Please help, how to start a PBEM game?

[nathan_forst]

I have looked on the net everywhere and I still cannot find out how to start a Play by email game. I don't know how to do it...

Can somebody please explain this to me because I want to start a game ASAP!

[jtsisyoda]

Hi. There are basically two ways to do a PBEM: with a CMN (Creator/Moderator/Narrator) or without.

Everybody sends passwords and faction choice to the CMN (occasionally people ask the CMN to pick one or both of those). Also send rules, settings, etc. to the CMN. The CMN creates the game and sends it to the first player. After they're done with their turn, they email it to the next person and the game is on.

If you go without a CMN, basically the first player acts as the creator. You just pick multiplayer, then hotseat/play-by-email. It will walk you through setting up the human players, then you can set the AI factions and all the rest of the settings.

For four-player games, it's a good idea to get a CMN. It's not uncommon for one of the original four to disappear (life is unpredictable). If you have a CMN, they have the password and can give it to a replacement player.

To find a CMN, just post a new thread with your agreed rules, settings, players, factions, and emails. Someone will come along, usually within a couple days.

[nathan_forst]

So I save the game and send it as an attached file via email with the password?

[jtsisyoda]

Each player has their own password, so you can only open the game when it's your turn. Zipping the file is usually required to save space and speed up download/upload.

You can play a hotseat game to get a feel for how it works. Hotseat is exactly the same as PBEM (same procedure for starting it) except you open all the turns from the same computer (for example if you played a family member).