The credit for this idea really belongs with David Elrick who put in all the hard work, organising, adjusting rules and finding a group of volunteers who actually possessed the board game on which it is based. In face to face encounters the game has no fog of war since everyone is around the same table. In the PBEM there is lots and lots of fog which, in my opinion adds substantially to the game making it much more exciting and certainly unpredictable. You have to spend time contemplating [guessing] where you think the various nobles are in a particular turn and plan your actions according. Not knowing who got which noble, what offices have gone, who got the ships, the offices, the mercenaries, even which royal pieces certainly adds to the game. Even the weekly turn Email contains numerous snippets of information sent in by the players which are humorous witty and some quite appalling puns but it all adds to the game.
In my own case the starting up of the game coincided with my daughter, Jennifer, beginning to study the period at school so the net result is that now she is controlling much of the Berkeley factions actions, though dad gets consulted when necessary. She also spends time looking up the nobles as they appear in my various reference books finding out exactly what offices they really held, who's side they were on, their standard and banner.
We did have what could be considered a flying start both Constable of the Tower and Archbishop of Canterbury which meant we picked up Henry VI. We have thus far made a few tactical errors such as Hastings getting eradicated in the turn after he appeared whilst trying to get to Windsor. He happened to collide with Percy - very unfortunate. Having decided to consolidate our position in the south-east, which is a translation of lets have one of Percy's castles since he killed Hastings, we decided on a siege of Wallingford. The next turn brought more nobles including Stafford at Leeds castle quite possibly. This placed a noble between London and Canterbury so after some discussion it was decided to besiege Leeds castle with a substantial force.
Providence then presented Stafford on a plate inside the castle and even provided the next target of Pole trapped against the Thames by two Berkeley forces. Just as we were preparing for battle the next turn was suspended since Parliament was called by the Chancellor of England, there being two Kings.
The current situation (at the time this was written) is that the whole Berkeley faction is going to Parliament; my daughter believing that if anybody wants to pick a fight afterwards we need all the force at our disposal. Time will tell if our stratagems and tactics win the day.
Whatever the final outcome this game has proved, to me at least, that PBEM is an excellent means of gaming with other SWA members, providing excellent enjoyment and most important is lots of fun.
More Kingmaker
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