02-25-2014, 04:49 PM
Free versus paid versus donation.
Price versus value.
If only things were really quite so simple.
The truth of the matter is that it is the end experience which is the sum of all things. Indeed, it is the experience, itself, which ultimately enables one to assess, for their own self, the value of a game relative to price.
If you enjoy a game and have fun playing it, it will invariably end up being a better value for that very reason. Fun tends to have its own way of mitigating the sticker shock of seeing the price of something. An entertaining movie, for example, is likely to be viewed as a much better expenditure of one's money than watching a movie that sucked, for the same ticket price.
And, also, part of the overall experience is determined, not by which company or moderator that you choose, nor even by which game that you choose, but rather, by the other players that you end up gaming with.
The respective merits and demerits of free versus pay versus donation are certainly all worth debating. However, regardless of where one falls on whichever side of that fence, I believe that it is clear that prospective players have quite a bit to choose from, in trying to decide what game or games that they should try.
If I may, I would suggest that you try more than one, either simultaneously or in succession. If you do, then you will find that you will invariably be drawn to some more than to others. It's the experience that you are after, after all. Isn't it?
Where the commercial/paid games are concerned, you might want to look and compare the pricing structures of the respective games that you are interested in possibly giving a go. Are you paying by the turn? By the game? By a certain amount of time? Are there any set-up fees? Do they charge for rulebooks, maps, newsletters, and other materials needed to play the game?
For games played electronically/digitally, there's also the software to consider. Some will invariably prove to be more intuitive than others, to use. How you interface with the game will impact your gaming experience. In hindsight, many old school PBM games that you played through the postal service actually were more easy for players to interface with, than is the case with some modern day electronic variants.
Even on the role playing and complexity end of things, Phoenix: BSE is often touted as being a complex game, and a lot of what at least some players love about that game is what they refer to as the role playing associated with it - even though it is technically a space game.
Price versus value.
If only things were really quite so simple.
The truth of the matter is that it is the end experience which is the sum of all things. Indeed, it is the experience, itself, which ultimately enables one to assess, for their own self, the value of a game relative to price.
If you enjoy a game and have fun playing it, it will invariably end up being a better value for that very reason. Fun tends to have its own way of mitigating the sticker shock of seeing the price of something. An entertaining movie, for example, is likely to be viewed as a much better expenditure of one's money than watching a movie that sucked, for the same ticket price.
And, also, part of the overall experience is determined, not by which company or moderator that you choose, nor even by which game that you choose, but rather, by the other players that you end up gaming with.
The respective merits and demerits of free versus pay versus donation are certainly all worth debating. However, regardless of where one falls on whichever side of that fence, I believe that it is clear that prospective players have quite a bit to choose from, in trying to decide what game or games that they should try.
If I may, I would suggest that you try more than one, either simultaneously or in succession. If you do, then you will find that you will invariably be drawn to some more than to others. It's the experience that you are after, after all. Isn't it?
Where the commercial/paid games are concerned, you might want to look and compare the pricing structures of the respective games that you are interested in possibly giving a go. Are you paying by the turn? By the game? By a certain amount of time? Are there any set-up fees? Do they charge for rulebooks, maps, newsletters, and other materials needed to play the game?
For games played electronically/digitally, there's also the software to consider. Some will invariably prove to be more intuitive than others, to use. How you interface with the game will impact your gaming experience. In hindsight, many old school PBM games that you played through the postal service actually were more easy for players to interface with, than is the case with some modern day electronic variants.
Even on the role playing and complexity end of things, Phoenix: BSE is often touted as being a complex game, and a lot of what at least some players love about that game is what they refer to as the role playing associated with it - even though it is technically a space game.