PBeM here at LostCoastGaming.com is an ongoing experiment in using modern media to serve a time-honored concept in role playing games. If you like what you see here enough to want to run a game of your own, here's what you have to do:

1. Get your campaign background information together. It can be in any format you like but we recommend that you use one that's easily useable by all computers -- which means Microsoft .doc or .rtf files aren't necessarily your best choice. Try an HTML document, or a wiki. Some of us here are using TiddlyWiki to organize information in an easily accessible fashion. It's easy to use, easy to read, and we highly recommend it.
2. Send this information as a file attach to songstress [at] lostcoastgaming[dot] com. In the main body of the email, give me a summary of your game including rules system, setting type (fantasy, sci fi, superheroes, cyberpunk, etc.) estimated number of players, the "rating" of the game (use the movie ratings system to give a general idea), and whether you see it being a "one-off" or a continuing campaign.
3. I'll probably send you a confirmation of receipt, then review your information just to make sure we're not getting in trouble somehow (copyright, pornography, blahblahblah).
4. After you're "approved," several things will happen in quick succession:
   • You gain "Game Master" privileges on the site, basically allowing you to administer your content as you see fit.
   • Your game's "book" will be created and listed in the "Games & Stories" section.
   • Your game's Image Gallery will be created.
   • Your board on the forums will be created and you will be named moderator of it.
   • If you request one, a standard mailing list will be created for your game with you as moderator. Use this only if you have players who for some reason (usually work-related) cannot access the site to participate directly.
   • Also if you request, you can have FTP access to your own directory at LostCoastGaming.com so you can upload changes to your content without waiting on an Admin to do it for you.
   • Your campaign information will be uploaded to the site and listed up there in the "Game Info Files" section.
5. Post your call for players in your journal here at LCG. Make sure in "Publishing Options" that your post will be published to the "front page" but do not make it "sticky." We recommend you do so on as many gaming sites and/or lists as you can in order to maximize the number of gamers from which you can draw.
6. Game Masters who launch calls for players but then fail to launch their games, or who "kick and drop" their games (start then fail to move) will be asked to wait at least six months before starting a new game here. Game Masters who do this three times will be banned from starting games at LostCoastGaming.com for an indeterminate period of time. This behavior is distressingly common in the PBeM world and is very disrespectful to the players who put in so much time and effort to supply characters and other background information for the games. It's a practice that's officially frowned on at LCG.

That's it, really. Once your game book is set up, you and your players will use it as a collaborative storytelling device. You can use your journals however you please, e.g. in character as journal entries, or as ways to run "bluebooking" side-stories between characters, or whatever your imagination can come up with.

Use the forums for "out of character" chatter, rules discussions, plot clarifications, or whatever you like.

The chat feature on the forums also permits "live time" interactions for your game -- but logging the results is up to you.

You can update the rest of the gamers here at LCG about the progress of your game by writing articles (LCG Content >> Create Content >> Articles) which will be posted to our "front page." Take time regularly to give us updates on how it's going!

There really are a myriad of ways you can use the features here at LostCoastGaming.com to bring your Play By electronic Mail games into the Play By Electronic Media world!

If there's any way I can help, feel free to use the Messenger here on the site to contact me privately, or drop me a line in the forums if it's something you want to share with the site at large.

Thanks for your interest in gaming here at LostCoastGaming.com!