From there, it gets tougher.
pbm.com is a portal for play-by-email games (and apparently still play-by-mail games!), and seems to be still thriving. And we ARE on there.
Only problem is, so are hundreds of others.
Once you are in the pbm site, you can search by (mainly)
Abstract
Economic
Free
Role-playing
Sports
Wargame
If you click on "Wargame", you get 306 sites to check out. Take a look:
Games in this category:
1870 (Free, historical, economic, diplomacy, wargame )
1914-alt (Alternate history wargame)
1939 World Wide Battle Plan (Wargame)
ACW Western Theater (wargame)
Adventurer Kings (Fantasy War Game)
Aevum Obscurum (strategy, historical, empires in 1300 Europe, risk like)
Age of Discovery (strategic, economic/military, 19th century setting)
Age of Rifles (pc wargame, XIXth century)
Age of Wonders (fantasy wargame)
Agenda:004 (modern nation simulation)
Air Force / Dauntless (WWII tactical air wargame)
Alamaze (Global conquest - Fantasy)
America's Second Civil War (Post Apocalyptic, Modern Warfare)
Ancient Battles (wargame)
Ancient Empires (Fantasy wargame)
Andromeda (space email gui elegant)
Andromeda Online (space wargame)
Anni Bui (wargame, historical, medieval, economic)
Another BlackNova Trader Game (Sci-Fi, Role Playing, Turn Based)
Arcadia (fantasy build - up / wargame; Atlantis 5.0 spin-off)
Arcane Journeys (Web-based Fantasy&Sci-fi single player games)
Archipel (corsair wargame)
Aremas (fantasy wargame)
Arno's Atlantis (v5) (open-ended, fantasy, strategy, wargame)
Ashes of Empire, the (strategic space game)
Atlangame (free, open-ended, email, computer, fantasy, opensource)
Atlantis (strategic economic/military, fantasy setting)
Austerlitz (historical (Napoleonic) wargame)
Austerlitz - Der Aufstieg des Adlers (historical wargame)
Austerlitz - The Rise of the Eagle (Historical Simulation)
Axis & Allies (another) (WWII war game)
Axis and Allies (WWII wargame)
Axis&Allies/ WaW/ Europe/ Pacific (New free Axis&Allies PBEM platform available)
Babylon 5, le jeu par email (space opera, wargame, role playing)
Barbarians at the Gate (Historical Wargame)
Baroque Historical RPG (Historical Roleplaying Game)
Battle Corp (Turn by turn online wargame)
Battle Plan (Wargame - conquer Europe)
Battletech (Futuristic Space PBEM set in the Battletech Universe.)
Battletech - Hellstorm Hussars (Future Mecha Wargame)
BattleTech - Restless Souls (Future Mecha Wargame)
Beyond the Stellar Empire (US) (Space Opera)
Birth of Arda (Fantasy ,strategic, role-play, wargame, Tolkien)
Birthright The Second War of the Shadow (AD&D RPG Fantasy Wargame Story)
Britannia (Historical boardgame)
C++ Robots (Dueling programs written in C/C++)
Cactus Air Force (PBEM WWII Air War in the Pacific)
Capitol Hill v. 3.0 (US government political simulation)
Cartagena, Blue Max and King Me! (Board Game)
Celestial Empire (strategic economic/military space-opera)
Centre-Earth (Strategic fantasy wargame)
Century22pbem (free strategy wargame politic )
Children of the Dragon (MASSIVE saga and back history, well established, loosly Dragonball/Animie based)
CinePbeM (World of Hollywood)
Civil War OnLine (U.S. Civil War Wargame)
Civil War RPG (economic, wargame, roleplay by mail)
Civil War The Game (Historical wargame)
Clans (Fantasy Empire Wargame)
Clansman - The Rebirth (Open ended Tribal game.)
Cold War: Control Destiny (Diplomacy based wargame)
Cold Wars 2 (Modern, historical)
Comancheria (Skirmish Western)
Commander - Europe at War (Strategic WW2 turn based strategy in the vein of Panzer General. )
Conquest of Elysium II (fantasy wargame)
Crack Of Doom I (Fantasty Power game)
Crack Of Doom II (Fantasy)
Crown of the Emperor (Sci-fi Strategy/RPG)
CTF2187 (Tactical Sci-Fi)
Dark Age (Historical Wargame)
Darkness of Silverfall (Space Conquest)
Dead Men Tell No Tales (fantasy, pirates, Royal Navy, Caribbean)
Destroy & Conquer (Open Ended, Historical-fiction, Wargame)
Diamond Lake (Dungeons and Dragons 3.5)
Dino Wars (Prehistoric Conquest)
Diplomacy Ludomaniac (strategy diplomacy)
Distant Galaxy (Sci-Fi,PBEM,Exploration,wargame)
Domination (strategy)
Dominions (fantasy wargame)
Dominions 3 (fantasy wargame)
Dragonlords! Fantasy Wargame (Fantasy Wargame)
Dubhar Tiliath, the Shadow Realm (Fantasy Role Play/Wargame)
Dune PBeM (Fantasy/Sci-Fi Wargame)
Démange - LE jeu (Massive fantasy wargame)
e-Warbirds (Air combat simulation)
Empire Deluxe (wargame)
Empire Diplomacy (fantasy wargame, diplomacy)
Empire Forge (free fantasy wargame)
Empire Forge II (fantasy pbem wargame)
Empire of Ashes (co-operative writing, rpg)
Empire Stellaire II (diplomatic sf wargame)
Empires (Historical Wargame)
Empires of 1901 (Abstract, historical, nation sim)
Empires of the Middle Sea (ancient war game, pbem, strategy, diplomacy, empire building)
Engle Matrix Games (mystery, horror, spy, wargame)
Eressea (strategic economic/military, fantasy setting)
EuroDip1910AD (Strategy, Diplomacy and Wargame set in the Pre-WW1 era )
Eve Total War (Turn Based Play by Email Strategy)
Exodus War (space combat)
fantasy football commissioner (fantasy )
Fantasya - Welt des Traumes (fantasy, atlantis clone, mostly german players)
Far Horizons (space opera, strategy)
Feudal Lords (Medieval strategy)
Feudal Lords (other) (Medieval turn-based PBM game)
Feudal Lords: Right Of Kings (Medieval Wargame)
Forgotten Realms -- War of the Avatars (fantasy wargame)
Galactic Conflict (space wargame)
Galactic Conqueror (strategic, economic/military, space opera setting)
Galaxy (strategic, economic/military, space opera setting)
Galaxy PLUS (diplomatic sf wargame, free, strategy, most popular PBeM game in Russia)
Galaxy3D (turn-based space strategy)
GalaxyNG (GalaxyNG)
Global Combat (Strategic wargame)
Global Diplomacy (strategic, economic/military, 19th century setting)
Global Dominance (Geo-political sim)
Gloire et Pouvoir (fantasy wargame)
Gondor, Battle of the Lost Realms (Fantasy wargame)
Great Houses of the Landsraad (Sci-fi strategy)
Great Houses of Westeros (Fantasy Wargame)
Great War PBEM yahoogroups (strategy PBEM)
Hexem II (Very simple wargame)
High Middle Ages (Roleplaying during the Crusades)
Hoplite Encounter (Wargame set in Classical Greece)
http://rpol.net/game.cgi?gi=18665&gn=World+Diplomacy (Diplomacy)
Hyborian War (fantasy wargame)
Hyperdrive II (Space exploration and conquest)
IconWar (wargame)
IMP300 (Space opera wargame)
Imperial Ace Chronicles (sci-fi RPG wargame)
Imperial Expansion (Space explore and conquest)
Imperium (medieval war mmorpg)
Imperium (canadian) (strategic, economic/military, 19th century setting)
Incubation (Squad-level tactical combat)
Infamous Days (WWII strategic wargame)
Internations (Geopolitical wargame/diplomacy)
Iridear: Land of the 5 temples (war diplomacy strategy fantasy)
It's A Crime (Gangland Warfare)
Kalevala (open-ended fantasy wargame with roleplay)
King of Kings: Albion II (Arthurian Britain scenario wargame)
Kingdoms of Arcania (fantasy wargame)
Kingdoms PBEM (fantasy wargame, graphical client)
Kingmaker (diplomacy and military strategy 1400s England)
Kollaa Will Hold (WWII tactical wargame)
Kosmor - Forces of the Galaxies (space trade diplomacy and warfare)
Laser Squad Nemesis (two player, squad level, email strategy game)
LeBR3 - Birthright (Fantasy RPG/wargame)
Legend of the Green Dragon (other) (online text rpg)
Legends II (Strategic Fantasy)
Legends II Swords of Pelarn Module (Fantasy mixed Role Playing and Empire)
Legion Of Countries (Nation Simulation/Strategy)
Legion Of Nations (diplomacy, country builder)
Lizards! (Fantasy wargame)
Lords of Gyrne (Fantasy Strategy Wargame)
Lords of the Earth - Campaign 13, A Twilight of Empires (Historical Wargame)
Lords of Theeurth (Large scale fantasy wargame)
Magicka et Machina v 2.0 (Fantasy Dip/Eco/Wargame)
Medieval Warlords (War Game of the Middle Ages)
Medioevo (Wargame)
Men and Dragons, MAD (Combat-based MMORPG)
Merchant of Doom (economic, space, war game, strategy)
Middle Earth Play by Mail (Fantasy Wargame)
Middle Earth: Legacies of Melkor (epic fantasy)
Midgard (Fantasy, medieval wargame)
Militarizm (wargame, Russian language only)
Miller Systems WW2 Campaign (Global Strategy)
Mobius I (Science Fiction / Conquer the Galaxy)
Morne Plaine (Napoleonian wargame)
Murania - fantasy PBeM game (fantasy wargame)
Mysticora (Epic Fantasy)
Mythicor (Strategic Fantasy)
NapleonicBlood (Wargame)
Napoleonic Battles (wargame)
Napoleonic Empires (Historical Wargame)
Nation of Odrium (Fantasy Political Wargame)
Nebula (Space conquest)
New Cold War (Diplomatic, military role playing game)
New Worlds Project (Original science-fiction, play-by-post)
Night's Master (1st Ed AD&D)
Nuclear Destruction (wargame)
Ogame (Space strategy)
Olympia (epic fantasy)
Olympia: The Age of Gods (epic fantasy)
Online football management game (free manager game)
Online Strategy Game Fall of Rome (12-Player Online Multiplayer Strategy Wargame)
Online Turnbased Wargame (OTWG) (Online wargame, multi settings, fully customisable)
Open Conflict Star Trek Meets Star Wars The Lines Are Drawn (Strategic/Roleplaying Space)
Panzer General 2 (War game, WW2 simulation, PBEM club, )
PBeM-Spiele - die Welt der E-Mail-Spiele (Web-Portal)
Pelagoria (strategy, political, exploration, wargame,)
Phoenix Command (Modern Counter-terrorism)
Phoenix Command Scenario #3 (WW2 squad-level wargame)
Political Intrigue (Geo-political)
Political Supremacy (Alternate History starting in 1980 in the mist of conflict. This is a turn based political strategy game where you run a appointed nation. )
Power of Nations (World Simulator)
PROMETHEUS (Civilisation Clone)
Qpawn- World Leader Simulator (World leader and politics and war)
Raider (War at Sea)
Rainbow's End (Empire building wargame)
RAINING FIRE (USCM - ALIENS RPG)
Reach for an Empire (grand strategy)
Realms of Chaos (Fantasy, Roleplay, Wargame, Deity Devlopment)
ReLite (Fantasy role playing and wargame)
Riftlords (Interstellar commodity trading (basic game))
RipSpace (Space wargame)
Rise and Fall (Strategic Roman Empire v. Barbarians)
Rise of the New Order (Modern Diplomacy/War game)
RPG Forums Online (Free form fantasy and message board based RPGs)
Ruins of Rome (Role Playing Fantasy Wargame)
Schwertreiter (fantasy wargame)
Sengoku (Strategic Warfare in Feudal Japan)
Serim Ral (Fantasy Wargame)
Serim Ral 2nd Edition (fantasy wargames)
Shogunate: Warlords of the Rising Sun (Strategic Wargame)
Space Conquest (Strategi, Wargame)
Space Wing: Void Patrol (space fighters dogfights)
Space: 2360 (Wargame, Strategy, Diplomatic.)
Spaceplan (Space Opera)
Spiral Arm (Space Strategy)
SPQR - Senatus Populusque Romanus (Roman Republic simulation)
Star Child Ascendant (Sci-fi economic and war game)
Star Trek Strategy PBeM (space strategy wargame)
StarCluster (space strategy)
Stars! (space opera)
Starship Aeon (Star Trek...Rebellion...)
Starweb (Science Fiction Simulation)
Steel Panthers I CD (WW2 tactical)
Stellar Conflict (space wargame)
Stronghold (Civilization)
Struggle of Humanity (Historical Nation Building/Wargame)
Supernova: Rise of the Empire (Epic strategic-scale space power game)
Supremacy On-Line (modern,wargame,)
SWORD (Modern Counter-Terrorism Unit)
Tales of Tamar (fantasy wargame)
Tarmellion (Fantasy roleplaying wargame)
Tartarus (Internet robot war game)
the Art of War (risk-like, web-based, contemporary moves wargame)
The Campaign For All time (Fantasy)
The Glory of Kings (La Gloire du Roi) (18th century historical power wargame)
The Great Civil War of Samaca (Open-ended wargame/diplomacy)
The Honor Guard (Political Roleplaying)
The Lords of Terre the Sword of Destiny (Fantasy wargame)
The Stellar Empires (space strategy )
The Weapon (war and strategy in space)
Third Millenium (web-based space exploration and conquest)
Throne of cofain (fantasy wargame)
Time of Conflict (modern Geo-Political)
Total Warfare (Fantasy Land Conquest)
Tribe Net (Strategy - "diplomatic wargame" - historical)
Tribe Net - Islandia (Build and Wargame strategy simulation)
Tribes Of Crane (Tribal/Fantasy)
TribeVibes (Strategy - "diplomatic wargame" - historical)
Tryn-Trava ( (fantasy funny wargame)
TV Biz (Tv Business simulation game)
Ultimate Diplomacy (Diplomacy Variant set in the Middle Ages)
Unified Command (wargame)
United Earth Federation (space rpg)
USI Survivors (science fiction star-trek like game)
USS Avalon (Star Trek PBeM (SMS) set in the year 2386)
USS Phantasm (Simm)
Utopia (medieval )
Valhalla (Fantasy Sci-Fi Wargame)
VGA Planets 3.0
Voyager, there and back again (interactive written role-play)
War & Peace (historical wargame)
War & Peace III (historical, wargame, strategy, turn-based)
War across the Pacific 1941-1945 (historical wargame)
War for Sienna Minor (Fantasy Wargame)
War of Ages (Sci-fi/War)
War of the Clans: In the Beginning (Battle Tech, Future, Space, Sci Fi)
WAR OF THE CLANS: IN THE BEGINNING (WARGAME)
War of the Clans: Rebirth (Wargame)
War of the Dark God (fantasy wargame)
WAR OF WIZARDS (fantasy empire building game of magic)
Warlord (Wargame)
Weewar (Turnbased strategy Web game (modern cenario))
World at War (Canada) (Wargame (WWII style))
World at War (Team Game) (wargame (wwii style))
World Conquest (wargame)
World in Crisis Series (Political/Military simulation)
World Leaders: The World Is Yours (Modern, Political, War, Role Play, Alternate History)
World Nations (Nation Building)
World of Kaomaris 4 (WOK IV) (Wargame / Strategy)
World of Kaomaris 5 (WOK5) (Free Strategy Wargame.)
World War II RPG: Our War (World War II. RPG, Free, Openended)
World War II Simulation (realistic WWII wargame)
World Wide Battle Plan (wargame)
WWII Naval (PBeM, open-ended, historical, free )
X-Men: Awakenings (X-Men, moviebased)
Xyhora (fantasy strategy)
Yankee Station (Vietnam Air War Game)
Yep, Kaomaris IS in there (under "World of ..." if you missed it), but how many will have read that far down?
There ARE other search criteria ... but "Free" gives you a list of 1,230, and "closed-ended" (versus open-ended adventuring) still gives you 257 games to scan down ... and the W's come towards the end!
If they DO get there, they get Al's description from 2001:
Description
WOK IV is an easy-to-learn-still-hard-to-master wargame of pure strategy. You control 1 of 60 provinces. 10 Players per group can play. You have population,workers,armies,bombs and spies. You just need to fill out an Order Form once in a week and can play right away. All armies have a level of combat and the turns are executed in 6 Phases following a randomly Order of Play for each turn. All elements of play have a strong interaction and while playing a turn can be done very quickly the game will grow in complexity with the development of its players. A strong diplomatic aspect and trustful relations to some other players are needed to be successful. The WOK Turn Generator will emit and document all actions taken. WOK IV is a game of strategic combat and offers a great new play for all wargames fans.
Hmm. Fine when there were maybe few games on pbem, and you expected your description to be explanatory. But probably not enough sell or standout.
So I've updated the description (mail me for it if you want to post similar elsewhere), and am trying to get us out of being only 292nd out of 306 listings, by getting Greg there to list us on a higher page, Announcements, as well.
BGG (Board Game Geek) is a slightly different scenario, and I'm working on it.
Must be a record, with that long list. But just SAYING the list was long wouldn't have made the point half as well!
Han