New to PBEM, looking for some advice to get started

[Kwall.pazaule]

Hello all, I saw a blurb about Midgard on Wikipedia "did you know?" section of all places, which led me down a rabbit hole ultimately to this forum!

I've never played a play by mail game, other than some advanced squad leader thru vassal. My background is in tabletop rpgs and wargaming. I'm looking for some place to get started! I've been to tribenet's website, I'm waiting to hear back from them after sending them an email. On Midgard website I made an account but I'm not sure where to go from there. I'm also interested in other games that are out there as well.

Just wanted to stop by say hello and hopefully get some advice how I can quickly get into some games and get started playing!

[GrimFinger]

Are you wanting free or pay PBMs?

[Kwall.pazaule]

Are you wanting free or pay PBMs?

I don't really have a preference tbh. Free is cool but I would try a paid one out as well

[RktSci]

There are two genres of PBM games - open ended and closed ended. Closed ended game has a set of victory conditions and/or runs for a finite time. Open ended games have no victory conditions and some have run for decades.

A good introduction to PBM games is Galac-Tac, a closed ending, fully computer moderated game. You can have them set up a private game where it is you against computer opponents. You can set it to run as frequently as you wish and it lets you learn the game.

The granddaddy of all PBM games is Star Web ( http://rickloomispbm.com/ ), a closed-ended game. Developed by Rick Loomis, it's been available since 1970. Due to the death of founder Rick Loomis, the company was recently split, with the Flying Buffalo brand and the RPG and other games sold, the PBM staying with Rick Loomis games. Star Web is a fun game, I played it quite a bit in the mid-70s to mid-80s.

I'm in three open ended games. Midgard, you are familiar with, a cities and wandering tribes game that is in late beta test.

A similar game, TribeNet ( https://tribenet.com.au/ )has been running for a long time and is mostly computer moderated with some hand moderation. The game is free for the first six months, then half price for the next six. It has a pretty active Discord and they have a mentor system where an experienced player helps you get started. I recently joined and it seems very solid.

SuperNova ( http://www.rollingthunder.com/supernova/SNFTP.htm ) is a space exploration game that I have been in for two years. It's been running in the current form (Draco galaxy) for quite a while, and a previous version (Andromeda) for even longer. Turns come every two weeks and are very detailed. New players are set up away from established players so that they have a chance to grow.

For some pbm games, access to a spreadsheet is pretty much required. There is a lot of data to record and manage in them, especially the open-ended ones. Galac-Tac has an order entry program that manages the data for you.

[ravenzachary]

Hello all, I saw a blurb about Midgard on Wikipedia "did you know?" section of all places, which led me down a rabbit hole ultimately to this forum!

I've never played a play by mail game, other than some advanced squad leader thru vassal. My background is in tabletop rpgs and wargaming. I'm looking for some place to get started! I've been to tribenet's website, I'm waiting to hear back from them after sending them an email. On Midgard website I made an account but I'm not sure where to go from there. I'm also interested in other games that are out there as well.

Just wanted to stop by say hello and hopefully get some advice how I can quickly get into some games and get started playing!

Welcome! Here's a mostly up-to-date list of all play-by-mail games currently being operated:

https://suspense-and-decision.com/index/

I've been back into the hobby for the past four years after being an active player in my teens during the 1980s and 1990s. What I've found for myself is that I've gravitated more and more towards open-ended games over the past four years, as these are unique formats compared to other forms of gaming out there. There are some great victory-based games with defined endings, too, but these are more akin to long board game or video game experiences. Other than some rare role-playing campaigns, what other forms of games can you say that you've been playing a continuous game for years and years? TribeNet, SuperNova, and Takamo are the three open-ended games I'm playing presently. Midgard has potential, but it's undergoing rapid changes during the beta process and I decided to drop and check it out when it's further along in its development later this year or next year. Open-ended games tend to be more complex (not always), so if you're intimidated by long rulebooks, you might want to start with something more simple?

[GrimFinger]

Are you wanting free or pay PBMs?

I don't really have a preference tbh. Free is cool but I would try a paid one out as well

You also might want to check into Hyborian War.

[ravenzachary]

Are you wanting free or pay PBMs?

I don't really have a preference tbh. Free is cool but I would try a paid one out as well

You also might want to check into Hyborian War.

Hyborian War is a great game and the fact that you can only receive results via post makes receiving postal mail fun again. You can submit orders via email, though.

Middle-earth is another fun victory-based game. Most of the scenarios are team-oriented, which is useful for a new player to receive mentoring. The only challenge with team games is that you sometimes get a quiet player or a moody player on your team, but with teams of 10-15 players, rough spots are almost always worked out.

[GrimFinger]

Yeah, Middle-earth is a good one to try. It's been a long time since I last played it, but definitely worth a go.

[Kwall.pazaule]

Thanks everyone there's a ton of great information there to sift thru. I sent an email to tribesnet but haven't heard anything back yet. I've done some cursory research on some of the other games and will likely throw my hat into he ring of a couple of those as well. Hyborian war sounds up my alley. I like that there is a physical mail component to the game and I'm a Conan fan to boot.
Long or complicated rulebook are not a problem for me either I am an Advanced Squad Leader player which (in)famously has a several hundred page byzantine rulebook. 
As far as Midgard goes, is it even possible to join right now? I am interested in that one despite the fact that it is in beta, partially because it is being relaunched and it would be interesting to get in on the ground floor so to speak. I was having trouble getting anywhere on the website

[RktSci]

As far as Midgard goes, is it even possible to join right now? I am interested in that one despite the fact that it is in beta, partially because it is being relaunched and it would be interesting to get in on the ground floor so to speak. I was having trouble getting anywhere on the website

Yes. Go to their Discord and ask there. It looks like there will be one more beta turn and then it starts. There are a lot of "rez" clans and cities in the game, players from the old Midgard that shut down a while back who have gotten their positions back. However, this version of Midgard runs on all-new code and has differences in how things are done. As someone who has never played, it's not an issue for me.

I'm an ASL player also, though I've been inactive since the pandemic started.