Maiden Voyage is a section of this column that presents the first PBM gaming experiences of someone who has never participated in play-by-mail gaming before. Readers should remember that the impressions of a seasoned gamer may differ.

Middle-Earth Play-By-Mail

I was delighted when I was offered the chance to participate in Game Systems, Incorporated's Middle-Earth Play-By-Mail, and even more so when I received my startup kit.

The first thing that impressed me was the artwork. On its cover, the rulebook sports an impressive rendition by Angus McBride of the scene at Minas Tirith when the gates have fallen and Gandalf stands face to face with the Witch-King. I also received a poster-quality terrain map of Middle-Earth, with all of the pertinent regions. The only one missing was Eriador, the region which contains the Shire and Bree. The events covered in the game take place in the Third Age, circa 1650, well before Hobbits made the larger political scene.

The rulebook itself is fairly straightforward, which is important to those of us who, like myself, panic at the sight of anything more complex than a manual can opener. Sequence of events and character orders are neatly laid out, and there is a separate list of orders listed by skill type, number, and code. I have found this to be extremely helpful, as it saves me the time and aggravation of rooting through the rulebook for every little thing.

There was only one problem: according to my nation's victory conditions, I am supposed to hold, at game's end, a population center belonging to an ally of mine. This bothered me somewhat, simply because the player in control of the nation to which that population belongs is quite a pleasant fellow.

There are twenty-five nations active in the game, which fall into three categories: Free Peoples, Neutrals, and Dark Servants. The Free Peoples are self-governing, as are the Neutrals. Sauron, Tolkien's Dark Lord of Mordor, holds sway over all of the nations of Dark Servants. Each side seeks to crush the other either by military prowess, espionage, or the finding of the One Ring, an artifact that Sauron created and infused with his own power. Typically, the Free Peoples try to find and destroy it, while the Dark Servants strive to return it to their Master and see the Free Peoples defeated. To the Neutrals (who cannot win on their own, and must choose a side before game's end) it can be a powerful bargaining tool if the player handles his or her position correctly, and very carefully!

As in The Lord of the Rings, the Ring can only be destroyed in the fire of Mount Doom, in the very heart of Mordor. To accomplish this, a single character must find his or her way to Mount Doom. The order for the Ring's destruction must be given twice in the same turn, so the character cannot perform any other action that turn. They certainly don't make it easy!

My favorite nation is that of the Sinda Elves, and I was fortunate to be placed into a game where that position was open. GSI does their best to give each player his or her first choice in positions, but it's always best to have a second in mind, since there are no guarantees.

My first turn found me with several characters who are quite famous in Tolkien's realm, chief among them being Amroth, Nimrodel, and Thranduil. I have eight characters; three army commanders, two navy commanders, and two characters who are primarily mages but can also act as agents or emissaries. My forces were quite scattered at first, with my armies at the four corners of Mirkwood and my unattached characters frolicking in the fields by themselves. The armies I was given seemed a bit on the small side.

Among my first actions, of course, was the recruiting of a few hundred light and heavy infantry and some archers. I had my mage characters "prentice magery." an order which increases mage rank (a measure of how potent the mage is). Due to a lack of available revenue, I had the fellow defending my capital city attempt to raise taxes to 50%. The population, of course, did not support this, so the attempt failed on several turns. Luckily, the rule is that if your nation's revenue falls below a viable level, taxes are automatically raised. It is, however, still possible to go bankrupt, once the tax rate reaches 100%. which will put you out of the game.

A I mentioned before, my forces were quite scattered. I had three armies in Mirkwood, one navy many miles east in Rhovanion, and one many miles southwest in Southern Gondor. At first, I decided to try to gather my forces together in Mirkwood, but the rivers aren't navigable that for north and it would have taken too long to anchor the ships and march those troops overland. My first thought was, "great, these navies are just going to end up as Sauron's chew toys." It took some time of worrying over my navies and literally chasing shadows in Mirkwood for me to realize that, "hey, these little index cards with the funny writing on them that appear with every turn are not just strange props, but actual communications from possible allies!"

It's important, especially for players who, like myself, are new to play-by-mail, to contact fellow players. I spent a long time being lazy and shy, and suffered for it. Strong alliances and trade agreements can be formed, and it is possible to pick up some useful information and strategies from more experienced players. My contact with two of the other players (the Woodmen and the Noldo Elves) has benefitted me greatly. The player controlling the nation of the Woodmen is relatively new, but he was able to clue me in on where the good battles were going to be, and we are supporting each other both with advice and military aid. With his greater experience, the player controlling the Noldo Elves has been giving me advice on tactics and game diplomacy. Without his help, I wouldn't have realized how important it is to officially downgrade relations with enemy nations.

Armies tend to fight harder against opponents that they hate than against opponents they merely dislike. It’s also nice to know that just because my armies are scattered, doesn’t mean they’ll end up as cannon fodder due to inferior numbers. I have friends to watch my back.

Finally, my turn sheets, straightforward though they are, made much more sense to me after I was made aware of the "sequence of events" sheets.

As the game stands now, I have an army under Commander Thranduil joining the Woodmen and Noldo Elves in the Siege of Goblin Gate, and one army in the south under Regent Amroth about to engage the forces of the Dragon Lord near Dol Guldur, where I hope to meet up with my ally, Captain Waulfa of the Woodmen. Two mages are with Amroth’s army. One of them is casting Barriers, a protection spell, and the other is summoning a wind storm. Nimrodel has just succeeded in slaying a werewolf who’d been harassing one of my cities, and is moving to join one of the armies. One navy is guarding my nation’s southernmost port city, and the other, under Commander Ohtar, is anchored at Ilanin, a city belonging to the Easterlings. The Easterlings are a neutral nation, and as such must choose a side by the end of the game. It seems now that the Northmen are trying to aid in that attempt. These are my first experiences with combat and diplomacy, and I feel like I’m in a roller coaster car, poised at the top of the very first hill! My next result sheet should be very interesting indeed...

(Editor’s note: Look for the continuation of Heidi’s Maiden Voyage through Middle-Earth in future columns of Post Marque. The Middle-Earth PBM registration package costs $25, and includes a color wall map, rulebook, three month newsletter subscription, and first two turns. Turns thereafter are $6.50 each. A rulebook alone can be purchased for $5, which is deducted from the registration fee if a player elects to join. More information about Middle-Earth PBM is available from Game Systems Inc., PO Box 160129, Miami FL 33116-0129, by phone (305) 274-5559, or via Internet at 72357.1041@compuserve.com.)

Post Marque: Editorial
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