01-13-2024, 05:54 AM
(This post was last modified: 05-13-2024, 02:38 AM by GrimFinger.)
This PBM Rulebook Library is currently under construction!
Adventurer Kings"Adventurer-Kings" is a game set in a medieval world filled with magic, treasure, monsters and armies. There are 8 to 12 players in each game. A player controls one King, his armies and treasures, and any Heroes which he hires to serve him. Each turn, a player sends in a set of moves for his "Adventurer King" (or Queen, for that matter) and his Heroes. These moves cover the King's activities for one year in the medieval world.
Alamaze
A multi-award-winning fantasy war game that promises an unparalleled multiplayer strategy experience. Choose from 32 distinctive kingdoms, each with its own strengths, weaknesses, and engage in a battle of wits against eleven human adversaries. Your arsenal includes magic, military might, economics, politics, and covert tactics, as you issue commands to nobles, wizards, armies, and agents, all in pursuit of territory and alliances.
Ancient Empires
The setting for Ancient Empires is at the dawn of time where you, a second son or lone adventurer set out to find your fortune.
With control of a small cluster of villages it is up to you to lead your forces to dominance of the area around you and to create an Ancient Empire.
Starting with very low tech units you will need to expand as well as study to make more effective weapons for your military.
Atlantis Miskatonic
Atlantis Miskatonic is version of Atlantis, a free open-ended multi-player computer moderated fantasy turn-based strategy game for any number of players.
Atlantis: New Origins
Atlantis is a play by email game.
Austerlitz
Austerlitz is the premier PBeM Napoleonic Wargame, and has won awards all over Europe and in the UK. The realism is unparalleled, and the accurate representation of the armies of 1808 make this a thrilling simulation of Napoleonic conquest.
Battle Plan
Do you have the ambition, the skill, and the insidious single-mindedness necessary to conquer all of Europe? War (and lots of behind-the-scenes intrigue) takes place on a map of Europe, among 4-8 players all trying to conquer 29 countries. With the technology of the latter-half of the Twentieth Century, you can build Army, Navy, Air Force, Missiles, Anti-Missiles, and even more industry with which to build. You can spend your cash on research, spy networks, counterspies, or propaganda. To win you'll need all of them - the question is how much of each
The object is to occupy or conquer all 29 countries, or otherwise eliminate all the other players from the game. This is an area movement strategic game (each "space" on the map is generally an entire country), with production a very important part of the game.
Boldhome Heroes
The game is set in Glorantha, specifically in the city of Boldhome in the Kingdom of Sartar in Dragon Pass. Argrath is King of Dragon Pass after marrying the Feathered Horse Queen. As such, he is also the City Rex of Boldhome. Below him the player characters maneuver to increase their personal power.
Players can join at any time.
The game is turn based. Players submit orders for four weeks per game round. The GM processes all players' orders and, when done, publishes game reports and sends updated character sheets to all players.
Player characters are Sartarites trying to increase their Charisma and move up the hierarchies of Boldhome.
There is nothing like "game balance" in this game. New characters can be destitute cottars or the children of very rich tribal queens, or anything in between. Their starting opportunities will vary greatly.
Clash of Legends
Clash of Legends offers free and fully automated, turn based multiplayer games that have strong elements from war games with an interesting economic side to it and some RPG elements added to the mix.
Another way of explaining it, is that Clash of Legends is a computer moderated, turn based multiplayer game similar to a board game.
Company Commander
Although the original Company Commander was designed at the height of the Cold War it represented a chaotic vision where a Third World Country is fragmented into many factions struggling to gain control. Today that chaotic vision has moved from the imagination of the game's original designer to the nightly news on our TV screens.
The design now mimics the international reality of today, making Company Commander as relevant today as it was in first days of the game design process. The design of Company Commander has come a long way from design to current version 13. In those years, the nightmare has become more real and current, not less.
Continental Rails II
Continental Rails simulates the great railroad expansion in America during the 19th Century. This is a game of fierce economic competition in which you are one of 15 railroad tycoons seeking fame and fortune. There can be up to 6 winners in each game, so you can select which goals you wish to pursue. The game begins in 1841 after the first railroads were established.
Each game turn represents 1-2 years of time. The game has 2 phases, an eastern rail building phase during the first 10 turns, followed by a western rail building phase after turn 11. Each game will last over twenty turns, which provides plenty of time to recover from setbacks. If you don't do well in the first phase, then look ahead to the next phase.
Covert Operations
* Link to the rulebook is broken.
Designed by Charles Gaydos, this game simulates the struggle for control of the world by international megacorporations. An unknown number of players, each representing the head of an international corporation, incredibly wealthy family, or secret organization, vie for domination over all the others.
Each player has a minimum income per turn, no matter what happens during the game, so you cannot be eliminated as long as the game lasts. You may submit a turn every day, or you may submit many orders in advance (to be processed, seven orders per day). It is not necessarily fatal to miss a turn.
This game is played entirely by email,
and you will receive an email "result" every day except major holidays. You are not told the names of the other players, or even how many there are, but you are allowed to send your email address to another player as part of the game, after which of course, you may communicate as much as you wish.
The object of the game is to get control of a majority of the countries on the map, by bribery, assassination, revolution, or force of arms. When that happens, you become Master of the World and have won.
Dark Age II
When the Romans left Britains, they turned out the lights. This is what happened next.
Dark Age is a game of power and conflict in Dark Age Britain. The game system is simple and straightforward, with plenty of scope for skill and skullduggery, combining the finesse of Diplomacy and the fluidity of Risk. To win the game you must expand your population to become the dominant kingdom of Britain. Only warfare will provide the room for your population to grow, but only peace will allow you to secure your gains. Wars must be decisive, and your diplomatic efforts may be the key to victory.
Duel2
Duel2 is a Play-by-Mail game of ancient gladiatorial combat. If you're new to Play-by-Mail gaming, just think or it as a chance to play some of the most realistic and exciting games you will ever come across. Every two weeks, you'll be matching your skills and ingenuity against players from all across the North American continent and beyond.
Empires
Empires is a game of diplomacy, conflict and conquest. It’s designed to have the maximum of action with the minimum of fuss. There are currently four different versions with different maps and slightly different rules.
En Garde!
Like d’Artagnan, each player in En Garde! starts as a young man arriving in Paris. Now he must find his feet in Parisian society. En Garde! characters may be noblemen, gentlemen or peasants. They may have lots of money or none. They may be accomplished swordsmen or not know which end of a sword to hold.
What characters have in common is their main goal in En Garde!. They try to increase their standing (‘Social Level’) and climb the greasy pole of Parisian society. They do this by gaining status: being seen in the right places; cultivating friends in high places; joining the right regiment or club; and, of course, winning duels!
Dueling is the usual way of settling disputes in En Garde!. Two characters face each other over the affections of a woman, to settle questions of precedence – or simply because one belongs to the Cardinal’s Guard and the other to the King’s Musketeers. Then it’s down to the skill and strength (and cunning) of the two protagonists.Eressea
Eressea is a multiplayer turn-based nation-building 4X fantasy game with hundreds of simultaneous players and thousand of individually controlled units.
If you enjoy simulations like Sid Meier’s Civilization, and fantasy games of the D&D variety, Eressea is a mix of both: Each unit in the game is a fantasy character with their own skills, and your goal is to build a viable civilization in competition with hundreds of other players.
Eressea is a very low-tech game. There are no 3D graphics, no online play, and turns take an entire week.
Feudal Lords
Designed by John Van De Graaf, this game simulates the struggle for kingship in a mythical period of English history. Up to seventeen players, each representing the head of one of the more active noble families, vie for the throne which has been left vacant by the death of King Arthur. Only by building both economic and military strength can one prove himself worthy of the mantle of King (or Queen).
Players must feed their peasants, tax townsmen, train and pay knights, hire mercenaries, buy & sell livestock, improve their castles, dabble in foreign trade, and go on military campaign. They may conquer neighboring fiefs, forcing them to swear fealty to another player. Names & addresses of all players are given at the start of the game for easier diplomacy.
The object of the game is to get a minimum number of other fiefs to swear fealty to you (at the same time) by force of arms, persuasion, or bribery. When that happens, you become king and have won.
Forgotten Realms: War of the Avatars
War of the Avatars (WA) is set in the Savage Frontier region of the TSR's Forgotten Realms setting. This is a land of fearsome monsters, rampaging humanoid hordes, and battle-hardened humans, elves, dwarves, and halflings.
If you are familiar with the AD&D® game, it will be easier to understand how to play War of the Avatars. The creatures you'll meet here will be familiar if you've ever played a fantasy role-playing game. Instead of playing a single character, however, in War of the Avatars you control an entire realm in the Savage Frontier. Thousands of characters and creatures will jump to obey your every whim. It's the sort of thing you could really get used to.
Each player controls communities of various size, armies, magical items, and perhaps even an avatar, the awesome manifestation of an extra-dimensional being on the Prime Material plane.
The game is played on a huge, 50 hexagon by 100 hexagon map--5,000 locations in all! Over 150 different types of units may join your armies as you march across this vast territory, spreading fear and flame among your rivals. Dozens of magical items can be found to further enhance your power.
War of the Avatars is played in turns. One turn takes one month of game time. Each turn, you give orders to your subjects, writing them down on the Order Sheet. After you mail your orders in to RSI, we process your orders (and those of the other players in the game), then we mail the results back to you. The Turn Results Sheets you receive show the effects of all these orders. With the results comes an Order Sheet for you to fill in your orders for the next turn.
Up to 50 players compete in each game, called a campaign. There are many campaigns going on simultaneously, each completely separate from the others.
Galac-Tac
Galac-Tac entry is incomplete.
Heroic Fantasy
* Link to the rulebook is broken.
You direct a party of up to fifteen fighters and magic users (humans, elves, dwarves, fairies, gremlins, leprechauns, hobbits, goblins, even a troll, ogre, or giant) through a dungeon maze killing monsters, gathering treasure, and hunting for magical prizes.
You get to decide what kind of adventuring party you want to go with. The maximized constitution and strength would be a party of 5 human magic users and 5 human fighters. But some of the other combinations are even more fun. An Ogre magic user, an elf magic user and a dwarf magic user make a 3 character party that uses up all 100 of your points. You only get three characters, but they are tough. One that I think is fun is a giant fighter, and fourteen fairy magic users! The fairies fly around and put monsters to sleep, then the giant comes in and squashes them!
There are currently four levels (ultimately there will be a special fifth) and hundreds of players already exploring the depths. You may meet some of these players in the maze, and there is no certain way to determine at first meeting whether these are player characters or computer-run "NPCs" (non player characters). The object is to get your characters through all four levels alive, and get them into the fifth or "outdoor" level. After each level, there is a chance to get your characters entered into the "Hall of Fame" of adventurers which will be printed in our magazine. This game has been extensively play-tested, and has been running since 1982.
The per turn fee is only $3.00 and for this one fee you get to move all 15 of your characters. They can stay together or split up into as many as 15 parties moving in different directions, all for one single turn fee! No "extra action fees" ever.
Each level adds new things to the game. Be aware that the first couple turns are somewhat boring as you get your party started in the safe "entrance room", prepare your first spells, go into the store and buy your initial weapons and/or potions, and decide which direction to explore first. This is not just a "go into the room, kill the monster, take the prize" game. There are a lot of subtleties built into the game that you might not notice unless you pay careful attention to everything that is going on!
Hyborian War
Hyborian War is a game of imperial conquest in the age of Conan. You will wield the power of command over the destiny of the kingdom you have chosen, charting a course of battle, intrigue and diplomacy over the centuries of the Age. Virtually every tool of statecraft is at your disposal. These rules will give you an idea of the many options available. How you use them--even how many of them you use--is up to you.
Ilkor: Dark Rising
* Rulebook link is missing.
Needs text entry.
It's A Crime
New York in the 21st century is a city on the edge of collapse. The mobs are about to take control. To survive you have to become the leader of the meanest, toughest, gang ever.
Away from the main streets and boulevards, in the narrow alleys and derelict tenements the street gangs have taken control. Illegal weapons and incendiary bombs are the tools of their trade as they fight each other and the woefully undermanned New York Police Department.
The Gangs are winning!
Protection rackets, drug pushing, muggings and robbery are common place, even the mob are taking an interest in Gang activities.
Do you have what it takes to survive?
As a player you are the leader of a small street gang. Your gang consists of approximately 20 members. A few will be street wise pro's, the backbone of your gang. The other members are punks or 'cruits, the kids recently initiated. Your gang's turf consists of a single city block.
Your task is to become the meanest, biggest, toughest gang in the city. Eventually you may even join organised crime and compete to become Godfather of the city - before someone else does.
KnightGuild
* Rulebook link is missing.
The world that the game is set in is large and earth-like, with a number of continents and all divided into 30 x 30-mile squares (sectors). Each sector has a terrain type, and may contain man-made features such as settlements (Cities, Colonies), canals, roads, etc. The game world has a fantasy medieval flavor, but it is neither a high-fantasy setting nor a medieval simulation… it's somewhere in the middle.
Roaming the map are player-run clans, player-run expeditionary forces, and some NPC forces. These can be traveling either on land or across water sectors.
At the start of the game some cities are run by players, though most are not.
Player-run positions (clans, expeditionary forces, cities) can be affiliated with one or two factions that are pre-defined in the game, or they can choose to stay
independent. Being affiliated with a faction will usually give a player position access to resources, support and a factional ability that independent positions can't.
All players run one or more clans, and each clan can potentially have a single city attached to it for the
player to also run. Each of a player's clans can have its own faction affiliation(s), but a player has to
nominated one clan as their 'main' clan, and only the player's clans with the same primary faction
affiliation as the 'main' clan can be promoted to rank 10 or higher.
Legends
Legends is possibly the most in-depth fantasy game on the market today, combining powerful game mechanics with vibrant and original game worlds.
The Legends game system is rich in both complexity and potential, allowing thousands of different stratagems and options, so that one can play for years and only begin to scratch the surface of the possible. The various modules each offer an entirely new world to be explored and conquered, all with their own unique races, monsters, histories and politics.
Explore on your own, or work as part of a larger faction. Roam the land as dragon-slayer, hero or sword for hire; lead a group of mercenaries or clan of orcs; command cities, armies, fleets. Rise to power through the use of steel, magic, politics, or perhaps a little of each. The worlds of Legends await you; what you do in them is down to you.
Our games are not simple ‘coffee break’ games. You can expect to spend hours exploring your position, weeks thinking about your tactics, and years becoming an expert. In fact, many of our players have been playing our games for decades, and are still discovering new things to explore!
So if you are looking for something that is quick, mindless, and easy to play, then our games are not for you. But if you are want something a little more challenging, then read on…
Les Petites Bêtes Soyeuses
Les Petites Bêtes Soyeuses is a game of En Garde! (the swashbuckling role-playing game) using a turn-based or
Play-By-e-Mail format. Each turn is a month in the game. Players negotiate with each other and then send orders for their character to the GM (me!). I adjudicate what happens (which is not necessarily what the players intended!) and produce a narrative report for all players.
Liminal En Garde
* Needs link to rulebook!
A Play By Email Game (PBEM) set in a fictional 17th century France.
Follow in the footsteps of d’Artagnan and Cyrano de Bergerac as you make your mark in the Parisian social scene! Court the fair ladies of Paris, carouse in the gentleman's clubs and give your enemies the thrashing they so sorely deserve.
You could start as a peasant or a nobleman, but whatever your background Paris holds delight and danger in equal measure.
The game is played through a combination of email and this forum as players give in orders to tell the GM what their character is doing each month.
Lords of the Earth
Lords Of The earth (LOTE) is a play-by-(e)mail war game. Basically, you’re the king or queen of a medieval (or Renaissance or Classical or Fantasy) nation and struggle to better your own realm, usually at the expense of other
nations (and players). This is a turns-based game, so you have to wait
for your results, fretting and biting your nails.
Middle-earth PBM
We run turn-based, strategy games inspired by The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, including elements from ICE's Middle-earth Role Playing.
Play as either the Free Peoples or the Dark Servants, and work together with your team-mates to take control of the lands of Middle-earth.
Earn your victory through a combination of martial strength, magical prowess, and economic power.
Nuclear Destruction
Nuclear Destruction is a game for any number of players and a computer. Each player will have a country with a population between 25 and 99 million people. There will also be a number of minor countries (minors) with a population of 20 million each. The object of the game is to destroy the population of all the other players, while keeping at least one million of your own alive.
Quest of the Great Jewels
* Link to the rulebook is missing.
Quest of the Great Jewels is a computer-moderated play-by-mail
game. It is a "closed ended wargame" with turn times of about three weeks for regular games and slightly longer for team games
Quest of the Great Jewels involves twelve players, each of whom could can one of four races, each of which had different objectives and powers:
Azoni were fighters who bred slowly and earned victory points by building citadels.
Quntag were empire builders who earned victory points by controlling territory.
Rilris were treasure seekers who earned money by hoarding money and magic treasures.
Slenth bred at a prodigious rate, and although they were the weakest fighters, they earned victory points by destroying and ravaging.
The four races are well-balanced, with no race offering an advantage over the others.
REN1493
*Missing link to the rulebook.
The historical simulation game of strategy designed by Constantine Xanthos.
Renaissance
*Missing link to the rulebook.
Needs text entry.
Rome Is Burning
Need text entry.
Scramble For Empire
Scramble for Empire is set in the 19th century, with one game turn representing a month and players taking on a variety of roles. Typically you play as the head of a country, for example the President of France, the Kaiser, or Tsar, or the head of an expansive merchant company with global positions, or a VIP (like the Mahdi, Sherlock Holmes, Dracula, or Charles Hadden Spurgeon!).
Each game turn is run approximately once a month in real life, and each turn you receive details of your own position details, hopefully letters from others, the in-game newspaper, and a map (they are updated frequently).
The game is not strictly historically accurate, but a pseudo-Victorian world with Steampunk elements so all sorts of oddities such as marvellous machines and the odd vampire nun are possible (without turning the game into farce, of course, the atmosphere and believability of the whole thing is marvellously Victorian!).
Turns cost £12 each, with one played every four to six weeks.
The Glory of Kings
The Glory of Kings is set in the days of the 18th century, with one game turn representing a month and players taking on a variety of roles. Typically you play as the head of a country, for example the King of France, a German prince, or a Chinese or Indian lord. Smaller positions, such as a notorious pirate can be taken on instead if you prefer.
Each game turn is run approximately once every five weeks in real life, and each turn you receive details of your own position, any letters from others, and the in-game newspaper. The game has won multiple awards over the years, and is a firm favourite amongst our players. Standard turns cost £12 each.
The Isles PBeM
The Isles is a hand-moderated Play By Mail game run via either the postal system or via eMail. It is set in a fantasy world where trade and commerce are held in higher regard than Lords and Kings and where life can be brutal, terrifying and often short for those who do not belong.
Players take on the role of an Outcast, someone who is newly released from Prison with only a few possessions, little money and no tangible memories of who they are, what their past life was, or why they were imprisoned for so long.
Throne of Cofain
Four nations struggle for control of the island of Cofain in this fantasy wargame. Do you have what it takes to build your nation's strength, tame the wilderness, crush your rivals and ultimately put yourself on the Throne of Cofain?
TribeNet
TribeNet is an open-ended, play-by-email (PBEM) game of growth and management, where you are the leader of a Clan. Your people build, trade, farm, sail the seas and explore, and, as with all growing and expanding populations, there is a need for diplomacy and negotiation.
Your people start off in the middle of nowhere as a nomadic tribe. You know nothing about your environment and you have but a handful of skills. You explore your world and build skills and resources.
TribeNet simulates a nomadic and growing tribal life and lets you choose where it may lead. There are components of TN that allow you to become Builder, Trader, Fighter, Sailor and Explorer. The potential and possibilities are endless.
Can your clan survive and become a civilisation? It’s up to you.
War of the Dark God
"War of the Dark God" is a strategic fantasy wargame in which 16 nations in two teams battle for control of seven vital power spots which will either be instrumental in allowing the minions
of the great Dark God to call their master into the world or conversely
allow the followers of the Old Gods to deny the Dark God entry.
The game is played over 24 turns unless one side can manage a run-away victory. The two teams of 8 nations are fixed from the start and teammates must work together to further the overall goal of their side. Even though an individual winner will be found in the end, the success of the team is more important than just building your own position.