| Robin Hood Weregild: the new play by email game from AGEMA. |
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The rules are now available. They can be ordered on our website here: https://agema.org.uk/Robin-Hood-Weregild.html Each player has a character, who is guaranteed adventures in medieval Nottinghamshire! There is as much folklore as history in the game, so perhaps you’ll end up as the Sheriff of Nottingham, or as a robber baron, or even the King (alright, as an imposter, but someone might believe you!). You could even live a life as one of the many Robin Hoods, which is a title given to the brigand leaders out in the woods… or as a monk brewing his own liqueur, or a witch cackling and using eye of newt and leg of toad for some noxious potion (shudder). With the rules come the game maps! This is designed to be great fun and not too hard on the old brain cells or your time, so we hope you decide to take part. Game turns will be produced about once per month, and cost £13 each basic charge. Have a great day! Regards, Richard FOR AGEMA Website: www.agema.org.uk Email: [email protected] |
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Unofficial PBM Meet Planned |
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Date of the Unofficial PBM Meet = November the 29th 2025 |
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Spurred on by your publication and an idea from Roy Pollard (GM The Isles), Rich Lockwood and I have decided to run an "unofficial PBM meet" which will piggy back off the Dragonmeet RPG convention in November 2025. Dragonmeet is the UK's largest RPG convention and will take place at the Excel Centre, Docklands, East London on November the 29th 2025. More details re tickets and games being run and traders can be found at Home - Dragonmeet. This is the first non-game specific PBM meet to be run for quite a while and we just want to see what happens. We hope to attract some old players as well as attract new players who may express an interest. The idea is just to have fun and see what happens. Rich is getting some signage made up and the idea will be to set up in the bar at about 12 noon. So far confirmed PBM'ers attending are Rich Lockwood (GM: Xanoth and top player in numerous PBM games), Roy Pollard (The Isles GM), Martin Webb (top Saturnalia and Midgard player) and myself Wayne. We've invited various people including Danny Munford (GM: The Land) and his players, plus numerous PBM old guard. If you fancy finding out about PBM or meeting up with some like-minded people, come along. There's no charge when you are in the con, and it should be a very good laugh. I hope to see all you there. Wayne |
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Are you ready for Issue #13 of Monster Island Monitor? |
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Then click on that image above. Unleash the MONSTER in you! |
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I am discovering that I am having fun learning how to play Galac-Tac in similar ways that I am enjoying learning how to play Forgotten Realms! Yes, these are two completely different games, but I find myself considering more than a few different ways that I could have begun playing either game from the very beginning! I tend to second-guess my decisions before, during and after I submit my Game Orders! Earlier today, [Friday, September 19, 2025], I was fortunate to have a question I had about how to Create Customized Ships answered by Davin, aka the Owner of Galac-Tac and talisman-games.com [where you can read more about Galac-Tac and see what Galaxy Games are Currently Filling!] Honestly, having Davin available to answer questions and walk Players through the various processes of utilizing the GTac App has made a world of difference in my enjoyment of learning this game! I had come to the realization that I could have begun this Galaxy #223 Learning Game by Custom Designing some Ships [which I honestly had no clue how to do] with my First Turn Orders from “Discord Direct Message Conversations” with the infamous GrimFinger aka Charles Mosteller [the Editor of PBM Chaos and Initiator of the current Galaxy #223 Learning Game featured in each issue that he publishes!] Charles mentioned to me about Custom Designing Ships with a Classify Order, but I did not quite grasp how to go about Custom Designing and Building the Ships with my Turn Orders on the Same Turn! Several days ago, I had amused myself by playing around with some Ship Designs, while experimenting with the Ship Design Assistant Feature on the talisman-games.com website, but I still had no clue in understanding the process of how to Build any Custom Designed Ships, until Davin took the time to patiently walk-me-through the process during a “Text Conversation” on the Discord Galac-Tac Thread earlier this afternoon! In fact, a few days ago, I decided that I was having enough fun learning how to play Galac-Tac, that I went to the talisman-games.com website to see if there were any other Galaxies filling up that I might be interested in playing! Galaxy #226 was listed as a 1 Week Turn Interval, Normal Star Density with an Empire Count of 3 Players, but I wanted to play a Second Galaxy Game with More Players than just three! Galaxy #227 was listed as a 2 Days Turn Interval, Dense Star Density [I was looking for a Dense Star Density Game] with an Empire Count of 2-5 Players,but I not only preferred playing in a Second Galaxy Game with More Players than just five, but I had learned from playing a variety of Online Alamaze Games that I just could not keep up with any War Games that Processed Turns every two days! But, because I really wanted to get signed up to play in a Second Galaxy Game, I decided to go ahead and create what was to become known as Galaxy #228: 1 Week Turn Interval, Dense Star Density with an Empire Count of 8 Players! A couple of days later, I was “conversing” with Davin in the Discord Galac-Tac Thread. After telling him that I was the one who had created Galaxy #228, he explained to me that it might take a while for this game to get filled up, because most of his “Regular Galac-Tac Players” were probably maxed-out with the number of games that they could play, so I should try to recruit New Players! Furthermore, although it was perfectly all right to create a game with only 8 Players, it was customary to create games with a Minimum Number and Maximum Number of Players! By doing so, it would create a type of “Fog of War” by not knowing exactly how many Players were participating in a game! Davin explained that once the Minimum Number of Players was Filled, there would be a Few Days of a “Waiting Period” in case there were any Players who would arrive a bit “Late to the Party!” Thus, you would not know exactly how many Empires would be represented on the Galaxy Map! I asked Davin if he could manually change Galaxy #228 from only an 8 Empire Count to an 8-10 Empire Count and he replied that it would be an easy fix to do, if I wanted to make that Empire Count change! A few minutes ago, I checked the Status of Galaxy #228 to discover that Positions Filled are listed as A Few, instead of just One, as it had been showing the past few days, including earlier today! Here is Your “Golden Opportunity” to be counted as One of the Empires in the Galaxy #228 Fog of War! UPDATE: The day after I wrote this Article, the Games #226 and #227 were removed from the Talisman Games website at talisman-games.com and my Galac-Tac Game #228 only showed One [instead of A Few] were signed up to Fill the Game! I still want to play in a Second Galaxy Game, so Game #228 is still available, featuring: 1 Week Turn Interval, Dense Star Density with an Empire Count of 8-10 Players! It would be a Blessing if some New Players to Galac-Tac would sign up to play in Galaxy #228, but anyone is welcome to join in the fun! There is still a type of “Fog of War” by not knowing exactly how many Players will be participating in this game, but I am waiting for 7 to 9 more Space Adventurers to Join the Galaxy #228 Game! Remember that Davin explained that once the Minimum Number of Players was Filled, there would be a Few Days of a “Waiting Period” in case there were any Players who would arrive a bit “Late to the Party!”, so there is still room for anyone who is interested in playing Galac-Tac versus actual Human Players to Join, instead of playing against the Computer in the Solo Game Feature! Thus, you would not know exactly how many Empires would be represented on the Galaxy Map! Again, Dear Readers: Here is Your “Golden Opportunity” to be counted as One of the Empires in the Galaxy #228 Fog of War! No Matter How Long It Takes for Galaxy #228 to Be Filled, I am a Patient Man! |
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The Black Hole of Bad Decisions |
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Between Hammer's article about Galaxy #228 and this one are three images. The top one is a banner image with Galac-Tac in big letters. It is also a clickable image ad. The middle one is a green box titled Galaxies Filling. And the bottom one is a blue box titled Currently Active Galaxy Statistics. They were going to appear in last issue, but after I had them included, I decided to rip them out.
But why? To underscore a point. To illustrate the absence of something. If I were to quit including ads for PBM games in PBM Chaos, and by that I mean all PBM ads for all PBM games, then that would be noticeable by virtue of their absence. If you're used to seeing something, and then all of a sudden it's gone (poof!), then it's hard not to notice. Within minutes of this issue publishing on the next upcoming Monday, dozens of people will see these three images above (along with everything else in this issue). If you didn't see that green box and that blue box above here in PBM Chaos, then where would you see them? If, and I stress the word "if," you visited the Talisman Games website, and if you also then visit the right page out of all of the pages on their website, then you would encounter both the green box and the blue box. If all that you do is visit the home page of their website, though, then you won't ever see those two boxes. Or will you? Are they on display anywhere else on the Internet (other than the Wayback Machine)? Have you ever stumbled upon them anywhere else on the World Wide Web in all of your many treks and travels across the Internet? The reason that I ask that question is because in order for those boxes to influence you to join a game of Galac-Tac, you must first see them, somewhere. There is an old philosophical question which asks, "If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?" In that same vein, I would ask you, "If something is on a website that very few people visit, is the content on it widely seen?" Let's talk about the three images a little more. That top image, the banner image of a space background scene with Galac-Tac in big letters - I created it for the very purpose of grabbing the eyes of PBM Chaos readers. Bam! You read those big letters first, and you've read them without really even thinking very much about it. Galac-Tac! The space background is purely for aesthetic purposes - something pretty, a visual bauble, an ornament for the eye. It's to help draw your eye to the big textual instances of Galac-Tac. Collectively, they are designed and intended to get the reader to pause. "Say, what's this? What's Galac-Tac?" That green box? It's actually one of the most important things in all of PBM that I have stumbled upon in all of the years that I've been publishing PBM publications (to include PBM Chaos, but not limited thereto). Yet, by and large, it is wasted. It is squandered. It goes unseen. How so? By way of so few people ever seeing it, of so few people ever encountering it. Overall, it is well-designed. However, it has what I view to be a fatal flaw in it. It has two flaws in it, but only one of them rises to the level of being fatal, in my eyes. See the column titled Start Date? Well, that one isn't fatal. The word Filling isn't a date, though. There is no date on the calendar called Filling, nor is there any day of the week called Filling. Status would be far more accurate of a term than Start Date. You can go a long time, without ever seeing an actual Start Date. That column titled Positions Filled is where the fatal flaw lies. In his article above, Hammer says, "A few minutes ago, I checked the Status of Galaxy #228 to discover that Positions Filled are listed as A Few, instead of just One, as it had been showing the past few days, including earlier today!" Previously, I had signed up for Galaxy #228. That A Few, those two short words comprised of a total of only four letters, is what prompted me to withdraw from Galaxy #228, as well as from Galaxy #226 and Galaxy #227. We currently live in an Age of Information. We all tend to be voracious consumers of information, these days. To make informed decisions requires information that is both accurate and replete with the necessary details. You tell me, what does "a few" mean? How many players is that, exactly? To me, it's inherently vague, and it wasn't so very long ago that two different games of Galac-Tac had been forming for many months - at least one of which had been forming, and forming, and forming for two years or more. Thankfully, those two games finally got removed from the queue. I felt that removing two games which were always in the queue of games forming, but clearly had been blessed with more than ample time to form but hadn't succeeded in doing so, was actual progress by Talisman Games. It was, in essence, an example of a PBM company coming to a realization that the game queue, itself, was more important than it just being a set of numbers. If the green box also had a Date Created box added to it, then that would definitely provide a clear and strong visual signal to people looking at whether the game was recently created or created a long time ago, but had never been able to muster enough players to start. Nobody wants to wait forever and a day for a game to start, whether it's Galac-Tac or any other PBM game out there. When people are considering whether to sign up for a new game of Galac-Tac or not, how many different stages of vague information will the Galaxies Filling green box treat them to, over the entire course of their wait? Since that segment of information is intentionally vague by design, I can't truly say how many different vague sets of information for that Positions Filled box there are, but what I can do is to show you multiple different examples from screenshots that the Wayback Machine captured over the years. |
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So, it seems to go from One (specific information) to A Few (vague information) to Several (vague Information) to Many (vague information) to Enough to Begin (vague information accompanied by an actual Start Date minus the year - remember what I just said about at least one game was forming for two years or more?). Talisman Games GM Davin and I have discussed it before - more than once, in fact, and even recently, in fact. Davin has his own views on it, and he prefers to keep things the way that they are. Fair enough. That's his call, not mine. Me? I see it as a bad decision, but we all tend to make all kinds of bad decisions over the course of our respective lives. If I were able to gather and compile every bad decision that I have ever made, it would likely yield a voluminous tome, and perhaps even a set of books that might rival a set of encyclopedias (for those old enough to remember what those were). I would certainly agree that even vague information has its place in the overall scheme of things. But that doesn't mean that, just because vague information is resorted to, that it's the right decision - much less the best decision - in a particular instance. Is vague information of this type ever really a fatal error, even if it is an error? Well, it talked me out of signing up for three different games of Galac-Tac, and this fresh on the heels of me trying to form a Sharing of Information Game of Galac-Tac, and fresh on the heels of me expanding the amount of space that I allocated to all things Galac-Tac in PBM Chaos. Me? I'm just one person. At most, I'm just one potential Galac-Tac player out of however many are out there, now, and out of however many that there ever will be. For me, though, and I only speak for myself and not for anyone else, these vague information segments located where they are in that Galaxies Filling green box are a genuine interest killer. And in fairness, that doesn't mean that the exact, same information segments are an interest killer for everybody else - but they definitely are for me. If you're willing to wait long enough, however long or short that might be, you will eventually get treated to a segment of specific information in the form of an actual date that the game of Galac-Tac that you signed up for will start. That assumes that the particular game of Galac-Tac that you sign up for ever gains enough player sign-ups in order to cross that threshold. Game #25 certainly never did.
It's worth remembering, though, that some games of Galac-Tac that began forming after Game #25 did gain enough players to start. If presented with a sufficient amount of information, the average person is more than intelligent enough to make a decision for themself. Me? I want to see Galac-Tac survive and thrive and prosper as a PBM game still around on the modern gaming scene.The world isn't gonna come to a grinding halt, just because I shake my head at what I think is a bad decision. But I don't exactly see people lining up out the proverbial door to play Galac-Tac, in order to give the game a try, either. If the old approach works so well, then why is Game #228 that Hammer created recently the only new game of Galac-Tac that is currently forming? Anybody out there got a good answer to that question? Inherent in the act of asking hard questions is criticism. Personally, I think that the PBM industry could benefit from the asking of more hard questions, rather than less. What PBM gamers and PBM media in the form of PBM publications, paper or digital, bring to the PBM industry are extra sets of eyes. How PBM companies and PBM GMs see things are not necessarily the way that others see the exact same things. That does not, however, mean that PBM companies or PBM GMs necessarily always see everything that matters, even and especially when it pertains to their own PBM games. If PBM is dead or dying, then there are reasons why. Is it just one reason, or could there possibly be more than one reason? If Galac-Tac doesn't have a lot of players, then likewise, there are reasons why. What are they? What are those reasons? It's not like I think that Talisman Games never does anything right, nor that I think that the deign of Galac-Tac as a game doesn't get anything right. Quite tot he contrary, in fact. The things that they - or any other PBM company or PBM GM gets right - are not why those very same PBM companies and PBM GMs don't have more players. It's the problems that you have to fix, not the stuff that's done right. And you can't fix problems until you identify them, first. If you don't identify problems, then how in the world will you ever hope to fix them? And if you identify problematic areas, yet don't bother to fix them, how much progress have you actually made in improving your chances of gaining new players to grow your PBM game's player base?
The hard reality is that some problems require lots of time or lots of money or lots of programming to fix. However, not all do.
No one that I am aware of maintains a running tally of everything that I have criticized in PBM gaming, nor everything that I have praised in PBM gaming. When I dole out criticism about things that pertain to PBM gaming, I don't focus only upon just one PBM company or PBM GM in particular. I spread it around. Given enough time, I focus upon an awful lot of different things, and a variety of different games. If PBM companies and PBM GMs choose to take such PBM-related criticism personally, then that is a choice that they are free to make. However, it doesn't mean that it's the right choice, though. Tell me this, are there PBM companies or PBM GMs or PBM games or PBM processes or PBM anything out there that should be given a free pass and not ever be subjected to any criticism, at all? Are PBM games and PBM companies and PBM GMs sacred, and somehow magically above being subjected to criticism? Not in my book. Heck, I invite criticism of my PBM efforts and initiatives. There are no sacred cows in PBM gaming. No PBM company has to take my advice. None of them have to listen to my suggestions. Heck, none of them have to even read any PBM publication that I publish - and a good many don't. Why they don't varies, though. Some did, but no longer do. Some did, but technical problems with PBM Chaos mailings being sent to their e-mail in-boxes prevented them from receiving issues. Some never did receive PBM Chaos. Some died before PBM Chaos started publishing. Some weren't subscribing to PBM Chaos when it first started publish, but now are. Some routinely read issues of PBM Chaos. On a purely personal level, I like the GM of Talisman Games, Davin Church, just fine. He's actually one of my favorite PBM personalities from the GM side of PBM gaming. Why do I like him? Well, for one, he's willing to engage in discussion on PBM topics - including his own PBM game that is available for the public to play. More than once, we haven't see eye to eye on something or other, but he doesn't tend to flee from a discussion, even when I start asking pointed questions, or what some might call "hard questions." Also, he's a smart fellow. Plus, he comes at things from a programmer's perspective, something I cannot do. He also has a sense of humor. Even with his proclaimed lack of time, he still manages to take time or to make time to talk with others who are interested in his game, Galac-Tac, including with me, who some out there might view to be the Big Bad Wolf of PBM. I'm not here to devour PBM, even if I do sometimes seem to howl about it. In recent years, Davin and I have had many discussions with one another, some in chat channels and some via e-mail. And in those years, he has impressed upon me that he is a decent fellow. As a human being, I like him quite a lot, and as a PBM GM, there are certain aspects of the way that he runs and oversees his PBM company's game, Galac-Tac, that I think is superior to the way that some other GMs choose to run and oversee their PBM games at their PBM companies. When I enter into a new discussion with Davin about PBM this or PBM that, or about Galac-Tac this or Galac-Tac that, I go into it with the full realization that Davin Church won't simply just cave on his position at the very first point of disagreement that we arrive at. He's wiling to defend his position, and that requires courage. He doesn't just exist Stage Left, like some PBM Snagglepuss might. This allows for discussions on particular PBM topics to not just get wrapped up and summarily dispensed with out of hand. The back and forth is crucial to honing in on particulars, which allows for more robust and in-depth conversations on PBM topics than a quick, brief, one-time-and-we're-done approach might. If all that any PBM company out there does is the same old things the same old ways, then they're going to lose business and players that might otherwise materialize or remain. If Reality Simulations, Inc. didn't allow players to organize games of Hyborian War, then less games of Hyborian War would start, these days. It's just a fact! Organized games, as we know them now, didn't always exist in the context of Hyborian War. When organized games of Hyborian War get closer and closer to filling with 36 players, players begin to pay closer attention to the sign-up lists for those organized games over on Lloyd Barron's Road of Kings forum site, more excitement begins to build. If a vague Galac-Tac-like approach was used, instead, it would tamp down that excitement level. Why? Because the Hyborian War player community would be more in the dark compared to when they can watch for themselves as the player sign-up lists reach 30 players, then 31, then 32, then 33, then 34, then 35, and then that magical 36th player. It's celebration time, then! How long would it take a game of Galac-Tac to fill, if it had to wait on 36 different players to sign up? The fastest that I, personally, have ever seen it take for an organized game of Hyborian War to fill, to go from zero players to a complete player roster of 36 different players, was a single day. If only all of them would fill that quickly. Granted, that's the exception and not the rule, not the usual amount of time that it takes for organized games of Hyborian War to fill with players. Some take weeks, some take months, and yes, some take years to fill. But the Hyborian War player community is never really left in the dark, and certainly not in the absolute vast majority of organized game cases, about where the number of players signed up currently sits. But what about that blue box up there, the one titled Currently Active Galaxy Statistics. Well, it's interesting to look at, but what it tells you doesn't imbue it with any substantial amount of information of depth. In its current form, it's largely worthless, though not entirely worthless. You think otherwise? You think that I'm wrong about that? Well, I might be. Let's explore it a little and find out. The blue box tells us that there are 4 regular galaxies currently in progress. OK, that certainly qualifies as information, but tell me this, how actively played are those 4 galaxies? What do you know about them? Do you ever read about what all is or is not going on in them? Is anybody out there talking about them and telling you how much fun that they're having in those games? Or are they individualized vaults of silence? Maybe they're the best thing since sliced bread, but how would you ever know that, even assuming that it's true to begin with? Let's probe a bit deeper in our thinking and in our pondering about those particular 4 galaxies currently in progress. What turn are they in? How long ago did they start? How long until any or all of them finish? Do you know? You you have any idea? Have you the least little clue? And if the players in those 4 games of Galac-Tac are silent, now, does your intuition lead you to believe that they will suddenly make a lot of noise about those 4 games, once they end? And even if they do, will you still be around and interested in learning whatever it is that they have to say, if anything, about those games of Galac-Tac at that time? Anybody out there got any clue how long those 4 galaxies of Galac-Tac have been in progress? How do you tell when one of those 4 games end and another takes their place? 4 galaxies - but which 4 galaxies? This is what's known as a "closer look." Let's skip to where the blue box says The next approaching due date is September 26th, 2025. Fair enough, but which game of Galac-Tac is that? It doesn't say. It doesn't bother to inform anyone or everyone who happens along to read it. So, what is the point of it, what is the point of displaying it? It doesn't hurt anything to display it, but how useful - or actionable - is that particular segment of information?
And what about where the blue box says 19 solo galaxies are currently in progress? Sure, I'll bite. I'll take a stab at it, whether PBM Chaos readers are willing to or not. To borrow from the Understanding the PBM Maze article from PBM Chaos Issue #46, "Why do I ask all of these questions? To make you think, that's why!"
Specifically, which 19 galaxies are we talking about? What's their respective galaxy numbers? Do you know any of them? By you, I mean the readers of PBM Chaos? By just looking at only the information on display in that blue box, what do you actually learn from reading it?
How long ago did the oldest of those 19 galaxies start? Which one of those 19 galaxies is the closest to wrapping up? You have no idea, so you have no reason to hang around for the post-game parade of discussion. But if any of those 19 games are being discussed where the public may read the back and forth of game banter, does anybody out there have any clue that is? I sure don't. So, how impressed should I be at segments of information which don't really inform me of anything of actual consequence?
Let's not stop there, though. Rather, let's probe even deeper.
With 19 galaxies of Galac-Tac currently in progress, how many players does that mean that Galac-Tac has, bare minimum? Again, no idea, whatsoever. Which of those 19 galaxies have the most players? Which one has the least players? Are those 19 galaxies very active, or relatively inactive? How many turns have players in those 4 galaxies skipped issuing turns for? How many players in those 19 games have been eliminated from play, already? Once again, you're provided with information, but what exactly does it tell you, and what exactly does it not tell you? What is someone who reads that blue box supposed to do with the information that they just read? As far as that goes, is there even anything, at all, that you can do with it? Me, I can write an article about it, but what about you? What about any prospective newcomer to Galac-Tac?
This propensity for vagueness, how well does it actually serve Galac-Tac's best interests? How well do all of these vague tidbits of information effectively promote the game? Do they attract newcomers? If so, how many and how often?
The blue Currently Active Galaxy Statistics box is a sterling example of a good idea hamstrung by poor implementation. If it actually displayed information that was truly useful, which it doesn't, then I would be the very first one to praise it. Indeed, I would sing its praises from the highest rafters of PBM gaming.
Information that's not actually useful, what are people supposed to do with it, whether it's me or anybody else?
In SuperNova, by comparison, a PBM gamer could end up waiting a year or more, before their empire ever encounters another player's empire, based upon different things that I have come across and read over the years. With Galac-Tac, you don't have to spend /waste a good portion of your life, before your empire begins to encounter the empires of other players in the same space warfare game.
How long does one have to wait for that information contained in that blue box to become useful? In its current incarnation, you can wait forever, and it won't be any the more useful then as it is now.
When PBM companies provide information about their PBM games that isn't actually useful, how exactly does that help in gaining new players? Feel free to write in and tell me. Yes, some tidbits of information can entice. I am well aware of that. But what about the information morsels in display in that blue box, above? How enticing is that particular chosen sub-set of information on display? Not very, not at all, from my perspective.
That same blue box could be taken, revamped and expanded, and it could truly be converted from its current useless self into one of Galac-Tac's crown jewels. If you want to entice and tempt people into playing Galac-Tac, then this blue box in its current incarnation isn't ever going to get the job done. It won't ever get the job done, because it was never imbued with a sufficient amount of actual details of value. It provides just a smidgen of information, none of which is inherently exciting, none of which pack sufficient visual punch to enable it to convert viewers of that information into players of the game.
In this Age of Information that we're in, useful information matters more than information that is useless or which lacks use.
In spite of my articulations in this article about this subject, I'm sure that Hammer would love for you to sign up for Galaxy #228, and join him in a war for that galaxy. Galaxy #228 needs at least 8 people to sign up for it, before it can start. Does anybody know what the galaxy number was for the last game of Galac-Tac that started with at least 8 players in it? Feel free to write in and tell me, if you know. If Galaxy #228 gets close to filling up, then I'll go ahead and commit publicly, right here and right now, to joining it (again). I'm really not a fan of this whole "multiple vague groups" approach, though. I don't like these kinds of counterproductive guessing games associated with trying to figure out how many people have signed up to play a particular PBM game, so that you know where you stand with it. Maybe this vague approach worked in the old days. Perhaps it even worked really well, way back when. Nowadays, this chosen approach is just needless baggage, from my perspective. If others like and prefer this vague approach, then they are certainly free to sign up for Galaxy #228. So far, no one else has. Admittedly, it's only been a few days, since Galaxy #228 was created. Hopefully for Hammer's sake, it will fill fast. If it ever gets close to getting enough players signed up, somebody be sure to wake me. I'm not gonna be standing around holding my breath in the meantime. Should I wait until it fills and starts, before publishing another issue of PBM Chaos? If not, why not? I am not persuaded that this banking on vagueness in the number of players signed up is sound methodology, here in PBM gaming in the 21st Century. It's not as though other PBM companies aren't vague about various different things, but the PBM patient on the discussion operating table, right now, is Galac-Tac. Me? I want to save the patient. Me? I want this patient to enjoy a long and happy and productive life. I want it to flourish.
And I do think that it can flourish. I'm not down on Galac-Tac. I don't want to see it disappear into a black hole of non-use. I would much rather hold Galac-Tac up as a shining example of how to turn a PBM game around. Maybe I shouldn't care, but I do. If I was only interested in just sitting back and observing from afar, then I wouldn't spend so much time and expend so much effort trying to raise awareness about PBM games and to promote my favorite personal hobby of PBM gaming.
The real black holes of PBM gaming are bad decisions. It's not about the people being bad, nor about PBM companies nor PBM GMs nor PBM players being bad, but about certain decisions being bad, or about right decisions saddled with bad timing. I'm not aware of any PBM company that only ever made good decisions. Also, why aren't the green box and the blue box also displayed prominently on the home page of the Talisman Games' website? Well, I don't really know, but that's a whole other question and issue, right there. On any given PBM company website, how many clicks does it take to find the specific information intended to tempt and entice newcomers to try the PBM games that you have on offer? What if a site visitor to the Talisman Games website visit just their home page? If that's the case, then they'll never see either the green box or the blue box. Sometimes, PBM games and PBM companies only get just one chance to reel their site visitors in. Over the last few years, Davin has made quite a few changes and updates to the Talisman Games' website. Going forward, perhaps he will make a few more. Maybe he just needs more time to think about it and to let it soak in. And when all is said and done, he might still prefer to keep the green box and the blue box exactly as they are, right now. And that's his choice and his decision to make. We all have our own choices and decisions to make - you included, and me, as well. That's just part of everyday life. That's just part of the ongoing challenge of improving PBM gaming in a wide variety of different ways, shapes, and forms, both big and small. It is well worth keeping in mind that criticizing particular things about Galac-Tac or the Talisman Games website should never be confused with whether Galac-Tac, itself, is fun or not. One of the underlying purposes of Galaxy #223, the Sharing of Information Game, of Galac-Tac is to visually demonstrate that Galac-Tac can be a lot off fun to play, as much fun to play, today, in fact, as it ever was back in the old days when Galac-Tac was only playable via the postal service (a pure PBM game, as some postal game fans might call it) rather than online on its website or via the GTac player assistant program for the game. As Galaxy #223 unfolds, there will be a lot about it to read in the pages of issues of PBM Chaos. If you don't know how to play a PBM game that you're wanting to play, it can be frustrating. Those frustrations are a natural part of the gaming experience, whether it be a PBM game that you're trying to play or a computer game, video game, or board game. As we go through the process and the experience of playing Galaxy #223 of Galac-Tac, giving voice to the challenges and the thrills of Galac-Tac, and to the frustrations and exultations of both the game and the website, is critical to identifying potential opportunities for refinement and improvement - be they little or big. In order for Galac-Tac to begin gaining an inflow of new players, somebody needs to be talking about the game. Not just once or twice, either, but routinely, regularly, consistently. Some people may think that criticism is an inherently bad thing - but it's not. The history of gaming and individual games is awash in criticisms of every size and shape imaginable. It's when no one is talking about a game, at all, that the game will begin a lasting plummet into obscurity. PBM games didn't cease to be fun and entertaining, just because the Internet came along. For people to notice PBM and individual PBM games, there has to be noise about them. And if the people who play PBM games aren't the ones making noise about them, then who will? There's more than enough people out there in the world, already, who have resigned themselves to their chosen belief that PBM gaming is dead. No need for me to join them. Personally, and I mean this sincerely, I think that there's still a lot of life left in some PBM games. I can't say all, because a lot of PBM games are already gone. Many are lost forever, I'm afraid. I would much prefer to not see Galac-Tac suffer a similar fate. It's not about being obsessed with Galac-Tac. Rather, it's about having confidence in it - and not just as a PBM game, but as a game, period. After all, what is it that the Talisman Games website, itself, proudly declares, even today? Anticipation of the turn arriving in the mail is just as exciting as it was in the 1980s! Turn-based games like Galac-Tac are fun not because of fast-paced virtual action, but because they challenge the mind. What is Galac-Tac? SOURCE: http://www.talisman-games.com/galactac/about Talisman Games and I are in 100% complete agreement on that. My firm belief is - and long has been - that PBM games are as much fun, today, as they ever were. PBM games never ceased to be fun, simply because the Internet came along. The bottom line is, fun never becomes obsolete, no matter what game that people play, be it of the PBM variety or otherwise. |
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* This is what the green box would have looked like had it appeared in Issue #46. |
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As the one who originally created Galaxy #226 and Galaxy #227, when I chose to withdraw from those games that were still forming, even as nobody else had yet signed up for either of them, they disappeared from the list of Galac-Tac games now forming. In essence, those particular galaxies then went dark, once I exited them.
The green box that announces which galaxies (games) in Galac-Tac are forming is de facto evidence that the PBM game, Galac-Tac, has life in it. Burying how many players are signed up for a particular game of Galac-Tac is akin to tossing sand on the very evidence that your PBM game is alive. Burying your chances of growing your player base is counterproductive. Others are perfectly free to embrace the whole A few vague information approach. After I signed up for Galaxy #228, and then noticed that A few was what greeted anyone who views that green box, I just shook my head and exited. I actually later signed up for it a second time, but the more that I thought about the vagueness inherent in this chosen approach by Talisman Games, I just shook my head, again and again, and departed it once more - leaving the green box as Hammer then saw it, which then ended up resulting in his update to his article above. On the one hand, I want to promote Galac-Tac - including by my own presence in different galaxies of Galac-Tac. But on the other hand, there are certain practices in the PBM industry that I strongly disagree with - even to the point of just preferring to spend my time, energy, and efforts on other aspects of PBM, instead. If the green Galaxies Filling box is less important than I seem to think that it is, then there's probably no reason to allocate space to it in each issue of PBM Chaos going forward, and particularly not the prime visual real estate space near the top of future issues of PBM Chaos, as I had originally envisioned was the way that I wanted to go with it. When my interest gets killed, though, then plans change. If my enthusiasm drops, then I take less interest in it - and that's true of most anything, and not just particular PBM games. I just don't have any confidence, at all, in this particular sub-set of vague information, as far as it's ability to grow the player base of Galac-Tac goes. As the old saying goes which I often quote in issues of PBM Chaos, "To each their own." It's not as if it is the first time that I have ever lost confidence in the direction that particular PBM games take. I once played in multiple different games of Alamaze, simultaneously, but now, I no longer play it, at all. Yet, simultaneously, I have a world of respect for Alamaze's owner that took over from Rick McDowell, John Mulholland. PBM owners take their games in whatever direction that they want to go, based upon their vision for their games, and I take PBM Chaos in whatever direction that I want to go. As always, we live in an imperfect world. We don't always agree. Nor should we always agree. We each have minds of our own, after all. As a general rule of thumb, sacrificing actual current players for hypothetical players that may never materialize is an inherently risky proposition for any PBM company. If the old way has worked so well for Galac-Tac in recent years, then all the more power to that old way of doing things. It just doesn't work for me nor connect with me in this particular instance. Do such small details actually matter, though? Well, I don't consider important details to be small things. Furthermore, attention to detail isn't a passing fad. The devil is in the details, the solution to problems is often found in the weeds of the details. That's just a fact, same as always. On a personal level, I wish Talisman Games the best of luck with their chosen approach. For my own part, though, I see it as an anchor around Galac-Tac's neck, one that makes it harder rather than easier to grow the Galac-Tac player base, over either the short term or the long term. Others are free to embrace or reject the current approach, as they each respectively see fit. I don't know if Hammer remembers who Paul Harvey was, but whether he does or not, now Hammer knows. . .the rest of the story. |
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GNN — Galactic News Network |
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Issue Number 8 — Dateline: September 28, 2025 |
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Editor’s Introduction
By Arlin Veynor, Senior Editor, GNN The past cycle has delivered one of the most volatile stretches of developments across the quadrant in recent memory. From the Xorphrin Republic’s fragile population growth, to the Plakavian Empire’s relentless expansion, the Charon Empire’s unraveling cluster battles, Megacorp’s dual campaigns of trade and invasion, and smaller but telling flashpoints at the edges of contested systems—the galaxy is moving on multiple, dangerous fronts. What follows is GNN’s full coverage of these intertwined events. Population Expansions Amid Escalating Conflict By Mara Teylan, GNN The Xorphrin Republic reported widespread population growth across nearly two dozen frontier worlds, but the expansion coincided with alarming security incidents in contested systems. Settlements on planets including Veyra 1, Dravon 4,and Tallen 7 each saw modest population boosts, generally two new habitation regions apiece. Some planets, such as Joren 5, have now reached multi-million populations, underscoring the Republic’s push to consolidate its core holdings. But the cycle was far from peaceful. Defense Control confirmed that Orrik 1 came under direct assault by an Orrey Inc. fleet, launching a fighter strike. Republic interceptors downed a single strike wing, while enemy ships inflicted heavy losses on defending fighters, destroying four wings. Analysts warned that Orrik 1 remains vulnerable if reinforcements are not dispatched. Meanwhile, in the Lyros Expanse, Fleet 127 and Fleet 163 reported devastating encounters with Plakavian warships at Falros 2. Combat computers initially assessed the enemy strength at 104,000, but once the Plakavian fleet executed a Warbird Maneuver, Fleet 127 absorbed nearly 4,000 strikes, resulting in the destruction of vessel ALPH126. Shortly thereafter, Fleet 163 was similarly overwhelmed, with its flagship ALPH305 breaking apart after catastrophic power loss. Both fleets are now listed as missing. Republic high command has not issued a public statement, but sources inside the Admiralty told GNN that emergency fleet redeployments are being considered. The Plakavian fleet’s Warbird Maneuver, a tactic known for destabilizing opposing command systems, has already drawn alarm within neighboring alliances. As the Republic pushes its population frontiers outward, its vulnerability to hostile fleets remains a pressing concern. Citizens on Orrik1 and Falros 2 are reportedly bracing for further incursions. Plakavian Expansion Pushes Deeper Into Frontier By KaelenDros, GNN The Plakavian Empire accelerated its frontier consolidation this cycle, converting new colonies, building defensive systems, and expanding military infrastructure, even as fresh skirmishes with rival factions broke out. On Pallin 2, officials confirmed the successful completion of planetary conversion, followed by the rapid deployment of 50 anti-ballistic missile platforms at a cost of 5,000 resource units. The defensive buildup comes as Plakavian high command signals growing unease about enemy reconnaissance activity in the region. Meanwhile, Ustara 6 underwent a dramatic transformation. Within a single cycle, agricultural, mining, and production centers were established, boosting the planet’s long-term economic viability. A military base was also installed, while multiple foreign fleets—including vessels from Nepenthes and Rubidius—were briefly detected in orbit. Both fleets departed without engagement. Plakavian officials downplayed the visits, characterizing them as “temporary joint operations.” At the shipyards of Tennar 2, four new Military Base Ships were launched and commissioned into Fleet 71 at a reported cost of 41,600 resource Units. The fleet has since moved to secure Ustara 6, establishing firm orbital presence around the planet. Elsewhere, the Plakavian Navy remained active. Reconnaissance forces sighted multiple Orrey Inc. fighters near Ninthos 2, indicating possible rival interest in Plakavian border systems. At the same time, Fleet 44 clashed with an unarmed Xorphrin Republic detachment in the Falros binary system, inflicting thousands of hits and destroying several exploration vessels. Damage to Plakavian ships was described as minimal, with all surviving craft reporting 100% operational status. The cycle also saw the quiet expansion of Plakavian intelligence networks. GNN has learned that spy operatives successfully infiltrated guerrilla cells on planets including Kalros 1, Kaspar 1, and Urquon 3,establishing surveillance footholds across three separate sectors. Military recruitment surged in parallel, with over 1,200 standard marine Units and nearly 100 heavy marine units raised on core worlds such as Ikros 2, Kagen 2,and Xekor 1. Analysts believe this buildup is directly linked to the Empire’s renewed push to secure lightly defended frontier planets. High command has not commented on the Empire’s next strategic objectives, but observers suggest that with both Rubidius and Nepenthes fleets operating in proximity to Plakavian territory, the region may soon see wider conflicts erupt. Charon Empire Endures Guerrilla Uprisings as Fleets Clash in Reknor Cluster By Selanne Veyr, GNN The Charon Empire faced a turbulent cycle in the Reknor Cluster, as multiple worlds erupted with coordinated guerrilla offensives, while hostile fleets from rival powers surged into contested space. Reports confirm that insurgents, aided by House Mako and Pathfinder agents, seized control of garrisons on Reknor 3-13, Reknor 3-16, Reknor 3-17, and Reknor 3-18, dismantling Charon marine defenses and crippling planetary revenues. The guerrilla campaigns are believed to have been carefully coordinated, striking four systems in rapid succession. One intelligence official described the situation as “the most serious internal destabilization in a decade.” Compounding the crisis, planetary surveys noted bizarre celestial events: entire planets vanished from orbit in Reknor 3, only to reappear in distant sectors. Defense analysts speculate this may be linked to hyperspace distortions or experimental enemy technology. Charon fleets responded with force. Fighter wings launched a massive strike in Reknor 3, inflicting 52,000 hits on an unidentified enemy fleet and destroying an explorer-class vessel. Elsewhere, Fleet 35 and Fleet 7 stormed Mefira 2, a colony world held by the Taka Nomads, overrunning eight colony bases and eliminating more than 150 enemy marine Units, including 58 heavy units. The world is now under Charon occupation, with 800 marine units holding the surface. Meanwhile, OrreyInc., Cerebus, and Lilith fleets maneuvered aggressively throughout Reknor starsystem, often appearing alongside House Mako’s forces. Recon fighters tracked multiple hostile incursions into Charon-controlled space, while planetary governors in the Tolarn and Rokar systems reported repeated scans by unidentified fleets. Despite the turmoil, the Empire pressed forward with its militarization program. Planetary defenses were reinforced with hundreds of new ABM systems and planetary torpedoes, and cybernetic marine units were mass-produced on key industrial worlds. Enlar 2 alone saw its technology base leap forward by over many levels, with planetary torpedo batteries retooled to advanced class systems. In an unexpected reversal, Charon-backed guerrillas struck deep into enemy-held platforms. Successful uprisings seized Nakor 4, Nakor 3, Upkar 4,and Domar 3, turning them into fortified strongholds now boasting production centers and shipyards under Charon-aligned control. These counteroffensives boosted imperial revenues and demonstrated the Empire’s capacity to wage covert war in response. With Reknor destabilized, rival fleets circling, and guerrilla warfare escalating, the Charon Empire faces a volatile balance between internal rebellion and expansionist retaliation. Imperial Command has yet to issue a public address. Megacorp Expands Trade Routes, Launches Invasion of Cooperative World By Renn Avari, GNN Megacorp fleets pressed forward with an aggressive campaign of commerce and conquest this cycle, securing vast amounts of natural resources while striking against rivals in contested space. Fleet 54 completed a rapid circuit through multiple colonies, exchanging goods on Fammos 3, Denmar 2,and Aojin 2, with transactions valued in the thousands of resource units. Governors repeatedly described their worlds as “rich in natural resources,” offering steady export streams to the corporation’s transport fleets. Similar runs were executed by fleets funneling cargo from more than two dozen worlds into Megacorp’s growing supply chain. The largest payoff came on Elios 1, where Fleet 54 unloaded over 1,000 cargo units for a resource unit windfall. Elsewhere, Prymos 2 and Veklar 1 each achieved massive sales, underscoring the scale of Megacorp’s economic engine. Yet the cycle was not limited to trade. In a decisive military move, Fleet 12 invaded Calla Cooperative holdings on Soren 1, a gas giant colony world. More than 1,000 Megacorp marine units stormed the lone colony base, overwhelming 54 defending units without significant losses. The Cooperative garrison was annihilated, and the planet now hosts a Megacorp-controlled marine detachment. Incoming revenues from Soren 1 are expected to increase steadily as industrial centers are established. Simultaneously, Fleet 87 launched a missile strike on Soren 2, destroying 32 planetary forts despite the deployment of anti-ballistic defenses. Military analysts note that the strike demonstrated precision targeting and may signal Megacorp’s intent to secure the entire system from Cooperative influence. On the home front, corporate yards on Amminar 5 rolled out five new Trade Center Ships, designated Fleet 62. The fleet was dispatched to establish trade outposts in the Amminar and Alnos sectors, directly boosting revenue streams. Beyond commerce and conflict, Megacorp also expanded its covert operations.Guerrilla recruitment succeeded on several frontier worlds, including Drakar 3 and Rhoris 4,where hundreds of irregular fighters were armed at minimal cost. Analysts suggest these units may serve to destabilize rival holdings before direct military occupation. With its fleets simultaneously delivering trade goods, launching invasions, and nurturing guerrilla networks, Megacorp continues to blur the line between corporate expansion and outright empire-building. Neighboring factions are now faced with the question of whether Megacorp’s dominance can be contained—or if its influence is becoming too entrenched to challenge. Scans, Missile Raid, and a Guerrilla Upset Rock Three Fronts By Taryn Solace, GNN GNN has confirmed three flashpoints breaking across the fringe: a hostile scan of a corporate world, a precision missile raid against a fortified colony, and a successful guerrilla action overturning control of a contested planet. In the Saqqel System, Onega Systems reports that planetary defenses on Saqqel 3 detected an unidentified fleet scanning from elsewhere in-system. Security officials did not disclose the scanning vessel’s owner but said traffic control is tracking orbital vectors and has placed surface sites on elevated alert pending rules-of-engagement guidance. Far spinward, Pizcivour authorities say an Apshain Federation task group closed to strike range of Mephos 2 and launched 10 missiles. Planetary ABMs intercepted three, but five surface forts were destroyed before the attacking force broke contact. Combat Control on Mephos 2 reported that 33 inbound torpedoes were spoofed or detonated by defender countermeasures during the clash. Local commanders labeled the raid “probing and punitive,” warning that follow-on strikes could target production nodes if reinforcement lags. Meanwhile, the Fulham Empire suffered a political and military setback when guerrillas aligned with Kvizier seized Navaq 1. Officials in Fulham’s colonial office confirmed the uprising’s success and said imperial marines withdrew under fire as militia leadership declared provisional control. Revenue authorities flagged an immediate downturn from the world, while analysts note Kvizier’s method—arming locals and flipping garrisons—mirrors recent insurgent tactics seen across several theaters this cycle. Taken together, the incidents underscore a widening pattern: reconnaissance pressure on corporate assets, standoff strikes to attrit fixed defenses, and insurgent campaigns designed to unravel planetary control without prolonged sieges. Regional observers tell GNN that unless rapid-response flotillas are repositioned, Saqqel 3, Mephos 2, and neighboring worlds could face larger escalations within days. Editor’s Closing
By Arlin Veynor, Senior Editor, GNN This cycle underscores the instability now threading through every major power. Populations grow even as fleets vanish; empires expand even as guerrillas rise; corporations profit even as they conquer. Each report reveals a galaxy increasingly defined by overlapping wars of attrition, insurgency, and expansion. GNN will continue to provide clarity in the fog of interstellar conflict. Stay with us. End of Issue Number 8 — Galactic News Network TAKAMO www.takamo.com |
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* All Takamo content and images copyright © Kgruppe LLC. |
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