Matrix Games are well suited to PBEM play because that do not require the players to know the rules. All that the player really needs to know is that he uses arguments to make things happen in the game.
What is an argument? Simple! Anything you write and send in is a valid argument!!!
For example: "John goes to town" is just as valid an argument at "John and his buddies go to town and buy a car which they then drive to Pittsburgh where they get jobs as ad executives!" Length doesn't matter but trying to do "too much" with an argument does weaken it.
Since people already know how to make statements like this the only thing they really need to focus on is the tough question "If I can don anything that I want to...What do I want to do?"
DECIDING WHAT TO DO
Players decide what to do by looking at the scenario information provided with the game, look at their own character/characters to see what they want to do, and look at what needs to happen to tell a certain type of story (included in my latest version of the rules). These are all suggestions. They player is free to ignore them. But it is helpful to come up with an idea of what you want to have happen in the game before it starts.
By way of example, I am now running Commandant Troung in the Vietnam 1946 game. Troung was described as the leader of the "Vietminh Guerillas". The Japanese have been defeated. The British, French Chinese and Americans will soon send in troops to disarm the defeated men. I must decide what to do. Hmmmmm? What to do? Well given who I am running I want to make Vietnam an independent country. Free from all foreign rulers. A good goal. Now that I know that I have to figure out how to do it.
First I look at my forces and what the other guys have. I have a strong force but no stronger than anyone else is. So military take over is unlikely to work. I have to be sneaky. My judgement is that the Americans, Japanese and Chinese are no real threat to me. They have other concerns and want to go home. The British are a threat but only if I antagonize them. If I start off by playing nice they will likely stay nice. That leaves the French. I can't afford to play nice with the French. But the French by themselves are weak. So how can I take control while still resisting the French.
The game, as with all Matrix Games, is a war of words. So I will put "Republic of Vietnam Police Forces" in all the small villages (rather than occupying hamlets with guerillas). I will call all my fighters "Army of the Republic of Vietnam" ARV rather than Vietminh. And I will set up civil courts and markets as soon as possible and cooperate with all but the French in reestablishing peace.
When I comes to fighting, I do not want to retreat. Going to guerilla war is retreating. I want to make the French use repressive tactics to shut down my courts and police. Make them the aggressors. This lets the peasants know who the bad guy really is. Then I need to surround the enemy and make him fly in costly supplies while denying him easy access to the peasants. Open fighting is not called for since it will pull in the British and Americans on the side of France.
So I have a full mental picture of what I want to have happen in the game. It may not all work out but it gives me a map to follow. So that all I have to do is break my goal down into little steps to make my plan happen.
DOES IT HAVE TO BE THIS IN DEPTH?
NO!!!!!!!!!!!!
The only important thing that players need to do is make fun actions happen each turn. They never need to have a big picture view of the world. I do that because I like that. You don't need to!!! Just make up neat things and have a good time!
CONFLICT AND TROUBLE ARGUMENTS
Sometimes arguments will cause you to have to fight or deal with trouble. If this happens the referee will let you know you get to make an argument about what the outcome of the fight is or how you deal with the trouble so that it does not effect you. More than that you don't need to know.
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© Copyright 2000 by Chris Engle.
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