Is there a forum area for posting old game information and/or general reminiscing?

I have a bunch of old PBM stuff I'd like to scan and share (Ether anyone?).

For a long time Ultima Online could only be played on Microsoft computers. More advanced Mac computers (OS X) used to require a special facility called Boot Camp to create a partition in their hard disk and then download or buy a windows programme to place it in that partition.

This was far from ideal as Microsoft Windows has always been prone to attacks by hackers, and so it exposed Mac computers to the same sort of problems that Microsoft was exposed to. Since then Mac computers have become increasingly popular and with that - and especially the use of pocket phones - has come increasing vulnerability to attackers. I use a Mac today but don't notice any deterioration.

Now there are many types of computers, including Linux, on a General Public License (GNU). Linux also has the equivelent of the Mac partition. There are also special programmes for such crossover uses, like Parallels and CrossOver for a reasonable fee. The increasing use of mobile phones and other devices complicates things even more. But it also means that UO is now played much more widely than before.

Ultima Online was the first of the new MMORPGs to reach a wide popularity. It was first released in 1997. The Wikipedia website above gives a history of the game.

Parallel with this change has come the development of private shards. Some of these are able to be played on most computers and with servers that can take up to a thousand players. There is even a Wikipedia item on Ultima Online shard emulation. These are run by players who dedicate much time and effort to developing and maintaining their favourite MMORPG. 

One of these is Ultima Online Forever, another is Shroud of the Avatar, another is UO Second Age. They are often crowd funded to get them going.

Ultima Online Forever is available for mac as well as Microsoft. And it also has a server on which up to 650 players are online. Ultima Online Forever also has a forum: http://uorforum.com. American players are in the majority, but role-players are also well-represented. Several role-player guilds exist. UO Forever, sometimes called UO Renaissance is playable with a Mac computer. 

I've been a gamer since the mid-1980's. My friends and I played boardgames, the early Avalon Hill computer games, a few wargames, and Star Fleet Battles.

I fell out of gaming after college and traveled a little more than most. I finally settled down (hopefully for a long term) have been trying to get back into gaming for the last few years.

At the same time, I finally fulfilled a goal I set back in my early high school days and got a vintage manual typewriter. It actually became a new hobby and I know own a fleet of beautiful old typewriters.

I started playing Dippydroid recently (android phone app version of Diplomacy) and realized that I had stumbled across a way to combine my two hobbies.

I'm currently looking to get into a PBM Diplomacy game and perhaps a couple of others as well.

This is a new game starting after testing. The forum is open to anyone:  https://forum.albiononline.com. The game can be joined for the testing, for which there is a one-off fee. I am just lurking until I know how it will be finalised.

Immortals' Realms 7



New to Legends? 

Legends is the most in-depth fantasy world character/army-level action turn based PEBM on the market!

Take the Tour.

If you have never played Immortals' Realm then check out the world of Verana here.

Four reasons why you should play Immortals' Realm

1. An In Depth World
Whilst the Overlord is conquering the mortal world of Verana, The Nameless One has thrown down and killed the God of Law, Darsia. Fight to keep light shinning in the world, or to finally snuff it out.
 
2. Powerful Adventures
Find the Ammulets of Law, the Lost Kingdom of the Dwarves and much much more....!
 
3. Faction Coalitions
The Factions of Verana have banded into loose coaltions to try and save Verana in their own terms. Who will you join?

4. Play Two Positions
In IR7 Duo, you can play two positions. Each one must be based in different factions of your chosen coalition.

Check out the IR7 webpage for full details.

So visit our website today, and download the Immortals Realm module for free.
Or, if you have any questions, please get in touch at pbm@harlequingames.com - we would love to hear from you.
 

Copyright © 2015 Harlequin Games, All rights reserved.

I remember when I was around 10 years old I was bored as hell over the summer until I found some free games to play over mail. Made my entire summer, now I am father of two and I want to at least see if they enjoy any mail games. I do have a question for everyone, do you know any good PBM games for young children? (5-6 year old range?)

Thanks for all your help!

Hi Everyone,

Just wanted to make it known that a new game of Company Commander will be starting at the end of summer.

It has a few new things including a new map, this time based in the myriad of small islands that are Indonesia.

This will be a significant change from the inland maps of previous games and will require a more 3 dimensional approach to the problems of getting your forces to where they need to be.

I will have a new set of weapons and units available to fit into the land sea air requirements of the new game.

I already have a waiting list so if you want to join it please let me know at

jason@jason-oates-games.com

Look forward to hearing from you.

Wow!

It's been almost a full year, since I last authored an article in this editorial section of the forum, here. These editorials are never planned. Rather, they just tend to happen. Maybe that explains this one, huh?

Bernd has not replied to the last several e-mails that I have sent him, which is neither here nor there, but it does present the dilemma of leaving the magazine (Suspense & Decision) in limbo. The forum, here, is seldom used (yet again), and so I find myself pondering whether to just shut it down and delete it, or to just leave it intact as a sort of archive-in-disuse.

It may just be that everything has run its course - the magazine, the website, the PBM Wiki. But, what does it hurt to leave it all intact, as a repository?

I've debated with myself about just resuming the magazine, either with the long delayed issue just skipped over or published anyway. I would have to go back in and dig things up, though, assuming that I still have those articles and stuff archived somewhere on my computer's hard drive. Then, too, I could just launch a new magazine from scratch, different title with a similar focus. But, do I want to do any of that? It's rather nice not having to worry about it.

The magazine was supposed to be for an initial run of twelve issues, with a decision at the end of that time determining whether to continue carrying it forward or not. I don't regret the attempt to transition the magazine to Bernd, simply because it would have been much better off over the long run, had that transition managed to succeed.

But, quite clearly, it didn't. Win some, lose some, I suppose.

The nine issues that did get published were, I think, a plus - for both PBM gaming and for the community of players surrounding it. Of course, others may have opinions that run counter to my own on that. If nothing else, I think that the short run of nine issues did succeed on certain levels, including as a platform for validating certain concepts that I had advocated in favor of.

I think that publishing the magazine for free was a big plus, as was the running of advertisements for free. I also think that using PDF format was a big plus. Suspense & Decision, whatever else that anyone might say about it, did not turn out to be a money sinkhole. Whatever its shortcomings, it was something that was viable to publish. Not all articles were equally well received, but I think that the magazine did succeed, when it came to giving PBM gamers (and others) something to look forward to each month. Again, opinions may vary, though.

It's not really hard to publish a magazine in this format, which may leave many wondering why it ceased to be published any longer. Sometimes in life, things happen. It wasn't exactly a planned event.

Could I have intervened at some point during this multi-month gap? Sure. But, the further that I got away from it, the less desire there existed for me to re-enter the fray. In the absence of Suspense & Decision magazine, what filled that gap? Ignore or forget about Bernd, for a moment. Did anyone else out there step up and fill the gap with a magazine oriented towards the PBM sector of gaming?

And when Suspense & Decision magazine was coming out with regularity (which it did, for a while), did it fill a gap within you?

The monthly rate of publication for Suspense & Decision, that rate of frequency, had no bearing on why the magazine ceased publication. Not from my perspective, anyway. I've read various comments, at times, about that rate of publication could lead to burnout, but based upon my own experience, that really isn't true. In fact, it's quite the opposite. A regular publication tends to build desire and momentum. It would make more sense (to me, at least) to publish smaller issues every other week, rather than once per month. Going every two months or every three months, while it allows for more time to set the pages and to receive content from others to add and flesh pages out with, those lengthy gaps negatively impact desire and momentum.

A more frequent rate of publication helps to keep the publication team (even if it is just one or two people) firing on all cylinders. It also helps to build up a body of work, and to grow readership. Look at what happened with Issue # 10 - the missing issue. It's had all of the time in the world to get published, but once people are disengaged, creative wheels stop turning. Creative forces stop moving. Things grind to a halt. Lapses occur. Disinterest ensues.

The failed transition yielded a collapsed publication. In and of itself, it's not that big of a deal. Just resume publication. It's not unduly difficult to start a magazine of this nature from scratch. We did that, before. But, the desire has to be there.

Why start a new magazine, if it is going to simply meet the same fate as this one? Why resume the same publication, with such a large gap in months published?

As with many things in PBM, why not let the magazine just stay dead? Why not call it a day, and be done with it?

Currently, we have a missing body. Is that a bad thing, though?

Hi,
we are starting a test game of Olympia: The Age of Gods. Most players will be germans, but the game itself and the rules are in english. If you dont have problems with it, then check out the rules

http://www.pbm.com/oly/tag/Manual/Top.html

and sign up:
http://www.pbem-spiele.de/index.php?id=238

We have a little scenario with a war of Magicains vs Priests. I guess you can try to translate it with google:
http://www.pbem-spiele.de/index.php?id=240

Alamaze, since its resurgence in April, 2013, has now started 124 games.   Come see what you are missing.  You can get to enjoy the best PBEM game, also priced the lowest (about $2.50 a turn and lower), multi Game of the Year Award winner, with the most active player community, for your first month, at $19.95, which will be 7 turns.

We started four games this week in four different formats.  Moving from good looking PDF emailed files to great looking HTML files that process on the hour that turns are due.

www.alamaze.co 

forum is:  http://kingdomsofarcania.net/forum/