PBM Gaming: Expanding the Beachhead

[JonO]

Where the time issue is concerned, Lee at RSI told me a long while back that there were changes that they would like to make to the Hyborian War code. The issue was time.

Time, especially time you are paying for, is one of the most precious resources.

Perhaps, so. But, perhaps not, if he wanted to go with something more unique than the standard, common medium of his time. He could use smoke signals for gaming, I suppose, but there would probably be a range of drawbacks to that medium that would dwarf even the drawbacks of the postal medium.

Usually unique isn't something you want in the medium, however attractive it might be in the message. The more unique a communications attempt is, the fewer people you reach.

I understand what you're saying. However, PBM's Old Guard holds no monopoly on generating excitement. They also hold no monopoly on interest in postal gaming. What the commercial play by web industry does or does not do, time will ultimately tell. That's something for the future. Rumor has it that some people are waiting to play a play by web version of Rimworlds, but that the programmer is off somewhere spending too much time arguing about postal gaming with a guy hoping to start up an old school correspondence gaming type of game.

And you guys think that I'm crazy.

I'm not arguing, I'm discussing. The more you challenge my assumptions and make me think about what and how I am doing, the better off I'll be when this game rolls out.

One think I find true and I think a lot of other programmers do, too, is that I have X amount of skull sweat I can spend doing the heavy lifting - 8 to 10 hours @ day. Other than that, I can correct the grammar on the rules-books, create new graphic images, watch TV, or make obscene phone calls. Spending time on this website is certainly a better use of my time than breathing heavily on the phone.