"As you stare into the now setting sun, leaning on a hitching post and relaxing, you suddenly look up to find Pam, the local saloon wench, running around a corner, moving in your direction. She's obviously shaken, and very afraid of something. Then, from around that same corner, you see the cause of her fright. A mountain man who looks like a cross between an anvil and the Colorado Territory is following her. The very ground rumbles under his feet! Pam pleads for your help. Do you:

1) Forget chivalry and run like hell?
2) Throw caution to the wind and engage this mountain of a man in a fight?
3) Pull your gun and demand to be told what's going on?

The preceding encounter comes from Stand & Deliver, the (as far as we know) first (and only) computer-moderated, open-ended PBM set in the Old West. It is one of many Random Character encounters (RCs) that can happen, in addition to whatever occurs on a normal turn.

Stand & Deliver has all the elements of a classic Western film. There are currently 70 orders available in the game including ambushes, shootouts, gunfights, bushwhacks, gambling, mining, trapping, goldpanning, ranching, buffalo hunting, trading with Indians, bounty hunting, and everything else that you'd expect. You'll find the equipment you need at the general store - ropes. horses, war wagons, gatling guns, prospector's gear, mules, harmonicas, chewing tobacco, and ten different types of guns, from carbines to derringers to long-barrel revolvers. The flavor of the West shows up in the turn results, the game newsletter (published about every sex weeks), and the communications sent by players. Rumor has it that the GM's answering machine even has some (gasp) COUNTRY MUSIC on it (which isn't really Western music, but that's irrelevant here.)

The current price of Stand & Deliver is $4.00 per turn. This is almost ludicrously low, in light of the fact that a position consists of three separate characters, AND an economic base! The three characters are three totally separate, independent individuals, free to go their own way and do their own thing. The only connection between the three is that they utilize the same Attack and Non-Attack lists, and if one of them joins an alliance, the other two automatically join the same alliance.

Each of the three characters has traits that define who he is. These traits range in value from zero to ten, and consist of: Speed, Agility, Intelligence, Charisma, Stamina, Bravery, and Luck. Each character also has an Experience rating, which automatically increases by one every turn. No experience points are gained for killing people. Traits can be raised with certain orders. They can also be lowered when a character is the lucky recipient of a hot lead present.

Each character also has a profession. Originally, players could choose from a dozen available professions, but the game was later expanded to allow players to create their own professions. Each of the original professions had a special skill or bonus of some sort - for example, gunfighters receive a bonus to their combat values, and cattlemen will experience more rapid growth on their cattle ranches than non-cattlemen. "New" character professions created by the players may be given new bonuses or advantages, depending on the creativity of the new profession, and the demand for it amongst the players.

Characters are not limited in action by their professions. Anyone can start a cattle ranch, regardless of whether or not they are a Cattleman. One need not be a Bandit to rob a train. There are only four character professions in the game that have "exclusive" actions available to them. The Cavalry Officer and Sheriff are the only character types that can lead war parties into Sioux territory, for the purpose of rescuing hostages, or attacking Sioux settlements. The Sheriff and Mayor have orders related to law and order, regarding the placing and removing of bounties and similar matters, which are exclusive to them. Each town in the game has a Sheriff and a Mayor, and these positions are elected by the players.

The Sheriff and Mayor receive a small salary and a few bodyguards. "Territories," the game newsletter, becomes a study in the modern political processes whenever an election occurs.

The final character type with an exclusive order is the Travelin' Salesman. This is the only character profession which can use the Start Trading Post order. A trading post is a type of economic base which will be discussed later; unlike all other economic bases, only a Travelin Salesman may operate one.

Of special interest to role-players is the character description that may be added to each character. A line of text (approximately 80 spaces in length) will be printed whenever a character is met by another character on the range, and players may customize this line of text. Examples include:
"His hand hovers near his iron as he glares at you suspiciously."
"He's a smiling graybeard who looks like he'll talk your ear off."
"She's a tall blonde gunslinger with sparkling blue eyes and a crooked smile."

Many things can happen in the course of a single turn. Each character is allowed to perform six buys, six sells, six transfers (each character may only transfer to a single target), move six regions, and perform a Primary and a Secondary Action. Any action in the game may be performed as a Primary Action; only relatively "simpler" actions may be performed as Secondary Actions. Examples of allowable Secondary Actions include Partying, Gambling, Searching for Stray Animals, Target Practice, Attending Church Socials, and Scouting Territory.

Considering that each position consists of three characters, and an economic base, it is easy to see how much activity can occur during a turn. Printout lengths vary dramatically, and depend in large part on whether or not any combat is involved. An average printout runs approximately six pages, but some heavy combat turns can run up to sixteen pages in length!

Each position is also allowed a Character Attack, Character Non-Attack, Alliance Attack, and Alliance Non-Attack list. If any characters in a position encounters a character who is on their attack list (or is a member of an alliance that is on their attack list), he will interrupt whatever action he was performing, and attack the character in question. Non-attack lists prevent a position from accidentally attacking a character or alliance on said list. It is important to remember that all three characters on a position will make use of the same Attack/Non-attack list.

Stand & Deliver is not a combat-oriented game, but like the Old West, it can be brutally violent at times. There are several types of combat in S&D, the first of which is the Bar Room Brawl. This is a knock-down, drag-out saloon fight, one on one, described blow-by-blow. Loss of health usually results, although never a fatality, which makes it a popular form of "release" for players who don't wish to risk the other, more permanent forms of combat.

Bushwhacking is the equivalent of a sniper attack. None of the victim's hired guns or mercenaries can assist his. The bushwhacker takes a single shot at him, and if it hits, the victim will lose health. It is possible to kill with a bushwhack. Bushwhackers do not automatically hit their targets; in fact, sometimes an attempt will fail before the shot is even fired.

The Ambush is a form of combat that is beginning to receive recognition in S&D as a powerful tool. A character that is using the Ambush order any select a single target by name, or simply target "any." The ambush is then set in the region where that character ends his turn. If/when the target passes through the region, the ambushing character will open fire, causing a shootout. The ambushing character is the defender for combat purposes, which gives him a bonus to his combat value, and allows him to make use of any bodyguards or war wagons at his disposal. Of course, if the victim never passes through the region, no ambush occurs.

Shootcouts are the most involved combat in the game. Shootouts can involve mercenaries, hired guns, war wagons, bodyguards, and the like. All parties involved face the risk of being wounded or killed. The victorious party will loot the bodies of anyone killed on the opposing side. Shootouts can be large, messy affairs, and are usually much sought-after by "blood and guts" gamers.

Gunfights are the quintessential Western showdown. Two men face off against each other, one on one. All Gunfights take place in the town of Tombstone, where both parties are automatically transported when the challenge is made and accepted. Each character has his own set of standing orders that determines how he will respond to Gunfight challenges. The first option allows the character to refuse all challenges, which means that nobody can use the Gunfight action against him. If that option is not selected, the character will automatically accept all Gunfight challenges. The remaining Gunfight standing orders will allow the character to select tactics, weapons used, target areas, etc. There is ample opportunity to create a unique Gunfighting "style" for each character.

If a character issues a Gunfight challenge, and if the target is accepting challenge, the two combatants are transported to Tombstone for the fight, which is described shot-by-shot. If a fatality results, the victor does NOT loot the loser's corpse; the loser's inventory goes to pay his burial expenses. The victor (and the loser, if he survives) are then transported back to their original locations. As previously mentioned, now that the Sioux have broken their treaty with the US Government, one option available to some characters is to lead war parties against the Sioux. Little is known about this form of combat, but as it is only usable against NPC Sioux villages, most players need not concern themselves with it.

There are other actions that can provoke combat (usually a shootout). These actions include Claim Jumping a Mine, Raiding a Ranch, a failed Robbery attempt, and others. Actions such as the Stampede order and the Rustle Cattle order do not generally provoke a standard combat; rather they are used to damage an economic base, either by damaging defensive weaponry in the case of the former, or removing property in the case of the latter.

There are many other actions in the game which do not involve combat. Some of the "small-time" economic orders include Goldpanning, Trapping, Gambling, Buffalo hunting, Trading with Indians (which is illegal), and robbery (also illegal). Characters seeking a more stable form of income have orders a their disposal to set up economic bases.

There are currently four economic bases available in S&D. Cattle Ranches and Sheep ranches are the first two. These economic bases may exist in multiple regions of the map, since the livestock need land to graze upon. Each region will only sustain a certain number of animals, so it is necessary for ranch owners to expand on a fairly regular basis, since the livestock reproduce. This need for expansion can occasionally lead to range wars, as characters fight to control the Grassland that their livestock need. Another interesting factor is that sheep can graze on cattle land, but cattle may not graze on land that sheep have used. This creates additional conflict between cattle and sheep ranchers.

Ranches will not produce a profit for some time, since ranchers will be interested in having as many cattle available as possible, for reproduction purposes. Once the rancher has a satisfactory number of cattle at his ranch, he may begin selling off a number of them on every turn. Ranches can be exceptionally profitable in the long run, and players should note that the "cattle barons" of Western film are very much a part of Stand & Deliver.

The third type of economic base is a mine. A mine may only be placed in a mountainous region. Once the mine is laid, a number of shafts may be dug, depending on how high the Ore Yield is in that region. When all the shafts are dug, the mine will produce a certain amount of ore every turn. This is the easiest form of economic base to operate, and provides the most profit in the short run.

Trading Posts are the fourth type of economic base. Only a Travelin' Salesman may start a Trading Post. A Post maintains an inventory of items available for sale, and has specific prices which it will buy and sell items for. Since Travelin' Salesmen receive a discount on their purchases in town, they can sell goods at their post for less than the town does. By way of example, a Travelin' Salesman can purchase a shotgun in town, which normally sells for $120, for as little as $72. He can then offer the shotgun for sale at his post for the price of $95. The Salesman makes a profit, and characters who shop at his Post save money. Trading Posts have the potential to be extremely profitable. As with real-world businesses, the three most important factors in starting a Post are location, location, and location.

Stand & Deliver is played on a 70 x 70 game map, which is divided into four Territories. As the territories become relatively equal in population, power, experience, etc., the barriers are lowered, and characters may travel freely between territories. At present, Territory Three is nearly full, and it seems likely that new players will soon be exploring Territory Four. The division between Territories One and Two have been lowered for some time now, but Three and Four will join together before they join with One and Two, giving new players every chance to become competitive with existing players.

Each region in the game has a terrain type, and a corresponding movement value. Grassland, for example, has a movement value of one, and Mountains have a movement value of three. A character on foot has one movement point to expend per turn; however, horseback is the usual method of transportation, and this allows six movement points of travel per turn. Some regions have a stage route or railroad line passing through them, and for the price of $25 and one movement point, a character can move from such a region to any other region that the stage or railroad passes through. However, the railroad and stage lines generally do not run far from towns, which leaves a sufficient area of land for explorers to chart without the benefit of mass transit.

Stand and Deliver lends itself well to exploration. There are many things to discover in the game - items, actions, and locations among them. Some games are billed as "games of discovery," but in reality, any new player can usually obtain detailed printouts of all information from any number of established players. This is not the case with Stand & Deliver. While almost any player in the game knows that a gold watch will occasionally take a slug for you, very few players know that it is possible to ......whoops, can't give that away. Sorry.

The GM is constantly adding to and improving the game. Naturally, this means that an occasional bug will creep into the program, but most of the new additions have been playtested previously, and so far there have been no real mishaps. The fact that the game changes will also cause people to reevaluate their styles of play. It doesn’t mean that months of effort expended on a project will be destroyed by a rules change - the GM is very conscious of such things. However, when the Ambush order was introduced, it changed the face of combat in the game. Methods of play that had been taken for granted as "safe" were reconsidered.

The Gamesmaster is Frank Pompillio, a veteran PBM gamer (some of his allies/enemies may recognize him as Mephistopheles). He is very friendly and easy to get along with, and obviously enjoys the game as much as the players (if not more). He is still active in PBM, which gives him a "player's perspective" that some GMs lack. Comments, suggestions, and criticisms from players are always welcome, and more importantly, are considered seriously.

The only difficulties with this game occurred during the Sprint. A hectic schedule at the GMs day job caused a slight delay in turnaround, which of cause is more noticeable in a weekly game than in a biweekly game. However, the game has a mechanism for submission of makeup turns, so the effect was mostly negligible. Additionally, the game's hardware was upgraded several times during this period. to allow for faster processing time, and greater data security. Additionally, Frank believes that he may begin moderating PBM as a full-time job by the end of the year (but no promises).

Frank is usually available by telephone in the evenings (East Coast time), but those who have trouble reaching him will be pleasantly surprised to find that he returns phone calls, which is a novel concept in PBM. Phoned in turns are accepted b the GM or his machine at no additional charge, as are FAXed turns.

Stand & Deliver has been operating since January of 1992. Because of the "territory" system upon which the game is built, it is still extremely possible for a brand-new player to become a serious power in the game. Turns are processed on a weekly basis, and players are limited to a maximum of two positions per territory. Each and ever position in the game has the potential to be a major force in the game.

Since this reviewer's enthusiasm must be obvious at this point to all but the blind, let it be stated that this is the best open-ended PBM I've ever played. $6.00 per turn would be a fair price, but at $4.00 per turn, it's simply a steal. I've been playing S&D since it began, and have yet to be disappointed. More information on Stand & Deliver is available by writing to Frank Pompillio, 215 East 24th St. #620, New York, NY 10010, or by FAXing 212-598-4688.