Recent PBW experiences
August 9th, 2004I have sampled some play-by-web games recently. All the links to the PBW games are on this excellent geeklist.
- Bus: I was disappointed by this. The web implementation was good, but the game itself felt like a bit of a mess. It did not help that the gaps between turns were too long, so the game lost continuity, but I was confused almost until the end of the game. I thought about Bus while reading Greg Aleknevicus’ article German Games are Fraudulent. Bus has a fun theme, but it does not fit the mechanics enough. Having said that, what sort of theme could match such confusing mechanics? I think Bus might be better stripped down and presented as a purely abstract game. It could be that it would be much less confusing played face-to-face.
- Hare and Tortoise: This true classic works very well PBW.
- Robo Rally: I only dabbled with the tutorials but it felt more like a video game than any of the games I have played so far. It seems like an enjoyable but shallow free-for-all luckfest.
- Blue Max: I have only just started this, but so far I am very impressed. I read the rules to this as a 12 or 13 year old at a friend’s house and wanted to play it but never got around to it. The web implementation is very slick and it looks likes this will work very well. I played a similar game pbem, called Sopwith at For Whom The Web Rocks, but did not enjoy it because it was slow moving. Fortunately, Blue Max is more elaborate and the computer-moderated PBW interface speeds it up and makes order generation easy.
- De Bellis Antiquitatis : This is a huge download and orders go via a server between the clients, so it does not really qualify as PBW as it is not played through a browser. It was handy for polishing up my DBA technique, but the interface is clunky, to match the slightly clumsy rules of DBA. It is also expensive, so can only really be recommended for DBA fanatics.
- TransAmerica: I had heard this game was simple, but I was suprised to see how simple! Some have said this barely qualifies as a game and I can understand that. I can see this would be great for parents and young children, but I am suprised this is so popular with adults.
- Puerto Rico: This is rough around the edges but all the important stuff works very well. I hope the server comes back online soon.
August 10th, 2004 at 13:35
Bus: I actually think this is much closer to theme than a lot of other ‘German’ games. It’s also a game where your early plays definately have an impact later in the game – some would therefore describe this as a deep game. As you suggest, one that should be played ftf before pbw.
Another new (to me) one to have a go at is Alhambra. It’s in French but reasonably easy to navigate. they also have have a few others including Gipf and Dvonn on there if you like abstracts. http://www.boiteajeux.net
August 10th, 2004 at 15:11
Bus: I suppose you’re right. It was almost impossible to get into the game with all the delays.
I’ll have to check this new one out. It’s a pity it’s not published in different languages.
August 10th, 2004 at 15:59
Alhambra: In case it wasn’t clear, I have played Alhambra quite a lot but the PBW site is new to me. Yes, the site is in French but once you’ve worked out how to register (which took me a few minutes and a couple of visits to Babelfish) then everything else is pretty much language independant. Of course, if you haven’t played the game then you also have to learn the rules – I’m not keen on learning games PBW in this way. the only one I tried was Medina although it may just be a coincidence that I ended up not liking the game.
August 10th, 2004 at 16:32
Learning PBW is not ideal, but you do at least get an idea for what is going on, especially if things run smoothly and the game is intuitive. I had a lot of success with Web of Power and Auf Heller und Pfenig, for instance.
I don’t think you’d have enjoyed Medina.