I don't know if a thread like this has been started, but I think it's high time a discussion occurred and was continually refined.

BRCS set up a pretty good 3.5e conversion standard for tabletop games, though of course many believe it needs improvement. I think, however, that we ought to turn our collective intelligence to streamlining the system for optimal PBEM play.

Ultimately, I'd love to see the PBEM community take off, routinely break the curse of game lifespans limited to 1d4-1 turns, and provide a major means of expanding and enlivening the BR community and fan base.

To make these goals possible, I think PBEMs need to be streamlined to be as manageable as possible. I'm soliciting your input on how to make that happen.

1. At the macro level, what are some of the best ways we can imagine to run and keep a PBEM alive? DM tools, Access databases for tracking Domains and processing Domain Turns, a manageable game mastering system with multiple DMs, or with a lead DM and less omniscient assistant DMs, etc?

2. At the micro level, what rules changes can make PBEMs easier to play and run (reducing bookkeeping, decreasing rules questions, speeding up play, etc)? Note that some things may be sacrificed in detail but should be able to be made up by story-level abstraction to enhance gameplay.


Here are some rules changes I've seen used frequently or have added minor tweaks to myself to streamline the system:

A. Law Holdings make .5GB income; Guild and Temple make 1GB income
B. Roads are created as singular assets in a province, much like castles, notated next to the province and assumed to connect to any other adjacent roads
C. Ley lines work like roads, as above, and can be created across multiple provinces at once and accessible in each via a realm action with the appropriate number of court actions dedicated
D. Sources provide Court actions usable only for mebhaigl-related activities (ruling and contesting Sources, creating Ley Lines) as if the Source holder had a Court equal to the highest level Source holding; these actions are in addition to any other Court
E. Province Fortifications cost 1GB to maintain; Holding Fortifications cost 0.5GB to maintain; these are flat fees, regardless of the fortification level
F. Roads have no maintenance cost
G. Palaces cost 1GB to maintain regardless of level
H. Units costing 1-3GB cost 1GB to maintain; units valued at 4+GB cost 2GB to maintain; I would further allow free garrisoning in own or allied realm at half cost; likewise ships cost 1GB/15GB cost to maintain
I. Troop movement has no GB cost (assumed in the full mobilized cost and terrain-point movement cost slowing down their overland progress)
J. Provide Alchemy free to wizards, reduce the RP cost to 3RP per GB produced, set no limit on GB produced
K. Reduce Realm Spell research time to 1 month for levels 1-3, 2months for 4-6, 3months for 7-9; reduce Warding and perhaps other realm spells to 3rd level or so

Credit for many of these rules goes to Fearless_Leader, Thelandrin, Wanderer, and ErictheCleric, though I have bastardized some of their ideas into my own form a little bit.

There are other rules, including some additional rules, but I'll put it to the community to suggest what you think are helpful or necessary rules that will either cover important gaps in the system or streamline it and make it easier to play. In particular, I'd like to see improvements in these areas:

I. Warfare, including PBEM-friendly battle resolution, realistic battle factors, logistical issues
II. Much-reduced PC character creation--brought down to core mechanics necessary for realm rule and some adventuring or dueling/competing in tournaments
III. Better character play--Adventure/tournament/dueling resolution methods and systems
IV. Blood Abilities more relevant to realm-level play and PBEM character play
V. Streamline Courts somehow; it's a fair amount of bookkeeping and still has deficiencies
VI. Better economic simulations if possible without cluttering the system much
VII. Empowerment of non-landed regents (PBEMs are particularly sensitive, I think, to the power differences between landed and non-landed players)
VIII. A good quick resolution method for the DM to apply to NPC realms
IX. A method of handling player requests to create new vassals to more efficiently run large realms--hopefully without denying that opportunity and without doubling the DM's work for that player

I have some ideas on each of these areas, but I don't have time to address them tonight (and I'll be away for four nights) and I want to see some community's opinions first. Once this gets started, I'll create a new BrWiki page/section to compile PBEM rules.

Any ideas/interest in this?