The Joys of PBEM and question for the board.

[Michael Dorosh]

Strangely enough, Combat Mission didn't invent the wheel...it just seems like it. My question is in bold in the middle of the article below.

Apart from the obvious difference in subject matter, what is the difference between a game like Monopoly, and the typical wargame? There are several not obvious at first glance. I doubt that anyone has a keen interest in Monopoly without actually playing the game. In contrast, some of the most celebrated figures in (wargaming) rarely play....Another difference is that I doubt very much if any one plays Monopoly solitaire, and yet many enthusiastic wargamers like, or even prefer, solitaire play.

So if you are one of the many enjoying (wargaming) without actually playing against (a live) opponent, this article is not for you. Then again, maybe it is especially for you. I've tried some of the games designed for (single player) play and must admit they are pretty good. However, despite the recent advances in the design of (single player) wargames, I dare say none that I've seen can compare with the excitement of playing a skilled opponent. Regardless of your time available or geographic location, the perfect opponent is as close as your nearest (in)box.

That's where Play by EMail (PBEM) comes in. It is the best way I know to contact that opponent with the perfect temperament who will make wargaming really come alive for you because it greatly multiplies the number of opponents available to you from which to choose. Joe down-the-street doesn't like Civil War games? No bother, Bill in Tennessee loves them. Bill hasn't learned the new impulse-movement games; so what, Jeff in Georgia knows his stuff. Of course, this is not the only advantage of PBEM. You can do a PBEM turn at the most convenient moment for you and your family, who may have different ideas about how daddy or fiance should spend the evening or weekend, something other than an all-day Face-To-Face (FTF) wargaming session. I don't know anyone so henpecked he can't slip away for an hour while his wife watches the latest (insert TV show title here) episode to do a PBEM turn, and it is so much more exciting than today's TV! Moreover, given the length of many of our wargames, it is often more convenient to reduce them to bite-size proportions by taking one turn at a time rather than trying to finish them all at once in one marathon session. Moreover, you never have to worry about Joe Gamer sneezing in your face, eating you out of house and home, or wanting to play on your bowling night. You play when you want. All the convenience of the computer...game's built-in opponent, but with infinitely more challenging programming.

...One turn at a time too "bite-sized" for you? Who's to say that you have to play only one game at a time? Many PBEMers play several games at once...Indeed, the ultimate balance solution to any wargame is to play two games simultaneously - one as each side.... Mike's question - have any of you CMers ever actually done this? How did it turn out?

Strange as it may seem, I number social contacts as one of the chief advantages of PBEM. While many surely dismiss PBEMers as hermits unwilling to play FTF, I've always enjoyed the comradeship of making new friends in different parts of the world. I have PBEM'd with opponents from every continent except Antarctica [and that's only because penguins can't write] - including some behind the Iron Curtain - and treasure the contacts thus made. The well-known Egyptian actor Omar Sharif is a champion bridge player, and in a recent BBC interview he commented that with a deck of cards and the ability to play bridge, you could make friends anywhere in the world. As one who has lived in many different countries, I can attest that the same is true of wargaming. While very pursuit has its share of stinkers and nice guys, I believe wargaming has more than its share of the latter and it has been a pleasure to make their acquaintance through our mutual love affair with wargames. Through the years, I've greatly enjoyed meeting my (wargaming) correspondents in person....Even in today's world of high tech pleasures, PBEM remains one of the most satisfying and inexpensive pleasures. Mike's comment - Amen, and this is especially true of CM, and this Forum.

But when push comes to shove, the real advantage of playing by email for me is to improve my skill. If you own a car, chances are it can exceed 100 mph. Most cars will these days, although it is just as likely that you rarely use more than half of that performance. Wargames are like that, too. Those of us intimately familiar with a game realize that most...games...have subtelties of play few have ever discovered, let alone practiced against a skilled opponent. The only way to harness that skill for yourself is to play the game against as many different opponents as possible - players who may have very different ideas about how to best play the game because they've had different experiences than you....

The...real advantage of PBEM for me and countless others has been what it has done for our understanding of the games themselves - the development of our skill. Putting aside for the moment the lessons one gets simply by expanding one's circle of opponents, a PBEM turn offers a player the opportunity to "try on for size" countless variations of a response to any given turn...This type of "mulling over" of a move...is both impractical and socially unacceptable in FTF play. How many of you have sworn off playing someone again because he took "forever" to make a move? In PBEM you can take all the time you want without inconveniencing your opponent....

In this age of high tech, Play by EMail can take many forms. Moves can be made by telephone, FACS (sic) machines, or computer modems with any of the numerous electronic Bulletin Board services that are available for user fees....

We will stop it there; go back and substitute Play By Mail (PBM) for all the PBEM references above, and you have the original article by Tom Oleson published in 1989 in The General Magazine. He was referring to playing wargames via conventional postal ("snail") mail. Hopefully the reference to the Iron Curtain clued people in; if not, the start of the last paragraph in the quote was obviously predating electronic mail...(I removed the reference to the "Dynasty" soap opera series on TV)

It is funny that many of the younger CM players may not realize that PBM was a standard way for wargamers to do many of the things we now do more inexpensively and more easily via electronic mail.

Then again, my email account costs me 45 bucks a month, stamps to the US are only 65 cents plus GST...

[ May 07, 2002, 09:18 PM: Message edited by: Michael Dorosh ]

[Lars]

Plus you learned about stocks.

Remember looking up stocks for the dice rolls?

[MrSpkr]

Originally posted by Lars:

Plus you learned about stocks.

Remember looking up stocks for the dice rolls?

Memories . . .

[Herr Kruger]

Good post, but remember your comment about stamps and e-mail is not correct. Buying a stamp doesn't give you access to this forum for example, or the ability to download MODs... silly Micheal!