The Object and Description of a Play-by Mail Game

A play-by-mail game is a game that can be played via the postal service, each turn taking from a week to a month to enact. With the advent of the Internet and e-mail the play-by-mail system has allowed turn based games to speed up and become more accurate. In the past players, by writing orders for their characters actions, would submit the orders by post to a moderator, turns couldtake a month to receive process and return. E-mail has definitely been a good thing for P.B.M.'s turns can be processed in a day. Seadogs and Darlings has a turn/order sheet upon which players write characters actions that their characters wish to perform in a “game” month. A game month may take any amount of real time to enact as long as the moderator keeps to a regular time interval. This rule booklet gives rules for allowable actions that may be performed by the player’s character. There is ample opportunity for interaction by all players in the game face to face, by phone or Internet.

Character Generation

A character is a persona, an alter ego, of the player as they could or would appear in 17C England. Just as in real life a person has no influence over his or her initial social standing, who can choose his or her parents; so Seadogs and Darlings provides a random process of finding a characters initial social standing in the community. The system is provided as a guideline for new players. Beyond choosing a characters name and sex the player will have no influence over his or her character’s initial social standing, the rest of the characters lot in life being generated by the moderator. Characters are generated with a ten-sided die the results are written on a character sheet, an example of which is on page 10 (of the rulebook available from the moderator).This is chosen by the player and should be evocative of Elizabethan times, however puns are also a good way of getting into the spirit of the game.

Attributes

The attributes are the measure of a person, their Strength, Agility, Looks, Wit, Education and Health/Physique. All these things can have a relevance to an outcome for sports, which nobleman’s retinue can be joined and the associations held by the character. Strength and Health/Physique would be useful in a wrestling match, Agility in an archery contest. 

Strength

Whether you can bend a bow, load a cart or at least pull your boots on, Strength is the attribute that denotes this. 2D10 are thrown to denote the characters Strength.

Agility

This attribute is the measure of the characters nimbleness, if they can walk a tightrope or if they fall over their own feet. 2D10 are thrown to decide the characters Agility.

Looks

The pulchritude or beauty of a character can add to their Fame Points that are earned monthly.

Wit

The personality of the character, whether they are the life and soul of the party or a dull witless person, is what wit is all about. Those who are exceptionally witty are sought after for parties and even as the Queens jester!

Education

If a character has a good Education then they may have extra skills, be able to apply to be a Justice of the Peace or even make it to be an advisor to the Queen. Education is decided by rolling 2D10.

Health/Physique

Stamina, fitness and athletic prowess are some of the descriptions that cover the Health/Physique attribute. This attribute is useful to decide who would win a race, or how much work a weak character can do. This attribute is decided by rolling 2D10.

Sibling Rank

The sibling rank must be decided to see if the character is the first son an heir of the title or whether he is but a nobleman. This will affect his monthly allowance.

Class

Is chosen randomly with a ten-sided dice.

Fame

The distinguishing feature of fame is that it is also linked to the social status of the character. So a very famous character would have a high social status.

Current Fame Rank

The starting fame rank of the character will be the Initial Fame Rank (see table 3a and 3b), and will increase depending upon the actions performed by the character in a game month (see the chapter beginning on page 12). If a character earns double his or her Fame points in a month then the character goes up one Fame Rank. To continue to maintain his or her current Fame Rank a character must earn his or her current Fame Rank in Fame Points. If they do not achieve this they will drop one Fame Rank.

Address

A character is given an address initially, but those who rise in the ranks of fame and fortune may be able to buy their own property or rent from others and fame points can be earned by depending upon where the character lives.

Skills

There are certain skills that the character may employ to earn extra Fame Points. The moderator uses the characters attributes to decide upon a percentile score (1-100 on 2D10), for a certain skill, if the character succeeds in the roll then the Fame Points are earned.

Jobs and Income

There are more jobs to do for the commoner, from a shopkeeper to a clerk but as you go up the social scale there are not as many jobs, but there is more power. Below is a list of jobs, the weekly income the fame gained and Fame Rank needed to apply for and keep the job.

Appointments

The Queen will appoint public servants to her service to run the country with her and to be part of her court. The Queen will decide who will gain her favour based upon Fame Rank and title as well as persuasion (see a description of persuasion below). <?xml:namespace prefix = o /><o:p></o:p>