PBEM
Aaron Deskins
I'm wondering how people play miniature wargames (such as Warhammer
40k, or Warhammer Fantasy Battles, DBM, Piquet, etc.) via PBEM. Any
ideas or suggestions?
thanks
--
Aaron Deskins
Graduate Student
Chemical Engineering
Purdue University
Peter Pradelski
> Hello,
> I'm wondering how people play miniature wargames (such as Warhammer
> 40k, or Warhammer Fantasy Battles, DBM, Piquet, etc.) via PBEM.
> Any ideas or suggestions?
The envelope must be big enough to put the game table and the miniatures in
- and the shipping-service people must be _very_ carefuly to don't change
the positions of the troops... :o)
And more seriously: take a look at http://www.dbaol.com.
The big disadvantage of playing standard miniature wargames via PB(E)M will
be probably, that both players must have equal sets of game-table, terrain,
and two armies. Like playing Schach over PB(E)M, only "andvanced".
If You have 3 People, You can play umpire-games. Each of the 3 people can
play two games, and be the umpire in the game between the other both
players. Umpire-Games can have a great "fog of war" - You only know Your
own army properly, about the opponent (and his actions) You know only, what
the umpire have told to You. If You only know Your own army properly, You
only need Miniatures for them - the opponent's army will be counters, they
probably will change, if You get more informations about them. The
disadvantage of double tables and double terrain stays - maybe triple
tables and triple terrain (and maybe double armies), depending on the
methodes the umpire uses for his work.
I think, a round-based game with a fix Number of rounds and a at-same-time
-movement will be a good choice.
Example: each week You send to A a message like:
"Your Game against B:
- Your HC1 have destroyed B's Inf 'green hats'
- Your MI4 habe been destroyed by B's Cav 'lion flag'
- Your LC2 have discovered archers, about 800 man, behind the small hill
(see drawing)
- Your other troops have moved like You have written
- B's troops have moved like painted
My Game against B:
- My HC1 wants to charge B's Auxillia 'snake flag'
- My LC2 wants to go to the big hill, see drawing.
- ...",
and to B a Message for Your game against A (in the first round only the
Part "My game against...").
Then You will receive Messages from A and B, which say to you, how Your
games against them both stands, and what they wish to do in their game
against each other. At next You have to decide, how the actions of A and B
in their game compare, and what You wish Your troops to do in Your games
against them both.
PS: sorry for my horrible english. I hope, it's understandable.
Aaron Deskins
other programs that are used and recommended that could be used with a
miniatures wargame?
--
Allan Goodall
wrote:
> I'm wondering how people play miniature wargames (such as Warhammer
>40k, or Warhammer Fantasy Battles, DBM, Piquet, etc.) via PBEM. Any
>ideas or suggestions?
I play Stargrunt II by e-mail. In fact, I'm playtesting something new for SG2
with some playtest list people starting next week, and it will be by e-mail.
I created a Microsoft Excel workbook to handle it. I draw up a map and save it
as a JPEG. I use the JPEG as a background of a scatter chart. This map shows
the battlefield area from above, with counter lines for hills and different
coloured areas representing the different types of woods, and other types of
terrain. I then map out the unit locations on the map as points on the graph.
I have another data series on the graph that I use as a ruler, artillery
bursts are other points (but made as rings the size of an artillery blast
rather than a solid point), and I have headings for each unit that needs it
(vehicles mostly).
The workbook has several spreadsheets. Each player gets their own spreadsheet
showing only their units and what their unit sees (allowing true blind play).
I also have a master data spreadsheet, a master map, and special spreadsheets
for handling artillery and other hidden counters. I save a page with the
player's individual map and the player's updated information as an HTML
document, and then I upload that to my web site.
SG2 works well for this sort of thing as you don't have to worry about unit
base sizes very much. I run the games, with two others playing, and that's
important. You can't easily do this on your own as it takes someone (me) to be
intimately aware of how the workbook works. I act as referee and data
management person.
I have also played this exact same way with Full Thrust. That was easier as FT
has no hidden units (bogeys can simply be re-labelled when a ship positively
identifies it) and usually has fewer units. Also, I didn't have to create a
map, I just had to use a black background.
Allan Goodall agoo...@hyperbear.com
http://www.hyperbear.com
"We come into the world and take our chances
Fate is just the weight of circumstances
That's the way that Lady Luck dances
Roll the bones." - N. Peart
Frodo Baggins
>>40k, or Warhammer Fantasy Battles, DBM, Piquet, etc.) via PBEM. Any
>>ideas or suggestions?
>
>I play Stargrunt II by e-mail. In fact, I'm playtesting something new for SG2
>with some playtest list people starting next week, and it will be by e-mail.
>
>I created a Microsoft Excel workbook to handle it. I draw up a map and save it
>as a JPEG. I use the JPEG as a background of a scatter chart. This map shows
>the battlefield area from above, with counter lines for hills and different
>coloured areas representing the different types of woods, and other types of
>terrain. I then map out the unit locations on the map as points on the graph.
>I have another data series on the graph that I use as a ruler, artillery
>bursts are other points (but made as rings the size of an artillery blast
>rather than a solid point), and I have headings for each unit that needs it
>(vehicles mostly).
>
You should really check out Cyberboard. It is customizable to the point that
you can play nearly any game with it. There is work involved in setting it up
for a particular game though it comes with a suite of tools for exactly that
purpose. Once the art work (board, units, markers, etc.) is done you can start
playing. You move units around using a graphical interface with the program
recording your moves. You then send the recorded move file to your playing
partner and they can play it back. Very neat and fairly easy to use.
The main cyberboard site is
http://cyberboard.brainiac.com/
Their are many board games already available for it for free at
http://home.mchsi.com/~yankeeap/a.htm
Mark
Jason Mirosavich
Mark Wilmot has a web page dedicated to playing DBM via Cyberboard. It has
all the files needed and a list of players. It's located at:
http://home.att.ne.jp/apple/mwilmot/dbm/DBM.html
Jason
"Aaron Deskins" <ndes...@ecn.purdue.edu> wrote in message
news:3E47A0EB...@ecn.purdue.edu...
Justin Taylor
http://www.lonewarrior.com/
Hope that helps
--
Justin Taylor
Veni Vidi Vici
Quality Transfers
http://www.3vwargames.co.uk
Martin Rapier
news:vrm82b...@linux.lockal...
{snip}
> > I'm wondering how people play miniature wargames (such as Warhammer
> > 40k, or Warhammer Fantasy Battles, DBM, Piquet, etc.) via PBEM.
> If You have 3 People, You can play umpire-games. Each of the 3 people can
> play two games, and be the umpire in the game between the other both
{snip}
These are in fact the only kind of minis games I've played via PBEM, team
games with an umpire running things. In some cases the umpire adjudicates
the comnbat results, in others actual engagements are resolved by the
umpires pals at the local wargames club!
The main thing to bear in mind is that like all campaign type games, these
things take a long time to play and need to both move along at a reasonable
pace and keep the players engaged, otherwise you are going to get people
dropping out.
One example of such a game is the San Miguel Campaign, a fictional Spanish
Civil War engagement.
http://www.netcomuk.co.uk/~dpohara/scwcam.html
Modesty forbids me from drawing your attention to the outstanding
performance of the Blackshirt Legion....
Cheers
Martin
Andy O'Neill
news:b296k0$14lc$1...@nntp3.u.washington.edu...
<<>>should really check out Cyberboard. It is customizable to the point that
> you can play nearly any game with it. There is work involved in setting it
up
> for a particular game though it comes with a suite of tools for exactly
that
> purpose. Once the art work (board, units, markers, etc.) is done you can
start
> playing. You move units around using a graphical interface with the
program
> recording your moves. You then send the recorded move file to your playing
> partner and they can play it back. Very neat and fairly easy to use.
>
> The main cyberboard site is
> http://cyberboard.brainiac.com/
> Their are many board games already available for it for free at
> http://home.mchsi.com/~yankeeap/a.htm
>
> Mark
Interesting.
How easy is it to set up maps?
I'd use something for scenario description on my web site..
*IF* it was easy to lob em together.
Peter Pradelski
> Try this, the URL to the Solo Wargamers site
> http://www.lonewarrior.com/
>
> Hope that helps
Not realy. The link seems broken.
Justin Taylor
for you.
Tony
You can do PBEM campaigns using the free Berthier Campaign Management
software -
http://delyall.tripod.com/berthier/berthier.html
You can read about a AWI PBEM campaign using Berthier between Steve
Hicks in the UK and myself in Australia and -
http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Cave/5647/SteveAWI/steveawisul2.html
During most of the campaign we were managing a move/counter-move every
24 hours.
Cheers,
Tony
Peter Pradelski
> Hello,
> I'm wondering how people play miniature wargames (such as Warhammer
> 40k, or Warhammer Fantasy Battles, DBM, Piquet, etc.) via PBEM. Any
> ideas or suggestions?
In WGR 6'th rules, there is a chapter of how to play it over PBM. Is here
someone who has the english version of them?