Thanks for the good tips, everyone!

Most of them focused on how to GM a PBEM, and I think all of these points are very important. The other thing I was getting at, though, is the possibility, especially with 4e coming out soon, of creating a revised ruleset--either a new 4e BRCS, or a ruleset specifically for PBEMs.

The guiding idea behind new/streamlined rules for PBEMs is to prevent that number one cause of PBEM death: GM burnout. Also to make the game more fun, quicker and easier for players to play, and more balanced for PBEM play.

Basic principles to follow when looking at the system are similar to those asked when considering 4e: can we streamline the system down to what is essential, and then how can we simplify the math/resolution systems to work as smoothly and consistently as possible? Specifically, can we get Domain Turns down to a single page or short page? Can we reduce regent character sheets to the bare minimum necessary for realm rule and PBEM-style adventure? Can we come up with an easy resolution system for military action, considering the weaknesses of limited PBEM communication?

I understand the value of sticking to the Core Rules, but that's one of the reasons that I'm actually advocating revising them. In my experience, most players in the PBEM community are pretty experienced with BR and could pick up changes easily if they had a single format to review them all in (like a new BRCS) rather than many house rules posts. Those that are newer could benefit from a more streamlined, intuitive, simpler resolution system.

Some of those changes I outlined above, such as simplifying and re-balancing the income scales to get rid of calculating thirds, and yes, letting Sources gain minimal income rather than kicking in as guilds at level four (an unnecessary mathematical and book-keeping dimension of the game).


One of the more radical suggestions I'd like to make is reducing the number of different actions. I'm still working on this, but when you look at the action types, it's rather complex, particularly for a newcomer, and it seems perhaps unnecessarily so to me. You've got Character Actions, Court Actions, Domain Actions, Full Actions, Realm Actions, and possibly Lieutenant Actions. Maintaining separate Courts and Lieutenants affects your numbers of those actions. Bleh. Really, thinking about them, I could find no sufficient good reason to distinguish amongst them so much. Can someone else?

It seems to me we could streamline the system by making everything essentially a Court action and rebalancing a little from there. Lieutenants or regent character actions would merely serve to improve the success chance of the actions they took, either through skill or bloodline modifier; they'd be assigned to actions, and able to take character actions only if not assigned. Doubling up Actions would represent increased effort and attention spent on particular actions, providing a +2 or +4 bonus to the success chance (I'd say +4). DC's could be pushed up somewhat, and minimum action costs might even be increased (overall income is increased already if rounding up to whole and half numbers rather than thirds).

The benefit is that you'd have primarily just one Domain-level Action type (character actions apart from these a rare secondary) to keep track of, and no artificial distinctions forcing people into a more limited mode. Further, PC control of or creation of vassals could be more easily handled by simply allowing vassals to take these actions, increasing the overall number of actions minimally rather than creating a situation with possibly 4 more Domain actions and many Court actions each. Allowing players to control vassals lets them potentially reduce the NPC burden and increase the efficiency and flavor of feudal realms with extensive vassalage systems.

I have some more thoughts, but this is getting long. Feedback?