For me, there are three distinct stages in a PBeM player's 'career' - Lurker - Player - GM - and I would recommend that everyone goes through this cycle before they decide to jump straight in and attempt to run a game of their own.

Below, I go through each of these three stages, trying to give a little advice as to what I've found out at each stage in the cycle:

 

Lurker

Even if you've been playing RPG's face-to-face for two decades and know the rules of your favorite system inside out, then it is still very valuable to start off as a lurker, as you will definitely learn a great deal about the differences between the two types of games. To find out how you can become a lurker in the Bohavia campaign check out How To Lurk.

Firstly, I would suggest going through a number of different web sites devoted to different on-going PBeM campaigns, similar to this Bohavia site. Perhaps you already have a system, such as AD&D, that you have already played before and would like to play as a PBeM. But perhaps you are totally new to role playing and have no idea as to which games system would be the most interesting for you. If this is the case, then be sure to check out games that use as many different systems as possible, so that you can select the one that is going to be of most interest to you. Out of interest, from what I have seen from studying Irony Games' Site, the most popular three systems are:

1. Advanced Dungeons & Dragons
2. Star Trek
3. Star Wars

As you check out a number of different web sites, you will see that each DM runs their game in a different way, with styles varying dramatically. There are no fixed rules as to how to run a PBeM campaign.

Although checking through web sites will give you a good idea as to what a PBeM game is all about, it won't give you the same experience of the game that the players are getting. The reason for this is that the majority of web sites feature only summaries of the campaigns, rather than a blow-by-blow account of which player's character said what when. In order to get the whole experience, look out for games that say that Lurkers are welcome and then e-mail the DM to say that you would like to be added to the mailing list. Don't be shy - the majority of DM's will be flattered at your interest in their campaign. A list of games which 'love lurkers' is maintained at the Irony Games Site, although it hasn't been updated for a very long time. If you are shy and don't want to bother the DM, then check out The Phoenyx. This site is home for the mailing lists of many PBeM's, including Bohavia. Becoming a lurker in any of their games is as simple as sending a three word e-mail. Everything is simply explained on their site.

It's good to lurk in more than one game if you really want to start playing quickly. That way, you should get a good cross-section of different games and get an idea as to the differences between them. If you haven't got a copy of the rules for the system that you are interested in, then now is the ideal time to get yourself a copy. If you haven't got a good games store close to you, then Irony Games will be happy to sell you the books through their mail order division. Once you have a copy of the rules, then the mechanics of the game should become clear to you. How long you spend at the lurker stage depends totally on you. Chances are that, after only a week or two of lurking, you'll be itching to start playing.

 

Player

Before you run off and start applying to every game that you see an opening for, you need to have a think about whether you are really ready to start playing. How much time can you really spend on PBeMs? The majority of games vary from requiring one posting a day to one posting per week, with most falling somewhere in the middle. From experience, you should count on spending around half an hour per posting per game on a PBeM, taking into account the time that you will need to spend reading all of the postings from the DM and other players and then posting your own response. Are you really willing, or able, to make that commitment each day, or three times per week, or just once a week? Don't just take into account how you are fixed this week and next week. The majority of PBeM's are 'open-ended', which means that they, theoretically, go on ad infinitum. Can you guarantee that you will have the same amount of time to devote to the game in a month's time? In six month's time? In a year's time? Sadly, a vast amount of games go belly up after a relatively short period of time, usually for reasons that could be avoided if all players and DM's took a while to think about things like this, but you should always go into a game as if it really was going to keep going for year after year. Are you going to have e-mail access on a continual basis? If you are in education and lose e-mail access during breaks, then you really should let the DM know this before joining a game. Before you apply to join any game, you should be confident that you will be able to commit to staying with a game that you start.

Having answered that important question, you are now ready to start looking for a game. As I have said in many places on this site, Irony Games' PBeM site is the best place to go, by far, in order to get into a game. You will notice that, on the site, there is a section where you can put up a posting saying that you are a player looking to get into a game. Unless you are looking to play in a game using one of the less popular sets of rules, then the chances of your being contacted by DM's through one of these postings is quite rare, from what I understand. There is no harm in trying, but you are better advised to apply in response to a posting put up by a DM.

If you are looking to get into a game using one of the three most popular formats listed above, then you will usually find that there are several games with openings advertised at any one time. Avoid the temptation of responding to the first posting that you see, as you will probably regret it later. Take a little time to check through all of the postings to see if there is one that really takes your eye. If not, then it's better to wait. In a week's time, there will undoubtedly be a whole new set of games to choose from.

In my opinion, there are no hard and fast rules for determining which of the posted games will be 'good' and which will be 'bad'. Some players go for the one with the most amount of text, some will only go for games with a web site. Some will only go for games that they see have been running for a long time. Personally, I would never go for a game where the posting contained misspelling and bad grammar in every line, but that's just me! So just try and find a posting that takes your eye for any reason.

Once you have found a posting that catches your eye, read all of the posting carefully. Then read it through another time. If there is a link to a web site, make sure that you read everything there is on the site about the campaign world very carefully. Are you sure that you are still interested in the campaign after finding out everything about it? Are you sure that you are able to comply with all of the requirements that the DM is looking for? The most important factor in PBeMs is honesty. If the DM says that he is looking for someone to post every day, and you can only manage a couple of times per week, then choose another game. If the DM is looking for experienced players only, and you have never played a game before, then choose another. If you do join a PBeM under false pretenses, then you will be found out sooner or later, and it will create a lot of bad feelings between you, the DM and the other players.

Pay close attention to what the DM asks you to provide him or her with and make sure that you follow his or her requirements as closely as possible. If you don't, then you may very well find that the DM ignores your application.

Usually, the DM will ask you to submit a character. Either they will ask for a complete character sheet, or just a background story for your character. Designing the character is probably the most important stage of the process for a player. It is a good idea, at this point, to bear in mind the advantages and disadvantages of PBeMs compared with face-to-face games.

Probably the main disadvantage of PBeMs is that they move incredibly slowly compared to face-to-face games. Scenarios that could be completed in an evening of face-to-face gaming could take a year to run through in a slow-moving PBeM. This is worth bearing in mind if, for example, your PBeM features a lot of combat and you are planning on your character being a 1st Level Magic-User, for example. If this is the case, then your character is going to be spending a lot of time with little to do after he or she has cast his or her one and only spell. Combat, in general, is another disadvantage of PBeMs, as it tends to lose the excitement of rolling the dice that is an important part of face-to-face games. As a result, most well-run PBeMs tend to accentuate the role playing element of games, and you would be well advised to take this into account when designing a character.

The main advantage of PBeMs is that role playing can be enhanced compared with a face-to-face game. In most face-to-face games, most players tend to get caught up in the excitement of a game so that they do not role play to the full. In most cases, games end up in a situation where players are role playing themselves role playing their characters - a shy and retiring player will almost inevitably end up playing a shy and retiring character. In addition to this factor, most of the face-to-face games that I have played in lose a lot as a result of players chatting amongst themselves when they are not actively involved and as a result of the wisecracks that are usually going backwards and forwards while the game is in progress. PBeMs are a lot more focused than face-to-face games which, for me, results in a much more immersive role playing experience.

To get the most out of a PBeM, I think it is important to come up with strong characters that can be played in a strong style. While you are putting your character together, try to think about how the character will react during the game. How will the character talk? For me, the most enjoyable games have come from having strong characters with their own unique personalities. If you're involved in a game where you don't have to see the character's name to know who said what, then it is a sign that the character is being well played. If you are short of ideas for interesting characters to play, then it can be a good idea to read some good fantasy literature. Pay attention as to how the characters in the book talk and react to each other. A good PBeM should give an observer the impression that he or she is watching a good novel unfolding as it goes along.

So, you've developed a good character and you've submitted it to the DM. What happens next? It is a sad situation that, in many cases, nothing will happen. A lot of games will just simply not happen because the DM hasn't really thought the process through properly and isn't committed enough to carry the project through. A lot of DM's get inundated with responses to a posting and have to turn players away. I think it is very rude of DM's to just ignore people who have taken the time and trouble to submit a character, but it happens time and time again, unfortunately. If this happens to you, then don't despair. The character that you have developed can easily be filed away and brought out for submission for another campaign, as new ones are starting all of the time. If you keep on applying to enough games then, sooner or later, you will eventually be admitted to a game.

Does this mean that you will be guaranteed of your character being a part of a game that goes on year after year? Unfortunately not, in my experience. Even after your character has been admitted into a game, it often happens that the game never starts - again, usually for the reason that the DM was not ready to run a campaign, has got cold feet, and baled out. Even if the game does start, a large number fall apart in the first few weeks. Sometimes this is the DM's fault for losing interest in the game, or finding that it is more work than he or she can cope with, and sometimes it is the players' fault as, in many instances, they fall away from the campaign very early on, which can be disheartening for even the most committed of DM's. In either of these circumstances, my advice is the same. Just start the process again and find another game to join. If you are committed enough, then you will eventually find a good game that goes the full distance and you should be amply rewarded for your patience.

So, do you think that you're now ready to take on the challenge of becoming a DM?

 

This page was last updated on 6 October 1998