(01-26-2014, 08:13 PM)Rivulet Rouge Wrote: Hi,
I've held a speculative interest toward several aging PBM games over the past 20 years or so, but was always put off by the seemingly prohibitive cost of long-term play and concern that existing games would be dominated by experienced players, particularly given the apparent learning curve for newer players.
As someone who is toying with the idea of jumping into a new game or two, are there any particular games you would recommend to a player first getting their feet wet to PBM? Appreciate your input.
Welcome to the site - and to PBM gaming!
The inherent nature of experience is that it can - and often is - beneficial in games of any type or variety. An experience chess player, for instance, will typically best an inexperienced one. Typically, experience allows one to utilize game assets for benefit, in a knowledgeable manner. Mastery of a given rule set often comes with experience in a game - so, trying to figure out what to do, in a given situation, may require effort for the inexperienced, but may well become second nature, to the experienced.
To suffer from a lack of experience in a game tends to be a disadvantage, in and of itself. But, that tends to be the case with many things in life, and not just games - and certainly, not with just PBM games. My own first-hand experience in PBM games is that experience often leads to over-confidence, and that even amongst experienced players, opinions on a given game situation can vary widely, depending upon the game in question.
Cost can be or become prohibitive. Part of that depends upon each player's respective view of what constitutes a prohibitive expense, since budgets for gaming and entertainment vary widely, from individual to individual. Personally, I think that PBM gaming tends to yield a good bit of value, all things considered, compared to many other forms of entertainment. That said, I do feel that PBM companies and game moderators tend to be more innovative in areas other than pricing structure.
As far as old school PBM gaming is concerned, the kind played via the postal service, anticipation is one of the key benefits of playing by mail. Electronic or digital gaming will often mimic many aspects of core play by mail gaming exceptionally well, but they tend to be faster paced than postal gaming, which can lead to game burnout faster.
Depending upon what genre that you prefer (space, fantasy, medieval, etc.) will dictate your available options.
Additionally, if your new to PBM gaming, a lot of what's out there can strike you as fresh and exciting, where to others with experience with postal gaming, a lot of what's out there may come across as dated or stale. Ultimately, though, the fun factor plays a critical role in helping the end player determine for them self the actual value of PBM games relative to others, in both the PBM stable and across the gamut of games in
general. If the cost exceeds the fun, then it's probably not a good value. If it does, then it probably is.
Because I run this site and because I publish Suspense & Decision magazine, I tend to do a number of searches on a semi-frequent basis pertaining to PBM gaming. It's part of the process that I use to inform my opinions on the subject play by mail.
Earlier today, in fact, I ran across a blog posting that contained a passage that I feel nailed one of the central positive tenets of gaming by mail. Specifically, it was where blogger Kristian said:
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"The basic idea of any Play By Mail Game, is that the players mail each other their move each time it is their turn, and then must wait for their opponent's move to be mailed back to them. In today's digital age this can seem a bit archaic- or, at least, something that might more efficiently (and, arguably more cost effectively) be done by email, chatrooms or even apps. But I'd argue there is something special about the time and dedication that such Play By Mail Games require. It can also really help to foster a relationship by sharing interests, as in the case of my sister and grandfather."
SOURCE: http://www.withoutastyle.com/2014/01/let...s-and.html
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Thus, one of the "something special" things about PBM gaming is that it fosters relationships via the sharing of interests. Kristian's blog isn't really a PBM blog. She just posts about mail, amongst other things. A lot of what she writes about on her blog deals with what she wears, and is oriented toward fashion and style. Yet, with those few words, I really think that she did a remarkable job of cluing us all in on what makes PBM gaming fashionable, in any day and age.
Lasting friendships tend to be one of play by mail's primary crops. These friendships, which will often run a span of years (or even decades) spring from the relationships formed through the playing of such games.
Most of the PBM games out there, whether the ones that historically existed or just those that are still around, today, I have never even tried. As far as the commercial ones go, I would like to try many that I have not yet tried - but, it would be both cost-prohibitive and utterly time-consuming to do so.
From digging through the dust and ashes of the Internet, the last several years have raised my eyebrows as to just exactly how much life is left in the genre of postal gaming. PBM gaming may seem dead to many, but try burying it or preaching its funeral, sometime, and one will likely find that all kinds of arms and legs and fingers keep crawling back up through the soil.
I played Hyborian War for many years. I can - and do - recommend it.
