Playing Champions(tm) By Snail-Mail (USPS)

by Mr. David R. Dorrycott

Playing CHAMPIONS by mail is much different than face to face gaming. The major difference is that the GM must roll all combat vs the player, followed by long waits between turns. I have been part of a long ongoing PBM game and have enjoyed it immensly. I will try to share some of the advantages and forms used to play while preserving a feel of 'reality'. Please note that this is a one-to-one gaming style and would have to be modified for multipul players.

First of all is the setup. I had an advantage in that we went from 'live' play to 'paper' play. Live play being a group face to face with a GM while Paper play being PBM. This allowed for the basic character conception and ground rules layout. This was in 1983, over the following eight years (has it really been that long Ross?) the format has evolved and is still evolving. The present style works quite well and should do for your use.

TURN: Basicly each turn consists of two parts. The monthly 'action'and the 'filler'. Action consists of day by day events (Monday, 3 March. I patrol Seamore. What happens). The Filler we call a Question, Answer, Statement (QAS) section. The QAS section is for actions that do not directly affect the Action section. Subjects in the QAS section can continue game-months after the Action section is completed but do not normally do so.

ACTION: Each turn you decide what days, times, and locations that you will 'Patrol'. Also, special 'Secret Idenity' events such as looking for a job, meeting for an interview, performing combat. Here is where you would have actions such as investigations & combat.

Example;

P: 3, March, Monday: Raining. I jump Steller from behind and try a choak hold.

GM: Steller falls forward, tossing you away with a martial throw. He then fires his energy blast. 12 Stun 0 Body.

The STUN & BODY are after defenses, what got through.

FILLER (QAS): This area can sometimes have events carry over from the ACTIONS section. Investigations that take a great deal of room or have no combat. Also, events affecting your characters private life.

Example:

P: 12 April, Tuesday: Sunny. The children & I go to the castle ruins to see the sights.

GM: You have an enjoyable day, Thomas finds an old necklace & wants to take it home.

As you can see, mundane events in the QAS area can be setups for ACTION events. What if the necklace is a powerful IIF some villian lost and wants back?