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:
- Advanced Dungeons &
Dragons
- Star Trek
- 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.
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?