Anyone remember Play By Mail football management games?

[supaseagull]

I think Play By Mail probably came from the momentum created by Choose Your Own Adventure books of the 1970s and 1980s.

Ahh now you're talking...who remembers classics from Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone

 

[shaolinpunk]

I'd completely forgotten these existed! I played a PBM football game when I was a kid - I've probably got all the certificates from my various league/cup wins somewhere. My (at the time) revolutionary 4-3-3/4-5-1 system worked wonders

Good times

Ahh now you're talking...who remembers classics from Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone

I do. I always preferred the ones with a sci-fi/cyberpunk edge rather than fantasy. Robot Commando, Appointment With F.E.A.R and The Rings of Kether were more my thing than the likes of Deathtrap Dungeon

 

[Simster]

Yep, I managed a team with @KLF. Happy days. Although I do remember the SHINE coming off these leagues when you stopped winning!

 

[hart's shirt]

Wow...this is a blast from the past thread.

Yes, I played APEX play by mail. There's a couple of trophies back home somewhere. What worked for me was to buy the best Youth Scout you could, then every 6 weeks a new player would come along that could be sold or put in the team. It would be a big outlay at first, but then after a season or so, there'd be a wealth of money available to outbid other clubs for all the 5* players.

As for the Fighting Fantasy books, I brought the first 8 books to Dubai with me. The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, Deathtrap Dungeon, etc....ah memories. How many others played by memorizing which page to turn back to if you were killed by turning left instead of right!

Now it's all about playing Magic The Gathering on Friday nights as well as MTG Online. Top cerebral CCG entertainment.

Thinking about it, I'm not sure I'll ever grow up...

 

[greyseagull]

For a moment, take your eyes off Colin Pates' garish football kit and look to the adverts on the left...

Does anyone remember these adverts that used to crop up in the classified sections of Shoot! and Match magazine in the 1980s and 1990s. Anyway, did anyone ever sign up and play these games? What was it like? Did you eagerly await your post each week to find out your results after your inspirational managerial decision-making or was it all bit of a rip-off and a let down?

I always remembered they seemed ludicrously expensive. As if I could afford £2 a week for it in the early 1990s! So I never signed up for any of them.

But how did they work? How did whoever was organising the leagues generate the results?

By now, I imagine the combination of Fantasy Football Leagues (based on what actually happens in real-life football), the internet and really comprehensive computer-based football management games have all but killed PBM, but I may be mistaken.

Anyway, over to you!

They are still going my friend! Necom Games I think were the most popular and still come up at the top of the search rankings when I just Googled 'play by mail': http://necomleaguesoccer.co.uk/website/login.php?page=page0

I remember back at school 20 years ago or so, me and my friends would all run home on our lunch breaks to get our envelopes (they were called 'turns') to see how we got on and if our transfers had gone through. We honestly used to spend hours on the phone to other "managers" sorting out transfers. I remember speaking to the "Everton manager" (and he was a scouser!) for ages about a deal (if memory serves my correctly it was for Batistuta!) and he wound me up so much I threw the phone across the room in proper Fergie style and it hit my mate in the face! It got the imagination going, that's for sure.

 

[cmonbarrybringonwoody!]

I was manager of fc cobras. I was crap,me and a few school friends did it. We even went to a PBM managers meet at the bloke who ran it in Basildon, bit weird to be honest a load of pretend manager talking about doing make believe transfers!

 

[KJP]

Looks like some are still going http://www.iotp.co.uk/ http://www.purefantasyfootball.com/ http://www.kjcgames.com/extra/etf.htm

I used to play extra time. Can't believe its still going

Few of my mates played The gaffer or something

 

[W.C.]

I think Play By Mail probably came from the momentum created by Choose Your Own Adventure books of the 1970s and 1980s.

pretty sure there were PBM RPGS, in the dungeons and dragons mould.

 

[Thimble Keegan]

For a moment, take your eyes off Colin Pates' garish football kit and look to the adverts on the left...

Does anyone remember these adverts that used to crop up in the classified sections of Shoot! and Match magazine in the 1980s and 1990s. Anyway, did anyone ever sign up and play these games? What was it like? Did you eagerly await your post each week to find out your results after your inspirational managerial decision-making or was it all bit of a rip-off and a let down?

I always remembered they seemed ludicrously expensive. As if I could afford £2 a week for it in the early 1990s! So I never signed up for any of them.

But how did they work? How did whoever was organising the leagues generate the results?

By now, I imagine the combination of Fantasy Football Leagues (based on what actually happens in real-life football), the internet and really comprehensive computer-based football management games have all but killed PBM, but I may be mistaken.

Anyway, over to you!

Yes, I played the Apex Soccer League PBM game and was in Premier 20 where and began playing it with a mate before going solo. It was recommended to us by another mate and it was good fun in the beginning. I managed to win Division 3 and then Division 2 and still have the trophies up on my bookshelf. I had a Youth Team Scout and and was generally doing well but after a few years the novelty wore off and I packed it in.

Ahh now you're talking...who remembers classics from Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone

Oh yes, I remember these and played these whilst I was at middle school as did many of my friends. Between my and my brothers we had quite a few and really enjoyed them.

So with these and then going onto college and playing football PBM games, maybe I was not as cool during my youth as I thought I was!!

Albion & England forever.

Thimble Keegan
Rustington BHA

 

[Puppet Master]

I used to play extra time. Can't believe its still going

Few of my mates played The gaffer or something

KJC had a big online community. So did PFF. Purefantasyfootball.com was my forum of choice back in the day, was about as popular as here around 98/99 which made life so easy to contact other managers. We all joined a game between us that became so popular it was all managers with internet access (not that common then), we even created a spin off website for general chit chat which still runs to this day as footballforums.net

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

I played them for about 5-6 years back in the 90's. Was great fun.

Brighton FC won a few titles.

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

I wonder if there were any football based Choose Your Own Adventure books...

 

[The Wookiee]

This brings back so many happy childhood memories. Used to love playing these... looking back they were so simple but my God were they fun and addictive. Used to bunk school some mornings to wait for my results in the post. And my dad calling me saying there's some kid on the phone saying he;'s the manager of Barcelona and wants to do a deal
Off the top of my head, I played The Gaffa, PFF, KJC Games and In Off The Post. Looking back they were money for nothing really although I've still got a little silver trophy on my bookcase at my mum's house saying 1996 Gaffa Cup winner. As others have said Football Manager games killed them off in the end. Amazing to think I used to be biting my nails for a week or two waiting on my results when you get them at the click of a button now,.

In off the post, that's the one I was trying to think of based in Essex. Great fun !!

 

[Cian]

When I was at university, I knew someone who played chess-by-mail.

I know of someone who still does! Has two chessboards set up in his office for the two games he plays.

 

[Puppet Master]

In off the post, that's the one I was trying to think of based in Essex. Great fun !!

IOTP was one of the most realistic. Do you remember the little grid you had where you marked where you wanted each player's position to be? Very innovative considering most PBMs just asked you to tick 4-4-2, 3-5-2 etc. AND it had international management.

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

I know of someone who still does! Has two chessboards set up in his office for the two games he plays.

I wonder what the answer would be if he was asked, 'Why don't you send and receive your moves by text message, email or just play an online match?'

 

[Cian]

I wonder what the answer would be if he was asked, 'Why don't you send and receive your moves by text message, email or just play an online match?'

From what I've heard (its a friends colleague), he's extremely odd, so I suspect something about "tradition" would come up.

 

[W.C.]

I wonder if there were any football based Choose Your Own Adventure books...

You receive the ball on the right wing, do you:

a) Curl in a cross - turn to page 56
b) Cut inside, ghost past a defender and shoot - turn to page 23
c) Tread on the ball - turn to page 3

the excitement!

 

[W.C.]

oh dear, this thread has just made me buy this app

http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/02/sorcery-on-ios-fighting-fantasy/

 

[Woodchip]

View attachment 44415

A runner up trophy from division three of the Apex Soccer League, I was BHAFC, signed Zola, which led to a late title challenge but then we hit the roof!

Did you then throw a paddy in the post match interview and threaten to leave?