I'd like to take a bit of a different tack this issue, and sort of split the column up into three sections. The first will deal with the cost of PBM games - one of the biggest limiting factors in the growth of the hobby. Following that, I'll have the usual obligatory game review, and then I'll finish up with some corrections and additions from last issue. So, in order not to waste space (and keep the Editor-in-Chief happy), I'll get on with things.... One thing that really scares off prospective new players is the perceived cost of PBM. The typical reaction is "Neat concept, but I have to pay for every turn? No way! That's way too expensive, man!" Said person then will blithely proceed to the nearest "Burger Quik" and whomp down $5 for a mega-greasoid burger, humongo fries, and gigantor drink - burning the price of a modest PBM turn right there. "That's not fair," you cry, "you gotta eat!" OK, let's compare PBM to something more expendable - an RPG, for example. Take your typical guy who likes to indulge in a bit of gaming: we'll call him Rollo. Rollo likes to play most anything - board games, RPGs, CCGs, you name it. However, Rollo doesn't get to play as much as he used to; since he left school and got a job, it's been harder and harder to get together with the old gang for a game or three. What will Rollo spend a year on, say, a new RPG vs. a PBM game? Let's find out.... Rollo decides to get into a new RPG, to GM for his friends (actually, others in the group may GM as well, but they use a different system). He goes out and purchases the basic rules for, as an example, GURPS from Steve Jackson Games. A good game, great rules, good system; I like it myself. OK, the basic GURPS rules are about $25- 30. However, Rollo really wants to run a Fantasy world. Hmmm ... what's this Fantasy supplements! We'll need Fantasy Folk, and Magic, of course (the basic set has only a few spells). That ought to do it ... for another $40 or so. Away he goes, happy with his new purchases. Poor Rollo. Now that he's got a job and a semi-steady girlfriend, he just doesn't have enough time to design adventures from scratch. Back to the store for two books of magic items and two module books over the course of a few months. Bingo another $60 at least. Ready to game, Rollo manages to get together with his friends twice a month, even at the risk of terminally annoying his girlfriend. He almost always has half a pizza and a six pack while he plays, to the tune of $10 or so. Playing sessions usually last 6 hours or so, on the average (not counting bantering, drinking, kibitzing, and quick trips out to Denny's). Total cost for the year for Rollo at this point is $130 for the actual game materials, plus $240 for the snacks, gas, and such -- $370 for 144 hours of fun. In an alternate universe, Rollo decides to give PBM a go, and gets into Odyssey, from Gamer's Den (which I mentioned last issue). Rollo finds this convenient, as he can play via the Internet account he has. Hmmm ... Rules and setup are free for download, and turns are $5 each, run once per week. Rollo will also do some diplomacy via E- mail, as well as submitting and receiving his turns. That'll tack on, say, $1/turn (though that's probably a bit excessive). Rollo will pore over the rules, and probably spend at least 15 hours fine-tuning his setup, and then another 3 hours minimum on each turn. Over the course of a year, this amounts to $312 for 171 hours of enjoyment - and he knows he'll be able to play even if half his buddies can't make it over that week. Breaking this down gives (over the course of a year) a "cost of fun" ratio of $2.57/hour for the RPG, and $1.82/hour for PBM. Wow - looks like PBM is the better buy here! It just looks so much more expensive because the RPG costs are more hidden, and come in larger, more sporadic chunks. An RPG may have permanence in the form of books, but there are always new books every year... Now, of course, there are exceptions to the above. PBM games (some of them) can get outrageously expensive in the larger "power" games fanatics have been known to spend over $100 a month on such. Still, how many Magic: The Gathering fanatics have you seen plunk down that much for one or two cards they'd been unable to find? It all depends on what you can afford to pay. The point here is that, on average, PBM is not more expensive than other forms of gaming - it's just the perception. Time to clamber off my soapbox now, and get on with the review. This issue I'd like to talk about a light-hearted little fantasy wargame from the good folks at Llucky Llama Games - You Rule! Set in a mythical land dotted with whimsical place names and truly bizarre structures (used car lots, for example), each player initially controls only a single province and a few troops, along with the ambition to become sole ruler of the continent. This land is populated by a variety of fantasy races such as elves, dwarves, humans, etc. Each race has a historical superiority over one other race, and enjoys a combat advantage against that race. So, every race in the game has one race they "Rule Over", and one they are "Ruled By". Each race also has certain bonus abilities in certain terrain types (elves have advantages in the forest, for example). Your job is to manage your resources and different'. racial stocks of troops to best facilitate the control of the continent. In addition to recruiting troops, you can use your gold stockpiles for lots of other neat things armor and weapon upgrades for the troops, for example, or the hiring of special characters such as generals, spies, doctors, et multiple cetera. You can even hire wizards that can cast spells for you, to assist in movement, production, or battle. Combat in this game is very straightforward: if you know what you are up against, you can always, calculate who will win, asthere is no random element in battle at all. Everything has a fixed combat strength, and all the modifiers and adjustment effects are available to all as well. The trick, of course, is to have good intelligence on your potential foe (spies are handy here). The game is moderated by Bob and Debbi Thompson of Llucky Llama. Both are enthusiastic and hard-working moderators, and have a good customer service track record. Note that they will sometimes play in their own games, but will announce this to all up front - if you don't want, to be in a game with the designer, you can request to be setup in a different one. It is $10 for rules and setup, and $5.50 per turn thereafter. Games seem to last between 20-30 turns for those who survive until the end. Now, a clarification from last issue: when I mentioned Odyssey, I gave only an E-mail address for Gamer's Den, and neglected to list Llucky Llama's mailing address. I'll quickly recap. The first two games of the Hero's Quest module of Odyssey are now running. Signups are being taken for HQ-3, the third game from Gamer's Den. Llucky Llama will be taking setups for a postal mail version only. Prices aren't yet set for the Lluc'ky Llama version, but are $5/turn (for up to' 500 orders) for the Gamer's Den version. Mailing addresses for both are Llucky Llama Games 80-Q North Cabrillo Hwy Half Moon Bay, CA 94019-1667 Gamer's Den PO Box 390775 Mountain View, CA 04039-0755 Back to Shadis #21 Table of Contents Back to Shadis List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master List of Magazines © Copyright 1995 by Alderac Entertainment Group This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com