07-16-2017, 02:42 AM
After handing over the running of my main game, fleeing to the other side of the world and keeping quiet for a few decades, you'd think you'd be safe from your ex-players. But abuse a group of people for sufficiently long and some of them will persist.
And so I was t tracked down in Indianapolis by some determined gamers in Australia to hear that the Tribe Net had been running for some time in its latest guise and was in expansion mode. I was a little surprised, thinking several decades of game development and the emphasis on immediacy in the world of online multiplayer games had surely seen the demise of PBM/PBEM. I wasn't even sure how well 2 week turnaround would stand up these days, but decided to give it a try and ended up happily involved as a player this time.
Well, mostly. Old habits die hard and there was a feeling that there was room for a little something else in the game, nothing that shook things up too much but which provided a chance for those who wanted to get a bit more involved and fill in the time between turn submission and turn report. So now I'm running cultural/sporting events largely based on tribal skills within the game and bringing small rewards. So far this game year we've held the Tribal Games and a Song Contest which most people entered at the simpler end of the spectrum but which did include some actual songs submitted by players as well as a music video from one. Next up is the World Cup for the local ball game and an art competition is going to round out the year.
A long way from running the original Tribe Vibes as it was, a longer lasting cricket game on a smaller scale and various more military based games along with some Diplomacy zines. But, if I ever decide to run something major full time, just have me committed to an institution. Please.
And so I was t tracked down in Indianapolis by some determined gamers in Australia to hear that the Tribe Net had been running for some time in its latest guise and was in expansion mode. I was a little surprised, thinking several decades of game development and the emphasis on immediacy in the world of online multiplayer games had surely seen the demise of PBM/PBEM. I wasn't even sure how well 2 week turnaround would stand up these days, but decided to give it a try and ended up happily involved as a player this time.
Well, mostly. Old habits die hard and there was a feeling that there was room for a little something else in the game, nothing that shook things up too much but which provided a chance for those who wanted to get a bit more involved and fill in the time between turn submission and turn report. So now I'm running cultural/sporting events largely based on tribal skills within the game and bringing small rewards. So far this game year we've held the Tribal Games and a Song Contest which most people entered at the simpler end of the spectrum but which did include some actual songs submitted by players as well as a music video from one. Next up is the World Cup for the local ball game and an art competition is going to round out the year.
A long way from running the original Tribe Vibes as it was, a longer lasting cricket game on a smaller scale and various more military based games along with some Diplomacy zines. But, if I ever decide to run something major full time, just have me committed to an institution. Please.