newly inspired to PBM!!!

My deepest thanks to BOB MCLAIN for sending me a spare copy of his PBM Universal magazine #1 !!! I never actually had a copy -- just a xerox of one article from it. I am almost literally salivating. It takes me STRAIGHT back to the glory days of PBM, when there were hundreds of professional games out there and many thousands of players.

Bob, if you are ever in the DC area, please let me buy you many beers! (That pretty much goes for anyone else here, but especially Bob for the zine and Grim for this site.)

And now I feel extra sucky for not having posted here lately or contributed to the PBM scene. SO, Bob's generosity and this awesome time-capsule of a magazine have inspired me to renew my once-paramount hobby. I pledge to do the following:

- post here at least weekly
- enter at least one professional PBM game immediately
- troll about for at least one amateur game if I can find one
- never drop out of a PBM game again
- game-log everything here

If others here are up for taking a similar pledge, we can form a gaming league -- Grimfinger's Grognards, or the Knights of PBM, or something. Anyone else want to join me?

LOL!
To much coffee mate?

Besides that, it is a good idea :-)
Hows the Gaming Universal looking by the way, never had a chance to take a look at it!

Hah, I had actually edited it down somewhat. I wanted to include something about building my own PBM game, but that's going to be slow in coming. (Probably better to just do first and then announce it, rather than announce it and then do it.)

Issue 1 is excellent, though rather different from Issue 2. It's smaller and has much less in the way of ads (understandable). Bob must have gone to magazine publishing school or something because the professional look and feel of subsequent issues really takes off. But I love Issue 1 for the articles -- a long review of Empyrean Challenge, several pieces on Feudal Lords, including info on how it was developed, etc.

Since starting this thread I haven't had a chance to sign up for a PBM game yet. Maybe after this weekend's camping trip. I'm thinking Hyborian Wars to see what Grim does when he's not here. I also need to dust off a couple of other free positions in ongoing games. Perhaps Sunday.

And?
What game did you started :-)

Well, I started a new game: Renaissance.

It's not a new game, really. Moderator Constantine Xanthos ran the first turn in 1981. He has run the game without interruption since then.

I took over some historical families in early 16th century Central Asia. My characters are far-flung: they range from extreme western China to northern Persia. First order of business is to consolidate, improve existing roads, build new roads, and develop my exotic markets.

The real action is in Europe, where the truly powerful players (including those who run the Holy Roman Emperor and the Pope!) are locked in continental battle. But I like the peace and tranquility of the steppes, where soon my limitless hordes of mounted archers, I mean, my limitless hordes of road builders will, um, do something.

Anyone like to join me?

[quote='BobMcLain' pid='1989' dateline='1339620491']
Well, I started a new game: Renaissance.

It's not a new game, really. Moderator Constantine Xanthos ran the first turn in 1981. He has run the game without interruption since then.

I took over some historical families in early 16th century Central Asia. My characters are far-flung: they range from extreme western China to northern Persia. First order of business is to consolidate, improve existing roads, build new roads, and develop my exotic markets.

The real action is in Europe, where the truly powerful players (including those who run the Holy Roman Emperor and the Pope!) are locked in continental battle. But I like the peace and tranquility of the steppes, where soon my limitless hordes of mounted archers, I mean, my limitless hordes of road builders will, um, do something.

Anyone like to join me?
[/quote]

Bob -- got a link to Renaissance?

Walter -- I've been sorting through Grim's links on the left. Figured it was a good place to start. I had signed on to a trial of that BSE variant several months ago, and after having left it unplayed I got a report that my 2 ships were pillaged by pirates. So I might fire that one up again and this time, er, "not" drop out.

I thought about Hyborian War, but am leery of joining a game dominated by experienced players who know all the strategies already. They did start a beginners game a while back -- maybe they'll do that again.

Some of the other games on the list have either been shut down or their forums haven't had a post in years. Some require downloading apps to your PC, which I am leery of.

Maybe we should do as Bob suggests and go in on a game together, blog about it here, etc. If I can get at least one other player from here to sign up for a game, I'll play it. (Bonus points if you join Grimfinger's Grognards!) Walter -- want to join Bob in Renaissance?

The Renaissance [website] is really, really basic:

http://rensim.org/cx/

If either of you seriously want to join the game, I can send you (via PM) the name and email address of one of the more experienced players who has a vast database of the game's cities, families, player holdings, etc. He can give you an overview of what's what and who's where, and help you select decent families.

Alas!
I justed started a Victory! game by Rolling Thunder Games.
There are still (4) positions open in this game.
First turn is within 2 weeks..

http://www.rollingthunderforums.com/index.php?showtopic=2243

Have fun... Or join me as my neighbor. :D

Walt

I'll sign up for one or both of these games this weekend. Regarding Renaissance -- it does NOT look "basic". The rules are fairly elaborate and extensive, and I suspect the player-created content base is ten times more so. Is there any decent onboarding process for new players? It's been running for 30 YEARS and doesn't appear overly welcoming to newbies. How did you hear about it, and what made you want to sign up?

And as for Victory -- looks like something vaguely similar to Flying Buffalo's Battle Plan (which is good). Is it? It looks interesting, but also expensive. $6 per turn-sheet, and you can submit 2 per turn up until a certain point when you can submit 3. $12-$18 per turn is steep. So same question to you, Walter, what made you want to sign up for this game?

I meant to say the Renaissance "website" is basic. I see that I left out the key word "website" in my previous post...

I played Renaissance for a short time back in the early 1980s as the Eastern European Bassarab family. Decent memories. Why not try it again? Of course, the game has changed, with fewer players controlling more families. No one will ever win. The enjoyment is 75% diplomacy, 25% strategy/tactics.

Oddly enough, the presence of so many powerful players makes the game MORE welcoming to newbies than your average edition of Starweb or Victory!. These powerful players would gain nothing, absolutely nothing, from squashing a new player flat. They're mentors, not maniacs. Given the vastness of the world, the established players love to help newcomers become established in areas where they don't lack local presence. Think of it as... colonizing.

Of course, once you become established on your own, you can do what you like.

There isn't an official on-boarding process. But one of the players has put together a "starter pack" that he sends upon request to those who ask. The pack includes such handy items as a game atlas, market reports, and even a utility for calculating distance. He'll also help prospective players find a good place to start.

Victory! is much, much more complicated than Battle Plan. No comparison. Back in the early 1990s, Allen Viduka wrote and published a book (an actual print book) about how to do well in Victory!. That'll give you some clue about the game's scope.

Ixnay,
I played the game in the past. Enjoyed it, had to stop playing due to things i am not gonna write down on this board. The game is great, full-scale war and players dropping like flies... Like that game of game.....

I just sent inquiries to the moderators of both Renaissance and Victory. We'll see how the onboarding process goes. Expect a new game-log or two if and when I get set up.

Another thought -- I never actually played a game of Starweb, even though it's been so widely praised in the PBM world. What if we got enough people here on this forum to sign up for a private game? I think it's 15 players. Anyone interested?

Both moderators replied promptly and professionally. I was slightly delayed in follow-up, however, and it appears I may be too late to join Game 93 of Victory. Bulgaria was the one slot open when the moderator replied, but according to their forum (which is all abuzz with excitement for V93), someone has just claimed her. Usually PBM games suffer from high drop-out rates, so I'm asking to be on stand-by to take over the first one. We shall see.

Renaissance's moderator has picked out an existing noble family and location for me to take over -- something in the same general area as you, Bob. (I asked for something near you, or in the Near East, or perhaps Bulgaria, haha). This is a game that runs monthly turn cycles 12x year, and I can just squeeze into the upcoming 6/24 deadline. If anyone else reading this wants to join and see what a 30+ year PBM game looks like, jump in now. With prepayment, turn fees are as low as $2.90!

Today's task is to set myself up with a paypal account so I can fund these accounts. (Checks are so twentieth century...)

Hi Ixnay,
believe me, the character Spongebob is just bluffing he plays Bulgaria.
A REAL long story, on short, Bulgaria is still open.

I would indead ask a stand-by position if I were you! Hope to see you in the game!

Renaissance -- I am now printing the rules to study on the train. Need to race to get this month's turn in.

Victory! -- Got confirmation that I am running Bulgaria. On the game forum, someone posted a map with the player positions colored in. holy crap. I am surrounded by larger, fiercer enemies with no nearby lebensraum. I'm going to have to put my diplomacy hat on, big time. And the rules -- Bob, you weren't kidding when you said there was no comparison with Battle Plan! This is basically along the lines of those old "monster games" that took 1000 hours to play. And I'm on a deadline for THAT one, too. I think I have 2 days to get my first turn put together. It will most likely be an early bloodbath, but I will game-log it here to the hilt and see how much fun I can have with it...

Sorry to post this to the this site guys...

Ixnay can you contact me private for a little chat about game 93?

To those lurkers out there who are curious about PBM gaming (are there any out there?) -- here's another incident to shed light on a common occurrence -- missed turns!

I had a personal matter take me off of PBM for a few days -- at a most inopportune time. (No, wait. I *planned* it. I *wanted* to miss my turns, so I could write about it here! Yeah, that's the ticket!)

Renaissance's moderator sent me an alert, offering to hold up the turn for a few hours if I could get my orders in. He even suggested a few opening orders. Alas, I wasn't near email and didn't submit anything. He was a good sport and said he wouldn't charge for that turn. I now have some time before the next turn is due. I plan to get orders drafted WELL IN ADVANCE. I can always hold off mailing them, in case I want to change my mind about anything.

My position in this game seems pretty powerful, to me anyway. I have a family of 5 personae, each with a strong skill set, lots of money and local power, and a capable military array. I plan to start by mastering the local trade routes and perhaps building contacts with Near East and Central Asian families. I'll start a thread in the PBM Games section to blog about that game in detail. I will point out, though, that the game newsletter announced some half-dozen new players this turn. Not bad for a 31 year old game!

As for Victory!, the moderator said that the first turn can be back-dated almost up until the second turn is due. I assume that's because no hostilities are allowed until turn 3. So there's not much I can do on turn one that would impact anyone else. My beloved homeland of Bulgaria has a small but functioning economy and a skeleton army garrison to provide nominal protection. I have no air forces or naval fleets yet. That's what the first couple turns are for, I guess!

So while the pressure is still on, I have a few days to get my orders truly straightened out. I will blog about that game in its own thread as well. I should warn you that I want to learn my lesson from that Far Horizons game -- no sensitive information will be published! Just vague details to convey a sense of what's going on! However, I will keep a full running narrative for myself (and a select few others?) to be published when the game is finished.

It has been about a year since my last post in this thread (or anywhere else on this site.) I won't get into the details, but I had been dealing with the loss of two direct family members and another indirect one in the space of 2 years, and the accumulated weight of all that got to me.

I am ready to kick my PBM career off again, now, though I might start a little slower than before.

2 updates and 1 new item to report:

First, the Renaissance moderator has continued sending me newsletters, and I got a friendly ping from one of the major players who gave me a little history of my position. I need to get with the moderator, apologize for my long silence, and figure out what I need to do to get back in his game and cover his inconvenience (of having to deal with a dropout.)

Second, that Victory game went ahead without me as well. I will do a similar circling-back with Rolling Thunder Games to see what I owe them for grabbing a position and then disappearing. (Mind you, they gave me the most difficult position to start with -- Bulgaria.) I got a friendly ping from another player in that game as well. So I hope to set things right and see if there is a new game on the horizon which I can join.

Finally, Vern from Empyrean Challenge (now called Cluster Wars) is getting back on HIS horse. His "pre-alpha" test game had come to a stopping point, and he and his team have incorporated a slew of updates and improvements since then. They are launching "game 2" now -- first turns are out and due back 6/20. I believe there are 20 positions in the game, and all are filled. But (as we have seen in this thread), dropouts are common and new positions will not be materially behind if taken over within a turn or two.

My brother is waiting in the wings to join this game by taking over the first dropout. If anyone here has read anything on this site about EC and wants to give it a go, I recommend contacting Vern and lining up for those dropouts yourself.

The game is a monster of a space-empire game. It's economic at first, but with serious military aspects later on -- to the point where one player posted to the effect that this game is more about information and tactics than about economic power (though size does matter.)

I'll be running my first turn later tonight, and will blog about it here.

In summary -- sorry for dropping out of the scene for a while. I hope to make up for that with some quality gaming (and posting), especially with the inspiration of this new EC/CW game!

[quote='ixnay' pid='2017' dateline='1340739420']I should warn you that I want to learn my lesson from that Far Horizons game -- no sensitive information will be published! Just vague details to convey a sense of what's going on! However, I will keep a full running narrative for myself (and a select few others?) to be published when the game is finished.[/quote]

Perhaps you learned the wrong lesson.

The narrative posted after the game has ended approach is all fine and dandy - but it won't do anything to drive interest during the game.

Renaissance is an excellent game, but it is an open-ended power game. I got into the game back in 1982 and played for about 4-5 years. At one time there were close to 1000, I'll say families being played in the game, as players were allowed to play up to 3 families if I remember correctly. I'd guess probably around 700 players at its height. One of the best games I ever played. I joined again in 1999, but Constantine revised the mechanics of the game between the time I left and returned to allow him to take advantage of the computer in running the turns. Game slowed some, not the turn around but in game activity. After about 6 months I left the game. Still a very good game, but patience is required as getting things done takes about a long as doing them in real life!
I would imagine that while most of the major power families are taken, there should be quite a few noble families available, for example one probably could become an Emir, maybe of Aleppo, Alexander or numerous other cities within the Mamluk Empire, or a Mercenary family like the Vitellis of Italy. A little research and you can find some good families with excellent skills.
Good luck in your game. Constantine might even have some old newsletters from the early 80's that he might be willing to share. I would be willing to pay a little something for them. Didn't keep them once I quit, but wish I had.

I've been playing in Flying Buffalo's Riftlords/ Rift Lords PBeM [RL-2] for just over three years. The pace was just about right, while I was working a full-time job and in library school.

Now that I've finished the degree (I still have the job!), I'm looking to join a couple more games -- perhaps something with more role-playing? I still need a reasonable gap between turns (Phoenix: Beyond the Stellar Empire proved to be a bit fast-paced for me), so I'm looking at Regime Change (AGEMA) and Twilight Earth (Madhouse). I'm also trying to see, if I can track down the people currently running Exile (The PBM Formerly Known As Saturnalia).

I just sent requests for game-slots in Clash of Legends and Starweb. It's been a while since I've played a game, so I need to get my chops back.

Oh, and Davin is looking to set up a game of Galac-tac for posters on this forum. Ping him and play!

Flying Buffalo gave me a speedy reply regarding Starweb. They have an "anonymous" game in the hopper, with 8 players waiting to start. I just joined so that's 9. It's a 15-player game. Anyone else here interested in a little showdown with PROG the Destroyer?

[quote='ixnay' pid='136469' dateline='1502295506']
Flying Buffalo gave me a speedy reply regarding Starweb.  They have an "anonymous" game in the hopper, with 8 players waiting to start.  I just joined so that's 9.  It's a 15-player game.  Anyone else here interested in a little showdown with PROG the Destroyer?
[/quote]

Yeah, I am interested. I'll be even more interested during my next credit card cycle, as I'll need to top up my Buffalo account. (So, after Aug 20th.)

I think you can sign up even if your account is low -- the game won't start until we get the full 15 players. Be sure to tell Rick it's the anonymous game with PROG the Destroyer in it...

And while we're on the subject -- HEY GRIM -- WANT A PIECE OF ME? COME AND GET IT!

;-)

[quote='ixnay' pid='136498' dateline='1502384109']
And while we're on the subject -- HEY GRIM -- WANT A PIECE OF ME?  COME AND GET IT!

;-)
[/quote]

How very quaint. A simplified variant of a taunt. Very feminine, even if not very effective.

Ah yes, I suppose Granny Goodness was the picture of masculine taunting.  Regardless, the (antique white floral) glove has been thrown.  Engage in this new Starweb showdown, or scurry away like a good little managing editor/forum administrator/PBM celebrity.

If you've got a problem with Granny Goodness, take it up with Jack Kirby. When Granny Goodness showed up at your doorstep, she certainly seemed manly enough, to hear you tell the tale.

[quote='ixnay' pid='136503' dateline='1502386746']
Engage in this new Starweb showdown, or scurry away like a good little managing editor/forum administrator/PBM celebrity.
[/quote]

Said the PBM celebrity assistant editor/assistant forum administrator.

Besides, I'm busy compiling an issue that you never submitted an article for.

Just saying.

Indeed, Grim. Your granny was very manly. I concede that. As for this issue, might I have the weekend to submit my items? I would at least like to submit a comic strip. It's Thursday. I suppose I can try to get it done tonight, if I can get the bloody kids to bed by 10pm...

It depends upon how much that I get done tomorrow.

You've had several months, already. Pick up the pace, Hoss.