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A play-by-mail game is a game played through postal mail, email, or other digital media. Correspondence chess and Go were among the first PBM games. Diplomacy has been played by mail since 1963, introducing a multi-player aspect to PBM games. Flying Buffalo Inc. pioneered the first commercially available PBM game in 1970. A small number of PBM companies followed in the 1970s, with an explosion of hundreds of startup PBM companies in the 1980s at the peak of PBM gaming popularity, many of them small hobby companies—more than 90 percent of which eventually folded. A number of independent PBM magazines also started in the 1980s, including The Nuts & Bolts of PBM, Gaming Universal, Paper Mayhem and Flagship. These magazines eventually went out of print, replaced in the 21st century by the online PBM journal Suspense and Decision.
Legends is a turn-based, role-playing game with a medieval setting. It is currently published in English by Harlequin Games. Jim Landes—owner of Midnight Games, the game's first publisher—began developing the game in 1984, eventually publishing it in December 1989 as a play-by-mail (PBM) game after over a year of playtesting. The initial game comprised a module and game system built on the publisher's existing game, Epic, and was run briefly as Swords of Pelarn before publication as Legends. The first of multiple game modules was Crown of Avalon, which allowed up to 200 players per game. Demand by 1991 was "incredible" according to Bruce R. Daniel in White Wolf. Games could be lengthy, initially between three and ten years of play, settling into an average of three years by 2002.
Fall of Rome is a play-by-mail strategy wargame that was published by Enlightened Age Entertainment. Set in the period after Roman times, it involved covert action and combat. The game won the Origins Award for Best Play-By-Mail Game of 2004.
Fleet Maneuvers is a closed-end, space-based play-by-mail (PBM) wargame.
The Weapon is a closed-ended, science fiction, play-by-mail (PBM) game.
Terra II is a open-ended, play-by-mail (PBM) wargame published by Clemens & Associates.
Mobius I is a closed-end, space-based play-by-mail (PBM) wargame of space conquest. The game was first published in 1984 by Mobius Games and was subsequently published by Flying Buffalo, Inc. and Rick Loomis PBM Games.
Balance of Power was a closed-end and mixed-moderated play by mail (PBM) wargame. It was published by Jolly Goblin Games in Canada and Whitegold Games in the United Kingdom. Twenty players competed in this moderately complicated game to control a third of the game map. Technology was pre-World War I era. The game received generally positive reviews in various publications in the 1980s.
Warlord is a closed-ended, computer moderated, play-by-mail (PBM) wargame.
Austerlitz is a closed-ended, computer moderated, play-by-email (PBM) wargame. It is published by Supersonic Games.
War of the Dark God is a closed-end, computer-moderated, play-by-mail fantasy wargame.
Kings of Karadon is a closed-end, mixed-moderated, play-by-mail fantasy wargame. It was originally published by Hunky Monkey Games.
Venom is a closed-end, computer-moderated, play-by-mail (PBM) wargame. It was published by Game Systems, Inc. in 1989. Twenty players role-played demigods battling for supremacyby developing their position and winning a final battle. Demigod characters were highly customizable in the manner of spaceships for space-based PBM games. The game received generally poor reviews before the publisher revised the game in 1990 which improved the game according to one reviewer.
Vorcon Wars is an closed-ended, computer moderated, space-based play-by-mail game. It was published by Vorcon Games and running as early as 1981. 16 players vie for control of the planet Vorcon. Gameplay occurred on a hex map with over 1,000 hexes of varying types and resources. Players strived for expansion through combat and other means. By 1986, the publisher launched an additional version for play called Super Vorcon Wars. In 1989, Vorcon Wars placed second in the non-fantasy wargames section of Flagship's Spring 1989 Award Winners.
Trolls Bottom is a play-by-mail (PBM) role-playing wargame. It was published by Project Basilisk in the United Kingdom shortly after the company began in 1986 and spread to multiple countries globally over the following year. Up to 70 players per game roleplayed trolls on a volcanic island called Trolls Bottom struggling to win by being the last survivor. Players had various possible actions that affected four character traits. Besides other players, vulture companions and non-player characters populated the island. Orders were written in the style of It's a Crime with turn results written in a comedic style. The game received generally positive reviews in gaming magazines of the late 1980s and was listed No. 1 in Flagship's role-playing wargame category in its Autumn 1987 issue.
Spiral Arm is a closed-end, computer-moderated, space-based play-by-mail (PBM) game. Designed in 1983 and launched afterward by Kevin Flynn of Australian Wizard, the game was also offered for play by Graaf Simulations in the United States and Canada and Spellbinder Games in the United Kingdom. 50 positions, one run by computer, began in a spiral-shaped galaxy with up to 49 players per game vying for control of more than half of the galaxy's industrial wealth. Combat, economics, diplomacy, and technological advancement were elements of gameplay. The game received generally positive reviews in Flagship in the 1980s. Over time, publishers began running an improved Version II which outscored Version I in the 1989 Flagship Ratings.
Battle Cry is a closed-ended, hand moderated, play-by-mail (PBM) fantasy wargame. It was published by Post Age Games. Players vied for control of a fantasy kingdom with victory depending on controlling a sufficiently large area for two turns. The game received mixed reviews in various gaming magazines in the late 1980s and 1990s.
Thunder at Sea is a closed-ended, computer moderated, play-by-mail (PBM) naval wargame. It was published by Command Authority Games and Coconut Council in the United States and Paul Webber in the UK. The game was set in the period 1906 to 1945, using various historical scenarios.
Cosmic Crusaders is a play-by-mail (PBM) game of tactical space combat that was published by Genesis Games Design beginning in 1993. The game was closed-end and computer-moderated. One reviewer described it as a science fiction analogue to Heroic Fantasy. By 1996, Madhouse was publishing the game in the United Kingdom. The game was set in a space station where players explored with customizable squads of six fighters. There were 15–20 players per game. The purpose was to find three station control keys or defeat all other squads. Various items were available to pick up during exploration and station interfaces allowed additional actions such as teleporting or healing. The game was reviewed in various gaming magazines in the 1990s, receiving generally positive reviews that noted it was simple and fun.
References
- ↑ Cavit 1995. p. 36.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Smith 1995. p. 21.
- ↑ Editors 1996. p. 9.
- 1 2 Lamb 2001. p. 19.
- 1 2 Smith 1995. p. 23.
- ↑ Editors 1996. p. 34.