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ISSUE 39

PBM QUOTE

"PBM could stand some shaking up. Maybe you'll spark me back into action."

- Charles Mosteller

Extracted from a DM sent to Stefan

PlayByMail Discord direct message

January 3rd, 2025

Editorial

Welcome back to the madness!

PBM Chaos has returned from the brink. Or did we go past it, and over the edge, seemingly gone forever? Never say never, as the old saying goes. If you bet against PBM Chaos, then now is the time to pay up, ye Doubting Thomases.

If it is certainty that you look for, then perhaps a PBM publication with the word chaos in it might not be the best fit. Chaos is chaotic by nature, after all. Let us recite the Code of the Elves (the definition of the word chaos).

chaos - complete disorder and confusion

If you're a long term, die-hard PBM gamer, is certainty what you typically associate with PBM? Have you ever pondered all of the many things about play by mail gaming that have been anything but certainty? Regardless of your persnickety personal preferences, there are times in life when you've just gotta go with the flow. After all, it's not like you're always given a choice, you know. Some events and circumstances and decisions are beyond your control. We lie in an imperfect world, after all.

You think that I go missing for long periods of time, where's that article that Richard Weatherhead was going to write for me? That's one way to put the shoe on the other foot, huh? You can only get so much mileage out of the old PBM blame game, you know.

In other words, let's move on and head forward, one more time. If you like, put on a selection of your favorite music. Relax a little bit. Ease back into your comfort zone. After all, doesn't play by mail gaming bring a degree of comfort to your life? Doesn't PBM make the crucible of existence just a little easier to bear?

The PBM Chaos that you know and remember is changing. Issues will become noticeably shorter than what you may recall. But this is a feature and not a bug, because along with the return of PBM Chaos, I'll be bringing a PBM magazine in tow. PBM Chaos will publish every Monday, and the PBM magazine will publish on the first of every month. That's the aim. That's the objective. Changing circumstances of life will always loom on the horizon, like storm clouds of uncertainty. None of us can stop the storms. Enjoying the good things about PBM while it's sunny in this realm of ours is about the best thing that any of us can do.

I'm still building that PBM Kirby Machine. Still trying to figure it out. It's not easy, you know. Even now, with the PBM scene greatly diminished in size from what it once was, there's still a lot of moving parts to figuring out how to improve PBM, how to make it better, how to grow the size of the overall PBM player base.

In the last decade or so, some of you out there have turned to me as your source for PBM news, or to find out about various things happening in and across the play by mail world. Maybe the term "PBM news" is a misnomer. Sure, some of what I have brought to you over the years has been genuine news related to play by mail stuff, but a lot of it has just been PBM talk. That's me - I talk about PBM. I talk and I talk and I talk about it. Maybe we should just call it a PBM talk show.

And I'm your host. Granted, it's a pretty low budget production, and not nearly as many tune in as would be ideal, and sometimes, we get knocked off the air. Our ratings sag, and hardly anything PBM-related is in the bag. Perhaps my approach to it all is a little more light-hearted than you might prefer.

It is what it is, for better or for worse.

A part of me will always embrace a bit of a game show mentality to it all, to this whole PBM ball of wax that always seems to be melting. Back when I was considerably younger than I am, now, I was a fan of The Gong Show. Even well before I ever started watching it on television, I had already watched many a game show. Concentration was one of my favorite game shows, as a kid growing up. While I don't tend to watch game shows on television much, anymore, I still count myself a fan of them - albeit a fan of some considerably more than of others of their ilk.

These cashew nuts that I'm munching on here at 5:19AM on this dark Sunday morning sure are tasty. I bought a one pound bag of them (Roasted & salted Cashew Halves & Pieces) at Ollie's for $4.99 just a few days ago. Lowest price around. They're almost gone, now, and it hasn't helped any that I started pouring them in my hand last night, consuming them at a much faster rate than was previously the case, right after I first bought them.

But what does any of this have to do with PBM gaming, you ask?

Everything. Everything in the world. I don't always devour cashews at the same rate, and neither do I always produce PBM stuff at the same rate. The good LORD is the same yesterday, today, and forever more, but me and my PBM efforts? Not the same constancy, at all.

For me, play by mail gaming is one of the good things about life. As such, I try to take PBM in stride. I prefer that it relax me, rather than make me all antsy and agitated. What's the point of letting any of it, any of anything pertaining to PBM, stress me out?

To me, PBM is the cashew nut of gaming. It's just a tastier experience. Possibly, it's an acquired taste, though. What about you, though? Do you still have a taste for play by mail gaming?

Some of you out there are my canaries in the coal mine of PBM gaming. Over the years, over the decades, an awful lot of canaries have died or otherwise departed from the PBM scene that many of us still love and fawn over. That I write about PBM or that I stop writing about PBM matters substantially less than that you keep playing PBM games, or that you resume playing PBM games. What are you waiting for? Give it a try!

After all, here I am writing about play by mail, once again. How many times does this make it? I've long since lost count. But if you count writing about PBM gaming as my duty, then playing PBM games or running PBM games is your duty. I'm not the only one with PBM duties around here.

Maybe "Do your duty!" should become our new PBM creed. Getting your turn orders in on time is definitely a PBM duty. There goes the last of my cashews, dammit!

It's a good thing that I bought and carved a watermelon, recently. The cashew nuts are gone, now, but this cold watermelon lives on. What a breakfast, huh? Cashews and watermelons. Does life get any better than that?

Actually, it does. Play by mail gaming is a tasty option that you can add to your menu of daily or weekly or monthly activities. Issuing turn orders can help to keep you regular. Not in a bowel movement way, but in a quality of life kind of way. That's probably why my good friend, Wayne Smith, does as good as he does and has lived as long as he has lived. It's no secret - He plays PBM. Play by mail gaming keeps him mentally sharp!

Just ask his wife.

Part of me loves commercials. The television kind, not the Internet kind. YouTube wasn't always drowning in commercials. And to think, we used to complain about pop-up ads on the Internet. How are you loving all of those commercials on those "free" streaming channels, these days?

One of the things that I am going to try and focus on more, this time around, is the nostalgia aspect of play by mail gaming. And speaking of magic, there are two items on my PBM Reminder List - Things To Not Forget that talk about magic. These are:

#52 - PBM Nostalgia is its own source of magic. Thus, I need to tap into it more deeply, going forward.

#75 - There is no magical formula for ensuring that a PBM magazine or newsletter will publish forever. Reality always weighs in on every last aspect of our lives.

So, instead of trying to focus upon persuading the PBM companies and their GMs and their players of today to interact and talk to me about play by mail gaming, I plan to allocate more time to wax eloquent about the nostalgia associated with PBM. I aim to read more PBM articles of old, or to read them anew, and to the elaborate on them with thoughts of my own. The nostalgia that is often associated with play by mail gaming and the golden heyday ear of PBM is the purest form of PBM magic, as far as I'm concerned.

I can't bring all of the PBM games from the PBM days of olde back to life, again, but what I can do is talk about them more. Navel gazing, some of my detractors have called it in the past. But me? I just co-opted that insult and converted it to my own use. I wear it like praise. I utilize verbal alchemy to instill it with a greater sense of purpose.

I've recently said (er. . .announced) that new issues of PBM Chaos will be shorter than what they used to be, but I never said that my editorials would be getting chopped down to size. Nope! The words in my PBM editorials will continue to grow wild, like kudzu.

Bigger PBM news than even the return of PBM Chaos is the launch of my new PBM Patreon page. Be sure to visit it, and to join as a free member. You'll gain access to more stuff that way. Between issues of PBM Chaos and the forthcoming PBM magazine, you may find some new PBM stuff posted there.

The end of this editorial marks the official return of PBM Chaos. Welcome back!

Charles Mosteller

Editor of PBM Chaos

Click here to download the rulebook for Sea of Nyx League!

Duel2

THE MAIL-IN GRAND TOURNAMENT LXXXI!

A grand total of 2949 warriors participated in The Mail-In Grand Tournament LXXXI. Read about it by downloading the full report in PDF format.

PBM QUOTE

"I have also received a note from another PBM moderator saying that they too may be shutting down. Has PBM gaming started a decline? Are there so many other forms of entertainment that PBM gaming has fallen to the wayside? Are there just us diehards that want to see PBM gaming continue? I would like some of your opinions on this subject. What can we do to turn things around again?"

- David Webber

Where We're Heading?

Paper Mayhem - Issue #78

May/June 1996 Issue

EDITOR'S NOTE: The questions above that David Webber asked twenty-nine years ago still loom large, today. There are signs that PBM is still in decline, here in the PBM year of 2025. However, even here in the current day and age, play by mail gaming still has diehards in its ranks, and even now, there are still some new PBM game sin the works - though numerous such fairly recent efforts to bring new PBM games to the table have crashed and burned, including a few by way of the game design dying.

PBM's decline has been a decades-long affair. Yet, it survives, with several old school PBM companies and GMs continuing to run turn results that print on paper and get mailed to players via the postal service, just like way back when. Most PBM games on the market today, though, are digital descendants of their postal game/correspondence game ancestors of yesteryear.

It's a darned shame that so many hundreds of different PBM games end up discarded like a piece of trash or taken to their graves by PBM GMs or designers who couldn't see their way clear to hand the reins - and the PBM programs - over to younger hands. PBM players' inheritance of PBM games still available to pay, today, is all the poorer for it.

Some of my own PBM-related creations I've handed off to others in recent years. The PlayByMail Facebook page and the PlayByMail Discord server come immediately to mind. Prior to that, I handed the Suspense & Decision magazine name over to Jon Capps for a PBM magazine of his own, and who managed to squeeze a few more issues out of that PBM-related name. And it was for the very reason that he did so that the sparks for both PBM Unearthed and PBM Chaos ignited my own PBM publication efforts anew.

The PBM spark within us can come from virtually anything and everything. Even if you get fed up, or burned out, or just lose interest in PBM gaming, that PBM fire can always come roaring back, brighter and hotter than ever before. And other times, no matter what you want or prefer, PBM will simply fall by the wayside of your life. For some, it's just once, and it may be permanent. But for others, it may transpire a multitude of different times, and for different durations. PBM can visit itself upon you more than once, like the common cold or falling in love.

Back in the PBM year of 1996, Paper Mayhem's editor, David Webber, wanted to know what the opinions of others were on the subject he had raised and presented for consideration and discussion of the PBM masses. If he were still here, today, he would probably still want to know what your current opinion on such is. I do, too.

Sure, I ask what your opinion are on a wide range of PBM stuff. And you know what? Opinions have a way of changing, from time to time. Opinions can - and do - go back and forth,. now and again. PBM's past, as great and as glorious as it once was, actually matters far, far less than PBM's present and PBM's future. For we live in the here and now, and our hope lies in both the future and the present, albeit to different degrees.

The next tie that you grumble to yourself or to others about me closing down this PBM efort or that PBM effort, remember David Webber's words about receiving a note from another PBM moderator saying that they, too, may be shutting down. Of the PBM moderators that shut down, how many of them came back as many times as I have?

Camaraderie and esprit de corps come about from the sharing of both the good times and the bad times. This is as true in the context of play by mail gaming as it is in any other context.

PBM Chaos is back - so drink to the lees one more time!

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Hybroian War image ad for Reality Simulations, Inc.

Hobbies Are A Part Of Our Identities

Joey Wardell aka General Tzu

Let’s talk about hobbies that carry over from our youth. If you play Hyborian War (HW), odds are you read some form of Conan stories. A lot of us read the Savage Sword of Conan magazine and saw the big, full-page advertisement on the back of the magazine (I still have several). I remember ordering the startup “kit” for HW and reading the descriptions of the kingdoms, and thinking about how each blurb gave insight into its strategical/tactical advantage over other kingdoms.

Ophir was my first kingdom, “A Kingdom of great beauty with gilded knights and high towered cities, Ophir is protected by natural boundaries of mountain and river on all sides but to the south, which the Ophirians have well fortified. The Ophirian army has all that wealth can buy including the finest training, weapons, and arms. Unassuming Ophir is powerful enough to begin the red road to empire but small enough to avoid threatening the larger kingdoms.” Being a Veteran of multiple war strategy games, especially the NES and SNES, I felt like I would take to Hyborian War quite well. Ophir read like quite the formidable kingdom, and I would play defensive early on.

I don’t want to talk about how that game played out, though. I want to talk about the mental health benefit to our hobbies, particularly the benefit of Hyborian War. For some people, it is an artistic outlet, where they can role play as a ruler of any type and let their creative juices flow. For others, the game is secondary to the social aspect of interacting with the community around it. Indeed, there have been meet and greets, and I have met many of the players and our lives woven in many different directions.

It still makes me excited to get my mail. It can provide a sense of achievement and community, even for those incarcerated, who now get to engage on an equal playing field with their counterparts. In fact, “snail mail” is encouraged and role play completely accepted. That creative outlet is probably needed even more while incarcerated. Every single day, literally, I communicate with other players. Most of the time, it isn’t even about HW, just stuff in our lives. I’ve seen the ups and downs of life in many players, people who lost children. I’ve met people in Vegas. I know a guy who writes Play by mail newsletters and send him articles to publish.

These hobbies are a part of our identities. I am General Tzu to a lot of people more than I am Joey Wardell. I know how to rule a kingdom well, have great vision of what to do with a kingdom, and can be demanding of allies to act. Nothing drives me nuts more than a passive player. I am aggressive, but it works, that is my identity; aggressive. A mad king to some, a bully to others. Yet, there are always those who feel very close to General Tzu and understand him and his competitive nature.

The next time you pick up a turn sheet, regardless of what game it is, stop and think about what it does for you. How do you feel playing? What motivates you to keep playing? How has it shaped your identity? Without HW, my social circle would be much smaller. I remember last year taking a road trip and reaching out to see who might be available to meet along the way. One of the HW community members Stahir, who I talk to daily, decided to meet me at my Hollywood stop. After hookers and blow (I’m kidding), he took me and my son out to a restaurant where celebrities frequent. I had, hands down, the best meal of my life. This would not have happened without the bridge of HW. He also did a beta reading for an upcoming book I’m releasing, “Hooligans - A mental health journey with the 22^nd Engineer Clearance Company.” I might shorten the name, some villain took “Hooligans”, which is what I wanted in the first place. Still, my point is the weaving of intersections between our hobbies and our broader lives.

With newer technologies and more liberties in prison, I communicate with an inmate daily as well. It’s as simple (but not free) as sending a text message. There is some stigma with inmates, and persons formerly incarcerated within our culture, but I don’t think it would have been the case if they had the same level of access in the community that other persons had. Being able to access a community website, where the vast majority of HW players frequent daily, would have integrated them and made it nobodies’ business whether they were incarcerated or not, especially because it has no bearing on the playing of the actual game itself.

I could write a hundred pages on the prison system, but we all know it fails to function for it’s one single purpose of rehabilitation. Let me just briefly comment that if they had access to community, they would increase support, which is evidence-based to be a protective factor for suicide, homelessness, substance abuse, and on and on. I can only imagine how HW serves as an escape from prison life realities for the people incarcerated.

I would love to hear from players what their hobbies have done for them. How has it increased your social circle, mood when receiving turns, or woven stories into your life? This is a great benefit, but we may be the last generation of the play by mail series. That doesn’t mean we go without hobbies, or even lose established support, but it does mean we may need to find new hobbies.

Good gaming out there,

Joey Wardell, LCSW

General Tzu

A hard drive crash wiped out all remaining hope for the maze runners trapped in the PBM Maze, the last time around. But never fear, Underdog lovers, because now comes Return to the PBM Maze.

What dangers await? What opportunities will materialize? Can anyone make it out of this new PBM Maze alive? Or will doom take them all?

If you wish to take your chances in Return to the PBM Maze, then send me an e-mail to:

[email protected]

Hyborian War Question Series - Episode 11

ROKer Micajah

For you, what are the strongest appeals about Hyborian War that have kept you playing it for as long as you have?

Like many, I found HW, as a teenager, through an ad in a comic book. It would have been the mid-eighties, when I started a game as Ophir or Juma’s Kingdom. I can’t remember which one it was, and then I remember playing a Stygia game early on, as well. I have taken several long absences, but always seem to find my way back to HW. There are a lot of things that keep me coming back. The nostalgia and flavor of the game is a strong pull for me, as I enjoy anything Conan or R.E. Howard. Redmin Zarus, the Ophiran Wizard, will forever be etched in my imagination.

I love that every game is extremely different and even running the same kingdom in a game will likely get you a completely different result with each attempt. There are so many factors that keep the game fresh and admittedly equally frustrating. So I would say that the challenge of the game is a large part of the attraction. While most of us that have played the game for many years know the rule book and the critical commands and declarations that make for success there is still no guarantee for success. The human element to the game also adds to the intrigue. Some players will go strictly by the book, while others will go completely “off script” and play rogue. In most games, after all this time, I still find myself learning a new trick or deception that can be used later. With a game taking around two years to complete, I find there is a huge emotional investment in running a kingdom, as well, that you don't find with most games. The player relationships have also been a draw for me playing as allies or enemies, alike. While I have played a lot of different computer games at various stages of my life, Hyborian War has been a near lifelong game.

The most important thing that draws me back to the game is the Road of Kings website. It is the tie that binds our Hyborian War community together, and whenever I take an absence from the game, I still follow along on the website. This website and the message boards are what has kept the game strong and healthy. I am very thankful that Lloyd has devoted so much energy into keeping it going. I haven’t found anything out there like Hyborian War or the community at the ROK.

What do you consider to be the Top Five things for a newcomer to Hyborian War to remember, no matter what?

First - Read the rulebook through several times, as you play your first game. Also, read the kingdom spotlight and forum for your kingdom on the ROK. Additionally, read about your neighboring kingdoms.

Second - Raise max troops every turn, and expand into NPK territories, if possible.

Third - Fight only one kingdom at a time, if any way possible.

Fourth - Make allies in your area that have a common interest.

Five - Have fun, ask for advice, don’t miss turns and learn from your mistakes. Don’t expect to win right out of the gate.

If you will, recount one example, each, from memory of one of your favorite games of Hyborian War that you have previously played, or that you're currently in the process of playing, as well as one of your worst games of Hyborian War, where things ended up turning out much worse than you had expected that they would. Tell us which player kingdoms that you played in those two games, and share some highlights from those two games that stick in your memory. What can you tell us about those two games that stand out for you even, now?

Wow, I don’t know how many games I have played, but sadly, I have chosen to forget most of them! I have a whole pile of Top 5 finishes, but only one win, so I guess I would say it was my favorite game, though I have enjoyed many others that felt like victories.

Game 703 as Asgard

Asgard is one of my favorite kingdoms, having played it several times. Their troops are unstoppable, once you get rolling.

I managed to win this one! This is completely by memory, so forgive me if any of this is in error, but this is how I recall the game. I was able to break out at the top, going east. We expanded at breakneck speed and secured the Icy Desert province, while gaining peace treaties on Vanaheim, Hyperborea and Turan. The rest of the game just developed in my favor. I gained awesome court members, including several Superior diplomats and wizards. Pictland attacked Vanaheim. Aquilonia was entangled with Pictland, Cimmeria and others, while Nemedia and Corinthia battled Brythunia and Hyperborea, as well. Turan had a good game, as I recall engaging Hyrkania and Vendhya while I continued eastward, getting into Hyrkania and fighting some epic battles with Khitai. Back closer to home, I ended up battling Corinthia for Nemedian and Aquilonian provinces, as I recall. We were nearly unchecked throughout the whole game, as I was able to pick and choose my foes with awesome diplomacy. It was one of my best efforts to date, but most importantly, I had a lot of luck on my side.

As far as my worst effort goes, I could probably name quite a few, but an organized game with Turan stands out in memory.

I played Turan in one of the first organized games that I remember participating in. I was so excited to get to play the mighty Turan, and unfortunately, it very quickly developed into a nightmare. I completely underestimated my foes in Khauran and Zamora, among others. I was not prepared for the level of diplomacy required to participate in an organized game. From what I remember, my court was completely gutted by assassins right out of the gate, and I was never able to get anything going. I even lost several battles that should have gone in my favor. It was a lesson in humility, and one I will never completely forget!

For more information or to join Lakefront, contact [email protected].

Can you help PBM GM Roy Pollard?

Roy/The Isles - August 4th, 2025

Looking for any ex-players of the good old-fashioned hand mod RPG PBMs that existed in the UK in the 80s and 90s, such as Sat, Crasimoffs, AEs, Pangea etc - Mainly to get hold of information relating to theses games and archive it 'somewhere' so old farts such as ourselves have a central place to reminisce all teary-eyed about how things 'used to be' - I know Rich and a few others have spoken a lot about SCHMRPGs here on the forum, but would be nice to have some other reference points and source material.

Send Roy what you know to: [email protected]

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All the Latest News about Middle-earth PBM Games

* All content and images copyright (c) GSI.

Is your mail unhappy? Cheer it up with some play by mail!

Winners of the First 100 Games of Hyborian War

Hyborian War # 1

Asgard

Randy Lindsay

Hyborian War # 2

Nemedia

Rodrigo Rodriquez

Hyborian War # 3

Zembabwei

Kenneth Richardson

Hyborian War # 4

Pictland

Kevin F. Luchsinger

Hyborian War # 5

Kosala

Jim Harriman

Hyborian War # 6

Amazonia

Charles Ajamian

Hyborian War # 7

Vendhya

Tony Ruhl

Hyborian War # 8

Ophir

Bert Willis

Hyborian War # 9

Kush

Phil Luttrell

Hyborian War # 10

Kush

Ernest S. Hakey III

Hyborian War # 11

Koth

Ernest S. Hakey III

Hyborian War # 12

Argos

Ron Alderdice

Hyborian War # 13

Kosala

Mike Pfanenstiel

Hyborian War # 14

Uttara Kuru

Rich Schweiger

Hyborian War # 15

Punt

Kevin Hartly

Hyborian War # 16

No Winner

Hyborian War # 17

Zembabwei

Mark Beckers

Hyborian War # 18

Zembabwei

Tom Jauch

Hyborian War # 19

Zamora

Brian Maxwell

Hyborian War # 20

Vendhya

David Sander

Hyborian War # 21

Shem

Roy J. Williams

Hyborian War # 22

Uttara Kuru

John Merlino

Hyborian War # 23

No Winner

Hyborian War # 24

Zingara

Kevin Waples

Hyborian War # 25

Khoraja

David Hiebert

Hyborian War # 26

Hyperborea

Keith Ragan

Hyborian War # 27

Juma's Kingdom

Hohn Cho

Hyborian War # 28

Zingara

Robert Skidmore

Hyborian War # 29

Juma's Kingdom

Pete Weis

Hyborian War # 30

Brythunia

Randy Van Horn

Hyborian War # 31

Stygia

Dan Menefee

Hyborian War # 32

Corinthia

Brian Burton

Hyborian War # 33

Aquilonia

Steve Rempel

Hyborian War # 34

No Winner

Hyborian War # 35

Asgard

Gary C. Hetland

Hyborian War # 36

No Winner

Hyborian War # 37

Vanaheim

Steve Rascoe

Hyborian War # 38

Khoraja

Robert Gibson

Hyborian War # 39

Khoraja

Steven Timco

Hyborian War # 40

Hyperborea

Stephen Zelonis

Hyborian War # 41

Shem

G.A. Quinlan

Hyborian War # 42

Iranistan

G.A. Quinlan

Hyborian War # 43

Cimmeria

T.P. Shannon

Hyborian War # 44

Iranistan

Keith Cahalen

Hyborian War # 45

Corinthia

Jon Erikson

Hyborian War # 46

No Winner

Hyborian War # 47

Stygia

Steve Rempel

Hyborian War # 48

Aquilonia

Kevin Matt

Hyborian War # 49

Kambulja

Fred Herring Jr.

Hyborian War # 50

Vanaheim

Leonard Polly

Hyborian War # 51

Shem

Jeff Martin

Hyborian War # 52

Ophir

Todd McKoon

Hyborian War # 53

Zembabwei

Ken Lambert

Hyborian War # 54

Stygia

Brian Williams

Hyborian War # 55

Shem

Steven Ezzo

Hyborian War # 56

Iranistan

Richard Mehl

Hyborian War # 57

Cimmeria

Jay Cross

Hyborian War # 58

Uttara Kuru

Brian Schrader

Hyborian War # 59

Kambulja

Clayton J. Falter

Hyborian War # 60

Kusan

John E. Janze

Hyborian War # 61

Amazonia

Ellis Kiddy

Hyborian War # 62

No Winner

Hyborian War # 63

No Winner

Hyborian War # 64

Vanaheim

Ernest S. Hakey III

Hyborian War # 65

Pictland

John R. Johnson

Hyborian War # 66

Argos

John Zapisek

Hyborian War # 67

Kush

Randy Moffat

Hyborian War # 68

Koth

R.P. Marcello

Hyborian War # 69

Cimmeria

Marc Peninou

Hyborian War # 70

No Winner

Hyborian War # 71

Keshan

Keith Harris

Hyborian War # 72

No Winner

Hyborian War # 73

Iranistan

Darren Stebeleski

Hyborian War # 74

Keshan

Peter Malecha

Hyborian War # 75

Iranistan

Erick Sadler

Hyborian War # 76

Asgard

Bert Willis

Hyborian War # 77

Zembabwei

Shep Peterson

Hyborian War # 78

Khoraja

Shawn Wilson

Hyborian War # 79

Aquilonia

Ron Lorence

Hyborian War # 80

Border Kingdom

Don Larson

Hyborian War # 81

Turan

Jon Sander

Hyborian War # 82

Zembabwei

Russ Roll

Hyborian War # 83

Corinthia

Ruark L. Cleary

Hyborian War # 84

Amazonia

Parris Holmes

Hyborian War # 85

Amazonia

William Barr

Hyborian War # 86

No Winner

Hyborian War # 87

Pictland

Daniel A. Fourne

Hyborian War # 88

Cimmeria

Kevin Graziano

Hyborian War # 89

Asgard

Mark Schwartz

Hyborian War # 90

Ophir

Robert Stroud

Hyborian War # 91

Turan

Brian Kinkopf

Hyborian War # 92

Uttara Kuru

Ernest S. Hakey III

Hyborian War # 93

Khoraja

Mark V. Ducote

Hyborian War # 94

Khauran

Ronald S. Valli

Hyborian War # 95

No Winner

Hyborian War # 96

Vendhya

Carla Kinkopf

Hyborian War # 97

Shem

Peter Card

Hyborian War # 98

Asgard

Keith Ridley

Hyborian War # 99

Uttara Kuru

John R. Johnson

Hyborian War # 100

No Winner

Thank you

for reading

PBM Chaos!

A PBM Interview With Mo Holkar

His favorite PBM was Saturnalia, but he played
lots of different ones during his day in the PBM sun.

Where are you at the moment, and what are you up to?

I'm based in Ipswich, and I'm partner in a business that sells murder mystery party games.

https://www.freeformgames.com/

How did you first get into PBM, and can you tell me a bit about the first game you played? What was it that hooked you?

Saw ads for Crasimoff's World in White Dwarf -- signed up, it sounded like fun. I guess this must have been 1984, sometime? It was the idea of roleplaying alongside hundreds of other people that was appealing, I think.

Did you have "real life" friends who played, or was it a solo start?

A few friends from my school RPG club signed up at the same time, so mm, it was a social kind of thing.

So, from there, what other games did you play? Mainly commercial games, or did you play any of the "hobby" games that fleetingly showed up in the small ads of various magazines (White Dwarf being the prime example)?

When Saturnalia came out, that became my main PBM, and I dropped CW not long after. I tried loads of different PBMs though, all sorts of things -- some of the very commercial KJC-type games, but also some really small ones -- anything that sounded interesting.

You were involved in Flagship for a while. It was a fantastic PBM resource. A lot of people remember it very fondly; how was it working with Nicky Palmer, and Ken and Carol Mulholland, and what sort of relationship did you have?

Mm yes, I was part of the editorial team from I think 1986 up to 1993 or so, and carried on doing bits of writing and contributing in various ways up till the end, pretty much. It was really a great experience!

Nicky was an absolute gent, and I learnt a lot (about how to make a magazine, but also about how to write honestly and engagingly, etc.) from just observing how he went about things. He was very kind to offer what was basically a kind of mentoring to some stroppy kid. Ken, I didn't have a huge amount of contact with -- of course we were all working remotely, so I only got to catch up with him at conventions and so on. But I loved his dry sense of humour. Carol was who I was closest to, we worked pretty well together, I think, and I thought of her as a good friend.

Since your PBM days, have you been involved in writing in a similar vein, or have you just given up on the idea, and gone for a day job? (This isn't an accusatory question!) Or, if not entirely, how have you incorporated that in and around your current career?

It's been kind of a progression. By the end of the PBM days, I was moving into developing and running play-by-web turn-based strategy games, and I had a couple of successor businesses that did that - with some limited success. But I think more generally, I'm still in the games industry making a living as a small business -- and I would never have even thought about that as a career, if it wasn't for my time in PBM.

What do you remember about the social side of PBM that was very active in the UK in the 1980s and 1990s? Conventions, pubmeets, that kind of thing. And any amusing / disastrous stories? (I want details here!)

This was what really got me into the hobby and the community, tbh. I enjoyed receiving turnsheets, etc., of course, but it was meeting up in real life that gave me the buzz, made me friends, kept me enthusiastic. It's a great entry way, because you can always talk about your character and what's going on in the game, etc., while getting to know people. But I guess it started for me with Crasimoff's World meetups in London, then Saturnalia meets, then the monthly London pub meets -- and the PBM conventions and Games Day / Dragonmeet / etc. were great occasions for meeting up in larger numbers. When I was later running PBMs as a business, I made sure to have plenty of meets, and they were always good times for us and for the players.

No gossip though! -- my lips are sealed :-D

Our man on the PBM street, Richard Lockwood, is back with another interview. This time, he's got PBM personality Mo Holkar in his sights. Poor Mo!

What were your views on the PBM-centric magazines and fanzines that seemed to proliferate in the late 1980s / early 1990s? I'm thinking the likes of Flagship, PBM Scroll, PBM Monthly and Interactive Fiction. And also the PBM coverage in more mainstream magazines. Here we're looking at C&VG, GM, and GMI.

I always felt that Flagship was the important one of the PBM specialist mags, tbh -- it was the 'hobby bible' if you like -- the others came and went, and their coverage was in general restricted, while we were doing our best to represent all of PBM, But of course it was great to have them around, bringing different viewpoints and emphases.

When PBM started getting coverage in the bigger fields, that was amazing (and I guess Wayne deserves a lot of credit for that) -- seeing our hobby in colour and glossy pages, alongside coverage of much bigger industries, was terrific, and helped a lot for bringing new people in, of course.

Why d'you think the UK PBM scene pretty much died out in the 1990s? How much of a factor was the rise of the Internet, and more immediate gratification from online games?

100% that, I think. And it's completely fair: I made that transition, myself, in my own leisure activity. PBM requires a lot of patience, compared with online gaming. I expect there were still people who were keen -- maybe there still are -- but not enough to sustain the industry as it had been.

When push comes to shove, what is/was your all-time favourite PBM game, and why? And which other games would you love to see resurrected?

Out of the ones I played, I think all round it would have to be Saturnalia, because of the terrific social scene that it built. Neil and Simon had realized that rules, etc. weren't really important -- what mattered was getting people together in the game world, in the newsletter, and in real life. That meant an amazingly dense network of contacts, friendships, rivalries, shared interests and oppositions -- it made it feel like a real world. Out of my own ones :-D, I think I'm most proud of UNEXPLAINED -- I was trying to do something a bit different, structurally, from what else was around, and it worked pretty well, I think. Lots of people had a good time with it.

Who (apart from your good self!) embodied the spirit of PBM more than anyone else? (You only get to choose one person!)

Hmm, that's a tough one. I think I'll go with Carol -- she looked quite inoffensive on the surface, but had a lot of hidden depths, kindness, humour, and a wicked streak. Much like PBM, itself :-D

Do you still play PBM, and if so, what games are you playing?

I don't, no. Not for many years, now.

What are you doing non-PBM gaming-wise, these days? And what form of gaming do you prefer, now?

Main hobby is larp, I'm very active in that -- lots of my stuff regarding that is here: https://holkar.net/. Also, a bit of tabletop RPG and boardgaming, and computer games of course -- casual ones.

Who have you kept in touch with from the PBM "scene"?

I'm kind of in loose touch on Facebook with a load of people, but haven't met up physically with anyone from back then for a while, now, I don't think. I guess we've all moved on, somewhat, and are in different places in our lives, now.

Whose round is it?

If you're having to ask, then most probably, it's yours :-D

Mo Holkar

Galactic News Network (GNN)

Issue Number 2

June 23, 2024

Stellar Commissariat Fleets Report

New Discoveries and Challenges in the Galaxy

Byline: Liora Kincaid, Tarek Delaney

In recent exploratory missions, the Stellar Commissariat's fleets have encountered both promising discoveries and unexpected challenges across various sectors of the galaxy.

Fleet 5 Discovers Stellar Cloudin Subsector Verta

Fleet 5 has successfully arrived at the subsector location Verta. According to the fleet's scanning computer, a significant stellar cloud has been detected at this location. The navigation computer confirmed that the destination star Verta is a Red Type C star with a White Dwarf Secondary. Fleet 5 has achieved system orbit around Verta, discovering the presence of planets within the system.

Fleet 7 Faces Navigation Challenges; Redirected to Elnath

In a surprising turn of events,Fleet 7's navigation computer failed to locate the intended star,Elnath. As a result, Fleet 7 has been redirected and successfully arrived at subsector location Elnath. Initial scans from the fleet's scanning computer have revealed a stellar cloud present at this location.

The situation raises questions about the navigational accuracy and reliability of the current systems in use. Fleet 7's adjustment and subsequent discoveries will be closely monitored.

The Stellar Commissariat remains vigilant and adaptive in the face of these challenges, demonstrating resilience and commitment to exploring and understanding the galaxy's vast expanse.

Parhum Asi Subante Reports

Tax Collection Successes and Fleet Movements

Byline: Galen Tycho

The Parhum Asi Subante has reported successful tax collection and significant fleet movements across the galaxy.

Tax Collection Operations

MU commanders have reported no issues with planetary tax collections

Commodore Ilara's Engagement withKvizier Fleet

Commodore Ilara reported the appearance of a Kvizier fleet at Fulmar. The enemy fleet launched an attack but sustained damage. No enemy ships were confirmed destroyed,and the Kvizier fleet disengaged and moved to deep space.

Technological Advancements

The Parhum Asi Subante has increased its overall technology level, enabling the production of new ship types, including Nebula and Starfire, as well as Seeker and Galactic class vessels.

Planetary Technology Enhancements

Several planets have had their technology levels increased.

Fleet Construction Updates

New ships have been constructed across various shipyards, with multiple vessels joining the irrespective fleets:

Commodore Zephyr's fleet received new vessels at Elara
Commodore Orion's fleet received new vessels at Elara
Commodore Vega's fleet received new vessels at Serion
Commodore Polaris's fleet received new vessels at Serion

Combat Directives Issued

New combat directives, named Operation Phoenix, have been issued to the fleets commanded by Commodores Zephyr, Orion, Vega, and Polaris.

Exploration and Scanning Operations

Fleet movements and planetary scans have revealed various planetary conditions:

Commodore Aster's fleet achieved orbit around Pentar and initiated scans, identifying it as a colony world.
Commodore Nova's fleet achieved orbit around Luxor, with scans blocked by planetary military forces.
Commodore Titan's fleet engaged with a Znissin fleet at Luxor, sustaining hits but causing minimal damage to the enemy. The enemy fleet disengaged, and Commodore Titan's fleet was reported missing after heavy planetary attacks.

Colonization Efforts

Colonization operations have been successfully conducted on multiple planets.

Conclusion

The Parhum Asi Subante continues to expand its reach and enhance its technological capabilities despite facing various challenges across the galaxy. The commitment to efficient tax collection, strategic fleet movements, and technological advancement underscores the empire's resilience and adaptability.

EDITOR'S NOTE: These Galactic New Reports for Takamo were sent to me last year by Takamo's owner, and I added them promptly into the draft for Issue #39 of PBM Chaos - but the issue never published. And because it never published, but were still interesting to read, I opted to go ahead and leave them in, when I got ready to publish this issue.

Numena is a free, open-ended, weekly, play-by-email game where divine beings create and discover entities in a shared universe. You'll create and influence a living universe filled with places, people, and things that have their own agency and autonomy.

What does The Great Eye of PBM see

across the Vast Dimensions of the Internet?

Behind the Envelope: A Look at PBM Games

Through the eyes is Captain of the Ship Starfire, Harry

BuddhaRandom

Dungeons & Dragons at a Distance: Early Play-by-Mail D&D

Through the eyes is Captain of the Ship Starfire, Harry

Jon Peterson

Duelmaster Face to Face 2026

Don't wait to make your room reservation for Duelmaster Face to Face 2026

The big event dates are January 16th through January 18th, 2026

Play Your Damn Turn

Civilization 5 / 6 / Beyond Earth / Old World Hotseat Multiplayer Management

Rosack Software Solutions, LLC and Mike Rosack

John Roach and the TRS-80

There was a semi-thriving world of play-by-mail games in the day

Darrel Plant

Paul Baldowski's PBM Confessions

You need Bluesky account to learn about his PBM doings. Plus, there's a map!

Paul Baldowski

Nevaros

A PBM game in the works from the one-man-think-tank that is Raven Zachary.

Raven Zachary

The more that I wander the Internet and its endless nooks and crannies and back alleys, the more stuff that I encounter that is either PBM or PBM-esque.

As we go forth with this column in future issues of PBM Chaos, just keep in mind that my eyesight isn't quite what it once was. The Great Eye of PBM isn't blind to everything other than the purest strains and breeds of play by mail gaming material. If it was, then it would pay no mind to any of the direct digital lineal descendants of the play by postal service games of yesteryear. As we live in an imperfect world, The Great Eye of PBM has been known to forgive imperfections that it meets along the way of just gazing across the seemingly infinite universe and various vast dimensions.

There's both the old PBM stuff that has been out there in the Great Beyond for years on end, just waiting to be found or rediscovered, and likewise, there's a growing mass of new PBM stuff and new PBM personalities which are appearing all over the place.

And in spite of all of the failures and collapses of new PBM game ideas and attempts, work continues apace on at least a few new PBM games, at least one of which will feature turn results printed on paper, and playable via the postal service (if the Great Eye of PBM sees correctly). This game's designer has said in his own words, "This game will be first and foremost a true postal game!"

Therefore, let that be that.

I hope that you enjoyed this long-overdue issue of PBM Chaos. Whew! I'm so glad that I finally got it out the door, and it feels good to be back in the publishing saddle, again.

All things considered, I feel pretty good about the chances of PBM Chaos continuing for quite a while (knock on wood). With any luck, you'll continue tuning in. Issue #40 should mark the start of shorter issues, but it shouldn't be so short that there's nothing to read. It's really about balancing a variety of considerations. And besides, there's a PBM magazine coming, too, and that's planned to publish on the first day of every month, on top of all of the PBM Chaos stuff. It should be interesting to see how that turns out, huh?

If there's any way that you could see fit, send me an article or just your thoughts or memories about something PBM-related. Readers will likely always prefer to read more than just whatever I have to say about PBM gaming. It doesn't take any special talent to share memories. And if your memories about your time in play by mail gaming are scattered and look akin to buckshot, that's fine, too. Don't worry about being coherent and seamless in your recalling of memories about PBM. PBM fans love to read about the morsels and tidbits, too!

I still intend to try and repurpose old art that has fallen into the public domain. Canva's A.I. did a pretty decent job, I thought, of creating that PBM superhero holding those envelopes, with the envelopes representing turn envelopes that hold turn results, which is how all PBM games used to send PBM players their turn results via the postal service.

Artificial intelligence is improving its capabilities, but it's still a pain to try and work with and provide instructions to, all things considered. It's as uncooperative as even the worst PBM players ever were or tried to be.

If you have a PBM website, be sure to let me know about it. And if I already know about it, don't hesitate to remind me to give your PBM site a plug. And if you're willing to provide a link to either PBM Chaos (or any particular issue, thereof) or to the new PBM Patreon site, I would appreciate it. Hey, we've got to get the word out, somehow!

I'm hopeful that I am going to have some new interviews coming up in future issues. Some will be longer or shorter than others.

No doubt, typos have likely slipped their way into this issue, as well. They're gremlins, beyond a shadow of a doubt, always tossing visual monkey wrenches into the PBM works that I labor to bring to you, our readers. I hate typos, but I always seem to keep company with them. ::sigh::

If you missed our announcement that PBM Chaos would be returning, then click here to read it.

Oh, and lest I forget to tell one and all, if the e-mail address to which you subscribe to receive mailings from PlayByMail.Net bounces, whether soft bounces or hard bounces, that e-mail address will be promptly removed from the subscriber list, from here on out. You can always resubscribe, but I aim to decisively eliminate the bounced e-mail problem, going forward. Therefore, be ye forewarned!

I've got to close this out, or you'll never get to read this issue. If you like it or you dislike it, if you love it or you hate it, send me an e-mail and share your thoughts about Issue #39. You can say a little, or you can say a lot. Something is always better than nothing. And don't worry about hurting my feelings. PBM publications of any and all sorts require content in order to exist and to flourish.

Until next issue. . .stay safe, stay motivated, and wield your imagination like a sword razor-sharp and ready for action!

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