Those who can't find the time to game anymore, is PBEM a valid option?

[krunchyfrogg]

I've had some stuff go down in my life the past few days, and I'm just unable tosacrifice the time it takes to play D&D with my friends anymore.

I can't be alone in this boat.

Is PBEM (Play-By-E-Mail) a decent, valid way of gaming? Does anybody out there have as much (or more) fun playing this way?

I could always satisfy my fix for gaming with computer games, but I just don't think it's the same thing. Computer games are more about numbers and killing stuff than role-playing.

 

[Steverooo]

It's a matter of opinion

On the good side, PBEM games take little time. Many move once a week, and almost none move faster than once per day. It is therefore pretty easy to fit them into your life.

On the down side, you usually don't know anything about the group that you're playing with, their gaming style(s), and many people will show interest in their characters or the in-game situations when they're in combat. Thus, plot can be lacking.

I have tried them, and find a good solo MUD to be less a waste of time. Most PBEM campaigns have little real interaction, and I have had a pretty disappointing time with them.

 

[David Argall]

"Try it. You'll like it..."

I enjoy PBEM games and am in several as well as running a couple of groups.

Now they do have their problems.
The dropout rate can be very high. Few of the players say why they vanish, so one can only guess. I suspect that at the table, if you are idle, it is just for a few moments and you have little option but to wait. On the net, there are all sorts of alternate temptations and with email, it's at least a day you are idle. So it's pretty easy to drift away from even a good game.

CORE is a Greyhawk world of email games you could try.

 

[S'mon]

The majority of PBEMS fail quickly, but when you find a good one, it's great. The strength of PBEMS tend to lie in roleplay & interaction (PC-PC & PC-NPC) rather than combat though, although a good GM can make combat very exciting through evocative description. My experience is that D&D rules are not very well suited to PBEMing, being rather too complex - generally speaking, the simpler rules, the better. If the GM is happy to handle all the dice-rolling offscreen then there's not a problem, though.

 

[Malin Genie]

I would second the thoughts expressed so far - when they're good they can be excellent, but the drop-out rate for players AND DMs can be high (and the number of games whch start quite quickly, then sl-o-o-o-o-o-w d-o-o-o-o-w-n then die is depressing.)

Try www.pbem.com, they list a wide range of games and you may find a group the play style of which suits you well.

 

[krunchyfrogg]

Re: It's a matter of opinion

I have tried them, and find a good solo MUD to be less a waste of time.

Tell me more! I have no idea what a MUD is.

CORE is a Greyhawk world of email games you could try.

How/where do I find this?