͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ 
Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser.
Image description
Image description
Image description

ISSUE 30

Table of Contents

Articles

Editorial

Dare to climb the beanstalk of turn-based gaming

Hither came the Giants

[Alamaze Article]

PBM Information Vacuums in the Age of Information

Charles Mosteller

Charles Mosteller



Charles Mosteller



Charles Mosteller

Would you give consideration to writing a PBM article for next issue?

Other Items Of Interest

Miscellaneous

PBM Quote - Mica Goldstone

PBM Did You Know?

Dead Link Checker

PBM Quote - Axomin 0129

American Gamer - Issue #1

Diplomacy World

Diplomacy Links

Mapping Resources

PBM Quote - Unknown Contact

Alamaze Games Forming

PBM Quote - Ryn Valtor

PBM Quote - Lubos Comor

The PBM Maze
PBM Survey Results

Middle-earth PBM Games Forming

PBM List

Featured PBM Link

Coming Next Issue!

I hope that you enjoy this issue of PBM Chaos, our first issue of the new year! Happy New Year!

- Charles

Advertisements

DungeonWorld Estates

Star Fleet Battles Online

Clash of Legends

Games Mastership: How to Design and Run and Play-By-Mail Game

Fantasy Wrestling Alliance
Far Horizons
Feudal Lords
Alamaze

Green Sun: Rise & Fall

Middle-earth PBM

Tabletop Spirit magazine

Image description
Editorial

Happy New Year!



Thus, PBM gaming has survived for yet another year. I count that as a good thing. PBM Chaos rings in the new year, also, so maybe that counts as another good thing. None of us are promised tomorrow, so we never really have a way of knowing 100% what will last or what won't, but that's the same as it's ever been.



The PBM Maze has kicked off, so we'll see how that little experiment goes. But we only get to see how it goes just a little bit at a time. Each map segment that forms players' turn results is 300x300 pixels in size, when it leaves my hands. But none of the players know the actual full dimensions of the entire maze - and probably won't for a while, yet. Not for multiple issues of PBM Chaos, anyway.

At the very end of last issue, two items were listed as Coming Next Issue (which is this issue), and those were PBM Information Vacuums in the Age of Information (an article) and Mapping Resources (which take the form of links to various different options that you can help you to create maps. You will find those in this issue a little further down.



I invested a lot of time on this issue. Hopefully, it shows. I can't really include PBM articles by other people, if they don't send them to me to include. However, I did include a Table of Contents for this issue. Hopefully, I included most everything contained in this issue within it.



PBM Survey participation was rather disappointing, even if not entirely unexpected, but then it began to really pick up, after I sent out a standalone e-mail for it. Maybe PBM Chaos readers just somehow overlooked the links to it that I included in last issue, or just didn't feel like participating, at that point in time.



The PBM Survey results in this issue contain participants' responses through the first 56 participants. This was so that I could try and get this issue done, and not wait until the last minute to try and shoehorn all of the survey results in. I am aware that more individuals are continuing to take the PBM Survey, and responses from those individuals will be included in a future issue of PBM Chaos. That's just how the PBM ball bounces, sometimes.



It's late, here - almost one in the morning, and I think that I am just about to call it a night. Perhaps I should go back to publishing shorter issues of PBM Chaos. The long issues likely won't last forever, but I have tried to pack a little meat on the bones of the issues, lately, so as to not send something out to you that is little more that PBM skin and bones.



It's always surprising, even after all these many years, how refreshing even a portion of sleep can be.



That image in the lower right corner of the table of contents for this issue is A.I.-generated art. It was one rendition of many that I had the artificial intelligence to generate, just to fill that block of otherwise empty space. I asked the A.I. to create Asgard, home of the Norse Gods. And the variety of depictions that it provided to me was considerable. Now, this is not how I envision Asgard to look, but all things considered, I liked the way that this piece turned out. So, maybe this is Asgard and maybe it isn't, but one thing is certain - it's someplace.



Personally, I would much rather fill empty space with human-generated art or writing, but the readership of PBM Chaos has not seen fit to bestow endless literary and artistic wonders upon me for this particular issue, and so I am relegated to adapting and improvising (as is often the case, for better or for worse).



The list of mapping resources that I included for you all in this issue of PBM Chaos is a fairly decent one. I hope that you enjoy it, and that at least some of you are inspired by it to begin creating and tinkering with with possibly laying the groundwork for a new PBM game of your own.



And this term "PBM," why even bother to retain it? If for no other reason than because it is a link to our past, a connection with our heritage and our history, a bond with our turn-based gaming roots. Oh, to be certain, there are lots of different kinds of turn-based games, but not all have claim to an era when turn-based games provided turn results that arrived, literally, in your actual, physical mailbox.



That was a handy option to have, and it was a true and unique sort of pleasure to find turn results in an envelope from one or more play by mail companies, when you would open the door on your mailbox. It was - and remains - entertainment that's a form which is sui generis, something entirely of its own sort, something of its own kind. Unique, but honestly, truly unique.



On the one hand, no, the medium through which a given turn-based game doesn't really matter, as long as you're having fun playing it. But simultaneously, the turn that one received and the fun that it brought was only one part of a much bigger entertainment equation. The very act of opening one's physical mailbox, and lo and behold, inside would sometimes reside turn results - man, what a feeling!



That, too, was - and is - an experience all its own. Receive turn results through e-mail or via a web interface doesn't mean that you don't have fun, but speaking just for myself, the sum totality of the overall experience isn't the same. Something's missing.



Furthermore, digital forms of turn-based gaming seem to imperfectly, at best, duplicate the unbridled "sense of anticipation" that postal gaming of old perfected a long, log time ago.



With digital turn-based games, new possibilities arise! But I've seen nothing that leads me to yet conclude that the digital gaming mediums can actually replicate in full measure the whole old school postal gaming entertainment experience.



Question #4 of the PBM Survey yielded some interesting responses. Pay special attention, if you will, to all of the different ways that individuals describe PBM gaming.



And on that note, I now bring this "PBM editorial" to a close, that I might prepare to launch it into the PBM Aether, where hopefully, each and every last one of PBM Chaos' readers will soon have it in the palm of their digital hands. I do hope that you all enjoy it, but whether you do or do not, please consider taking some time out, afterwards, to write in and tell me what you thought of it.



By pure coincidence, the theme song for the old TV show, M*A*S*H, is playing in the background, as I sign off. Talk about timing. Happy PBM reading and happy PBM gaming!



Charles Mosteller

Editor of PBM Chaos

PBM QUOTE

"Historically (mostly before my time), when we had hundreds per week signing up to play games such as Crime and Footy, the management’s attitude was ‘more fish in the sea’. Those days are gone (though, possibly, not forever, provided we all pull together to push the industry full circle)."

- Mica Goldstone

GM of KJC Games
Suspense & Decision magazine - Issue #9
July 2014

PBM Chaos Editor's Note: A great quote by Mica Goldstone, but here we are some 9 1/2 years later, and the question that I would pose to the PBM industry is, "Is the PBM industry all pulling together - and if so, in what ways, specifically, are they (the different PBM companies and/or PBM GMs) all pulling together?"

PBM Did You Know?

Did you know that PBM Chaos is read in at least 14
different countries, and in at least 1 Crown Dependency?

Dead Link Checker

Do YOU run a PBM website? Want to double-check to see if your PBM website has any dead links on it? Then just click on the link, above, and let it track them down for you!

Jason Oates Games

http://www.jason-oates-games.com/

100% scanned - 103/103 URLs checked, 103 OK

Jason Oates Games website scored a perfect 100%, with no dead links being detected. Will your PBM website fare as well?

PBM Chaos highly recommends the Dead Link Checker!

Image description

Dare to climb the beanstalk of turn-based gaming!

Charles Mosteller

If you want to grow the size of the overall player base for PBM games, then I have 2 simple questions for you.



Do you think that PBM will increase in popularity by continuing to serve just the same decades-old games? And should PBM offer games that appear to a much wider range of ages?



What appeals to younger gamers? What appeals to kids? What appeals to teenagers? What appeals to young adults?


In the image above, your eyes are treated to Jack and the Beanstalk, with young Jack having already climbed a portion of that gigantic beanstalk that grew from magic beans to reach into the clouds - and beyond!



This article isn't about Jack and the Beanstalk, specifically, but rather, about the potential that inheres in incorporating fairy tales and things of a whimsical nature into the overall structure of play by mail games. And yes, I'm quite aware that fairy tales were often more of the horror variety.



PBM gaming is a fairly wholesome activity, all things considered, though tempers do sometimes flare, as very competitive players perpetually seek to gain advantage and inflict disadvantage, during their course of playing a variety of different PBM games - many of which are conflict-oriented, in some way, shape, or form.

PBMers routinely lament that PBM is either dead or dying. Yet, where are the magic bean games that can grow PBM anew into a form of gaming that reaches into the clouds towards a new golden heyday of PBM gaming?

All those perennially popular fairy tales just going to waste. The PBM industry is quite content to not grow, to not expand, to not prosper. When was the last time that the PBM industry actually, truly led the way?

It once did. It can, again.

But not if it cannot - or will not - rouse itself from its self-imposed sleep, a sleep that would be the envy of Sleeping Beauty, herself.



The PBM industry has been too busying thinking small (or dare I say it, not at all), to think big. How many times will the PBM industry milk the same old PBM cows, before it introduces new blood into its PBM gaming bloodlines?



Fairy tales that have fallen into the public domain are fair game for rebranding as PBM games. Fairy tale Jack was willing to climb that beanstalk, but does the PBM industry lack even the modicum of courage to plant the magic beans?



Anytime the PBM industry loses interest in competing with itself, no fairy tale ending should be expected.

DungeonWorld Estates image ad for Madhouse UK
Star Fleet Battles Online image ad for Franz Games

Register to play the Star Fleet Battles Online Demo!
CLICK HERE

Clash of Legends image ad

PBM QUOTE

"Thought for PBM Chaos: Would it be too much work to have a monthly listing of what games are covered (by more than an ad) in each edition of PBM Chaos? Or a quarterly listing? It would not only help players who are considering the different games, but also increase the readers (repeat readers, also) of different articles."



- Axomin 0129

pbm-chaos channel of the PlayByMail.Net Discord

12/28/2023

PBM Chaos Editor's Note: It's coming, Axomin!

American Gamer

A PBM Magazine From The Year 1990

Issue #1 - July/August 1990



Contents

Rantings From The Editor

Feudal Lords Game 32 / Year 812

My Kind Of Town - It's A Crime

On Out Time Days

From The Turtle's Back - Atlantrix

Passing the Flame - Atlantrix

The KLO Perspective - Out Time Days

Play By Play - The Next Empire

Moderator Notes - Land Of Karrus

A Legend Is Born - Legends

Boardgaming BC [Before Computers]

Life [And Death] In The Pit - Blood Pit

Art - Space Gypsies

Thomas J. Purvenas

Stephen B. Marte

Michael A. Quigley

J.W. Akers-Sassaman

Craig Mills

Craig Mills

B.E. Wright

Stephen B. Marte

Jean Brown

Dan Kluge

Tim Enright

Michael C. Powell

Jim Buckett

Magazine Staff

Publisher: Gregory T. Moore

Assistant Publisher: Clifton W. Knox

Executive Editor: Thomas J. Purvenas

PBM Editor: Stephen B. Marte

Proof Reader: Jodi L. Puervenas

Production Manager: Ace H. Rosenstein

Typesetting: Lisa R. Capra | Wendy A. Crabtree

Graphics: Pamela A. West

Cover Artist: David L. Transue

Staff Photographer: Wendy A. Crabtree

Image description

PBM Chaos Editor's Note: Issue #1 of American Gamer is a fabulous example of an old style PBM magazine. For a first issue, especially, this is a very nice issue, a real achievement. Numerous PBM ads, including some full page ads, along with the occasional graphical flourishes help to offset the text-dense articles. It's a real shame that this PBM magazine didn't publish a lot of issues. It's a real classic piece of PBM literature in magazine form. The front cover features a battle scene at a river near a fort, with mountains in the background and a big green dragon flying overhead drawn by artist David L. Transue, who also used to create some of the front cover art for issues of Paper Mayhem, another PBM magazine from back in the day.

* A special thanks to PBMer Axomin for inspiring the idea to try and compile
a list of past PBM articles from different PBM magazines and other sources.
Games Mastership: How To Design And Run A Play-By-Mail Game image ad
FWA - Fantasy Wrestling Alliance image ad
Diplomacy World
Image Diplomacy World Issue #163 image addescription
Diplomacy World Issue #164 image ad

Diplomacy World: If You Don't Read It, You Deserve To Lose

Facebook Group
Diplomacy World

818 Members

Facebook Group
Diplomacy Briefing

151 Followers

Facebook Group
UK Diplomacy Archive

40 Members

Discord Server
Nexus Diplomacy

1647 Members

Discord Server
webDiplomacy

55 Members

Discord Server
Conspiracy Game Official

884 Members

Discord Server
North American

Diplomacy Federation

606 Members



Image description

PBM Information Vacuums

in the Age of Information

Charles Mosteller

One of the great ironies of PBM gaming is that some portions of the PBM industry managed to make it into the modern Information Age, yet for some inexplicable reason, those interested in PBM games currently suffer from a dearth of relevant information.



Do this, sometime. Visit the websites of different PBM companies or independent PBM GMs, and just see for yourself if you can quickly (or at all) find the particular information that you want or need about a PBM game.



On the one hand, PBM companies are quick to try and suffocate newcomers to PBM gaming with thick PBM rulebooks, while on the other hand, trying to locate such basic, fundamental information as what PBM games are forming, or how many players are needed until the next PBM game starts, aren't anywhere in sight, on numerous different PBM company websites.



With Alamaze, you have to have an account to sign in and see what new games are forming. What utter madness is this? Why should someone new to PBM gaming have go to the trouble of creating an account, just to learn what new games are forming?



Talisman Games recently made some changes to their website, so now, you can see some of which new games of Galac-Tac are forming. If you're signed into their website, though, you can also see both private and public games of Galac-Tac are forming. But instead of just informing prospective newcomers of exactly how many more players a given game of Galac-Tac needs, before it will start, Talisman Games continues to keep things deliberately vague. Saying that the number of positions filled is "many" underscores the need for continued improvement in this area by PBM companies.



I love Hyborian War and I love Reality Simulations, Inc., but can you visit their website and learn what games of Hyborian War are forming, or how many players a particular game needs, before it starts? Nope! No cigar, people. Now, you can go and get yourself a free user account over at handsome Lloyd Barron's The Road of Kings forum site, and organized games of Hyborian War are usually listed there - but that's only a partial menu. And what about games of Hyborian War where a player just dropped the game? You could probably call RSI to find out if there are any games with openings, but in this day and age of widespread Internet access for the masses, you can't just go to their website and find the information that you need, where this particular information is concerned. Why?



Basic, fundamental PBM information. This isn't like the information-equivalent of asking for the moon and stars.



Near the end of this issue, I have included another copy of the PBM List. Feel free to pick links from that list, and visit the respective websites, and see for yourself which PBM sites provide such information at your fingertips and which ones don't.



Be sure to look for prices, rules, starting packets, and any other sort of basic information that you need, in order to inform yourself on what PBM games they are offering, so that you can then make what's known as "a more informed decision."



Now, if you visit the Middle-earth PBM website, you'll find that games of Middle-earth that are forming are located right on the front page of their website. And the cost to play? You have to go look for that. Why isn't there a link for that at the top of their page? Instead, it's located under the About link.



Over on the KJC Games website, none of the links at the top take you to a list of their turn fees for their PBM games on offer, even though they have a page on their site that is specifically dedicated to the cost of playing their PBM games (https://www.kjcgames.com/turnfees.php).



To better facilitate the ability of newcomers to PBM gaming to make better, more informed decisions quicker is integral to the concept of Rapid Integration. If you are a PBM company or a PBM GM, rather than leaving players to find such basic PBM information that they need by going down the rabbit holes of hunting for the right link or page on your PBM website, make things more site visitor friendly



For the very reason that so many PBM websites are dated and not up-to-date, these websites are frequently not quick and easy to update. All the more reason to invest some time and energy and effort into making these PBM websites more relevant for the current PBM era.



As much as anything, it's about PBM companies and PBM GMs changing certain habits. A lack of needed information can persuade interested newcomers (or returning PBMers) to not play. And that's not a good thing.



It all goes back to processes. What are your processes that are in place to handle and accommodate the flow of information about your PBM games? If it's been a while, since you last updates or revised your PBM website, or even if it's not been all that long ago, it might be time to take a long, hard look at it. Or do you think that there's no room for improvement?



The absence of needed or desired PBM information is a PBM information vacuum. That tree with the chicken under it, above? That represents the Tree of Missed Opportunities. Rather than park yourself under that tree, I encourage PBM companies and PBM GMs to take steps to reduce the number of missed new player opportunities for your PBM games.



One of the core reasons why PBMers like for there to exist PBM magazines and PBM newsletters is because they tend to act as "sources of relevant PBM information." Consumers, even gaming consumers, tend to devour information. Which PBM game is the best? How much does this PBM game cost? How long until I can start to play this PBM game? Why can't I find what I need on that PBM website? How long between turns? Which e-mail address do I write to, in order to find someone at this PBM company who will respond?



On and on and on the list goes. And the uninitiated, those 100% new to PBM gaming or who are considering giving a PBM game a try, the very first thing that they need is information. Otherwise, they can't make an informed decision, and none of them want to make a wrong decision.



That you, as a PBM GM, may know where all of the necessary and relevant information pertaining to your PBM games is located on your PBM website does not mean that anyone who visits your PBM website will just "automatically know."

Information Vacuums is one of the real villains of PBM gaming. They rob PBM companies and PBM GMs of players, and they rob potential PBM players of lots of fun.

Far Horizons image ad

MilitaryGraviticsLife SupportBiology

Military tech level is a measure of experience in warfare. It indicates the level of sophistication in military strategy, tactics, and weaponry. It is one of the major factors used to determine the outcome of armed conflict.

Far Horizons

Discord Server

Far Horizons 23

Gravitics tech level is a measure of a species' knowledge of gravity control. Gravitics allows the design of the engines which drive interstellar ships, since a black hole cannot be created and controlled without the ability to manipulate gravitational fields.

Life support tech level is a measure of a species' experience in surviving in hostile environments. It is used to construct and maintain artificial shelters on planets with temperatures or atmospheres that differ from the home planet. It also determines the effectiveness of defensive shields used on ships.

Biology tech level is a measure of a species' knowledge and experience in the life sciences. Its most obvious applications are in genetic engineering, germ warfare, and terraforming (i.e., using specially designed micro-organisms to modify the atmosphere and micro-flora of a planet, making it more suitable for habitation).

Mapping Resources
Feudal Lords image ad for RickLoomis PBM

Feudal Lords simulates the struggle for kingship in a mythical period of English history. In the year 801 A.D. following the death of King Arthur, Britain is left without a legitimate successor to the throne. Can YOU unite Britain and become the new King of Britain?

Feudal Lords image ad for RickLoomis PBM
  • Up to 17 players in each game.
  • 46 fiefdoms controlled by player or non-player computer opponents.
  • Each player represents the head of a noble family and controls one fiefdom.

Feudal Lords is a play by mail computerized game simulating the struggle for kingship in a mythical period of English history. The game begins in the year 801 A.D. following the death of King Arthur, which left Britain without a legitimate successor to the throne. England was thus divided into numerous small fiefdoms, each ruled by an independent lord seeking to become the new King of Britain. There are up to 17 players in each game, each player representing the head of one of the more active noble families. Each player controls one of the fiefdoms in the game, and all other fiefdoms are always controlled by non-player lords whose activities are managed by the computer.

PBM QUOTE

What in PBM would you like to see PBM Chaos provide more coverage of?



"Alamaze."



- Unknown Contact

PBM Survey

01/03/2024

PBM Chaos Editor's Note: I included an Alamaze article in this issue, just for you. Just scroll down.

Alamaze image ad for Old Man Games LLC

Hither came the Giants

Charles Mosteller

Hither came the Giants. . .

Fee-fi-fo-fum!
So, let me sit with you a bit, and regale you with a tale of gigantic woe. You see, in Alamaze Game #5736, my Demon Princes and I were minding our own business, when out of the blue, these pesky giants came calling in the region of Pellinor.



Oh, what clever devils these bloated man-things do be! Do giants seek out only the strongest of kingdoms to assail and to park their enlarged asses in? Oh, no, not these giants. These giants only go after weaker prey.



Three regions of Alamaze they controlled, having recently seized control of Pellinor from my Elven allies. It didn't take long for these treacherous oversized-vermin to wrest control of the region of Pellinor from the beleaguered Elves , but as I watched these events unfold from afar, I decided to ante up, and enter the fray against these cretins from Giantville (or wherever they originally spawned at).



And so it was that events unfolded, and now, more than one giant army has entered my region of Nyvaria, where once the accursed little Fairy Folk did live and multiply. The Cimmerians from the North invaded Nyvaria early on, so the Fairy Kingling thought it wise to dispatch a political emissary to a Demon Prince village in Nyvaria, which then set into motion a whole chain of events.



Now, the Cimmerians are no more, having either dropped the game (or more likely, having been dropped by the game, probably for missing too many turns in a row).



But even before the Cimmerians were no more, the Fairy Folk abandoned all hope, and went extinct by dropping out of the game. But do you think that these pock-faced giants care about any of that? Not a chance!



So, they plotted and schemed to move their powerful armies into Nyvaria, in a bid to seize control of that region, as they move towards a win in this game of Alamaze. Thus, I opted to stick it to these half-assed excuse for giants, first - by dispatching Demon Princes to cause a little havoc in Pellinor!



Specifically, I commanded these Demon Prince minions of mine to cause two Giant-controlled towns in the region of Pellinor to rebel against their Giant masters - which they promptly did, in spite of my kingdom's reaction level in that region being at a hostile level.



But when you play the Demon Princes, all is not always as it might at first seem.



And having now lost control of Pellinor as swiftly as they had gained control of it not so very long ago, these miserable excuse for giants can now officially kiss my hellish ass. In another game of Alamaze not so very long ago, I learned to hate giants with a special sort of passion.



Militarily, the Giants will crush me. I may be a fool, but I'm not such a fool that I seriously consider otherwise. Nonetheless, to hell with the Giants of Alamaze!



As the most powerful kingdoms in Alamaze sit on their haunches, content to let the Giants run wild in pursuit of an easy claim to victory in this game, we of the Demon Princes kingdom intend to thumb our noses at them until the bitter end. I'm no stranger to dealing with giant fools. When they invade Hell, they play with fire!



While some within the Alamaze community no doubt want to emasculate the Demon Princes kingdom, for the moment, I am playing the non-castrated version of this realm. It would be an affront to Hell, itself, and to good gaming everywhere, to water down the Demon Princes kingdom in Alamaze.



Now, I know what you're thinking. You're thinking that I'm biased. You may even be thinking that the Demon Princes are too strong, too powerful, too over-weighted with advantages. But that just goes to show how little that you actually know, and how very little that your appreciation for this particular kingdom really is.



Despite having played the Demon Princes in Alamaze several times, already, I haven't even come close to winning even a single game of Alamaze. But what I have managed to achieve, at times, is something called having fun.

To Create a Player Account for Alamaze
Click Here

Yes, in spite of the various things about Alamaze that do need tweaking, I have found a degree of fun that can be derived from playing this kingdom.



I don't even play to win, which some might argue is not how one should play a wargame - and particularly, a wargame in a fantasy setting. But my function and my role in a wargame is not to play in a predictable manner, seeking a win above all else. How utterly boring!



How utterly. . .ordinary.



For what of revenge, and the frustrating of one's enemy? Rather than play to win, I will strive for the remainder of my kingdom's time in this game to try and help ensure, to the degree possible, that the Giants do not win. For they have now crossed the Rubicon of my ire, and for that, the Demon Princes must now reciprocate by taking on the Mantle of Bedevilment.



For to bedevil one's fellow player is an art all unto itself. Let this Giants player count his brigades of troops, and his abundance of warlords that are more numerous than dandelions growing in a field, and his great and powerful high-level wizards, and his fancy-smancy artifacts of power. None of these things amount to so much as a hill of proverbial beans to me.



If he wants to win, then let him get off of his gigantic ass and earn it. He'll quickly find that Hell doesn't issue free passes for his kind. Of all kingdoms in the game, out of 32 different kingdoms that players can choose to play, 'tis the Giants whom I currently hold the most distaste for.



The Gnomes are off. . .gnoming, and the Lizards are off trying to lay the smackdown upon the Dwarves (I think). With only 6 players left in this game out of the original 12 players that started it, surely to goodness, somebody has to be willing to stand up to these oversized militaristic bullies of Giantdom.



You know, when I first started this game of Alamaze, I planned to avoid conflict. My immediate aims were to gain control over my starting region (but not kick anybody else out that started there with population centers of their own), and practice trying to raise my military leaders' levels - and as a secondary pursuit, to locate and "acquire" artifacts.



That's it. I didn't seek to go pell-mell off to war. I had no plans in the works to fight either Fairy Folks or Cimmerians. Instead, hostilities were visited upon my realm's assets, and I responded in kind.



Now, why anyone would ever think that the Giants, out of all of the 32 kingdoms of Alamaze, would accomplish anything of note by building up their strength, and then launching a sneak attack upon my Elven allies, is beyond me. Silly Giants!



Having initiated unprovoked hostilities against the Elves, the Giants revealed their true selves. Hence, they are undeserving of tolerance on the part of other kingdoms. No great reward awaits those who would appease them. No less than 29 turns have passed in this game of Alamaze, and these pompous Giants no doubt smell both blood and the scent of victory, which teases their oversized noses as it wafts through the air.



Such a damned shame that I had to snatch their fragile control of Pellinor away from them, as I did, this turn.



Tsk, tsk, tsk. . .



Next turn, more Giant armies will likely invade my realm. But it should come as a surprise to no one that fools frequently gather in Hell. And we, the Demon Princes kingdom, would be remiss, if we did not extend a proper greeting to these Giant interlopers who have now come calling.



Having played the Demon Princes before, and in one game I soon found my kingdom faced off against both the Giants and the Red Dragon, the pending attacks upon certain of my kingdom's population centers in this game by Giants has failed, utterly, to induce any feelings of fear within me.



Maybe I'll fix myself some of that Green Giant corn on the cob for supper.



Ho! Ho! Ho!

To Visit the Alamaze Website
Click Here

ALAMAZE GAMES FORMING
Game # Turn Interval Players Signed Up Players Still Needed
5744
2 weeks
2
10
5747 72 Hours 10 2
5751 48 Hours 3 9

PBM QUOTE

"I don't have any feedback on the images, but wanted to mention that your PBM Chaos newsletter is what got me here."



- Ryn Valtor

Green Sun: Rise & Fall Discord

01/03/2024

PBM Chaos Editor's Note: I'm always glad to encounter testimony that PBM Chaos is working, Ryn Valtor.

Green Sun: Rise & Fall Discord image ad
PBM QUOTE

"Yeah, I like to live on the edge."



- Lubos Comor

Play By Mail Facebook page

01/04/2024

PBM Chaos Editor's Note: Famous last words, my PBM friend. It appears that you may have fallen over the edge, this turn, in The PBM Maze. The PBM Maze salutes your willingness to "live on the edge."

Image description

Do NOT become trapped in the maze, forever!

Players have begun moving through the maze. Some have encountered dead ends, already, and now have to begin heading in a different direction. How that must really suck!



And when you can see "things" within the PBM Maze, yet you can't reach them, because they are on the other side of a wall, or because they're simply too far away, yet. But if you move towards them, you may end up running face first into a dead end.



Think it's easy? Think that things should progress more quickly within the maze? Think again!

The Voice In The PBM Maze Speaks!

First contact between a player and a "thing" in The PBM Maze has now occurred!



Player java has encountered a red question mark. His "maze vision" has increased.



Just as a REMINDER TO ALL PLAYERS, when submitting turn orders for your next turn, you can't walk through walls.



Player Lubos Comor is drowning! Water is now flooding into the PBM Maze.



The life bar of player Lubos Comor has decreased by 5 bars.



As a REMINDER TO ALL PLAYERS, some interactions with "things" within the PBM Maze result in a dice being rolled (not all interactions with things in the PBM Maze require dice to be rolled).

Players In The PBM Maze

1 - Stefan

Image description
Image description

Starting Position - 1

Image description

Ending Position - 1

4 - Jim Smith

Image description
Image description

Starting Position - 4

Image description

Ending Position - 4

7 - Jef Tonelli

Image description
Image description

Starting Position - 7

Image description

Ending Position - 7

Discord Channel

the-pbm-maze

Discord Channel

boldhome-heroes

Discord Channel

galac-tac

Discord Channel

dungeonworld

Discord Channel

en-garde

Discord Channel

far-horizons

Discord Channel

hyborian-war

Discord Channel

keys-of-medokh

2 - Lubos Comor

Image description
Image description

Starting Position - 2

Image description

Ending Position - 2

5 - Undeadlord

Image description
Image description

Starting Position - 5

Image description

Ending Position - 5

8 - mdhender

Image description
Image description

Starting Position - 8

Image description

Ending Position - 8

10 - Richard Lockwood

Image description
Image description

Starting Position - 10

Image description

Ending Position - 10

3 - Trachyte

Image description
Image description

Starting Position - 3

Image description

Ending Position - 3

6 - java

Image description
Image description

Starting Position - 6

Image description

Ending Position - 6

9 - Peter H.

Image description
Image description

Starting Position - 9

Image description

Ending Position - 9

Discord Server

Far Horizons 23

Discord Server

DungeonWorld PBM

Discord Server

Code Atlas

Discord Server

Atlantis New Origins

Discord Server

SuperNova

Discord Server

Fire on the Suns

Discord Server

Eressea

Image description

PBM Survey Results

[With 56 responses to the PBM Survey received, so far.]
Image description
Image description
Image description

Question 4 has 44 answers (Open Text)

“How would you describe PBM gaming?”

Unknown contact said:

"Turn-based gaming at a civilized pace, with a community of like-minded gamers."

Unknown contact said:

"Antiquated"

Unknown contact said:

"Dying"

Unknown contact said:

"Playing games by postal mail."

Unknown contact said:

"Wonderful for us old school pbm..ers"

Unknown contact said:

"a little slow but that gives you time to resolve deals with other players"

Unknown contact said:

"The "other" art of gaming..."

Unknown contact said:

"A good way for busy professionals to enjoy games with people across the globe."

Unknown contact said:

"Great fun ! "

Unknown contact said:

"fun, I get to email and chat with alot of other players."

Unknown contact said:

"A very deep and sophisticated genre of gaming"

Unknown contact said:

"Mail out (email now) orders.

Receive results via mail."

Unknown contact said:

"Fun, a good way to meet people."

Unknown contact said:

"Remote game play against people I am unlikely to have met otherwise."

Unknown contact said:

"Enjoyable, relaxing and prefer games where you learn along as you play and strategies aren’t set in stone. Not a big fan of preformed team games."

Unknown contact said:

"Two weeks of tedium and waiting, punctuated by thirty minutes of game-playing bliss."

Unknown contact said:

"A great escape, to play with friends and foes ( friends on the other side) alike.."

Unknown contact said:

"Dying"

Unknown contact said:

"fun!"

Unknown contact said:

"Remote but offline turn-based games"

Unknown contact said:

"cool, asynchronous, thinking wargame types."

Unknown contact said:

"There is a need for PBM games on the 20th century that are equipped for peacetime diplomacy and nation building."

Unknown contact said:

"Hanging on :)"

Unknown contact said:

"I do ALOT of reading on the games out there, I am planning to get into a couple of them this year myself."

Unknown contact said:

"Turn-based gaming with roots stretching back more than half a century, but which is now a techno-hybrid form of gaming delivering excellent entertainment value with lots of fun!"

Unknown contact said:

"retro"

Unknown contact said:

"PBM gaming, for me, is a lot of fun but time consuming. Time, however, is in limited supply."

Unknown contact said:

"Great alternative to first person shooters. Really good for those who like strategy games"

Unknown contact said:

"Healthy and active "

Unknown contact said:

"Fading away."

Unknown contact said:

"Old school, but that's not a bad thing."

Unknown contact said:

"Turn based play-by-email gaming"

Unknown contact said:

"A group of dedicated fan, though small, still loyal and interested in growing the genre."

Unknown contact said:

"Turn based wargaming by post"

Unknown contact said:

"PBM gaming is a mode.



To play a game due to the mode rather than the appeal of the game seems an odd focus.



Do I care if a something I order comes by mail, by UPS or Fedex? Well, at one time I would think twice about ordering something only available through Fedex due to the high probability of it not being delivered but having to go pick it up.



I currently play one PBM (TribeNet) one game solo on my computer (Civ VI) and one live streamed (World of Warcraft Classic).



These are the games I enjoy most and it the mode is far from the most important matter."

Unknown contact said:

"Relaxing, thoughtful, mysterious, social, old-school, modernizing, comforting"

Unknown contact said:

"Challenging, thought provoking, fun."

Unknown contact said:

"A relaxed way to play a (complex) game."

Unknown contact said:

"Most interactive and completely different form digital gaming."

Unknown contact said:

"A game you play through the mail. You fill your turn sheet in and mail it in. Later weeks later you get your turn results and do it all over again."

Unknown contact said:

"In general it is surviving, in small areas it is thriving. Old players returning, new players starting (not sure of the ratio)."

Unknown contact said:

"Flatlined"

Unknown contact said:

"Great fun, a fantastic way to meet people, and a way of life."



Unknown contact said:

"Small and getting smaller"

Question 5 has 39 answers (Open Text)

“What in PBM would you like to see

Unknown contact said:

"TribeNet"

Unknown contact said:

"User Interface & computer moderate"

Unknown contact said:

"Alamaze"

Unknown contact said:

"Not sure"

Unknown contact said:

"More human moderated games but I know there are not many"

Unknown contact said:

"I don't have a lot of time to reseach games. Maybe a 1st round tutorial for some games, so I can see how it plays."

Unknown contact said:

"any I'll read what I see"

Unknown contact said:

"Coverage to a range of games"

Unknown contact said:

"I just read to keep up"

Unknown contact said:

"Active games, turn reports"

Unknown contact said:

"Neptune' s Pride"

Unknown contact said:

"Announcements, including when a PBM game is folding or stopping for a time period. Also what games are near to starting a new game."

Unknown contact said:

"Historically based war games."

Unknown contact said:

"Enjoy the turn reports you do. Maybe see if any others could contribute. Time constraints mean only chance I get to experience PBM/PBEM"

Unknown contact said:

"Galac-Tac could use a boost in new players, as could Star Fleet Warlord,

so ..."

Unknown contact said:

"Defunct games, and how to bring them back."

Unknown contact said:

"How to play from actual players."

Unknown contact said:

"New games"

Unknown contact said:

"Free games and community building."

Unknown contact said:

"Maybe, if possible, some turn results for the games that are listed in them, there have been some listed or linked to but some of them I don't remember seeing anything."

Unknown contact said:

"More PBM memories from players and GMs, alike."

Unknown contact said:

"More of the same - maybe stories of PBMs of past days? deep dives into the big ones maybe"

Unknown contact said:

"I currently only play Phoenix, Beyond the Stellar Empire. I would love to see some more coverage of it, and may even get around to submitting a letter to PBM Chaos this year."

Unknown contact said:

"Perhaps more discussion about web or app front end for orders for some of the games. To attract new gamers user interface and experience are important. Neptune’s Pride is a good example of a simple but fun to play game with a lot of variability"

Unknown contact said:

"Active game publishers."

Unknown contact said:

"Man-on-the-street interviews about PBM"

Unknown contact said:

"(Short) pieces on every pbm game that is still running with some info like:links to subscribe, duration price and playerbase"

Unknown contact said:

"Any small scale RPG style games, like Alamaze"

Unknown contact said:

"Would love to hear more people's reports of the games they've played in so we can all learn a little strategy."

Unknown contact said:

"As an ex Diplomacy player/GM/zine editor who drew heavily from Dip populations for my PBM player base I occasionally wonder if these people are still out there being ignored by the other PB(E)M communities. I would have thought there would be a bit more of a mention of them."

Unknown contact said:

"I believe you are managing a good balance of coverage for my reading enjoyment at the moment."

Unknown contact said:

"More SCHMRPG stuff."

Unknown contact said:

"Ideas about PBM Game types. Data about old Games, maybe rulebooks, or something like that."

Unknown contact said:

"Help in understanding certain games like space games and the 3 and 4d mapping. It’s always confused me. "

Unknown contact said:

"Until you get more help from external contributors (I know!), whatever you want to write about, Charles!



Can you get posts from other sources, and see if they take yours - like that magazine bloke I've seen before.
Or boardgame websites, book websites.

It IS a case of more exposure equals more new/old players.

But, whatever you write, I'll read - even if it's me and my lack of contributing."

Unknown contact said:

"Games close to starting, live waiting lists (if any), new games in development."

Unknown contact said:

"I am in it for the history."

Unknown contact said:

"SCHMRPG."

Unknown contact said:

"Takamo"

Image description

Question 7 has 52 answers (Open Text)

“How would you describe PBM gaming?”

Unknown contact said:

"Middle Earth PBM"

Unknown contact said:

"Legends"

Unknown contact said:

"Tribes of Crane, Austerlitz"

Unknown contact said:

"Alamaze"

Unknown contact said:

"BSE"

Unknown contact said:

"AE's Pangea and Further into Fantasy"

Unknown contact said:

"Midgard USA and the Knightguild"

Unknown contact said:

"Legends - Warlords of Anjora"

Unknown contact said:

"I am a big fan of Forgotten Realms. I play tested it in the 90's and now after a 20+ year break, I am back, and I brought friends."

Unknown contact said:

"Darkage 2. Been playing it since 2007, now in my 20th game."

Unknown contact said:

"Dungeonworld"

Unknown contact said:

"Tribe vibes"

Unknown contact said:

"There were a number of them. Most are gone. But, as a reviewer I enjoyed 90% of them"

Unknown contact said:

"Lizards!"

Unknown contact said:

"Alamaze"

Unknown contact said:

"Tribes of Crane"

Unknown contact said:

"Diplomacy"

Unknown contact said:

"Keys of Medokh but never got fully coded so could only play so far"

Unknown contact said:

"Continental Conquest - once run by Agents of Gaming. I lost badly, but had SO much fun. And got notes from other players stating that I'd made the game more fun for them, too!"

Unknown contact said:

"MEPBM and Jetball"

Unknown contact said:

"Victory!"

Unknown contact said:

"Austerlitz"

Unknown contact said:

"La Glorie du Roi or The Game of Kings"

Unknown contact said:

"Adventurer Kings"

Unknown contact said:

"I have played Quest and It's a Crime (KJC), ME-PBM. In the 90s I also translated Quest and ME-PBM for the Italian public, but the players were very few and the project ended."

Unknown contact said:

"Too many to remember... in the last 10 years, Clash of Legends"

Unknown contact said:

"Struggle for Power 1937"

Unknown contact said:

"Phoenix Beyond a Stellar Empire"

Unknown contact said:

"There have actually been a few that I did like ALOT, Kingsearth was a big favorite. Realms of Sword and Thunder was another, Terra II, Forgotten Realms, and BSE."

Unknown contact said:

"Hyborian Wars"

Unknown contact said:

"Hyborian War"

Unknown contact said:

"World of Ariman"

Unknown contact said:

"Phoenix BSE! Admittedly, I haven't tried a lot of others. This one has me hooked, and I don't have enough time to get into any others."

Unknown contact said:

"StarMaster, which sort of morphed to SuperNova"

Unknown contact said:

"Legends"

Unknown contact said:

"TribeNet."

Unknown contact said:

"Monster Island"

Unknown contact said:

"So far, Galac-Tac is hitting all the spots for me, with Takamo a close second."

Unknown contact said:

"Just started my first one! It's Hyborean War and so far, so good!"

Unknown contact said:

"The recently finished iteration of TribeNet. It remains to be seen if the latest incarnation can build up to offer the flexibility which was a part of that experience - so far we have a more even field, but with some things (especially long term research topics) culled."

Unknown contact said:

"At the moment, my memories of the games I played decades ago are too faded to consider. And I haven't played enough of my current games to form a favourite choice."

Unknown contact said:

"AEs"

Unknown contact said:

"Empyrean Challenge"

Unknown contact said:

"I loved to play "Kalevala", but the GameMaster is working against the players, so the game went from over 60 Players to maybe 12."

Unknown contact said:

"One module out of the Legends Universe...
Warlords of Anjora"

Unknown contact said:

"Duelmasters with Out time days close second."

Unknown contact said:

"Austerlitz"

Unknown contact said:

"Tribes of Crane"

Unknown contact said:

"GalacTac."

Unknown contact said:

"Æs."

Unknown contact said:

"Takamo"

Unknown contact said:

"Knights of Avalon"

Middle-earth PBM image ad for Middle-earth Games
Middle-earth PBM Games Forming

Have you read the Middle-earth PBM Newsletter?

Subscribe to the Middle-earth PBM Newsletter!

The following games are currently accepting setups, and due to start soon. Click on any of the links below for full details or to sign up.

Champions of Middle-earth
Try a game of our two or four player module, now with rebalanced NPCs, or sign up for our next tournament (just two places left!).

Game 976: 1650
Pre-aligned neutrals to ensure a balanced game.

Randomised artifact IDs
Up to 2 nations per player.
One champion character per nation.
24/24 nations available


Game 977: 1650 Gunboat
3 nations per player.

Randomised artifact IDs
One champion character per nation.
6 rewards per nation.
No shared results.
5/8 positions available


Game 260: 2950
3 nations per player.
One nation free as long as you have three nations in play!
2/8 positions available - LAST FEW POSITIONS!

Game 262: 2950 Gunboat
3 nations per player.
Rewards to spend on your starting nations
One nation free as long as you have three nations in play!
4/8 positions available


Game 628: Kin-strife
Up to 2 nations per player.
5/14 positions available

Game 630: Kin-strife 3 nation Gunboat
3 nations per player.
New combos: Loyalists: 2/5/21and 3/4/6, vs. Usurpers 11/14/15 and 12/13/16.
Boosted setups - 30% extra points for nation 1, 15% extra points for nation 2.
One nation free as long as you have three nations in play!
2/4 positions available:


Game 416: Fourth Age
Up to 2 nations per player
3/25 nations available - LAST FEW POSITIONS!

Game 423: Fourth Age Gunboat
3 nations per player
Shared results among team
5/8 positions available



* Click HERE to read the entire Middle-earth PBM Newsletter that John Davis publishes on behalf of Middle-earth Games.

Tabletop Spirit Magazine image ad
PBM List

Write to PBM Chaos at
[email protected]

Coming Next Issue

A new Galac-Tac article

If you want to unsubscribe, click here.
Sender.net