game,
the overall cost (no more than a few dollars per fortnight) is very inexpensive.
With
the latest technology you don't have to wait for the Postman to deliver
your results. Most PBM companies now provide full Internet service and
excellent graphic player assist programs enabling you to download and view
your results the same day.
Last
but not least, PBM is a great way to make new friends, across the country
and even overseas.
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