͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ 
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ISSUE 44

September 8th, 2025

COMING IN NEXT ISSUE

Have Fun Learning

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GNN — Galactic News Network

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More Hyborian War for Beginners!

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The Origin of GlueBeard
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Another Galaxy #223 Series Article

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More Galac-Tac Player Blurbs

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And a few other assorted PBM morsels!
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Editorial

Ahoy, readers!

Well, here I sit at 5:50 AM on the day of publication for this issue, and nowhere near ready for this issue to hit the digital presses, yet. Alas, woe befalls me!

It's a good thing that I got up almost two hours ago, in order to get an early start on finishing up this issue. But did it actually happen? Nope! It sure didn't.

But honestly, that's neither here nor there in the grand scheme of things. Once this issue publishes later on today (or tonight - perish the thought!), none of that will matter. It will all be water under the PBM bridge, by then, and not worth dwelling on (except, perhaps, for inspiration purposes).

I have to finish this editorial. I still need to write that Until Next Issue article. I just managed to finish the Coming In Next Issue tidbits. I still need to do the Clickfest section. There's still proofreading to be done (not that I ever catch all of those pesky typos, mind you).



A special thanks to Neil Bradley, the Madhouse USA GM, who replied in a very timely fashion to several inquires that I sent to him by e-mail, yesterday. Greatly appreciated, Neil!



One of the great unsung heroes of the PBM world is PBMer TVMike. I dedicate this issue of PBM Chaos to him. There's no actual way to calculate just exactly how much impact that any given individual has in PBM gaming, but TVMike's impact is probably significantly more than one might at first imagine.



The growth in postings about Quest and Monster Island, which has been very noticeable in the Quest and Monster Island channels of the PlayByMail Discord chat server, are things that TVMike played a central role in. Now, Joe Franklin certain deserves his fair share of credit, because in recent months, he has been one very busy PBM beaver in those same PBM spaces, but until Joe started bring the PBM bacon home, who was the KJC Games PBM player big dog in the PlayByMail neck of the PBM woods? TVMike, that's who.

In my book, anyway.

Week after week and month after month, and day I even say, year after year, TVMike has be chipping away at empty space, converting voids into elements of PBM reality. Hell, more than once, TVMike has probably wondered where I was, wondered what the hell happened to me, while his ass was busy posting over on the PBM Forum - even when no one else hardly ever was.



You might not take notice of such things, but I do.


Over the years, and by that I mean stretching back well before I ever started publishing the original Suspense & Decision magazine, there have been numerous different PBM-related forums that I have brought into existence. Several of them fell pray to a combination of technical problems and a shortcoming of techno-expertise and risky experimentation on my part. Things like php issues and forum database issues and forum upgrades gone wrong have wreaked havoc on some of my PBM efforts, particularly some of my earliest PBM efforts. Several of these, even such prominent PBM personalities as Raven Zachary, whom I long ago characterized as The Most Important Man in PBM, never saw.

PBMer wraith is a techno whiz. He resurrected what, these days, I refer to as "the old PBM forum." That one, however, is not, by far, the truly "Old One" of PBM forums that I have created - and that's not even counting the non-PBM forums that I created prior to that. At some point, you might think that I would acquire some degree of techno-mastery over phpMyAdmin. Alas, 'tis not so!

It is what it is, though, for better or for worse. I could just collapse into a pile, and be done with it all, forever. And in fairness, there have been multiple different occasions where I fall off the world (as in fall off the world of play by mail gaming). Yet, for better or worse, also, here I am, today, just yammering on in this issue of PBM Chaos about PBM gaming.

These days, even The Most Important Man in PBM is shifting away from PBM. Raven and I do not always see eye to eye, but then again, who all in PBM do I always see eye to eye with? Are gradual transitions away from PBM really all that different from abrupt transitions away from PBM? Isn't the end result effectively the same?

When Raven Zachary reappeared on the PBM scene, he was full of PBM fire. Feel free to name others who invested as much of themselves into PBM, into trying to persuade others to play PBM games, into trying to uplift PBM companies with his multitude of website and wiki works on their behalf. And to his good credit, Raven Zachary brought what I would term "a mostly

gentleman's approach" to his PBM efforts.

Just as I don't tend to see social media, today, described by others as "a gentleman's world," likewise as I sit here thinking back, this morning, I don't recall, offhand, ever reading articles from PBM of yesteryear about play by mail gaming being "a gentleman's world." I certainly don't go about describing myself as a gentleman, either.

And while you may not care about it, there are actual reasons for that which preexisted my entrance into the realm of play by mail gaming. Maybe I'll even share that tale with you, one of these days. It might bore you as much as a lot of the other stuff that I write, though.

Suspense & Decision. PBM Unearthed. PBM Chaos. Do any of those PBM publication names sound like the handiwork of a gentleman? I don't think so.

Speaking of PBM gentlemen, where are they all at, when it's time for people to submit articles to PBM publications? Why were such PBM luminaries as David Webber and Carol Mulholland asking many times for people to send in articles in for their respective PBM rags?

Back in Issue #23 of PBM Chaos, which published back on November 14th, 2023 - almost two full years ago (it was on a Tuesday, in case you're wondering), I quoted a fellow by the name of W.G. Armintrout, someone whom I consider to be one of the all-time greats of the play by mail gaming world. Here, let me quote that quote of his, again. These words of the distinguished Mister Armintrout appeared in The Space Gamer magazine back in the PBM year of 1982 - some 43 years ago. Specifically, that was in Issue #55 of that old magazine, the September issue. And what month is it, right now? Anybody know? That's right. It's September all over again. Somebody cue Earth, Wind, & Fire.

What he said was this (out of a great many things that he's said down through the years):

"The common mistake is to recruit the wrong kind of people: close friends, hometown folks, relatives — polite, gentle people who never open their mouths and make complaints. I’m sorry, but you won’t learn anything from people like that. You need pompous, egotistical gamers - highly-opinionated, tough-minded — who make barbed remarks. You want people from out of town who have to talk with other players by letter or long distance telephone. You especially want people who will play the game because they like games, rather than somebody who will try out your game just to be polite or as a personal favor."


More recently, PBMer Joe Franklin (aka Adam Warlock, aka Bearded Avenger, aka Orrgo) extended the courtesy to me of letting me know that his article that appeared in PBM Chaos Issue #43 would be his last for a while. In fact, he mentions that in his next article that appears in this issue, Issue #44. Miracle of PBM miracles, Joe Franklin sallied forth, once more, fresh on the heels of his recent decision to take a pause from his writing of articles for PBM Chaos.



Way to go, Joe!



One of the morals of this story is that, sometimes, people change their minds. Other times, they don't. Wax on, wax off. Charles is here, today, gone tomorrow, and back again at some point in the future. Wash, rinse, repeat, ad infinitum.

And so it goes in the realm of PBM. Individual after individual after individual put forth varying amounts of effort and invest varying amounts of time and energy, and all in order to accomplish what, exactly?

The PBM fire is a wonderful thing to behold. It was everywhere, back in the golden era of play by mail gaming. Today? Not so much. At the height of his PBM efforts following his return to PBM gaming, Raven Zachary became like a Superman that PBM could call its very own. And if and when he departs PBM, again, what then? Who takes PBM Superman's place?

But even in the comic books, Superman died. He also lost his super powers on numerous different occasions along the way. I know, because I used to real a LOT of comic books growing up. Well, for me, it was a lot of comic books, anyway. Thousands of them, by the time that all was said and done. Anybody else remember that time and that issue where Superman was robbed of almost all of his superpowers by those puppets?

Even Superman didn't save everybody. Sometimes, what the world needs is a Justice League or a Justice Society or the Defenders or the Avengers or the Legion of Super-Heroes or the Legion of Substitute Heroes or the Green Lantern Corps - or any of a number of other groups possessing super powers (and real powers) to get things done. PBM gaming is sort of the same way, I reckon.

PBM players like Wayne Smith is one of what I call Mega-Gamers (which isn't technically the same thing as when I talk about Power Gamers). Hey, Wayne still hasn't mastered that golf game of his, so he's gotta do something, right? PBM it is, then. Do carry on, good Mister Smith.

PBM needs the occasional PBM gamer, also, as well as the single game PBMer, never to be seen again. PBM needs the commercial PBM companies and their professional PBM GMs. PBM also needs its amateur PBM GMs and array of short-lived PBM games. Both the "long term" and the "short term" PBM companies and PBM games actually matter to the overall health and state of play by mail gaming.

PBM needs the old postal service PBM games, and it also needs the digital lineal descendant PBM games. It needs old players (like Wayne) and young players (like me) and PBM players in between those two age extremes.

PBM gaming needs it all, as near as I can tell. The PBM world and the PBM universe are more than any of us can handle, individually.

PBM needs PBM magazines, more PBM newsletters, and more PBM e-mail mailings, not less. Certainly, PBM could use more PBM gentlemen, but PBM also needs more of the rough and ready and rowdy crowd, more of the unrefined player crowd, more of those committed to the PBM cause in raw and blunt form. We're not all made from the same mold, after all. Didn't the good LORD create us all to be individuals? Are any of us, other than Richard Lockwood, a clone?

Me? I'm just a placeholder on the PBM publications end of things. I'm just the Little Dutch Boy trying to keep PBM from washing away in an outflow of the last "real" old school PBM magazine. Think about it. There's really not that much difference in using your finger to plug a hole in a dike, and using your finger to type. Hell, I can't even speak Dutch! I can write about PBM, though. Feel free to step right up. I'll take on all challengers, in that regard. The more the merrier, the more the better for the whole of PBM.

PBM needs more women playing. It also needs more men playing, too. For some utterly bizarre reason, PBM as a whole has never seemed to place much focus, at all, on its outreach to kids. What's that, you ask? Exactly! My point exactly. Can anyone say "non-existent?"

There's a lot scarier things in life than your kid receiving turn results from a PBM game in their mailbox at home, or in their e-mail in-box at home. If the youth of today are our future, and if PBM gaming doesn't really have anything to offer the adult gamers of tomorrow, today, then what does that say about the future of PBM? The reality is that PBM games are one of the safest activity, for adults and for kids, alike, since the dawn of Creation.

PBM gaming has never been a one-trick pony. Gaming is not the only pillar upon which the golden era of play by mail gaming rested upon. Rather, customer service was a pillar of PBM's prosperity and longevity of decades past. Yeah, I know, there have been - and continue to be- exceptions, but there's also been a litany of sterling examples in and across the PBM industry and hobby over the decades since Rick Loomis and his buffalo that could fly created the commercial PBM sector of gaming out of thin air.

Unleashing the imagination of those who had never played PBM games before was another pillar of PBM's heyday. Where would PBM gaming be if no magazine, be they dedicated PBM magazines or otherwise, had ever ran any PBM ads to help spread the word about play by mail gaming possibilities and to spark the imagination of huge numbers of people who had never, ever heard of playing anything by mail, before?

PBM quickly learned and came to know how to be a young industry and medium of gaming. How's it doing, now that it's gotten a little bit of age on it? It sure has slowed down, since it's gotten older. PBM gaming, including old style play via the postal service type, has survived for more than half a century, now. Can it survive for an entire century, though?



I won't be around to see it. Hopefully, you will.



It should be plainly obvious to even the blind, by now, that PBM gaming isn't actually and truly dead. Whether PBM grows gradually or all at once, the end result would effectively be the same.

I would argue that the central pillar of PBM gaming has historically been community, not gaming. Over on the Road of Kings forum site where all of those Hyborian War gamers gather like PBM Neanderthals, off-topic discussions have proven to be a "cohesive force" for helping that community of PBM gamers to both survive and thrive over an extended period of time. Anybody have any idea how many arguments, bickering sessions, whine festivals, and drama shows have been a part of energizing that cohesive force? You see, non-PBM elements are important - nay, vital - to PBM gaming, also. People don't always want to talk about just and only PBM.

That dastardly old Wayne "The Consortium" Smith plays both Duel2 and Hyborian War. Well, he tries to play them, anyway. The jury is still out on whether he's actually succeeded, from what others have "told me."

PBMer Hammer
, he's tried Duel2, Hyborian War, and Forgotten Realms: War of the Avatars - all three of Reality Simulation Inc.'s current PBM game offerings. How many PBM gamers have transitioned slowly to other PBM games from their initial or favorite PBM games, compared to how many transitioned rapidly to other PBM games, or who never transitioned from their initial PBM game to any other PBM game?

There's no actual answer to be found for such questions. I ask questions like that, full well knowing and realizing that no actual answer to it will ever be knowable by any of us. Why? In a bid to try and make people think.

In order to grow PBM's overall player base, people first have to think about PBM gaming. For to play PBM games is to think about PBM games, just as to process PBM turns is to think about PBM games. The thinking and the doing of PBM kind of go hand-in-hand. If you're not thinking about PBM, then you're not gonna advertise PBM games. If I never thought about PBM games, then counting this issue, no less than 91 issues of PBM publications would have ever come into existence over the years as part of my collective PBM efforts. And if there's been 91 issues, all total, of Suspense & Decision, PBM Unearthed, and PBM Chaos, how many PBM articles does it come to that I have written in that same span of time? Or better yet, how many postings in various places have I posted about PBM gaming over the course of my entire life? Hundreds? Thousands? Tens of thousands?

Your own contributions to PBM may well exceed my own, both great and small, and you not even realize it, because it just never dawned on you.

Hell, I've got to go!
I've still got other tasks to complete, before this issue sees the light of day in the new PBM sun.

Happy reading, happy browsing, happy skimming!


Charles Mosteller
Editor of PBM Chaos

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Clickfest

Looking back at Issue #43

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Looks like the United States got knocked off its perch by India, in the number of unique number of clicks for Issue #43. Way to go!

1st Place = India

2nd Place = United States of America
3rd Place = Netherlands

4th Place = Germany

5th Place - Greece, Italy, & Canada (a three-way tie).



You see all of those countries in gray, as well as all of those countries in different shades of orange? Those are what is known as "opportunities for PBM growth."



Think about that, every single time that you glance at Clickfest in each and every issue of PBM Chaos. If you ever should again wonder why PBM is dead, dying, or in a geriatric stage, just ask yourself when and where the next great stage of PBM growth is going to come from?



The link in Issue #43 that received the most number of unique clicks? There was a three-way tie, with 3 unique clicks each.

https://play-by-e-mail.com/

https://www.eressea.de/

https://www.patreon.com/posts/pbm-poll-issue-137867532



Four links received 2 unique clicks each. And there were fourteen links that received 1 unique click each.

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The Shifting Interests of a PBM Player

Joe Franklin

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Last week, I told our PBM Chaos editor and publisher that my previous entry would be my last for the foreseeable future. Yet, here I am again. The shifting sands of my PBM interests have drawn me back to write another piece for this weekly publication.



I do have news: The Monster Island Monitor is on hiatus. Its publishing run was brief, compared to Monster Island’s long PBM history. Like many of my projects, it began without much planning or fanfare. With more preparation, perhaps the Monitor would have lasted longer—or perhaps not. The main reason for pausing publication is the lack of submissions. Most of the content focused on my four monsters.



Monster Island, itself, has a rich history of newsletters, some of which are archived on Ed Webb’s site. I’ve read many, and most faded away quietly, as editors moved on. I don’t want to disappear like that, because I plan to remain active in the Monster Island community.



I nearly stopped posting on PlayByMail.net, but Charles appointed me Administrator, which pulled me back in. He also showed me how to embed images in posts—a small thing, but it’s made posting more enjoyable. I haven’t yet drawn new players from that forum, though perhaps I will in time.



I also considered abandoning my X account. It has a solid user base, though much of the platform seems dominated by politics. Even I’ve fallen into that trap. If you use X, I’d be curious to know how.



Meanwhile, the Monster Island Discord server has grown to 29 members in six months. That may not sound like much, but activity surged recently, when veteran players joined and invited their old allies. Some are starting fresh monsters, while still running their originals. One player even manages seventeen veteran monsters!



For those who enjoyed the Monitor, there’s some consolation: I plan to release a few mini-issues in October during Monster Island Week. Beyond that, the future is uncertain. A part of me hopes someone else will catch the newsletter bug and carry it further than I did.



You may even see updated AI art for it, as I often share images on X and Discord. So, is this goodbye—or just see you later?

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GNN — Galactic News Network

Issue Number 5

Dateline: Sireth Belt & Veythra Expanse



Population Expansion and Military Recruitment Reshape the Belt

By Jora Venn, GNN



Civil growth initiatives swept through the Sireth Belt this week as dozens of colonies reported new waves of settlers. Worlds such as Almaris 2, Aquara 3, Belenor 5, and Jeltara 2 each added population, while more distant settlements like Jossa 3,Jondar 5, and Miknar 2 expanded steadily.



Alongside this expansion came a dramatic surge in military recruitment. Thousands of Marines and Heavy Marines were raised across core Belt colonies, with notable concentrations on Belenor 5, Almaris 2, and Jossa 2.Garrison forces now number in the hundreds per world, signaling preparations for both external threats and internal insurgencies.



Tax collection remained efficient, with MU commanders gathering millions of Resource Units (RUs) across frontier holdings. Worlds including Apelis 2, Gimorra 3, Intara 1, and Nokor 6 contributed heavily to state coffers. No resistance to taxation was reported, a sign that administrative control holds—at least for now.



But stability faltered on Almaris5, where guerrilla forces of Die Schwarze Schar stormed defenses and seized control. Local Marine units were overwhelmed, folded into the insurgency, and planetary revenues collapsed overnight. The event highlights the fragility of the Belt’s frontier worlds in the face of organized underground opposition.



Shipyards Fuel Expansion, Colonies Established

By Jora Venn, GNN



Industrial output accelerated as shipyards across the Belt produced new classes of vessels.



On Almaris 2, shipwrights completed two colony ships, two terraformers, and two production craft. These joined Fleet 101, which immediately established anew colony on Ammen 1, expanding the Belt’s reach deeper into the Expanse.



Additional facilities rose on Jossa2 and Belenor 4, where new shipyards and fighter wings were commissioned. Planetary defenses received reinforcements in the form of torpedo batteries, forts, and anti-ballistic missile arrays, especially on Belenor 5 and Jossa 3, creating heavily militarized bastions.



The buildup suggests a dual strategy of population expansion and hardened defense, a posture analysts say reflects both opportunity and fear: opportunity in exploiting frontier resources, and fear of insurgent collapse.



Heavy Fighting Over Jossa 4: Fighters Lost, Defenses Hold

By Jora Venn, GNN



A massive aerial strike on Jossa4 underscored the growing militarization of the Belt.



From Jossa 2, 225 fighters launched against entrenched planetary defenses. The assault destroyed 171 interceptors and killed 371 Marines stationed on the surface.However, defenders responded ferociously: interceptor wings, Heavy Marine barrages, and ground batteries destroyed 118 fighters before the attackers withdrew.



Fleet 97 attempted to support the raid by entering Jossa 4’s orbit, but came under immediate planetary torpedo fire. After evading three volleys, the fleet was forced to disengage and retreat to deep space.



Planetary intelligence estimates Jossa 4 still maintains at least 40 forts and over 700 Heavy Marine units, making it one of the most heavily defended worlds in the Belt.



Analysts say the strike, though costly, weakened the planet’s outer defenses. Yet the heavy fighter losses highlight the high price of challenging entrenched worlds fortified for long-term resistance.



Defensive Arms Race Accelerates

By Jora Venn, GNN



Planetary militarization escalated further this week, with multiple colonies constructing new defenses.

  • Almaris 2 added 19 new forts, 175 fighters, and 55 torpedoes.
  • Almaris 4 completed new shipyards, 100 fighters, and 100 torpedo batteries.
  • Belenor 5 and Belenor 4 bolstered defenses with 200 anti-ballistic missiles and new fortifications.
  • Smaller colonies such asAlmaris 1 and Jeltara 2 also reported modest shipyard expansions.

The cumulative effect is a rapidly hardening frontier. Once lightly protected colonies now resemble fortress-worlds bristling with weapons platforms and interceptors.



Observers warn the concentration of defenses signals preparation for a wider war, not just deterrence of guerrilla activity.



Editorial Wrap-Up: Stability or Stalemate?

By Jora Venn, GNN



The past cycle across the Sireth Belt and Veythra Expanse has seen both expansion and bloodshed. New colonies are rising, treasuries are swelling, and fleets are multiplying. Yet insurgents remain potent, exemplified by the loss of Almaris 5 and the heavy casualties at Jossa 4.



Shipyards are spitting out new vessels as fast as resources allow, and planetary defenses grow thicker each week. But each reinforcement, each new fortress, signals not confidence—only fear of what may come next.



In the Belt, smuggling, insurgency, and naval power collide in an ever-tighter spiral. The question for the cycles ahead: will this militarization bring stability, or only a stalemate that leaves the Expanse perpetually at war with itself?



End of Issue Number 5



TAKAMO

www.takamo.com

* All Takamo content and images copyright © Kgruppe LLC.

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EressaNew Player GuideRulesDiscordRegister to Play
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The cool thing about talisman-games.com is that it only costs $5-per-month to play Galac-Tac; however, not only do you get to Play Free for the First 30-days of your Subscription to see if Galac-Tac is a game that you would enjoy playing far into your foreseeable future; but for a limited time, Talisman Games is also offering an Additional Year-of-Free-Play combined with your First Free 30-Days!



Plus, you get to play a Galac-Tac game immediately by selecting the Solo Game Option!



Because I signed up to play in the Private Learning Game that is being featured in weekly issues of PBM Chaos, I decided that I needed to get acquainted with how to play this Space-War Game by starting a Solo Game!



I am currently 75-years-young and not what possibly most of you readers are: a Technical Savvy Player!



Galac-Tac includes a feature that is incredibly helpful when playing Galac-Tac: an App that you download called the GTac App that I am slowly-but-surely comprehending as I prepare for the Private Learning Game, which begins tomorrow morning (Saturday, August 30, 2025) as I type this article!



I really got frustrated trying to comprehend how to use the GTac App, but Davin and some of the other Galac-Tac Players on the Galac-Tac Discord Channel patiently answered my questions and helped to guide me in the use of the GTac App!



I made a lot of mistakes in my first attempt at a Solo Game, including skipping a crucial early Turn when I clicked the Process Turn at the Talisman Games website, followed the next day by clicking on the Process Turn in the GTac App!



I started a second Solo Game and have completed two Turns that included finding Errors that I made when I selected the Edit Action Tab, then clicked on the Check for Errors. This feature has proven to be invaluable to my learning process over the course of the past couple of days!



Examples: Incorrectly Typing a Star Location as XX:YY instead of XX-YY and Spending More PI for Building two Freighters than I had PI in my Treasury for my Second Solo Game Second Turn Orders!



After two Turns my Scouts have now encountered two different enemy ships!



What is a Galactic Empire Ruler to do?



You begin each game with 500 PI in your Treasury, as do your opponents, so your beginning spending-strategies have a variety of options that you must decide to employ in your quest for victory, which may or may not prove to be successful in the long-term of any GalacTac Game that you choose to play!



The potential choices are yours!



Your adventure in Galac-Tac awaits!

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* All Hyborian War content and images copyright © Reality Simulations, Inc.

DungeonWorld's Kingdom of Bereny

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* All DungeonWorld content and images copyright Madhouse UK © Steve Tierney 1991 - present. All Rights Reserved.

Madhouse USA

DungeonWorld Adventures is a character-based multiplayer turn-based fantasy adventure game
that has been running for 20 years continuously and is as popular as ever.

In DungeonWorld Estates, the player takes control of a landholder in the Kingdom of Bereny
to ensure the health and growth of the estate.

Pricing



£2GBP per turn and £.2 per sub-character



Turns can be emailed or mailed to USA players. A small mail-in fee of $2 per $100 deposited on the account is charged to assist with postage costs.



All payments sent to Madhouse USA are converted from dollars to pounds.

The game is operated in the UK with a US office.

Mailing Address





Telephone

Email

Madhouse USA

P.O. Box 712

Katy, TX 77492

(832) 519-8395

* This information extracted from An Introduction to Play-by-Mail Gaming, a PDF document created by Raven Zachary in the PBM year 2021 to identify which PBM companies still offer the play by mail gaming experience via postal mail (turn results received via the postal service), and updated with Madhouse USA GM Neil Bradley.

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* All DungeonWorld content and images copyright Madhouse UK © Steve Tierney 1991 - present. All Rights Reserved.

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SEASON ONE

Report for Round 2

The second match day o’ the Sea o’ Nyx League came crashin’ down like a hurricane on rotted planks – a roar o’ bone, steel, an’ mad fury. From the stands thundered the cries o’ tens o’ thousands, an’ the pitch soon looked less like a playin’ field an’ more like a graveyard gone riotous.



The noodles o’ Jah Pastafari boiled across the deck like scaldin’ water, knockin’ undead flat an’ stormin’ wild inta the endzone– but the Drowned Revenants would not be sunk. With shatterin’ jaws an’ rusty claws they struck back, an’ ‘fore the sun kissed the horizon, the tide o’ bones swept the field an’ claimed their own share o’ glory.



Elsewhere,the rats shrieked like rabid gulls, hurlin’ hexers inta the sickbay an’ spillin’ blood like burst casks. Yet the Regeneration Hex stood firm as gravestones in a storm – an’ when one o’ their bone-riders carried the ball through the howlin’ mob, the whole stadium shook like under cannon fire.



No less savage was the clash o’ pirate crews: rum poured, blood dripped an’ in the thick o’ the fray one poor soul sailed off on their final voyage. Glory though? Not a single point t’ be found –only shattered teeth, torn souls an’ a match endin’ like a wreck on the seafloor.



The Keelhaul Kickoff Club, though, bent the chaos like a storm sail. With brawn, guile an’ one last push they drove the ball home – the stands exploded in cheer an’ the Ship o’ Fools stumbled off like stranded jesters.



An’ deep in the fog, where Leviathan met Reaver, the voice o’ the abyss thundered. Bodies crashed, warriors fell an’ the breath o’ the crowd was held as heroes lay broken in the dust. But though the sea screamed fer blood, the ball refused to yield a verdict. When the smoke cleared, naught but the echo o’ steel on bone remained – a cursed 0:0 that hung like an ancient doom.



So the second match day was no dance but a maelstrom – with heroes toppled, tides rollin’, an’ fans roarin’ louder than the heavens themselves. The Sea o’ Nyx has tasted blood – an’ she’ll be wantin’ more.

1. Match Reports (Short)



🧟The Drowned Revenants : 🍝 Jah Pastafari | 1 :1

🧪Regeneration Hex : 🐀 Skavern Scallywags | 1 :0

🥃Rum Looters : 🏴‍☠️ Buccaneers of the Infernal Depths | 0 : 0

⚓️Keelhaul Kickoff Club : ⛵️ Ship of Fools | 1: 0

🌊The Dreadwake Leviathan : 🐺 Wolfsblood Reavers | 0 : 0




2.Match Reports (Detail)



🧟The Drowned Revenants : 🍝 Jah Pastafari

Fans:
🧟The Drowned Revenants:12.000
🍝 Jah Pastafari:8.000



☠️🍝“Bones, Brawls, and Boilin’ Noodles!” –A Tale of the Undead Tide vs. Pasta Pride

Welcome, ladies, gents and creatures o’ the deep, to a feast of bone, pasta and raw bloodlust! The stands be shakin’—12,000revenant fans howlin’ like banshees, while 8,000 hungry Jah Pastafari faithful swing their noodle bowls in battle rhythm.
And the weather? Spotless, like Nyx himself lit the sun to make the pitch a proper kitchen from hell!

⚔️ First Half – Pasta with Punch
The coin barely hits the turf before the Pastafari storm the deck – and by thunder, they came to cook!

  • Vermicellisends Ribs McGrawcrashin’ into the dirt
  • and Ravioligives Deadman Flinta wake-up call so fierce he goes limp on the spot – KO right outta the gate!

The crowd howls like sea hags at a moonlight orgy!
Spaghetti spins like a noodle in boilin’ broth, knocks Hank to the floor, clears the path – and Fusilli, nimble as a rat in a pantry, scoops the egg and charges.

Skulljaw Jack tries somethin’ fancy – two risky steps and SPLAT! Trips over his own shinbones like a drunk sailor. Out cold. Carried off like yesterday’s fish. Oof!

And the Pasta Posse stay the course.
With a lovely chain o’ blocks and the grace of a gondolier, Fusilli sails into the endzone
TOUCHDOWN Jah Pastafari! 🍝 Mamm amia, that’s a spicy play!

🌊 Second Half – Tidal Vengeance of the Revenants
But the undead ain’t done. After a wild pitch invasion (fans headbuttin’ anyone in reach!), the smell of bone dust fills the air.

  • Scabskin Silasscoops up the ball with grimy finesse,
  • while Keelhaunt Kade and Ghosthook Gale flatten anything shaped like a noodle.

Gale steamrolls Fusilli, knockin’ the poor lad into dreamland.
The Pasta crew reels,Lasagne gets whacked off the pitch more times than a forgotten oven tray. But Spaghetti,bless his durum heart, digs in his heels, clobbers Rami and holds the line with nothin’ but grit and garlic.

Then it hits:
In the middle o’ chaos, clatterin’ limbs and marinara madness – Scabskin Silas grabs the ball again!
Shielded by Barnacle Bess and a vengeful Skulljaw Jack, he stomps into the endzone –
TOUCHDOWN Drowned Revenants! ☠️ The undead tide rolls in!

⚔️ Final Clash – One Last Swing
The score’s tied, the stew’s boilin’ and the fans be frothin’ like seafoam.
Ravioli tries to wrangle the ball for one final push, but fists be flyin’, knees be crackin’ and skulls be rollin’.
Spaghetti ain’t quittin’ though – he lays Fleshless Faye flat with a smack so clean it could pass for holy water.
The Pasta fans erupt, cheerin’ like they won the sacred Parmesan wheel.

But that be all she wrote.
Final whistle blows, the dust settles and the sea calms. A 1:1 draw– fair as a coin toss, and twice as wild.

Final Score:
🧟The Drowned Revenants:1
🍝 Jah Pastafari:1


🧪Regeneration Hex : 🐀 Skavern Scallywags


Fans:
🧪Regeneration Hex:9.000
🐀 Skavern Scallywags:8.000

☠️🐀 "Curses,Claws, and Chaos!" – When Hex Met Rat in a Storm o’Spikes

Welcome, ye blood-bent buccaneers, to one o’ the most chaotic clashes this pitch has seen in many a tide!
The Regeneration Hex hit the field with banners flappin’ and bones rattlin’, their 9,000 fans chantin’ curses loud enough to wake the dead – while 8,000 screechin’ rat-lovers from the Scallywags howled like a bag o’ weasels in a rum barrel.

The opening boot sent the ball skyward and Orange Ye Gladd plucked it from the heavens like he’d snatched the moon itself. No sooner had he wrapped his mitts ‘round the leather, than the brawl began in earnest.

First to land a blow?
Guttertail Grim, grinnin’ like a sewer demon, slammed Swampe Socke, Jr. so hard the lad flew off the pitch, bones jangled and spirit broken.
A hard loss for the Hex and the rats cackled like cursed gulls.
But Starlyte weren’t havin’ it – he clobbered Mouldsnout the Quick so fierce the little flea farmer saw stars for a fortnight.

Then came the slapstick: Plague-Eye Pete tripped over his own whiskers tryin’ to grab the ball, Ron Cycles and Quadruple Y fumbled like drunkards at a carnival coconut stand.
But just as it looked lost, Quadruple Y snapped into action – grabbed the egg, bolted downfield with steamin his boots and danced through the defense like a spell-drunk banshee.
Two wild, blind steps… and BAM!
TOUCHDOWN Regeneration Hex!
The crowd roared like a kraken in heat!

But the rats weren’t finished – not by along shot.

As soon as the ball hit the pitch again, Snagtooth the Sly and Wharf-Rat Wriggles went scuttlin’ mad across the field, knockin’ Hexers left and right. Wriggles took down Starlyte with a hit so nasty, he had to be dragged off like a sack o’ soggy bones – another serious injury for the Hex! Snagtooth, not wantin’ to be outdone, knocked Silk senseless – and the rats be cheerin’ like pirates on payday.

But the Hex? They ain’t the foldin’ kind.

Ron Cycles charged in and flattened Guttertail Grim right outta the match – sweet vengeance in motion!
And QuadrupleY, still buzzin’ from his earlier run, slammed into Scurvy Snoutspike, bustin’ him up good. Another rat down, another cheer from the bone choir!

The stands shook with every clash and even the rodent fans had to tip their tricorns to the fact: Today, the Hex brought harder bones and meaner fists.

When the final whistle blew, it were a narrow, but well-earned victory for Regeneration Hex.
Blood,bruises, pratfalls and a sprinkle o’ black magic – just the way the fans like it.

Final Score:
🧪Regeneration Hex:1
🐀 Skavern Scallywags:0



🥃Rum Looters : 🏴‍☠️ Buccaneers of the Infernal Depths

Fans:
🥃Rum Looters:8.000
🏴‍☠️The Buccaneers of the Infernal Depths:6.000


🏴‍☠️⚓️“Rum, Revenge, and the Rattle ofBroken Dreams” – No Points, Just Pain

Right from the first step onto the pitch, the air stank of rum and blood. The Rum Looters swaggered in with that roguish charm only a crew can muster when they know how to tap a barrel and a skull in one smooth motion.
The Buccaneers of the Infernal Depths cracked their teeth and growled – but before the ball was even in the air, the crowd erupted like a keg in a furnace.

A wild wave of chaos crashed over the sideline, sendin’ Deckscrubber Dawkins and Salty McStubby straight into the dirt —like Nyx himself had reached up and pulled ‘em below deck.
Welcome to Sea of Nyx, ye lovers of fine blades and dirty boots.

Jolly Roger Rumrooter nabbed the pigskin early and started his jig – or as close to a jig as ye can manage when every other soul’s got a hook aimed at yer guts.
Then the match descended into that delightful madness only two pirate crews can create.
Ruford “Blunderbuss” Norman first rattled Davy Doubloon’s teeth,then, seekin’ escape, tangled himself in his own ghost stories and crumpled to the turf.
No one near to catch him. Just the breeze, a wheezy whistle and the kind o’ injury that earns a free grog in every dockside tavern — as a cautionary tale.

The Looters hacked, the Buccaneers bit back: Clumb“Tigershark” McCloggins cut into the fray and laid Salty McStubby out for a long, painful pause. Reefwrecker Robbins blasted through like a figurehead with issues.

Then it happened. The air turned heavy with citrus, tar, and tragedy.
Manny Maroonbritches took aim — and sent Hayley “Nightmare” Quinn on her final voyage.
A gasp. A cry. Then silence.
And then, the game rolled on – as it always does on this cursed turf.

The Buccaneers tried to seize the rhythm: Carolyn “Four Teeth” Lynx tucked Timbershiver Tim in for a deep nap with some bloody dreams. Somerton “White Hair” Hamilton cleared out two Looters and turned the heat up. But the ball — that cursed lump o’ leather — was the slipperiest beast on the field.

With the Looters, then in the mud, then in hands that wanted no part of it.
PegLeg Jennings picked it up and ran a fair stretch, only to be swallowed by the storm.
Leta “The Hawk” Lea dove headfirst right when she shouldn’t’ve, and the ball bounced like a drunken gull.
A gold tooth hit the wood. The crowd howled.

☠️Second Half – New Bruises, OldScores

The second act started with a twitch and a prayer:
A smooth hand-off, a glint of hope — and BAM!
The same wall of greed and fury sent ‘em packin’.

Cabin Boy Richard clocked in for overtime and hauled Carolyn off the pitch.
Beldon “The Idiot” Ward got a bit too close to a starfall and saw more than stars.
Wayne the Insane surged forward, only for Aldred “Savage Soul” Reks to ice the Tigershark with a crunch heard ‘round the harbor.

Cody “The Rat” Hartford had the ball almost secure –
But “almost” in Blood Bowl’s just another way to say “Not today, mate.”

And so the game swayed like a ship in a storm.
Every inch forward met with a pull back.
Every open lane turned into a pile o’ limbs and bad decisions.

No flags. No whistles of joy. Just smoke,splinters, and snarls.
The match ended the way all true sailor’s tales do — with no glory, but plenty o’ scars.

Final Score:
🥃Rum Looters:0
🏴‍☠️The Buccaneers of the Infernal Depths:0



⚓️Keelhaul Kickoff Club : ⛵️ Ship of Fools

Fans:
⚓️Keelhaul Kickoff Club:12.000
⛵️ Ship of Fools:5.000


⚓️🎭"Stormy Skirmish and a Single Strike"

The skies be smilin’ like a dockhand three mugs deep in grog and the stands? Well, they be drownin’ in Keelhaul Kickoff Club colors, their chantin’ ringin’ louder than cannon fire at dawn.

The kickoff came from the Ship of Fools and right outta the gate, Polly soared up and nabbed the high-flyin’ ball with the ease of an old seabird chasin’ fish.
Then – BAM! – the first scrap erupted and it were clear this match’d taste like brass, brine, and busted bones.

Bob the Big Baby rumbled through mid-pitch like a storm-fattened whale, Limpin’ Larry danced round his first mark like a one-legged jester and Dörte cleared a flank like a pro with a cleaver.

But then came the first real groan from the crowd – Dromio,sharp as a boarding hook, crashed into Kevin Klumpfoot with a hit that made the healers scramble faster than rats from a torch.
The Kickers were forced to reshuffle and the Fools smelled blood in the brine.

Dogberry added insult to injury, sendin’ Half of Herbert off to the surgeon’s tent.
The pitch turned to bedlam – bodies crashin’, elbows flyin’ and even the fans got involved, givin’ Clown a not-so-gentle welcome to the sidelines.

Amidst the chaos, the ball flapped ‘round like a stubborn gull in a gale – Falstaff had it, but Dörte scythed him down like seaweed at low tide. Cookie scooped up the leather and the cutter was back on course.
A smooth step, a clean pass to Scurvy Bastian, and the flank looked open…
That wave may’ve crashed short, but the sea was risin’.

Next kickoff – and the KKEC coaching crew had their signs flyin’ like semaphore in a storm.
This time, it all clicked like a loaded flintlock: Cookie snatched the ball from the turf, Polly pulled defenders wide, Scurvy Bastian carved through the lines like a sabre in sailcloth and The Beardless Nick barred the back like a locked hatch.

Dromio and Dromio Also got sat down like naughty cabin boys and Clown tripped over his own boots.
That’s when Bob the Big Baby did what he does best: cleared the bloody road.
Cookie stayed cold as a widow’s stare – one feint, a sidestep, another lunge – and BOOM! Touchdown for the Keelhaul Kickoff Club!
The stadium shook like someone’d cut the anchor chain loose!

The Fools came out growlin’ – no more laughin’ now.
Launcelot Gobbo found his fury and decked Cookie on his way off the pitch, sendin’ him to the locker room early.
Nick Bottom brought the hammer in tackles, but couldn’t find the scent o’ the ball to save his soul.
Sludge saw stars for a beat, but clung to the bench like a barnacle to hull.

Limpin’ Larry held the center like an anchor in a squall, while Hansi Hook and Scurvy Bastian kept sweepin’ clean behind the front.
And when things got messy?
Bob the Big Baby showed up big – like a tide risin’ to swallow a skiff.

The Fools tried, aye, but the gaps just weren’t there.
They’d crash the line, only to find it turned to stone.

The final whistle blew on a match that felt less like a game and more like a tug-o-war between two briny wrecks, groanin’ with every pull.

Final Score:
⚓️Keelhaul Kickoff Club:1
⛵️ Ship of Fools:0

🌊 The Dreadwake Leviathan : 🐺 Wolfsblood Reavers

Fans:
🌊The Dreadwake Leviathan:10.000
🐺 Wolfsblood Reavers:7.000

🌫️🐙"Fog, Fury, and the Ghost of Vengeance"

Good evenin’, ye brine-sniffin’ barnacle-brains! Today, the tides trembled as the Dreadwake Leviathans and Wolfsblood Reavers stalked outta the mist like legends carved from salt and steel.

The skies were clear, but down on the pitch?
The sea was screamin’.

Right off the bat, Captain Verek Hollowtide grabbed at the slick-slick leather, fumbled like a fish outta net, caught it again and charged forward with boots heavy as anchors.
The crowd roared, but the Leviathans rolled in like a thunderhead — Krusk Wavebreaker barreled through, slipped, staggered, slipped again — but kept on with the stubbornness of a rusted cannonball.

Then came the first true crack of war:
Gorethump Grinbarrel plowed through Edda Crowbone like a wave through driftwood.
Silence.
The Reavers’ bench raised arms, the healer sprinted and the match took on that lead-gray taste only found in the Sea of Nyx, where glory and grief drink from the same cup.

The center of the pitch turned to a proper maelstrom.
Selka Veil spun like a cutlass, Skreech the Unhinged saw stars and Velra Doomwake wasn’t far behind.
But these Leviathans? Creatures of the deep. They don’t sink. They drag ye down.

Corvus Grime, grim as a flooded bilge, swept aside Old Morn Gallows, then Captain“Wretch” Vale and finally Bastin Hollowglen — who didn’t get backup.
A gasp swept the stands, the drums fell silent for a heartbeat, and somewhere in the crowd, a sailor lost his chain in a bet he’ll never mention again.

The Reavers tried to sail wide: The Widow Salt danced the sideline, Vex of the Shrouded Isle jabbed with venom and Thorne Blackjaw bit back with a grin full o’ iron.

But every time they caught the wind, a Leviathan fin rose to meet ‘em: Drog“No-Neck” Huller threw boulders for shoulders, Barnak “Barnacle”Stenn sealed the leaks and Nix “Ghostfeet” Halberd darted like shadow across wet rope.

Then, momentum swung again: KarnTallowbane sent Thresha “Riptide” Vox driftin’ into bloody dreamland and Selka Veil carved a new path with steel and spite.

The ball danced, spun, bounced like a cursed doubloon — and at last, The Widow Salt seized it.
The clock bit into the final seconds of the match. Both sides gasped for air, sweat stingin’ in salt and silence.

Over it all: the taste of unfinished vengeance.

Scoreboard? Still empty.
But don’t be fooled, mates. This ain’t no “nil-nil”. This be a dirge of the deep, a thunderin’ sea shanty of blood, steel, and drowned wrath and if the second match be anything like this… The groundskeeper best bring a harpoon and a holy scroll.

Final Score:
🌊The Dreadwake Leviathan:0
🐺 Wolfsblood Reavers:0



3. League table

P

Team

W

D

L

TD+

TD-

Points

1

🏴‍☠️ Buccaneers of the Infernal Depths

1

1

0

2

0

4

2

🥃 Rum Looters

1

1

0

1

0

4

3

🌊 The Dreadwake Leviathan

1

1

0

1

0

4

4

🐺 Wolfsblood Reavers

1

1

0

2

0

4

5

⚓️ Keelhaul Kickoff Club

1

0

1

1

1

3

6

🧪 Regeneration Hex

1

0

1

1

2

3

7

🐀 Skavern Scallywags

1

0

1

1

1

3

8

🍝 Jah Pastafari

0

1

1

1

2

1

9

🧟 The Drowned Revenants

0

1

1

1

2

1

10

⛵️ Ship of Fools

0

0

2

0

3

0


4. Next Matches

⛵️Ship of Fools : 🧪 Regeneration Hex

🏴‍☠️The Buccaneers of the Infernal Depths : 🍝 Jah Pastafari

🐀Skavern Scallywags : 🥃 Rum Looters

🌊The Dreadwake Leviathan : 🧟 The Drowned Revenants

🐺Wolfsblood Reavers : ⚓️ Keelhaul KickoffClub





5. Transfer List



🌊The Dreadwake Leviathans bought NewPlayer2 for 95 Gold. He is now called Krusk “Wavebreaker” Malrin.
🐀Skavern Scallywags bought NewPlayer7 for 20 Gold. He is now called Barnacle-Bite Skreek.
🐀 Skavern Scallywags bought NewPlayer8 for 20 Gold. He is now called Scurvy Snoutspike.




6. Messages



I be postin' a right sightly reward fer the murderous scum what did in our beloved crew member, Kenny Crow Nest. Aye, they laid him low, the poor soul. A bit too low, if ye ask me. But this be the kind 'O scum we be dealin' with. There be no truth to the scandalous rumors floatin' 'bout how Kenny was supposedly seen riflin' through me ship's lobster catch. No clams changed hands twixt me and Keelhaunt Kade before the match. To the bottomless deep with yer scurvy accusations! Now, where's me rum?! ARRRRRRRRRR!

~GlueBeard (Rum Looters)



You loot me rum and you will pay dearly you reprobates.

~Wadham “No Knees” Lynx (The Buccaneers of the Infernal Depths)



To all the managers out there. Dörte spillen blood an developed a taste for it. If yo don wanna be one of ya fellas be smashed like a bug under a the heel of a fine polished boot. Sent me some coins of yours and we consider spare some bones next time.

~Cpn. Fuzzymouth (Keelhaul Kickoff Club)



Arrr! Tis' team be rumblin' with cutlass creases, but we be' plungin' backin action, Yarrrrr!

~Avast-Ye Scurvee (Regeneration Hex)





7.Rumors



Someone steal my loot, I will steal your soul.



If'n ye know what's best fer ye, ya best be visiting the “Sea of Nyx League” website at:
https://seaofnyx.com/

Image description

Fair warning, ye blasted landlubbers!

Don't be believin' everythin' yer eyes be seein', in that Sea of Nyx League propaganda piece they be shovin' down yer throats. The view be quite different from the Isle of GlueBeard. Aye. 

If it be pure, unvarnished truth ye be lookin' fer, then take a trip to me isle. Me glue factory be springin' a leak, same as always, so watch yer blasted step!



Newcomers these scallywags be. Aye. They don't be knowin' the first thing 'bout piratin' nor gettin' a handegg down the field. Pretend pirates, they be, ever last clam-shuckin' one of 'em. ARRRR!



That sea hag, Hayley “Nightmare” Quinn, she be troublin' none 'O us, no more. Me Rum Looters sent that beached whale on a date with Davy Jones, hisself. Aye, poor Davy!

HAR DEE HAR HAR!



Laugh, damn yer souls, ye confounded bottomfeeders!



Ye need to do no more than squeeze yer eye onto the Messages section 'O the Sea of Nyx League trash ye been readin' to discern that these other wretched excuse fer teams be saddled with sea cows fer managers. Aye.



That slagheap Sea of Nyx League be limitin' me words to a pithy five hundred characters. It be a travesty 'O sea justice, I tell ya. The league commissioner, Stefan Snootypants, he be aimin' ta do me in. He's been sniffin' me glue, if'n ye ask me. I be stifled - nay, suffocated - with such a meager ration 'O the verbal rum. Which is why I be havin' me own island. Aye.



I not be drinkin' their salty sea water, salt 'O the Earth that I be. Been thinkin' 'bout showin' ye around me isle a bit. Aye, the grand tour! Not so fast, though. Not so dad-burned fast, barracuda breath!



The likes of ye be gettin' on me nerves, already. I need me rum!



And that foul Jah Pastafairy bunch, don't be fallin' prey to their voluminous lies and their pastel pantaloons. That raving loon 'O a manager of theirs, Earl Tupper the Scupper, be a real hole. Aye, he do, indeed! Shortest noodle in the whole box, guaranteed.



I be down to me last twelve doubloons - what a poverty-stricken league this be. ARRRR!



Even now, rumors spread that they be comin' to haul one 'O me crew away in shackles and chains, plannin' to sell 'em like chattel, and all on the pretense that I not be payin' me debts to the blasted loan sharks that always be circling me like gnats at a picnicThe grubby dawgs!



I'm so mad, I can't think straight. This be what a lack 'O fine rum do to a man, even to a man as sturdy as GlueBeard, finest pirate to ever sail the Seven Seas. Aye.



I see that old Snootypants done went and tried to stack the deck against me and me crew, by scheduling us to face off against those blind walruses that go by the name 'O Skavern ScallywagsBring it on, ye secondhand deckhands, ye poopdeck swabbers!



And bring yer caskets with ye. None 'O ye be deservin' a proper burial at sea! They can just toss yer corpses out with the rest 'O the trash.



HAR HAR HAR!

Image ad for Paper Dreams: A History of Play-by-Mail Gaming

* Editor's Note: I found this book review of David K. Spencer's Paper Dreams: A History of Play-by-Mail Gaming over on the HMGS website (Historical Miniatures Gaming Society). It's not a long review, but it's still the longest review that I've read for that book. Click on the orange link above to read it. You can also go here to read other book reviews by the HMGS editor, Russ Lockwood.



Separate and apart from what Russ had to say about Paper Dreams, there are a couple of short reviews of this book by Brendan Weir and Rick Buda, which can be read here.



Additionally, gaming icon Steve Jackson (yes, that Steve Jackson) chimed in about the book over on the Warehouse 23 website. He wrote a brief blurb about it. Steve Jackson also wrote the foreword for Paper Dreams.



Back in May of this year, PBMer Slavgaard put Paper Dreams on his wish list. PBMer Talos read through the book and declared it to be awesome. A couple of months back, PBMer Trebormills said that he was enjoying his read of this book. Not sure if he ever resumed reading after Page 49, but PBMer Hammer considered Paper Dreams to be a tedious read for him. Their comments about Paper Dreams were posted in different areas of the PlayByMail Discord chat server.



I, myself, have not read nor browsed through the book. I don't buy books in paper format for myself, anymore. In this day and age, why Paper Dreams is only available in paper format is beyond me. It's one of the few books ever written about play by mail gaming, yet it's not available in digital format, here in the Digital Age? Well, that's one way to ensure that less people will pick up a copy than otherwise might. The chosen price point of $17.95 on Amazon is another. Taken together, that's what they call a double whammy.



Some of you out there reading this who aren't mentioned here may have also read or browsed this book. If so, be sure to write in and let PBM Chaos and its readers know what you thought about David Spencer's Paper Dreams: A History of Play-by-Mail Gaming.

I have no doubt that the book was well-researched, probably as well-researched as any book about play by mail gaming could be. The stark reality is that the vast bulk of PBM gaming's historical record vanished right along with people's lack of willingness to preserve their respective portions of that historical record. Can you imagine the absolute nightmare that it would be to try and do research all these many years later for hundreds of individual PBM games, PBM companies, and PBM GMs who no longer exist, many of which ceased to be decades ago - before the Internet even came into existence?



Kudos from me to David Spencer for his writing this book. Not many are so bold and daring as to even attempt to write a book about play by mail gaming, much less a history of it. You don't even see me attempting such a feat, and I write about PBM gaming all the time (or so it sometimes seems). David's got big literary cojones to tackle PBM's history in book form. The stuff not in it is the very stuff that I'm sure that he would have loved to have touched on, but in order to do that, you've got to have access to it, and PBM's history isn't exactly the most well-documented of things to aid in doing research about it, and especially so very far after play-by-mail's heyday came and went.

The PBM Maze image ad

Turn #4 Results Are In!

A boon! The maze vision of all maze runners has increased! The gods be praised!



Maze Runner #1 has experienced an encounter.



Maze Runner #2 has experienced both an encounter and some bad thoughts.



Maze Runner #3 has experienced an encounter. A magical event!

Maze Runner #4 has been twiddling his thumbs while strolling through the maze without incident.



Maze Runner #5 has experienced an encounter.

Maze Runners

Stefan

Life Force

Image description

Maze Vision = 225

Gold Pieces = 7

Maze Runner 1

Maze Runner 1 - Turn 4 Orders

Image description

Maze Runner 1 - Turn 4 Results

Image description

Just your luck - a dead end. What you really needed was a map. You prayed silently for this maze to not go on forever.

Deep down inside, you knew, you just knew, that it didn't.

Or did it?


It seemed. . .unworldly. Somehow. Yet, something was odd. You just couldn't lay your finger on it.

Lost in a sea of thoughts in your mind, you almost overlooked a small pouch mostly obscured behind a large spider web in a
corner of the dead end.

Carefully, you retrieved it, after crushing the spider with your boot. Gold!

7 gold pieces. It wasn't a fortune, but it was certainly better than nothing.

Hey, maybe this maze wasn't such a bad place, after all.

Rob

Life Force

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Maze Vision = 215

Gold Pieces = 10

Soul Meter

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Weapon = Short Sword = 1d6

Maze Runner 2

Corpse Robber

Maze Runner 2 - Turn 4 Orders

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Maze Runner 2 - Turn 4 Results

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Another dead end. Was there no end to this madness?

Taking that gold off of that dead body still tugged at you. It gnawed at your soul.

But the sword lying before you, just propped up against the wall, cried out to you, begging you to make it your own. You retrieved it!

Who knows what dangers lurk within the endless corridors of this wretched maze? At least now, you've got a fighting chance, should some foul creature come your way with evil in its heart or mischief on its mind.



For some reason, a fleeting thought crossed your mind, as you imagined yourself, sword in hand, boldly attacking another maze runner dressed just like you, should you cross paths with them in this maze.

Steve

Life Force

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Maze Vision = 225

Gold Pieces = 17

Magic Items

Scroll of Teleportation

Maze Runner 3

Maze Runner 3 - Turn 4 Orders

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Maze Runner 3 - Turn 4 Results

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You weave, you wind, you lose your mind - or so it seems, as you cluelessly continue to sort your way out of this place. A Maze of Madness, you think to yourself.



It was then that you rounded the corner to the dead end where something happened to you. Suddenly and without warning, a bright light and a puff of smoke conspired to instantly elevate your level of confusion.



You were dazed, and it took you longer than it should have to fully return to your senses. It was then, and only then, that you noticed something in your hand.



Some kind of odd-feeling parchment. It was rolled up. You opened it to get a better look at it. On it were some words



The words said that it was a Scroll of Teleportation. You had never heard of such a thing, before. Was it real, or just a prank.



You dared not speak the words out loud, for they informed you that it was a special one-use item, and that it could be used to teleport you through a wall in the maze.



But if you did use it, and if it did work, what then? Was it intended as a help or a hindrance, as a blessing or a curse?



And what becomes of men who dabble in the arts of magic?



NOTE: To use on your turn orders that you intend to use it, just write Scroll of Teleportation, and indicate movement on your turn orders map segment through a wall segment that you want to move through - and continue moving in that set of turn orders as far as your maze vision will allow, or as far as you want to within your movement limits for that turn. This Scroll of Teleportation is a one-way trip through a wall of the maze. There are no guarantees that it will work, or that there will not be side-effects, be they positive or negative, for using it.

Richard

Life Force

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Maze Vision = 235

Gold Pieces = 10

Maze Runner 4

Maze Runner 4 - Turn 4 Orders

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Maze Runner 4 - Turn 4 Results

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Brendan

Life Force

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Maze Vision = 235

Gold Pieces = 7

Maze Runner 5

Maze Runner 5 - Turn #4 Orders

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Maze Runner 5 - Turn 4 Results

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You've walked all this way, only to encounter a dead end.

But you're pleasantly surprised by a small table with gold pieces stacked neatly on top of it, at the end of this particular maze passage.

But was it a trap?

After pausing for a bit and looking it up and down a good bit, you decided to risk it.

Impetuous, this one do be
!

But nary a trap to be found. No nasty surprises surprised you, and after a quick count, you made off with 7 gold pieces.

Too bad that you couldn't buy a ticket out of this blasted maze with it.

Understanding the PBM Maze

In the original PBM Maze, I recall one player who the flood in the maze stood between him and a way out. Nothing, of course, stopped him from trying to swim underwater through a flooded corridor. If it wasn't too long of a swim, he might even make it - which he did. A little damage is better than death, wouldn't you say? Sometimes, it pays to try and think outside of the Box of Appearances.

In this version of the PBM Maze, at some point, maze runners might begin to encounter a variety of different "things" in the maze during their ongoing explorations, including one another. If anything, other than a wall, is in the maze passageways with you, then maze runners are free to seek out another path, try to pass right past whatever is in the maze with you, or to stay right where they are. At worst, your maze runner won't be able to make it past whatever blocks their way. That, and maybe you'll get attacked injured, captured, and/or killed.

And just for clarification's sake, getting eaten alive will likely result in immediate death to maze runners who suffer such a gruesome fate.

Encounters, whether planned or not, carry with them the potential for risk, reward, or both. Maze runners are equally free to pursue encounters or to try and void them. Generally speaking, your movement allocation will usually be the same, regardless of which course of action that your maze runner opts for. Many encounters you can avoid, but not all.

Because you can only move just so far each turn, and because you also don't usually know which way to go is the best way to go, the act of movement tends to be somewhat boring. This, too, is by design. Encounters, be they good or bad or neither, tend to provide a little more excitement or interest to a player's turn, compared to just moving.

The Maze Narrator doesn't care what your choices are. There's a decent chance that your maze runner won't make it out alive, or at all, no matter what you choose to do. Then again, there are "things" in the PBM Maze that can enhance or worsen your chances of survival and eventual exit.



In case you haven't noticed, yet, the red question marks that represent encounter locations tend to be located in dead ends in the maze. This makes them easy to try and avoid them, if you prefer maximum opportunity to practice your avoidance skills.



Poor Brendan, however, has now encountered a far worse kind of dead end, and now he faces the prospect of having to backtrack the way that he came. Tsk. . .tsk. . .tsk. . .



It's hard to make a lot of progress, when find yourself in such situations. I leave it to the players to decide what direction for their maze runners to head off in. 7 gold pieces, Brendan. Was it worth it? Brendan started a turn after all of the other players, so it took him 3 turns worth of movement to arrive where his maze runner is now.



Will the increased maze vision enable him to backtrack faster than his original movement limitations allowed him to reach his first encounter? Maybe. I really can't say, because I really don't know. Sure, we all now how far that he can move in the coming turn, but when he receives his next set of turn results back, will his increased maze vision remain intact?



Are these Understanding the PBM Maze articles helpful, at all? Or am I giving away too much info, sharing way too many details?

Thus far, everyone's Life Force remains intact. No physical injuries have been sustained, as of yet. Poor Rob, though. We've barely even started, yet, and already, he's earned a reputation as a corpse robber. Plus, his Soul Meter has been activated, and his soul has taken a hit. However, possibly in his favor is his finding of a sword.



Is it a cursed sword, though? Or is it just a run of the mill ordinary sword? If you were the one stuck in a maze like this, would you prefer to go about armed with a weapon?



What about bad thoughts, though? Yeah, that's kind of interesting, isn't it. Maybe it's just words, with no real meaning nor consequence behind it.



Or maybe bad thoughts in the PBM Maze portend bad things about to happen. Robbing corpses in the maze might yield bad maze karma.



Or perhaps it matters more who or what you rob, than just the mere act of robbing, in and of itself. There's more than one way to lose your way in the PBM Maze.

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* All Hyborian War content and images copyright © Reality Simulations, Inc.

Hyborian War for Beginners: Peace Treaties

"Beware the serpent-tongues ones, for they will bring about your kingdom's downfall.
If done by your own hand and cooperation, all the better."

Charles Mosteller

If you intend to play Hyborian War, then you really do need to understand the significance of peace treaties in the context of the game, and how they work - both for you and against you.

Peace treaties are both a defensive weapon and an offensive weapon in your arsenal of tricks. At least, they can be - but only if you choose to utilize them like that. They are not mere trinkets which exist in name only, and to always go unused. Rather, they were designed into the crafting of this game that is Hyborian War, in order for players to try and use when and where they want to use them, to the degree possible.

If you're new to Hyborian War, then you really should consider heading on over to The Road of Kings forum site, where there's enough advice and lamentations about Hyborian War to keep you busy reading for a good long while. A word of caution, though - take everything that you read there with a grain of salt. And I mean everything! There's some damned fine advice scattered throughout that forum, and likewise and in lesser measure, you can stumble upon the most god-awful advice that man ever penned.

Some very experienced Hyborian War players have a bad habit of trying to convince people about what those at RSI supposedly intended, when they designed the game, originally, several decades ago. They like to claim that RSI intended this, or RSI intended that. None of them have ever worked for RSI, and none of them speak for RSI. Do not ever allow yourself to be beguiled by these bronze-tongued devils. For if you do, your kingdom and your empire may well pay the price for embracing the foolishness about peace treaties that they spout.

They
are not looking out for your kingdom. Rather, they're looking out for their own kingdoms. Don't be their dupe! For they know full well that peace treaties in the hands of someone who knows how to use them can bring even the mightiest of kingdom's invading armies to a screeching halt (other than barbarian kingdoms' armies during an Ice Age). Just because you're new to the game doesn't mean that you have to be the fool, even and especially of very experienced Hyborian War players.



That some of them are well-practiced in their deceit and deceptions about how peace treaties and other things were "originally intended" (ahem!) should never be confused with the actual

truth. That they choose to get lost in their own little worlds of pretend does not mean that you are obliged to accompany them there. If they'll lie to you about peace treaties and about what those who designed the game originally intended, what all else will they lie to you about?



What they seek is to gain advantage, while simultaneously inflicting disadvantage upon you and your kingdom. Make no mistake about it, some can be smooth, and slick, and sugary-tongued, but none of that makes what they're actually saying any the more persuasive. Their canned, scripted, and hollow lines of argument don't really require a lot of time and effort to see right through, if you approach them with a modicum of scrutiny and a healthy measure of skepticism.



As long as you have a kingdom locked into a peace treaty, it cannot invade your kingdom. Period. Peace treaties have to be negotiated, though - and the negotiation has to be successful, or else you're shit out of luck, as my Daddy used to say.

Some veteran players even counsel that peace treaties can sometimes be gained, by way of paying tribute - even without sending any characters to negotiate peace. I've never tried that technique, myself. If it's a peace treaty that I'm after, and particularly if it is A-Grade-critical that I get it, it's no time to go skimping on sending forth characters to engage the enemy with diplomacy.

And just so that you know, any character that your kingdom has can be dispatched for the purpose of negotiating peace. Sending multiple characters to negotiate peace treaties in a given turn is allowed, as is sending every character in your possession and awaiting the issuance of orders, if need be. It will be a dark day, indeed, if you skimp on your negotiate peace attempts, only to then find that your meager and insufficient half-efforts have left your kingdom falling flat on its ass and losing provinces that additional (N)egotiate (P)eace orders might have prevented.

How badly do you want to hold on to those provinces that collectively comprise your kingdom? You sure don't want your kingdom cut in half, and all because you shortchanged your own kingdom's diplomatic efforts during crucial turns of play.

Other players of Hyborian War will try every trick in the book, including trying to make you feel guilty, because you try to negotiate peace with their kingdoms. What they want is to sink their fangs into your kingdom at the first opportunity. The very ones who denounce peace treaties the most are the very ones who resort to them whenever it serves their twisted, selfish purposes.

Some players will whine incessantly about how the name of the game is Hyborian War, not Hyborian Peace. Yet, it was Reality Simulations, Inc., good old RSI, that designed and implemented peace treaties and the negotiating of peace and the paying of tribute to obtain peace into the play-by-mail game called Hyborian War. Hyborian War is, indeed, a wargame, but it is also a nuanced game that incorporates elements and aspects of peace into its overall fabulous design.

Until and unless RSI ever chooses to make changes to the way that Hyborian War is intended to work, every player is free to avail themselves of all of the game's rules and mechanics - as much as they want to, as many times as they want to.

Hyborian War also features something known as Peace Years turns. That's not the same thing as peace treaties. Peace Years turns are when your kingdom tends to get the vast majority of new characters and an influx of troops gained via troop levies from home provinces controlled. Another way to obtain new characters, whether during Peace Years turns or during War Season turns is by sending your kingdom's Chancellor and/or Adjutant-General adventuring. If those two characters go adventuring and die, and only those two characters, then the game will provide automatic replacements for them. You won't ever receive "automatic replacements" for characters any other way.



In Hyborian War game number HW-835, sending my Chancellor and my Adjutant-General adventuring on Turn #1 of that game actually proved to be the only new characters that my received during that very short 2 years of peace turn. Take note of how I managed to pick up both a new Adjutant-General with a Diplomacy spell and a new Chancellor with a Fire Wall spell. Luck and fortune doesn't always smile on your kingdom so brightly, but it's definitely one possible way to increase your kingdom's diplomacy capability - one well worth considering.

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Click here if you would like to see my entire first turn for Pictland in HW-835.

Peace Years turns last only one turn, but occur multiple times over the course of an entire game of Hyborian War. Peace treaties, on the other hand, only last until the next Peace Years turn, or until you break a peace treaty that you have on another kingdom by invading them. If you do that, though, you also run the risk that they might then invade you, since you have effectively destroyed the otherwise-impenetrable defensive barrier that a successfully negotiated peace treaty provides you.

Now, if there are multiple different kingdoms that you want to slap peace treaties on, then you have to successfully negotiate peace treaties with each and every one of them, individually. In practice, this is usually harder to pull off successfully than it sounds. Just successfully negotiating peace with Aquilonia doesn't mean that Cimmeria or some other kingdom can't invade you. And here's the kicker - some kingdoms in Hyborian War have far better diplomacy assets than other kingdoms do.

But how do you use peace treaties, an inherently-defensive tool, offensively? By going on the offense and actively and energetically negotiating peace left and right with various other kingdoms. When I play Hyborian War, I even tell other players upfront that I use peace treaties like weapons. I dole them out like candy. They can whine, and whimper, and bitch, and moan, and groan, and raise hell all that they want to, to no avail. It's not my place to take mercy upon them, and particularly if they are my kingdom's enemies.

What it is is that they know full well that if I slap a peace treaty on their ass, then they can either sit there and be bored for a whole set of war seasons, or they will have to turn their greedy eyes elsewhere, and begin making preparations for war where their kingdom can possibly make progress and conquests. Otherwise, their kingdom won't grow, and if your kingdom doesn't grow, then your kingdom can't really obtain momentum.

Hyborian War players, especially experienced players more so than newbies to the game, tend to be lacking in patience. Successfully negotiating peace with them will really test their patience, especially in the early game phase of Hyborian War. They hate, they literally hate, being bored, and hog-tying them with a peace treaty is one sure-fired way to make them squeal in indignation.

After all, if they had planned all along to invade your kingdom, initially, but you then go and toss a monkey wrench into the works of their plans and their little schemes, by successfully negotiating a peace treaty with them, then they will then usually seek to come up with a new set of plans, just so that their kingdom doesn't just sit there because it can't invade your kingdom. Just like hogs and goats that don't seem to care what they eat, Hyborian War players with the meat of experience on their PBM bones don't really tend to care what their kingdoms eat, as long as they're devouring provinces and growing.



If one peace treaty from you on them stops their armies dead in their tracks, then it's back to the drawing board for them - no matter how experienced of a Hyborian War player that they are.



And frustration is a tool that you can use against your Hyborian War enemies with great effect, many times. When they choose to allow themselves to become frustrated, they tend to become emotional, which often yields the side effect that their strategies and plans become more and more infected with an emotional foundation. The emotional side of players and their lack of sustained self-discipline are parts of what is referred to as the Meta-Game of Hyborian War.  The Meta-Game, which you won't find discussed in the rulebook of Hyborian War, anywhere, is at least as important, if not more so, to creating opportunities for you, when playing Hyborian War.



When you have 36 Hyborian War players playing in the same game, there tends to be a lot of testosterone and emotional excess in play, also. Learn to identify and to exploit these "player weaknesses," and there's a whole other level of fun and entertainment awaiting you, when you play Hyborian War.



If you want to achieve your kingdom's imperial goals, then you've got to conquer particular provinces. If you want to win the game, you'll quickly find that some degree of conquering provinces is typically involved. Experienced players of Hyborian War know that if their kingdom is stopped dead in its tracks due to peace treaties, where it's ability to conquer provinces in a timely manner is concerned, then other kingdoms will quickly begin to pass them in the game's victory rankings.

If you allow another player to trick you into not trying to negotiate peace with them, then prepare for your kingdom to be conquered and your peoples enslaved. Players will laugh at you behind your back, even as they count themselves clever for fooling you into acquiescing to whatever nonsense or propaganda that they spouted non-stop, in order to get you to refrain from sending your diplomats forth to lock their kingdom down with a cast iron peace treaty.

I don't fall for their trickery and their bullshit, so why should you? Some of these Hyborian charlatans even try to make out like it's a question of your honor being at stake, and that it is somehow dishonorable for you to do what the rules of the game expressly allow you to do - and to what extent. Those trying to beguile you into believing something that isn't true do not occupy the high moral ground to lecture anybody.



In the rules of Hyborian War, here is what the Introduction section specifically says, plain as day:

INTRODUCTION



Hyborian War is a game of imperial conquest in the age of Conan. You will wield the power of command over the destiny of the kingdom you have chosen, charting a course of battle, intrigue and diplomacy over the centuries of the Age. Virtually every tool of statecraft is at your disposal. These rules will give you an idea of the many options available. How you use them--even how many of them you use--is up to you.



For greater enjoyment and comprehension of Hyborian War,
it is suggested you first imagine all of the things you would like to
do in this game--aggressive and cautious alike--then refer to the rules to learn the best way of accomplishing those goals.



SOURCE: http://reality.com/hwintrod.htm

Other players look out for their own kingdoms' best interests all the time. You don't owe it to any other player of Hyborian War to bow down to their wishes. That some Hyborian War players may have years or decades more experience with Hyborian War does not mean that they outrank you and get to tell you what to do.

It's perfectly legitimate to be hard-nosed and to freely - and often - reject summarily out of hand demands and insistence by other players of Hyborian War to not negotiate peace with them. And when I say that they'll try every trick in the book to beguile and deceive you into buying in to their colorful word traps that they lay for you, I do mean every trick. So, you've go to be on guard, ALWAYS when playing Hyborian War. Don't you worry, though, because it doesn't really take all that long, at all, to begin to catch on how to "run with the big dogs" of Hyborian War. For the most part, they tend to be more bark than bite.



Additionally and just as important, just because you're new to Hyborian War doesn't mean that any other player, much less every other player, owes you a free pass. The first game of Hyborian War that I ever played, my Hyperborean adversary slapped peace treaties on my Kingdom of Asgard the first three sets of war seasons in a row. He sure as hell didn't take mercy or pity on me. Peace treaties worked the same way back then as they do now. RSI hasn't come up with any "special rules" for peace treaties since then. Don't bow before these peace treaty hypocrites who would seek to lecture you about why you should not slap a leash on them with peace treaties.

It's not their fault, though, if you allow yourself to be so utterly foolish as to think, even for so much as a mere moment, that they have your interests or your kingdom's interest at heart. Make no mistake, these Ssserpent-Tongued Ones will lay waste to your kingdom at the first opportunity.



And it's not like there's just one or two of them out there lying in wait, lurking in the shadows, prior to donning their respective Grima Wormtongue routines. If you fall for it, you have only yourself to blame. If you hope to have any real chance at doing well in the game, much less winning, then you have to relentlessly resist the temptation to oblige them. After all, the fate of your kingdom - and potentially, your empire - is at stake.



Let them crow and whimper and demagogue all that they want to about what RSI supposedly intended, originally. If you have any questions about something that they say, then just come and ask me. I'll be only too glad to tell you if they're full of shit or not.



Hyborian War is a great game. It's a fabulous game. Could it be improved upon? Certainly - but not by eliminating peace treaties outright.



Rather, the main problem with peace treaties is not that they exist in Hyborian War, but rather, the chosen manner in which RSI chose to implement them. Any player who has played any length of time, at all, can likely tell you that there are times when they can't seem to get a peace treaty on their enemies, no matter what. Their avoiding of influence attempts fail them, as does full tribute. But that "element of uncertainty" is one of the fires that always keeps Hyborian War burning.



If you need a peace treaty on a particular kingdom at a really crucial time, and you send characters to negotiate peace and at least one of them succeeds, it's a glorious feeling! You stopped the bastards. Hell, yeah!



And if you really need that peace treaty, but luck and fate and destiny are all against you, and you can't get a peace treaty to save your life, it really and truly sucks to fail to obtain that peace treaty that you just had to get, but didn't.



Taken together, those two feelings that lie at the opposite end of the emotional spectrum form a really nice ingredient for the game that is Hyborian War. When the same element of game design can be both blessing or curse, you're know that you're on to something good, where underlying game design is concerned.



In numerous different games of Hyborian War, I have flat out offered various other players an opportunity to fight without peace treaties. Rarely have they ever took me up on such benevolent offers. It's not like these very same false prophets of peace come running at the chance to play Hyborian War without peace treaties. It can be a really risky thing to bind yourself to your word, and make no attempts to negotiate peace with an enemy who may not bind themselves to an equal degree.

When they tell you that you should play Hyborian War, not Hyborian Pace, what real sacrifices are they willing to offer and make? Odds are that you are going to be offered a rather one-sided Faustian bargain, with you playing the role of Faust. If their offer is so good, though, then why do so many experienced players of Hyborian War not allow themselves to take the bait, much less swallow it hook, line, and sinker? Just because you're new to Hyborian War does not man that you have to make yourself easy prey.



If you're new to Hyborian War, then it stands to reason that you're also inexperienced - and not just in the rules and mechanics of the game, but in your dealing with other Hyborian War players - some of whom have been at it for decades on end, and rather clever devils, at that!



When you're new to Hyborian War, especially, you can ill-afford to put your kingdom on a chopping block, by tying your own hands of one of - if not the - most viable options that you have at your disposal. If you just go ahead and slap a peace treaty on those Hyborian War players who most don't want you to, then you can just let them go and talk to themselves in front of a mirror, because one peace treaty can sometimes be the very advantage that you seek, in your bid to stand on your own toes in the play by mail game that is Hyborian War.



Conan sure as hell wouldn't trust these Ssserpent-Tongued Ones, and neither should you.



The Hyborian Age is a cutthroat era. Don't be trusting. Be more like Conan the Barbarian, himself! It's a game, after all. Drink to the lees of fun, whenever you play Hyborian War. You do not owe fealty to these foreign kingdoms that the other players represent the interests of. What they seek is to entangle you in a verbal snare. Conquer them, don't allow them to disarm and conquer you through their deliberate misinformation campaigns!



Just because you're new to Hyborian War doesn't mean that you can't kick ass and take names. I wish you well, but luck is for the weak and unprepared. Long may the strength of your willingness to resist the words of your enemies endure, whatever form those conniving words may take!



The greater threat to you and your kingdom is not other kingdoms, but rather, the powers behind the thrones - aka the other players. Kingdoms in Hyborian War don't deceive you. Players do. Kingdoms don't stab you in the back. Players do. Kingdoms don't seek advantages over you. Players do. See the pattern, yet?



A strong will and a strong resolve can serve you well in Hyborian War, whether you're new to the game or not. Being ever on guard against all manner of different tricks and schemes and silver-tongued devils will serve your kingdom's interests much better than dropping your guard and watching your kingdom get dismantled before your very eyes.



To give up your kingdom's ability to wield peace treaties against other kingdoms is to engage in an act of unilateral disarmament. Far better to nuke the bastards with peace treaties, instead! The rules of the game are the same for every Hyborian War player, new or experienced. Experienced players of the game won't hesitate to utilize the advantage that their experience conveys against you to your kingdom's detriment, nor will they hesitate to exploit your inexperience or gullibility as a new player. 



Not every Hyborian War player is out to get you, but many are. Not in a personal sense, but in the context of the game. If they've been playing for years - or even decades - how many times do you think that they've practiced - and refined - the same old lines on other players? Or do you think that you just happen to be the first individual that they're trying out their attempts at

persuasion and verbal manipulation on?



When other players of Hyborian War talk to you, especially those playing in the same game with you, pay very close attention to exactly what they say - to every last tittle of it. Keep track of what they say, as well as how they say it. Some of them tell so many lies they can't keep track of them all. Routinely compare even the little things that they say to other things that they say. None of the players of Hyborian War sport halos. Some lie through their teeth, and others will take the long slow boat to shoving a knife through your back. Treachery, you see, is a part of both Hyborian War and the Hyborian Age.



The very first knife shoved in my back during my first game of Hyborian War taught me a lifelong lesson about this particular play-by-mail game, specifically, and about play-by-mail games, generally. I encourage you to avoid weakening your own hand, when giving Hyborian War a try. Willingly giving up your ace in the hole - peace treaties - is fraught with risks that a new player of the game can ill-afford. Do you prefer to learn the hard way or the easy way, where the fate of your entire kingdom is at stake?



One of the primary benefits of experience in Hyborian War is that it can help mitigate against both bad decisions and the weakening of one's own hand. If you're bereft of experience playing Hyborian War, by virtue of the fact that you're new and inexperienced, then that, alone, translates into weakness and vulnerability. Peace treaties are a tool that can help you to offset some of the advantage of others that stems from their acquisition of experience gained by playing Hyborian War over an extended period of time.



When you let other players of Hyborian War talk you into foregoing the use of peace treaties, and in due time the harsh reality of what ensues is visited upon you, what then will you do? It's easier to dig a hole for yourself than it is to dig your way out of one.



You can save yourself - and your kingdom - a lot of trouble and a whole world of hurt, simply by not making yourself an easy mark and willing prey. A willingness to give up the peace treaty option is one way that you can make yourself both mark and prey.



Be sure to join me in future issues of PBM Chaos, as I write additional articles in this Hyborian War for Beginners series. Hopefully, you might even learn a few things along the way!

DIPLOMATIC MISSIONS


Despite the continual war which rages
across the face of Hyboria, the world is not without diplomacy. Diplomatic missions are concerned with preventing or breaking off war, or allying with another kingdom in preparation for a war. A good diplomat can be as useful as any army,

as he may be able to turn aside the blades of your enemies before they cross your borders. All major forms of diplomacy can be performed by your characters within the context of the game itself, thus freeing you from any necessity to engage in outside "player-to-player" diplomacy.


Negotiate Peace: You may command any of your characters to act as emissaries between your kingdom and another kingdom to negotiate a peace treaty. If your character is successful, the kingdom that you send him to will sign a peace treaty forbidding an invasion of your kingdom. Such peace treaties last until the next peace years turn, after which all peace treaties expire. Nothing prevents your kingdom from invading a kingdom which has signed a treaty with you, though that effectively breaks the treaty. It is much more difficult to negotiate a peace treaty with a kingdom that already has an invasion force in one or more of your provinces. Note that peace treaties do not affect seazones.



SOURCE: http://reality.com/hwcmddip.htm

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PBM QUOTE

"When you review PBM games, rulebooks seem to drop through your letterbox every day and most are, to be honest, fairly dull."



- Mike McGarry

Quote from PBM Update

Computer Gamer - March 1987 Issue

Almost 40 Years Later

Charles Mosteller

This started out as an Editor's Note attached to the bottom of this issue's PBM Quote. It kept getting longer and longer, though, so I decided to include it in this issue as an article in its own right. It deals with one of my favorite PBM subjects to talk about - PBM rulebooks.



Almost 40 years later, PBM rulebooks continue to be dull. In fairness, though, are rulebooks for board games, card games, computer games, and video games less boring than rulebooks for PBM games?



Me? I hate having to read a bunch of rules, in order to try and figure out how to play any given PBM game. The struggle is real and intuitiveness in game design and game interface design are always in short supply in the PBM realm.

Granted, there are those who do enjoy reading through a bunch of dry rules. That's not most people, though. If dry and boring rulebooks were the key to turning things around for play by mail gaming, though, then PBM games should have been booming all along.


Are articles written about PBM gaming ever boring? Certainly. Guilty as charged! All writing comes with a challenge inherent in the written form of communication. How do you get someone's attention, pique someone's interest or curiosity, and persuade them to keep on reading to the very end?



Reading, itself, can be a pleasurable experience. If you are a PBM gamer, or if you've ever been one but aren't one any longer, tell me which is the more enjoyable of the two. Reading a PBM rulebook or reading your turn results?



Some PBMers routinely read lots of books. It is a pleasant - even invigorating - experience for them. Not me. Ironically enough, though, a lot of what I do read online tends to be stuff that many others would likely find to be very dry and boring stuff. Not so to me, though.



Perhaps it all goes back to our personal individual tastes, as well as what we have trained ourselves to do by virtue of our respective reading habits. As always, there's no accounting for personal taste.



Of course, our mindset probably plays a significant role in how receptive or not that we are to reading any particular PBM rulebook. I tend to go into it with a feeling of dread. Oh, no, not again! I view it to be a chore. I'm not very good, it seems, at deceiving my own mind into believing that reading a bunch of rules will help me to enjoy playing the game even more. My mind has a habit of thinking for itself, and it doesn't hesitate to call bullshit on such farcical notions.



Even in recent years, I've watched PBM companies approach the rewriting of certain PBM rulebooks, only to keep on repeating the exact, same mistakes that went into the initial writing of their rulebooks. It's Groundhog Day all over again!



::sigh::



Rearranging the words in documents that sometimes run several hundred pages isn't likely to cure the underlying problem that such undertakings tend to ignore, in their bid to have a new rulebook. Rulebooks don't tend to be how players interface with PBM games. Rather, they tend to be tomes of knowledge fit for collecting dust.



The acquisition of knowledge need not be an exercise in overdose upfront. What really sucks is reading a PBM rulebook, and still not understanding how to play the game. The amount of time that it takes for someone to read your PBM rulebook is also the amount of time that a newcomer to your PBM game has to decide that your PBM game isn't for them. What's good for the goose is good for the gander.



If a newcomer to PBM has to sit through a ritual and ordeal of reading that they find to be boring as hell, in order to play your supposedly "exciting game," then that's taking them in the opposite direction right from the get-go. Rather than engage the mind, it bores the mind, and the mind's natural defense is to seek out something else - anything else - that is not boring. Think about that the next time that you wonder why more people aren't playing your game, even if they give your game a try, and especially if they read part - or even all - of your dry ass rulebook.



If the initial premise of your PBM game grabs people's eyes, then that right there gives you a leg up on your competition. Me? I write about PBM gaming all the time. So, it definitely isn't the concept of PBM gaming that I find boring. To the contrary, it's really quite interesting stuff to me.



But those PBM rulebooks of yours? In most instances, not exciting at all. The level of boredom associated with such dreadfully boring events quickly turns the prospect of an exciting game into a graveyard dead experience.



Hello? Is anybody out there listening? Anybody at all?



The letters PBM stand for Play-By-Mail. It does not stand for Read-By-Mail, nor does it stand for Read-A-Bunch-Of-Boring-Rules.



Reading and Playing are two very distinct and different things. If newcomers to PBM "have" to read a bunch of rules before they can even play the game that you advertise to them, then why shouldn't they just read a book, instead?



To be or not to be? To game or not to game? To read or not to read?



Every issue of PBM Chaos that publishes, within the first hour after I make a new issue available, at least two to three dozen people grab a copy. They might read it cover-to-cover, or as one of the DungeonWorld players did not so long ago with a particular issue, they'll just skim it. Skimming is progress, compared to not partaking of issues of PBM Chaos, at all.



What about all of the skimmers out there who play games? What if they choose to just skim your PBM rulebooks? Will that suffice? And if not, what then? What's your Plan B?



And if your PBM rulebook is key to it all, key to newcomers understanding how to play - and enjoy - your PBM game, but your rulebook turns out to be a big, fat, stumbling block of words, what then?



PBM gaming can really and truly be a lot of fun. Reading PBM rulebooks, especially those dinosaurs that have been around for ages, tend to be more of a crucible. Why is it, again, that more people don't play PBM games? It's the Internet's fault?



One of the laments that I've encountered numerous times down through the years about video games and computer games becoming so much more popular than PBM games is the term "instant gratification." If that is the case, then how is the dense, dry, and boring reading material offered up by many PBM rulebooks likely to counter that trend?



With video games, you can just fire that baby up and start playing. What would video game sales figures look like, if video game designers required players to read dozens - or even hundreds - of pages of text, before they could start playing a new video game?



With video games, sure, you sometimes pay the iron price of dying, but even still, you can just learn as you go. You can, in fact, teach yourself how to play by way of investing time in playing that also incorporates the time spent dying, over and over and over, again.



Think about that term "instant gratification." Is it just and only about graphics? From my perspective, it's also about excuses. It's not as if PBM gaming has always been utterly bereft of graphics. PBM is a different medium of gaming, and with each medium of gaming, graphics poses a variety of different challenges. It's true for board games, card games, video games, computer games, and PBM games.



If gamers are addicted to graphics, then why haven't PBM companies embraced a more graphics' intense approach to their PBM game designs? It's not as if they haven't had decades -

literal decades - to adapt.


The computer game, Dwarf Fortress, came into existence after PBM gaming began declining. Yet, did it rise and becoming something of significance, because of its graphics?



And what about Minecraft? Talk about not being the height of graphics, for a clunky-looking game world made of blocks, it's done quite well for itself.



It used to be the case a long time ago that play by mail gaming provided many thousands of players with its own brand of "instant gratification." Your turn results envelope is in the mailbox? BAM! Instant gratification.



The PBM industry grew and grew and grew. Along the way, many PBM companies and PBM GMs came into existence. New PBM games flourished, with some also being quickly replaced by others, even as some maintained their persistent ability to attract new players.



Lots of PBM games became a flash in the pan. Some lasted quite a while. Today, what do we have left? More importantly, how well is the PBM brand represented on the stage of new PBM games created in any given year? Yet, people used to complain about Starweb winning awards. What's with the whole Soviet-era empty shelves approach, anyway? Is that working good for the PBM industry, currently?



Time is the most precious commodity of all. How long, again, does it take for PBM companies to bring fresh, new PBM games into existence? The lead time for PBM game development is how long?!


If you just stop producing new PBM games, you can avoid that lead time issue altogether, right? Pretty snazzy "solution," huh?



These days, PBM gaming isn't actually dead - not as in literally dead, 100%. It is, however, an industry which is surrounded by corpses on every side. Was there an extinction level event that took place that is to blame for it all? Or did decisions and inaction and a sharp decline in innovation also play a role in the long downward slope (which some might argue was actually more akin to falling off a cliff and plummeting) that leads to where PBM finds itself, today?



Is the PBM industry of today understaffed? Is research and development in the PBM industry mostly dead and underfunded? These are commonplace business considerations, aren't they?



Once the low-hanging fruit of PBM's golden era came to an end, what then?



If PBM gamers' taste changed, why did they change? Did PBM suddenly become boring overnight, where once it was overflowing with excitement? If the real reason that PBM began dying was the arrival of the Internet, then why is "instant gratification" blamed, and why had many PBM games died offer even well before the Internet arrived? And if "instant gratification" is what caused PBM's decline, why is the Internet getting blamed? Which is it? Which story is to be believed? The excuses kept changing over the years, hence why I ask.



Is it both? You mean to tell me that there were no internal forces at play that helped bring PBM down from where it was once perched? In any industry, both internal and external forces are always in play. How in-depth has the actual analysis of what happened to bring about PBM's decline as an industry and a hobby actually been? A quip here, a remark there, an article or two (maybe even a few) over a span that stretches decades in length. What about those PBM fly-by-nights that just took people's money and disappeared? That was going on well before anyone really started talking about the Internet, much less using it, wasn't it? Or are we allowed to remember and to do research for ourselves, if it runs contrary to whatever the accepted PBM narrative of the moment is. Furthermore, who gets to decide what the accepted PBM narrative of the moment is, and when did each of these multitude of excuses originate?



What's the actual truth and what's the propaganda? Allow me to rephrase that question. What's the actual truth, and what's the accepted version of events?



If you're running a PBM business that is profitable, but then you begin to transition to a PBM business that is not only not making money, but one that is losing (or hemorrhaging) money, then new realities have a way of dawning pretty darned fast.



Some things in life, none of us have any control over. Yet, simultaneously, it often remains a constant that there are some things in life - and in business - that we do have control over.



If the Internet had never come into existence, would the world be a better or worse place, today? If technological progress suddenly stopped, we would have the luxury of remaining stuck with what we currently had - and were limited to - way back when. Instead of technological progress, we would be more firmly "blessed" with technological status quo or technological stagnation. Is that what we really want?



If the commercial PBM industry has somehow managed to defy all odds and still survive over half a century since its inception, that tells me that a certain degree of resiliency exists within the PBM industry. How can that be expanded and built upon here in the modern era? Resiliency never goes out of style, and it always remains a fundamental advantage in the business world.



Was the Internet a curse for play by mail gaming? Or was it something else? In fact, do we even fully understand the Internet's potential for PBM, even now? Was there no money to be made by understanding and exploiting this technological innovation? Yeah, I know, many did try. Trying and doing successfully are two entirely different things, though, aren't they?



At one time, PBM gaming was a new idea. Later on, it became an old idea. Companies reinvent themselves all the time. Some have to in fact, if they want to survive, if they want to thrive.



But not always.



The Internet can be described many different ways. One way that I would describe it is as a force multiplier. It's just not self-executing, necessarily. It reminds me of how when people go to break a new horse in, and some horses instill substantially more fear or respect or awe in those who seek to tame them. How many times will that raging new stallion throw you off, before it accepts you riding it?



Even today, the PBM industry remains set in its ways. No, not in every last thing or way, but certainly, in some things and in some ways. This is just how it's always been. The more that PBM changes, the more that it remains the same, it seems. The Internet doesn't care if it's how you've always done it. New technology doesn't care about your old habits, your preferences, and your excuses.



New technologies can be scary. They can be intimidating. And they can sometimes even be mind-boggling confusing. Every established generation gets its turn to lock horns and fight with new technologies. Current generations now get to face the prospect of dealing with artificial intelligence, yet artificial intelligence is routinely billed, these days, as being more consequential than the Internet. And to think, PBM companies used to think that they had it bad, when the Internet began coming of age.

If the PBM industry wasn't prepared for the onslaught of technological change and potential opportunities that the Internet brought down on them at full bore, does anyone reading this seriously think that the PBM industry (or what's left of it) is now prepared for the even bigger technological tsunami-sized onslaught that artificial intelligence has in store for them? Anybody want to place any bets on the most likely outcome of this new match between the PBM industry and technological change that is shaping up to make the Internet's impact on the PBM industry look like small potatoes?



And just wait until quantum computing comes into its own. But that's another story for another day.



A few weeks back, PBM Patreon member GM Dan posted a comment on the PBM Patreon site. It said, "I think AI is closer than you think to changing the way we play RPG's of all types. Even if AI is just an aid during a game of DnD with friends or a more complex tool for handling the processes involved with an open world PBM/PBeM, it is not far off. I know this for a fact in my development of 'The Land' and how I am gradually getting the AI to take some of the workload off my shoulders."



New technologies are inevitable. Artificial intelligence has national security considerations attached to it, so it's not going anywhere but up, anytime soon. So, if we're forced to endure the bad things associated with artificial intelligence taking its place on the stage of technology, will we not at least embrace the good things associated with it?



Technological change is a constant of our everyday - and gaming - lives. The challenge to the PBM industry, both in the commercial and hobby sectors, is the harnessing of technology - both old technologies and new technologies. If you want to ride that inspiring stallion that is technology, and have it take you places that you've never been before, and to do so in grand style, then you can't do that just by admiring it from afar.



Looking at the array of PBM offerings on the market, today, I find myself wondering why the PBM industry is still riding mules.

Image ad for the Sharing of Information Game of Galac-Tac

Galaxy #223

The ongoing Saga of Galaxy #223 in Galac-Tac

The turn due date for Turn #1 is Friday, September 12!

A Glimpse At Galac-Tac Galaxy #223 After Game Creation

It's been a while, since I last played Galac-Tac, at all. Most of what little that I did know how to do, I have already forgotten. But that right there is small potatoes. For such knowledge can be acquired anew. All that I can really do is try, and if a dire and terrible end awaits my empire, I shall go down fighting.

Galaxy #223 is on a two week turn interval, which means that turn orders will get processed every two weeks - basically, twice a month, on average. This was voted on by the players in the game, and the two week turn interval option is what received the most votes. On the positive side, hopefully, it will provide all players in this game with an ample amount of time to figure out what orders that they want to issue, and to upload them to the Talisman Games website.

You can issue turn orders via either a web browser on the Talisman Games website, itself (after logging into the game that you're in), or via the GTac player assistant program. GTac comes in handy, but talk about a learning curve! It looks - and feels - a bit dated, but it is quite a capable little program. It's definitely worth learning to use, if you ever intend to give Galac-Tac a try, but using it and mastering it are two entirely different things. I'm not in danger of mastering it anytime soon, but I've got enough sense to discern that GTac is an empowering player aid.

And that's probably true for most of the players who signed up for this Sharing of Information game of Galac-Tac.Part of the reason for this special game of Galac-Tac is to try and help others who have never played Galac-Tac a glimpse at the game, as well as how players look at things from their respective perspectives.



Once your player account has been created and you have a joined a game of Galac-Tac that has started, you can log in to your player account on the Talisman Games website. To do so, go to this site address: http://www.talisman-games.com/



I'm gonna sign in, and you can see basically what I see. Care to tag along?



Click on any of the images, below, and you will be able to access a larger version of them.



You'll see where the page says Login Please, along with boxes to type in your User name and Password.

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You can see for yourself that Galaxy #223 is available as a link for me to click on, after I've logged in.



After logging in to Galaxy #223, the Talisman Games website will greet me by my player name.

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Next, I'll click on that Galaxy #223 link, and in the image below, you can see for yourself what the next screen looks like. This is the screen where a variety of options for viewing your turn results from the game's creation, seeing what empire assets that you start with, where your homeworld is located on the star map, how to design new ships, send messages, decide upon what actions/orders to issue for your empire, obtain suggested actions from the Galac-Tac program, and view your empire's shipyard.

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Whatever you do, though, don't click on that Drop Position button, because if you do, you will be dropped as a payer from the game, and you won't be able to rejoin it, if you do, once the game has already started.

Next, I'll click on View Reports.

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Next, I'll click on View Current Map.

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Next, I'll click on Ship Design Assistant.
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Next, I'll click on Enter/Edit Actions.

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Next, I'll click on View Current Shipyard.

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Next, I'll click on Suggest Actions.
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Next, I'll click on Messages.
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This concludes this glimpse at Galac-Tac. I hope that you enjoyed it.



Be sure to join me next issue, as I begin to issue orders for my empire in this game of Galac-Tac, the Yonds of Droon. Galaxy #223 awaits, with all of the good and bad that it holds in store for all players and empires in this game. See you then!

Galaxy #223 Player Blurbs

Player Blurb - Ajwan

Saydonia alone - our name is enough to strike fear into the hearts of our enemies, sir.

Player Blurb - Brendan

Brendoon, the leader of the Wyvern Supremacy looked out into space from the space station

that orbited his planet. His facial tentacles writhing in a mix of anxiety and anticipation. The

dark expanse of space he looked out upon seemed empty. He knew deep down that there

were planets out there, planets his people would soon be colonizing and draining of their

resources.



His people’s home planet of Achtara (86-72) still had resources that would last for centuries,

but in order to take to, and if needed, conquer the stars, they needed more. Their probes,

satellites and telescopes had found hundreds more worlds for them to take from.



His beak like mouth twisted and curled into what could only be called a smile, but lacked the

warmth, as he crossed his long spindly arms. Outside in the space lanes above his planet,

tens of ships suddenly disappeared in the haze of warp jumps. Their jumps left blowing

plasma in rings lazily spreading out from their departures.



The expansion of the Wyvern Supremacy empire had begun.

Player Blurb - Djinny

Greetings from the Kroji Konfederacy, situated in the newly renovated Home World of Taberna Suprema, conveniently located at 55-67. We offer the choicest colonies for your visiting pleasure, “window shopping” only. Sorry, no weapons are allowed on-site at any of our many locations. Our neighborhood shoppers collect the freshest PV and deliver it promptly to our many Departments for our preferred customers to enjoy. Not a Preferred Customer? Sorry! Try Galactic-mart down the street. Don’t forget to clip your digital coupon for 1 PI off on a rack of torpedoes, if you buy 5 before Wednesday. Have a nice diurnal revolution!



Greetings, fellow denizens of Game 223! I have been trying to view the start of the game as a newcomer would, and have run into a few things that were unexpected issues. The GTac program has been developed over some decades now, and has rarely had programming errors, and any that have been found have been quickly addressed. However, we are actually treading uncharted waters here, with the Home Worlds being known up front. You can force the display of known Home Worlds by entering the coordinates directly into a map, but until you've actually bumped into that neighbor, you can't link that star to an empire name (and default colors, etc.) because you are supposed to gain that information the hard way - by surviving a scouting mission and discovering an enemy PC. (A common scout won't survive an encounter with the Jeep and its fighters if it gets caught, but it is possible to get a peek and report back.) This early in the game, you can assume that a PC is their Home World. Since we will all sooner or later have multiple PCs, and you CAN pick up stakes and move your Home World, much later in the game we can't always make that assumption! Once you have actually encountered a new empire with a scouting report (or combat!), you can go back and edit the star data to link the Home World you already know about to the empire it belongs to.



Remember, please, that this is a tool that is SO much better (and more fun) than pencil and paper, but the basic functions of the game haven't changed significantly since the 1980s. Players were provided with the same reports, paper maps to scribble on, and Actions Entry sheets to write on and mail in, and that was it! We have so much more at our fingertips with GTac... but it is just an Assistant that does the math you could do with a calculator and careful reading of the Rules, and draws the same maps you could draw with colored pencils, if you were so inclined. Next weekend, when we all get our first real reports back, all the data we are supposed to know about will be populated. I can't wait to see my first maps with PV and new discoveries on the screen!



Right now, I'm just concentrating on local exploration and colonization, getting that economy going, before I go deliberately searching for info about stars you have claimed. And I shall indeed come knockin' at your door! If you don't have anybody on Patrol, you may not see me taking a peek. Of course, that means you have to spend PI on defenses instead of colonization... bwah-hah-haaa! Have fun taking that 500 PI and making your best use of it, whatever YOU think that will be. I may be experienced, but I'm not always RIGHT. I'm more than happy to share my understanding of how the game functions (just as Davin is), but specific strategy is to your individual discretion. There is NOT "only one way", but in the end, "there can be only ONE!"

    Player Blurb - Hammer

    Legend has it that there was a Blending and an Evolving between thae two dominant races all across the face of the battle-torn planet known to the locals as Milchaacmah.

    

    Although both were humanoid in many ways, there were still some vastly different hereditary traits inherent in both races!

    

    Those known as the Scrallions were reptilian, lizard-like in some respects with green skin, yet more vicious and cunning in other respects than mere lizards, although humanoid in body structure!

    

    Those known as the Ploids had a distinct purple-hued skin, much more humanoid in body structure and facial features, but devious and no-less war-like than their rival-race Scrallions!

    

    Intense warfare had exterminated the lesser-races of Milchamah, while the Scrallions and Ploids bred with one another in the aftermath of each conquest over the Centuries, exaggerating the Blending and Evolving far beyond what was imaginable at the time!

    

    At some point the dominant race was no longer either Scrallion, nor was it Ploid, but an amalgamation that became known as the race of Scroids!

    

    Countless years passed with vicious conflicts between a variety of Scroid tribes, until there remained but One Dominant Species of Scroids ruling and warring amongst themselves, but somehow multiplying and populating the battle-torn planet that seemed to thrive on the bloodshed and violence!

    

    Over the Centuries their warfare had evolved from mere Barbarism!

    

    Their Culture evolved with great scientific experimentation on both themselves and upon rival tribe-gangs, into more sophisticated weaponry utilized among the warring Scroid tribe-factions!

    The evolution of City-States gave way to great Cities and vast Regions of Influence under the control of a variety of still-warring Tribes, but it was needful to find a way to either curb or control the Blood Lust of the Warring Regions, before their scientific advancements exterminated the entire Scroid race!

    

    In his early years, when all warring Scroid tribes had evolved into a race identified by their green Alligator-like facial features mounted upon purple-hued humanoid bodies, a fierce warrior leading a Scroid band of renegades, made a scientific-find in the ruins of a long-abandoned war-torn region that would change the destiny of the entire Scroid race!

    

    It was such a revolutionary find, that the entire Scroid race now had a common purpose for the future, by unleashing their fierce warring-nature upon unknown races other than themselves!

    

    Found in the ruins was the wreckage of a Scout Ship and a Fighter Ship that had both crashed upon the planet Milchamah long ago!

    

    Inside both were found the blueprints and plans for the building of other ships, but the corpses of both crews had long ago turned into dust in the midst of the decay!

    

    Scroid scientists were able to access enough in the memory banks of the crashed ships to realize there were other races out among the Stars warring against one another with Great Fleets of War!

    

    There was now an opportunity for the Scroid race to band together as One to Build Such Ships to carry their Blood Lust into the unknown Star Wars that could be waging somewhere in that vast expanse of Stars blinking over their collective heads!

    

    Or So Say the Legends!

    

    Hammer, Minister of War

    Player Blurb - Richard

    No problem - I'm at 07-29.

    

    Oh, and my empire is rather predictably called "Castle Anthrax".

    Player Blurb - GrimFinger

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    Forget these other empires, and listen, now, to the tale of the Yonds of Droon.

    For this galaxy in the Galac-Tac universe, I decided to draw upon inspiration from the Comic Book Dimension. Specifically, from comic book characters that have long since been swallowed up by the black hole that is the public domain.

    The Yonds portion of Yonds of Droon is derived from either Beyond or Beyonders. I had pondrered both, when I initially pondered what to call my empire, working into the name of my space-faring empire. Outer space is one of the Great Beyonds in life. Eventually, I shortened it to Yonds, which I thought had a nice ring to it.

    Droon was a character in Basil Wolverton's old Spacehawk comic book series. The way that artist Basil Wolverton drew him endeared this character to me long ago. Had you been paying any attention, dear readers of PBM Chaos, then you might have recognized him, since he adorned the art piece at the very beginning of Issue #43. That's Droon with a machine that artificial intelligence paired up with him.

    Wolverton's many "imperfect-looking" characters was a deliberate choice on the artist's part. Anyone who has ever tried to make use of an A.I. art generator is all too familiar with A.I.'s penchant for rendering imperfect-looking characters (as well as pretty much everything else). So, why not pair the two up, I thought to myself?

    Droon was a villain, and an ambitious one, at that. He was a shrewd scientist who lived on the planet Neptune in the Kingdom of Noom. While atop a building taking pop shots at Spacehawk and Queen Haba, poor Droon fell off the top of the building along with Jod, while Jod was trying to choke Droon to death - payback for Droon torturing Jod with a hot iron.

    They fell to the jagged rocks hundreds of feet below, when Droon and Jod fell off of that building. What a terrible waste of such a clever, delightful character!

    And so it is, the space-faring empire that is now the Yonds of Droon seeks to right the egregious wrong of Droon falling off of that building. A character as colorful as Droon deserved better, so now, an entire space empire bears his name.

    The spin that I put on this resurrection from impending comic book death is that in this galaxy of the Galac-Tac universe, Galaxy #223, Droon isn't fighting Spacehawk. They're on the same side, along with all of the villains that Spacehawk fought, along with all species encountered, along with a lot of other public domain comic characters from days long gone. Gorvak, Dr. Gore, Jubun, and a whole host of really colorful characters, including many from comic books other than the Spacehawk series. The way that I see it, if there can be a Return of Dr. Gore, the there can also be a return of Droon - as well as the return of anybody and everybody else.

    Comic books have a lot in common with play by mail gaming. Both are colorful, interesting, exciting, and heavily tap into the imagination. I already blend comic book material from the public domain into PBM Chaos. I did so back when I published PBM Unearthed, as well. Why PBM gaming continues to fail to tap into this motherlode of imaginative intellectual property with widespread name recognition that is free for the taking is beyond me. Imagine all of the PBM games that could have been. Never underestimate the PBM industry's ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

    In Galaxy #223, is Droon a villain or a hero? Well, we'll just have to see. It's a good thing that he's got Spacehawk on his side, though.

    

    And my homeworld, which I previously said in Issue #43 was called Notrevlis Bawol, owes its origin to artist Basil Wolverton, also. It comes from the letters of his name rearranged into something less immediately obvious. Count it a tribute of mine to this artist who is no longer with us. Long may his artistic legacy and its decades-spanning influence live forever!

    Image description

    * All Galac-Tac content and images copyright © Talisman Games.

    * The homeworld of all 6 players' empires, as seen from the

    Yonds of Droon's homeworld, which is located in the middle of this star map.

    Image ad for Galac-Tac for Talisman Games

    * All Galac-Tac content and images copyright © Talisman Games.

    Image link to PBM Patreon site.

    This week almost got the best of me, but in spite of all that transpired, both with putting this issue of PBM Chaos together and a variety of different real world considerations, I made it. I hope that you did, also.

    This section, Until Next Issue, exists as kind of a catch-all for me to share any last minute thoughts that come to mind before this issue undergoes a final proof read and then gets shoved out the digital door into your digital hands.

    I'm tired, I know that.

    If you want to send me something to include in next issue, Issue #45, please do so. The sooner the better, in fact, but I'm quite willing to accept last-minute submissions. Now, whether they arrive too late for the intended issue or not is another matter altogether. They can always go in the following issue, which is never more than one week away, at most.

    My PBM Reminder List - Things To Not Forget currently stands at 175 items. New entries to it have slowed down, but it really just tends to run in spurts. How about I share three items from it, just to give you something to read and to ponder?

    Item #138
    - PBM companies have ultra secret lairs where anything is possible.

    Item #147
    - Is lack of video what's keeping PBM held back from greater growth?

    Item #163
    - Is there a viable economic model that can work for postal play by mail gaming? If so, what would it look like?

    If nothing else, this list helps keep my brain clicking. It helps me to keep thinking about PBM gaming more, rather than less. And for all of the stuff that's in it, this list only represents a very small fraction of the PBM-related thoughts that run through my mind.

    I spent a few hours (yes, hours!) this week arguing with artificial intelligence, trying to persuade it to do very simple things, such as shift boxes on an HTML web page layout. How advanced do they say that A.I. has gotten? Pardon me for daring to think that the much ballyhooed takeover of the world by artificial intelligence might be a way off, yet.

    In other artificial intelligence developments, take a glance at some fairly recent headlines that attest to A.I.'s "prowess." Here are three headlines that might strike your A.I. fancy:

    August 8th, 2025: OpenAI beats Elon Musk's Grok in AI chess tournament

    

    July 17th, 2025: Chess Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen Beats ChatGPT Without Losing a Single Piece

    

    July 29th, 2025: An Atari game from 1979 “wrecked” ChatGPT in chess. Here’s why it doesn’t really matter

    From my end, how are things looking, right now, for issues of PBM Chaos to continue to publish on Mondays like clockwork? Pretty darned good, actually. I don't see any insurmountable obstacles just over the horizon, right at the moment. Mostly just more of the same old, same old herding of a variety of different cats, if you know what I mean and if you get what I am saying.

    

    Some recent "regular features" (or "regular columns," if you prefer) you might notice were missing from this issue. Their absence this year speaks neither way way or the other about whether any of them will be eliminated permanently. PBM Chaos' inherent nature is chaotic, so it's really just "business as usual," if you ask me. A pinch of this, a dash of that. Publishing PBM Chaos is a lot like baking a cake, or pretty much any other dish. Each issue tends to have its own set of ingredients. And as you may have notice, some issues "taste" better than other issues.

    

    It's currently 8:53 AM, as I type these words to you. I've actually made really good progress, this morning, on getting the last several tasks associated with this issue done and ready to go. Yay, me!

    

    The PBM Forum seems to be running smoothly. It could sure use some more people posting there, though. Any takers?

    This past week hasn't proved to be a good week for my PBM Patreon site, but that should begin to show some marked improvement in the coming week, if real life will cooperate.

    

    Of late, the Monster Island crew of players have been bringing a slew of new posts to the Monster Island Server and to the Monster Island channel of the PlayByMail Discord server. They're kicking your asses, people.

    

    The Galac-Tac channel of the PlayByMail Discord server picked up considerably from its comatose state of a few weeks back. That's good to see. If everybody stops posting and talking in a chat channel, things tend to go quiet real fast. Chat channels are like hamster wheels. No matter how much you all chat, if you all just stop chatting in PBM chat servers and PBM chat channels, it's really no different than when you stop posting in PBM forums and PBM discussion groups. It's awfully similar to when PBM magazines stop publishing, and when the PBM-interested stop submitting PBM articles and other PBM stuff to include in PBM magazines and newsletters and e-mail mailings. To make progress further down the road of PBM requires putting a little gas in the engine, a tiger in the tank, as Exxon used to say, when they came on the scene to replace Esso. PBMers Zaknafein, Wayne Smith, and Hammer probably remember Esso.

    

    For all of the good stories that Old Man Smitty Smith has shared with me in recent years, I don't recall offhand him having and good gasoline stories to share.

    

    Just as a heads-up as we continue to go forward with this whole PBM Chaos ball of PBM wax, here's what Item #175 from my list says and reminds me to do:

    

    Item #175 - Ask non-PBM questions in issues of PBM Chaos in a bid to drive increased reader participation.

    

    You stand forewarned, you PBM lovers, you!

    

    And on that note, I'm outta here. Happy reading, PBM Chaos addicts!

    

    Charles Mosteller

    Editor of PBM Chaos

    Write to PBM Chaos at
    [email protected]

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