Hi! I'm Charles, and I hail from from South Carolina. I thought that I would drop by and check the place out. I try to do a little advocacy for the play by mail genre of gaming, or PBM as it is known affectionately to those who partake of it. I hope that I'm not too out of place, here. I publish a small PBM magazine in PDF format called Suspense & Decision, and I am the site administrator for a site called PlayByMail.Net. Mostly, though, I just tend to fall off the Earth, now and again.
Looking about the place, here, it appears that the older that I get, the newer that I am. Can anyone relate?
Happy gaming, and I'll try not to be too intrusive! I'm going to browse for a bit.
- Charles -
First, welcome aboard, Charles!
Second, there's no such thing as 'intrusive' when it comes to gaming talk, so say what you will.
Third, I used to play PBM games like mad, but that was back in the late 80s and early 90s. I had no idea it was still a thing. Are you meaning actually putting a turn of some sort into an envelope, putting stamps on it, and putting it into the mail? Perhaps an ignorant question, but I just want to be sure I'm clear.
welcome!
Quote from: BanzaiCat on August 15, 2017, 03:40:40 PM
First, welcome aboard, Charles!
Second, there's no such thing as 'intrusive' when it comes to gaming talk, so say what you will.
Third, I used to play PBM games like mad, but that was back in the late 80s and early 90s. I had no idea it was still a thing. Are you meaning actually putting a turn of some sort into an envelope, putting stamps on it, and putting it into the mail? Perhaps an ignorant question, but I just want to be sure I'm clear.
In a nutshell, some games are still postal in nature, as in played via the postal service medium, but others are played via electronic/digital means. Most of my own efforts, these days, seems geared more towards just trying to get the word out that PBM gaming is still around - raise awareness and interest, that sort of thing.
Your question certainly isn't an ignorant one, and I dare say that many who have never played games via envelopes through the postal service (send turn orders in and receive turn results back) might look upon it as a quaint notion, but little more than that. But, as with many things associated with gaming, notions of that ilk can be misleading. Some games can be played via postal service or electronic/digital means, these days.
There is a PBM Wiki on the PlayByMail.Net website. It's a list of different PBM games and PBM companies that have existed, down through the years. Most of it is little more than a list of names, though, since the details still need fleshing out, and I suspect that information about many of the games and companies has been lost to the sands of time. The PBM Wiki can be found here: http://playbymail.net/pbmwiki/index.php/Main_Page
Quote from: bayonetbrant on August 15, 2017, 03:43:07 PM
welcome!
Thanks! There's a quote from Starship Troopers in your signature. I remember buying the boxed game, Starship Troopers, a long, long time ago, but I never actually played it, since I had no one to play it with.
Hey Charles. Welcome aboard!
Quote from: mirth on August 15, 2017, 03:53:14 PM
Hey Charles. Welcome aboard!
Thanks, Mirth! Glad to be here. Lots to browse here.
Welcome!
Welcome to Grogheads, Charles! Good to have you with us!
Welcome, Charles! Saw ads for PBM games in Dragon Magazine as I was growing up. Looked like a neat way to game. I just knew I wouldn't keep up with it, so I never started one.
Welcome to the Grogs Charles. Careful about using the word, "dongle" around this crowd. It sets them off. ;D
Quote from: Sir Slash on August 15, 2017, 10:22:38 PM
Careful about using the word, "dongle" around this crowd. It sets them off. ;D
Moistens the loins.
Quote from: bob48 on August 15, 2017, 04:13:39 PM
Welcome!
Thanks, Bob!
Quote from: Martok on August 15, 2017, 08:40:24 PM
Welcome to Grogheads, Charles! Good to have you with us!
Thanks, Martok, I appreciate the welcome!
Quote from: MetalDog on August 15, 2017, 08:49:17 PM
Welcome, Charles! Saw ads for PBM games in Dragon Magazine as I was growing up. Looked like a neat way to game. I just knew I wouldn't keep up with it, so I never started one.
Thanks, MetalDog. I believe that I got started playing PBM games by responding to an ad for Hyborian War, which used to appear on the back cover of the black and white Savage Sword of Conan and Conan Saga magazines. I had no idea what to expect, really.
Quote from: Sir Slash on August 15, 2017, 10:22:38 PM
Welcome to the Grogs Charles. Careful about using the word, "dongle" around this crowd. It sets them off. ;D
Understood, Sir Slash. I'll try to not mention it - unless circumstances dictate it, of course.
Quote from: mirth on August 15, 2017, 10:24:23 PM
Moistens the loins.
Honestly, Mirth, I didn't come here with any hidden agenda to moisten loins. That said, if others are here for that purpose, then carry on, gentlemen. As you were.
Welcome, Charles! I was a big, big PBMer back in the day before a shiny new Commodore 64 stole my heart. I played countless games of Alamaze, Global Supremacy, Hyborian War, Flying Buffalo titles of course, Rolling Thunder had a massive space game and a WWII game I poured money into, and countless smaller titles I don't remember the names to anymore. I wrote reviews for Flagship and Paper Mayhem (now there's an oldie for ya!). Your list brings back lots of memories. Hell, I don't think I've looked forward to checking the mail each day since 1996. Good times, man.
Quote from: Steelgrave on August 16, 2017, 08:07:00 PM
Welcome, Charles! I was a big, big PBMer back in the day before a shiny new Commodore 64 stole my heart. I played countless games of Alamaze, Global Supremacy, Hyborian War, Flying Buffalo titles of course, Rolling Thunder had a massive space game and a WWII game I poured money into, and countless smaller titles I don't remember the names to anymore. I wrote reviews for Flagship and Paper Mayhem (now there's an oldie for ya!). Your list brings back lots of memories. Hell, I don't think I've looked forward to checking the mail each day since 1996. Good times, man.
Thanks, Steelgrave!
My first computer was a Commodore 128 that I purchased at Sears, kept for about two weeks, and I took it back. I was substantially disappointed in it. My next computer was an Emerson 386/SX-16 Mhz with 1 Meg of RAM. The difference was night and day!
What name did you write under for Paper Mayhem and Flagship, if you don't mind me asking?
You've got all those PBM memories that you're hoarding. We need to get you spilling the beans, Steelgrave. Your memories will prompt memories in others.
Quote from: Steelgrave on August 16, 2017, 08:07:00 PM
I wrote reviews for Flagship and Paper Mayhem (now there's an oldie for ya!). Your list brings back lots of memories. Hell, I don't think I've looked forward to checking the mail each day since 1996. Good times, man.
There are a few back issues of Flagship magazine available for download at: http://flagshipmagazine.co.uk/index.php?a=home&sa=lib&tid=11
I've used Steelgrave as my online persona for around twenty years now. I honestly don't remember what name I was using when PBMing. I think I wrote three or four reviews for Paper Mayhem and one for Flagship so I wasn't super prolific or anything as a writer. As a player however....looking at the list you provided, I probably played 70% of those games. I'm very surprised and even a little tempted to see some old favorites are still around, in particular Alamaze. Lots of fun memories there. PBM even had it's share of "vaporware" (or would that be "paperware"?). Lots of us sent sign up money for a new game called Dukes of Hell from some slicks with a NYC address. Took about a year for the diehards to admit there was no game, as I recall.
Quote from: Steelgrave on August 18, 2017, 11:54:25 AM
Lots of us sent sign up money for a new game called Dukes of Hell from some slicks with a NYC address. Took about a year for the diehards to admit there was no game, as I recall.
This the one?
https://www.abebooks.com/Dukes-PBM-Vincent-Manna-Play-Mail/10923261125/bd
Quote from: PlayByMail.Net on August 19, 2017, 08:56:51 AM
Quote from: Steelgrave on August 18, 2017, 11:54:25 AM
Lots of us sent sign up money for a new game called Dukes of Hell from some slicks with a NYC address. Took about a year for the diehards to admit there was no game, as I recall.
This the one?
https://www.abebooks.com/Dukes-PBM-Vincent-Manna-Play-Mail/10923261125/bd
Could be, but I never heard of anyone actually receiving anything at all from the company, much less ever playing a turn. This being pre-internet days, there were letters to Paper Mayhem and I think Flagship complaining that there was no game and that it was a scam. I know letters I sent to the company were never answered. If that's the same folks, they owe me a refund with twenty years interest >:D