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Definition of PBM

Galactic Prisoners was a computer-moderated, open-ended, futuristic game that featured an alien race, the Nibor, destroyed all humans, except for a very few who were placed on a planet to be studied by Nibor observers. The player played the role of a human captain of an All Terrain vehicle (ATV), who was given a crew of 100 human prisoners by the Nibor. As the captain, it was the responsibility of the player to provide his or her crew with survival.

So, what - exactly - is PBM?

PBM is an acronym, one that stands for Play By Mail. It is a reference to a genre of gaming that was - and still is - played through the postal system, which, in the United States of America, is the United States Postal Service.

Whether one says PBM, PBM games, PBM gaming, play by mail, play-by-mail, postal games, postal gaming, play by post, correspondence games, or correspondence gaming, they are all variations on the exact, same thing.

Later (as in newer or more recent) variations on the core genre that is postal gaming have manifested themselves as PBeM (play by e-mail), PBM (play by web - as in the World Wide Web), PBI (play by Internet), TBG (turn based gaming), and even BBG (browser based games).

During its course of existence, play by mail gaming has been covered by a wide variety of sources, and this genre of gaming (which many view to be classic gaming at its very finest, providing a form of quality gaming entertainment still unrivaled in terms of the overall gaming experience that the player has), is still alive and popular with many gaming enthusiasts and gaming adherents, whose interests in gaming entertainment run the gamut from RPGs (role playing games) to wargaming.

Included within this broad range of coverage of the PBM hobby and of the commercial PBM industry were numerous magazines dedicated specifically or largely to coverage of play by mail gaming. Published titles such Nuts & Bolts, Paper Mayhem, PBM Universal, Gaming Universal, Flagship, American Flagship, Campaigner's Newsletter, American Gamer, The PBM Report, Simulacrum, and PBM Worm covered every aspect of PBM gaming, delivering a cornucopia of PBM news to a gaming public thirsting for details of an ever-changing PBM scene.

Within the genre, postal games covered an exceptionally broad portion of the entire gaming spectrum. Space conquest games, fantasy role playing games, and hardcore wargames that would make any grognard proud are but a few of the many popular categories of games that fell under - and to this day are still encompassed by - PBM gaming.

Play by mail gaming shares many similarities with board gaming, as well, the turn based aspect a signature feature of many PBM games. Unlike many modern-day massively multiplayer online games of various types, postal games tended - and still tend - to deliver a more personalized gaming experience, one that did not leave the player lost in a tsunami of player pools that number in the millions, for some of the more heavily populated massively multiplayer online games, particularly where MMORPGs of note are concerned.

Hyborian War wall map showing land provinces, coastal provinces, and sea zones.

Combining a beer & pretzels sort of appeal with a community of both commercial and non-commercial game moderators, PBM left an indelible mark upon the history of gaming. Rich gaming experiences that were unique to postal gaming helped elevate the hobby and the industry to such a place in the public eye that good old correspondence gaming soon carved out a place for itself in the pantheon of gaming genres.

As with many different sectors of the gaming industry at large, PBM has endured its share of periods where the industry would consolidate. Rumors to the contrary notwithstanding, though, play by mail gaming continues to thrive heading into the second decade of the Twenty-First Century. Numerous groups of hardcore PBM gamers can be easily located on the Internet, today, with new industry champions joining PBM's venerated Old Guard in celebrating play by mail gaming in the modern era.

Both nostalgia and a desire to return to the roots of what a true, honest-to-God multi-player gaming experience should be like, are helping to create a Renaissance of the core postal gaming experience for new generations of gaming enthusiasts, even as more and more PBM old timers find themselves returning to the play by mail fold. The resulting diversity can only benefit PBM gaming, as the PBM hobby and the PBM industry chart a new path into the future.

Whether a player's turn results are delivered to him or to her in a paper envelope, or in one of a variety of different electronic equivalents, the PBM experience continues to act as a catalyst for positive change within the gaming industry at large. In this way, PBM continues to push the gaming envelope, after all these many years.

Other definitions of PBM

PBM Magazines

Flagship issue 1.

PBM Associations

PBM companies

This is a list of Play-By-Mail companies and individuals that have run PBM games, over the years. Some of these companies and their games are still up and running, today. Many of them, unfortunately, have fallen defunct with the passage of time.

  1. 4 Sight
  2. 7th Dimension Gaming
  3. Acheron Simulations
  4. Advanced Gaming Enterprises
  5. Advent Games
  6. Adventure Simulation Games
  7. Adventures By Mail
  8. AGEgames
  9. Agema
  10. Agents of Gaming
  11. Aggressive Addiction Games
  12. Aleator Games
  13. Allen Kimball
  14. Alternate Realms
  15. AMM Enterprises
  16. Anarchy By Mail
  17. Andon Games
  18. Apocalypse
  19. Archmage Games
  20. Arden Enterprises
  21. Ares Games
  22. Argus Adventure Simulations
  23. Ark Royal Games
  24. Armageddon Games
  25. Athena's Avatar
  26. Australian Wizard PBM
  27. Balrog Adventures
  28. Bard Interactive Games, Inc.
  29. Baron's Regime
  30. Battle-Magic Gaming
  31. Bill Paspaliaris
  32. Bill Wood
  33. Bizarre Play By Mail
  34. Blue Panther Enterprises
  35. Bob Stribula
  36. Bronze Star Games
  37. C2 Simulations
  38. C-T Simulations
  39. Capitol Consulting/VRL, Inc.
  40. Centurion Game Company
  41. Chain Mail Games
  42. Chameleon Games
  43. Charles Bennett
  44. Circle Games
  45. ChoZen FroZen Games
  46. Classified Information
  47. Clemens & Associates
  48. Cobra Games
  49. Coconut Council, Inc.
  50. Colleen Matteson
  51. Compu-Caper Gaming
  52. Combat Enterprises
  53. Conflict Interaction Assoc.
  54. Conquest Games
  55. Constantine Xanthos
  56. Cosmos Creations
  57. Crasiworld
  58. Create A World, Inc.
  59. Creative Games
  60. Creative Management Services
  61. Creative Simulations
  62. Cutting Edge Games
  63. Cyborg Games
  64. Cyclops Gaming
  65. Damien Games
  66. Daredevil
  67. Dark Magus Productions
  68. Daurada Games
  69. Delta Games PBM
  70. Deltax Gaming
  71. Desert P.B.M.
  72. DFS Productions
  73. DPI
  74. Dragon Games
  75. Dragon Byte
  76. DVS Productions
  77. Dymar Enterprises
  78. Dynamic Games
  79. E-Mail Games
  80. Earnshaw Enterprises
  81. Ebonrock Enterprises
  82. Eckert Gaming Group
  83. Eclipse Consulting, Inc.
  84. Ed Bailey
  85. Empire Games, Inc.
  86. Emprise Game Systems
  87. Enchanted Horizons
  88. Entertainment Concepts, Inc.
  89. Entertainment Plus More, Inc.
  90. Eros Games
  91. Essentially Racing
  92. Ethereal Edge Enterprises
  93. Fantastic Simulations
  94. Fantasy & Futuristic Simulations
  95. Fantasy Workshop
  96. Fields of Nephlim
  97. Final Frontiers
  98. Flying Buffalo, Inc.
  99. Flying Dutchman Games
  100. Fractal Dimensions
  101. Frank Pompillio
  102. Frazier Games
  103. Freelance Games
  104. Friendly Fire Games
  105. Frontier Games
  106. Full Moon Gaming
  107. Furypost Games
  108. GAD Games
  109. Galactic Empires
  110. Galactic Simulations
  111. Galactic Society Four
  112. Game Anvil
  113. Game Systems, Inc.
  114. Gamemasters Publishers Assoc.
  115. Gamer's Den
  116. Gamers Guild
  117. Games By Mail
  118. Games Heaven
  119. Games Without Frontiers
  120. Gator Concepts
  121. Gem Games
  122. Gemini Systems, Inc.
  123. Genesis Games Design
  124. Global Simulations
  125. Graaf Simulations
  126. Grandel, Inc.
  127. Grenade Games
  128. Half Time PBM Football
  129. Harlequin Games
  130. Harold Kercher
  131. HCS Games
  132. Head Games
  133. Henry Roepke
  134. HFR Games
  135. High Point Games
  136. Horizon Games
  137. Huscarl Hobbies
  138. ICBM
  139. Imagery
  140. ImagiCom, Inc.
  141. Imaginary Sports Competition
  142. Imagination Unlimited
  143. Imperial Games
  144. Incubus Designs
  145. Infinite Odysseys
  146. Inner Dimension Games
  147. Interesting Times
  148. Intergalactic Games
  149. International Research Associates
  150. International Software
  151. Irondragon Enterprises
  152. Jason Oates Games
  153. Jeff Perkins
  154. JFH Games
  155. John Justin
  156. John Morris
  157. Jolly Goblin Games
  158. Kage Interactive
  159. Kalei Enterprises
  160. Karl Zeimetz
  161. Keith Langley
  162. Kelem Games
  163. Kelstar Enterprises
  164. Keys of Bled
  165. Kimball Simulations
  166. Kingdoms of Telgard
  167. Kings
  168. Kings Guild, Inc.
  169. KJC Games
  170. KSK Concepts
  171. L & L Activities
  172. L A N Company
  173. LAMA
  174. Lanke
  175. Leisure Time Unlimited
  176. Lightning Games
  177. Lucky Llama Games
  178. Madhouse UK
  179. Madhouse Australia
  180. Maelstrom Games
  181. Mailed Gauntlets
  182. Marguerite Dias
  183. Marguerite Hoang
  184. Matteson
  185. Megalith Games
  186. Mercury Games
  187. Mialdian Press
  188. Micro Software Design
  189. Midgard USA, Inc.
  190. Midnight Games
  191. Midnight Sun Games
  192. Mindgate
  193. Mindless Games
  194. MindShift Design LLC
  195. Mitregames
  196. Monastic Software
  197. Nebula Star Productions
  198. New Dawn
  199. Nevanis Games, Inc.
  200. Nevaris Games, Inc.
  201. NoGate Consulting
  202. Norman Conquest Games
  203. Northwest Simulations
  204. Nostromo Games
  205. Nova Games
  206. Octagon
  207. On-Paper Baseball
  208. Opcon Games
  209. Orpheus Publishing Corp.
  210. Outerquest Simulations
  211. Outlander Software
  212. Outremer Games
  213. Pagoda Games
  214. Palace Simulations
  215. Paper Tigers
  216. Paspa Games
  217. Patrick Price
  218. PBM Adventures
  219. PBM Enterprises
  220. PBM Express
  221. Pegasus Productions
  222. Pent Alpha
  223. Perseus Arm Enterprises
  224. Peter Mackay
  225. Pfodd Enterprises
  226. Piranha Games
  227. Phildee Enterprises
  228. Play By Electron Games
  229. Play By Mail Sports
  230. Post-It Games
  231. Post Age Games
  232. Prime Time Programming
  233. Prime Time Simulations
  234. Psi-Decay Games
  235. Quail Canyon Systems
  236. Quest Games, Inc.
  237. R3 Games
  238. Rampage Games
  239. Randy Gillette
  240. Reality Simulations, Inc.
  241. Rebel Enterprises
  242. Rebel Games
  243. Red Talon Gaming
  244. Rolling Thunder Games
  245. Roma Games
  246. Round Table
  247. Roy C. Rae
  248. Sandgroper PBM
  249. Sandlot Sports
  250. Sar-A-Kan Games
  251. Sardarthion Press
  252. Saul Betesh
  253. Sceptre Roleplaying
  254. Schubel & Son, Inc.
  255. Scoresheet Sports
  256. Scott Bowyer
  257. SE Technologies
  258. Sevenstar Games
  259. Shadow Island Games
  260. Shrewd Expanse
  261. Silvius & Berchtold
  262. Simcoarum Systems
  263. Sinbad's Games
  264. Sloth Enterprises
  265. Slow Motion Games, Inc.
  266. Smokey Mountain Strategies
  267. Soccer By Mail
  268. Soccer Star
  269. South Bay Games
  270. Spellbinder Games
  271. Spyder Games
  272. Starlord
  273. Starry Knight
  274. Stat-Sports
  275. State of Mind Games
  276. Stephen Phillips
  277. Steve M. White
  278. Strategic Fantasy Games of Australia
  279. Sudden Asylum
  280. Superior Simulations
  281. Supernova Games
  282. Synchronicity, Inc.
  283. Terry Crook
  284. The Barons Australian Midgard
  285. The Dukes of Hell
  286. The Game Anvil
  287. The PBM Locomotive Srl
  288. Third Foundation
  289. Throne Enterprises LLC
  290. Time Patterns PBM Games
  291. Time Space Simulations
  292. Total Simulations, Inc.
  293. Treesahran Industries
  294. Triad Simulations
  295. TribeNet
  296. Tudor Games
  297. Twin Engine Gaming
  298. Undying King Games
  299. Union West
  300. Vengeance Games
  301. Vigard Simulations
  302. Village Computer Games
  303. Viking Games
  304. Vorpal Games
  305. Vortex Simulations
  306. Wanderer Games
  307. War College Simulations PBM, Inc.
  308. Warlord Strategic Gaming
  309. Warrior Games
  310. Waveney Games
  311. Whitegold Games
  312. White Lion Enterprises
  313. World Games
  314. WoW Games
  315. Wraith PBM
  316. Yellowseed Games of Canada
  317. Zan Erskine
  318. Zephyr Enterprises, Inc.
  319. Zorph Enterprises

External links

PlayByMail.Net
Galactic Prisoners fan site