A PBEM game, in the context it is used here, is a role-playing game where you participate by electronic mail than nose to nose. This has lovely points & bad points.
On the positive side, you can take your time & think about your actions carefully, & you can document things in far more detail than you ever would be able to in a nose to nose game. PBEM games also tend to have a great deal more noncombat character interaction than nose to nose games, although of work this varies a great deal.
On the negative side, activities which require a great deal of back-and-forth between players take much, much longer in PBEM than they would in a nose to nose game. Combat is probably the most widely known example: a fight which would take perhaps an hour of nose to nose game time may take weeks to resolve in a PBEM. Of work, the exact amount of time dilation varies from game to game.
Another potential negative aspect of PBEM games is the "tone of voice" issue. What would be taken as fundamentally a good-natured jibe or "table talk" in a nose to nose game is more likely to be misinterpreted or taken badly in a PBEM game. To some extent this is a result of human nature & our reliance on nonverbal cues when communicating. To another degree, this is a reflection of the social skills of some individuals who seek out PBEM games. It can be avoided if the players & the GM are cautious, but it requires diligence & a willingness to assume "good faith" on the part of the other players.
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