Flagship - The Independent Magazine for Gamers

RPG PBEMs
How to Find One and Get Started

RUSSELL BEER offers advice for beginners ...

'THE ONLY thing I consider actual roleplaying is sitting around a table with my friends and the live interplay between us.' Many times have I heard this or similar comments. Face to face gaming is an experience that surpasses any other. I cannot argue with those words. But there is something that runs a close second.

Play by email games (or PBEMs) have become very popular. But what exactly are they? Well the easy answer is that they are roleplaying games where you interact and 'roleplay' via email. But, let's go a little further.

Not everyone has the time to get together on a regular basis. Maybe because of school, work, or other harsh schedules it just can't be worked out. But, it doesn't take all that long to look at email. You can do that when your schedule allows and not have to worry about working out conflicts of time.

But, I hear you asking, doesn't the roleplaying lose some flavor this way? Don't be embarrassed. That is a common misconception. And, I am here to tell you that it can be just as social through email. But that comes later.

First, how do you start a PBEM? Well the quick and easy way is if you already have some gaming buddies and you set up a mutual game online. This way all you have to do is set up the list and you are good to go.

Here is how it happens in most cases. You join a community list. To make this simple, let's call that list RPGsRus. Of course, you quickly join the discussions on your favorite games and systems. The animated discussions start to intrigue you and finally you decide that you want to try one of the many PBEMs out there.

First thing to do, is post to the list asking if they can recommend a good game or where you should look. After you get a few suggestions, or find a few games doing your own searching on the web, I have one suggestion, but it's a real important one. After joining whatever lists(s) you picked, contact the GM and ask for permission to lurk.

Talking to the GM is understandable enough, you can tell if you have the same outlook and views on gaming. If you enjoy having a rules-heavy game, you do not want a GM who gives his players full reign in a freeform atmosphere. Once you have found the GM you feel comfortable with and he/she has agreed, you can begin the next step.

PBEMs have a feel and timing that is definitely unlike a face to face game. Most obvious is that the advancement of a storyline is slower. Although it may not be as much as you think. Whatever the case, you have to get a feel for how the players interact and the flow of the game. By lurking (joining the list and watching the action, but not as one of the characters) you learn what is going on within the game, you see the give and take between players and characters, and, very importantly, you see the GM's style. Just as important as it is to mesh in a face to face game, it is probably even more important in a PBEM.

So, you have been watching for a little while, you love the storyline, the participants seem right down your alley, and the GM's style is exactly what you were looking for. You and the GM have worked out a character for you to join the game. Here are some differences that you will notice right away:

• Extra planning time: Since this is happening via email you do not have to come up with a plan immediately. You have a little extra time to sit and plan out exactly what you want to do.
• The need to be explicit: You do not have the luxury of body language to understand what someone is saying. Sometimes, you can tell someone is being sarcastic, because their tone and body language is quite apparent. Because you are relying on words alone, you have to spell out for everyone what your intentions are if it can't be conveyed with just words.
• Expound on what your character is doing: Since you are not all together, you need to let the GM know what you are planning to do physically and/or mentally. And at the same time you need to leave room for the GM to be able to pronounce the attempt successful or unsuccessful.
  

For example, in a superhero game, Ice Queen's baby sister was taken hostage by Flame Dude, her arch nemesis. Without so much as a thought for herself, Ice Queen rushes off to save her sister. Note the differences in these two examples:

1. 'Ice Queen raises her arms and gestures forward, forming her ice slide and she sails off towards Flame Dude's lair. She bursts through the window and shoots out a halo of ice engulfing her foe so he can't move.'
2. 'Ice Queen raises her arms and gestures forward, forming her ice slide and she sails off towards Flame Dude's last known lair. Upon arriving she looks for any signs of danger or a way to enter his domain. She will not lose her sister to this monster...'
   

As you can plainly see the second choice conveys the same idea, but doesn't step on the GM's toes. It says what she plans to do and allows the GM to tell her that either there is a window open or a note gloating that he outfoxed her this time. Either outcome, the flow of the game is not interrupted by the player having to repost. Whereas in the first post, there may not have been a window, or he may have had a defense against her wall of ice.

Actually, many of these so called differences are not really differences, it is just a matter of subtlety. And you get used to it pretty quickly.

Finally, there is the question of socialization. How can this game be anywhere as fulfilling as a face to face game? In my opinion, it can't. But when you do not have the time to get together it can come pretty close. You can make jokes (just make sure that you state whether they're OOC [out of character] or IC [in character]). You can definitely show emotion and humor in your typing. I play in quite a few PBEMs and I have made true friends in each game. I can honestly picture in my mind exactly what someone will do or so after knowing them for so long.

And, who knows, if time allows, maybe those co-PBEMers can meet you face to face sometime. But, in the meantime, you can make some damn good friends and have a wonderful time. It couldn't hurt to give it a try.