What is this About?
It used to be called "Play By Mail" and involved games ranging from small simple affairs to large games with hundreds of players. Of course this was in the pre internet age where enveloped and paper were used. Even a pen was needed as a recall.
Come the Internet age and the title changes to "Play By Email" which generally speeded up turn input and results.
This is where we are today. Now you can download all the game material from the website for free and be up and running with a simple email to the GM (Game Moderator) within minutes.
The games I offer are of a mixed moderated type. This means that the computer programme does the number crunching but the GM can intervene at the players instruction to change things.
This usually fall into the category of a "Special Action" which is available every turn. Special actions can influence almost every aspect of your game depending upon the imagination of the player.
Industry starts very weak and will need investment to rise in efficiency. Your military are very poorly trained and led and this is another area where special actions can improve things. Beyond that anything can be attempted but not everything will work.
It is in this way that your forces become uniquely your own.
How is Jason Oates qualified to GM?
Good question. Experience is the answer. I first saw wargaming when I was 15 (many years ago). The game was "Tank" a board game from a company called SPI. From that moment I was hooked.
My first wage went on another SPI title "Normandy" followed by firefight, Dreadnaught, Sniper, and many more covering a diverse spectrum of 20th century conflict. In addition to that a read "Death of a Division" by Charles Whiting, the first of many books about warfare and campaigns.
My career at that time was in the British Army and I was fortunate enough to witness first hand a Mechanised army advancing into a defended zone in Iraq during the first Gulf War. (yes I know the Iran - Iraq war was the first gulf war).
I played in the first Ancient Empires and managed to win it. After that I was asked to take on a game of Ancient Empires and another game called Vietnam both of which were very successful. Company Commander and Ancient Empires have been run in the UK since 1994. Well over 20 years of successful gaming.
While in the Army I visited San Carlos and Goose Green and walked Wireless Ridge and Tumbledown Mountain.
More recently I have visited Normandy and Arnhem.
