Kings (play-by-mail game)

Fantasy play-by-mail game

KingsPublishers| JF&L, Dragon Games

|

Years active| 1983 to 1993 or later
Genres| role playing, play-by-mail
Languages| English
Playing time| unlimited
Materials required| Instructions, order sheets, turn results, paper, pencil
Media type| Play-by-mail

Kings is a fantasy role-playing play-by-mail (PBM) game. Active as of 1983 with JF&L as publisher, it was updated and on its third publisher, Dragon Games, by 1990. Players roleplayed the monarch of a kingdom on a fantasy planet which combined elements of medievalism and heroic fantasy. After initial kingdom setup, players explored the world on a grid map. Economics, combat, intrigue and magic were part of gameplay. The game received neutral to positive reviews in the 1980s with a strong positive review in 1990.

## History and development

[edit]

The game was active as early as 1983.[1] At the time, it was published by JF&L.[2] By 1990 it was updated and being run by Dragon Games, its third publisher.[3]

## Gameplay

[edit]

Kings was a PBM game of medium complexity.[4] Players roleplayed the monarch of a kingdom on a fantasy planet which combined elements of medievalism and heroic fantasy.[5] After initial kingdom setup, players explored the world on a grid map. Economics, combat, intrigue and magic were part of the game.[5]

## Reception

[edit]

Bob McLain reviewed the game in the November–December 1983 issue of PBM Universal calling it a "fairly routine game" and stating, "I've seen better and I've seen worse, but Kings delivers as advertised."[2] Marty Kloeden reviewed the game in the Autumn 1985 issue of Flagship, recommending it for play. He assessed after two years of play that "KINGS is an exciting and challenging PBM game which offers a lot for a fair price."[1]

Mark Macagnone gave the game a strong positive review in the September–October 1990 issue of Paper Mayhem. Out of 5 stars, he rated it 5 stars in every category—Rules, Gamemaster Response, Turn Sheets, Player Input, and Player Enjoyment—giving it an overall rating of 5 stars.[4] In a 1993 issue of Paper Mayhem, the game, still published by Dragon Games, was rated 37 of 81 PBM games with a rating of 6.769 of 9 points.[6]

## See also

[edit]

* List of play-by-mail games

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b Kloeden 1985. p. 22.
2. ^ a b McLain 1983. p. 29.
3. ^ Macagnone 1990. pp. 12–13.
4. ^ a b Macagnone 1990. p. 13.
5. ^ a b Kloeden 1985. p. 21.
6. ^ Paper Mayhem Editors 1993. pp. 44–45.

## Bibliography

[edit]

* Editors (July–August 1993). "PBM Game Ratings as of 06/06/93". Paper Mayhem. No. 61\. pp. 44–45.
* Macagnone, Mark (September–October 1990). "Kings: A Review". Paper Mayhem. No. 44\. pp. 10, 12–13.
* McLain, Bob (November–December 1983). "Gamealog: Kings". PBM Universal. No. 1\. p. 29.
* Kloeden, Marty (Autumn 1985). "Kings: The Game of Total Personalized Rule". Flagship. No. 8\. pp. 21–22.

* v
* t
* e

Play-by-mail games

Arena combat|

* Adventurers Guild
* Arena Combat
* Blood Pit
* CTF 2187
* Death by Starlight
* Duel II
* Gladiators of Death

Crime|

* Crime Lords
* Family Wars
* It's a Crime

Wargames|

* Balance of Power
* Battle Plan
* Centurion
* Company Commander
* Crisis
* Dawn of the Ancients
* Diplomacy
* Empires for Rent
* The Final Campaign
* Global Supremacy
* Horizon's End!
* Moscow '41
* Nuclear Destruction
* Realpolitik
* Sirius Command
* State of War
* Strategic Conflict
* Victory! The Battle for Europe
* Warlord
* World Campaigns
* World Conquest

| Fantasy|

* Alamaze
* Atlantrix
* Battle Cry
* Death & Sorrow
* Domination
* DungeonWorld
* Earthwood
* Epic
* EverMoor
* Fall of Rome
* First World
* Forgotten Realms
* Hyborian War
* Kings & Things
* Kings of Karadon
* Krahlizek
* The Land of Karrus
* Legends
* Lizards
* Loot the Castle
* Lords of the Earth
* Middle Earth PBM
* Odyssey
* Quest of the Great Jewels
* Realms of Fantasy
* Swords of the Gods
* Talwaithe
* Trolls Bottom
* War of the Dark God
* Venom

|

Historical|

* Adventurer Kings
* Aegyptus
* Austerlitz
* Conquest
* Conquest of Insula II
* Feudal Lords
* The Glory of Kings
* LandLords
* Midgard
* Moneylender
* Renaissance
* Strategic Imperial Conquest
* Terra II
* Thunder at Sea

Political/Intrigue|

* Illuminati
* Power
* SpyKor

Railroad|

* Continental Rails

Roleplaying|

* Catacombs of Chaos
* Crack of Doom
* Crasimoff's World
* Crystal Island
* Dark Blades
* Darkworld
* Delenda est Carthago
* Dukes of Hell
* En Garde!
* Firebreather
* Heroic Fantasy
* Kings
* Lands of Elvaria
* Logan's Run
* Lords of Valetia
* Midhir
* Monster Island
* Quest
* Realms of Sword and Thunder
* S.A.B.R.E.
* Saturnalia
* Silverdawn
* Trajan's Treacherous Trap
* TribeNet
* Wofan

| Western|

* Stand and Deliver
* Westworld

|

Science fiction|

* Absolute Power
* Alien Conflict
* The Assassin's Quest
* Battle of the Gods
* Cosmic Crusaders
* Cyborg
* Fleet Maneuvers
* Galactic Prisoners
* The Keys of Bled
* Out Time Days
* Portinium
* Raumkrieg
* Space Battle
* Space Combat
* Starship Command
* Survival Challenge
* Tactical Assault Group
* The Tribes of Crane
* Vorcon Wars
* Warboid World
* Warp Force Empires

| Space Operas|

* Ad Astra
* Belter
* Beyond the Quadra Zone
* Beyond the Stellar Empire
* Capitol
* Cluster Lords
* Continuum
* Eclipse
* Empyrean Challenge
* Galac-Tac
* Galactic Conflict
* Galactic Empires
* Galactic Power
* Galaxy: Alpha
* Infinite Conflict
* Lords of Destiny
* Mobius I
* New Order
* Pellic Quest
* Rimworlds
* Smuggler's Run
* Space 101
* Star Cluster One
* Spiral Arm
* Star Empires
* Star Fleet Warlord
* Starglobe
* Star Trek: The Correspondence Game
* Starlord
* Starmaster
* Star Saga
* Stars of the Dark Well
* Star Venture
* Starweb
* Supernova II
* Takamo
* The Next Empire
* The Orion Nebula
* Universe II
* The Weapon
* Zorphwar

|

Sports|

* Gameplan

Magazines|

* Flagship
* Gaming Universal
* Paper Mayhem
* The Nuts & Bolts of PBM

Companies|

* Adventures by Mail
* Agents of Gaming
* Flying Buffalo, Inc.
* Harlequin Games
* KJC Games
* Reality Simulations, Inc.
* Schubel & Son

Other|

* List of play-by-mail games

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template