Gaffa Games

An Introduction to PBM games

PBM stands for 'Play-By-Mail'. With play-by-mail you play your favourite games through the conventional mail system (or with modern technology through fax, E-Mail etc..). The games are generally similar to board games or standard computer games but since PBM games can be played using just pencil and paper you don't need to have a computer. Also instead of playing on your own or just with friends you will be playing against other people from around the world. The GAFFA is designed to handle many players and each player can be directly up against 79 others!!

Why play a PBM game? Well, even though there is a charge for playing PBM games, they offer some things that some people have a hard time finding face to face -- good opponents, convenient playing times, and games with lots of hidden information.

Once you have signed up to join THE GAFFA you receive a results pack every 10 days(see the sample results pack for an example of a typical results pack). This will be sent to you by conventional mail or by E-Mail. We provide all the necesary material for you to play the game and you simply send your orders back to us using the 'turnsheet'. We process your orders along with those of all the other players and then our computer systems play your teams matches in accordance with the rules of the game. Once the matches are played we send you the next results pack which will contain your teams results, match reports etc.. You then evaluate your results, prepare your next set of orders and send them back to us in time for the next matches to be played.

A General Glossary of Terms used in THE GAFFA

Within THE GAFFA, and PBM in general, there are terms and expressions that to anyone outside the hobby might find a little hard to understand. We hope the following will help new players

League
Each player manages a soccer team which is in a league. Each league can cater for 80 teams and we set up as many leagues as necessary to allow all our customers to play. Each league is totally separate to each other and is numbered(we are currently up to league 95) so you know which league you are playing.

Manager
Each person playing THE GAFFA is refered to as a manager(since the game involves managing a soccer team) and each manager is given a unique number. You will be expected to quote this number whenever you have dealings with us so that we know who you are.

Turn
This is the name given to the process of receiving your orders, playing the matches and then sending out your next results pack. It is referred to as a turn because your orders are 'turned' into a 'results pack'

Turn Sheet
This refers to the list of orders that you will submit to us. You will be supplied with a ‘Turn Sheet’ for you to fill in and return each time you receive a 'results pack'

Results Pack
Sometimes known as ‘Result Sheets’. We mail these out to you after each league has played its games. Each manager receives a personal copy unique to their own position. It reports the results of your matches in a mixture of text and tables of statistics

Deadline Date
Every time you are sent a 'Results Pack' you have to make sure that your orders are returned to us on the 'turnsheet' and that this arrives at our office by the ‘Deadline Date’.

Return to the GAFFA Homepage here

Send comments, enquiries, etc. to GAFFA GAMES

Within THE GAFFA, and PBM in general, there are terms and expressions that to anyone outside the hobby might find a little hard to understand. We hope the following will help new players
League	Each player manages a soccer team which is in a league. Each league can cater for 80 teams and we set up as many leagues as necessary to allow all our customers to play. Each league is totally separate to each other and is numbered(we are currently up to league 95) so you know which league you are playing.
Manager	Each person playing THE GAFFA is refered to as a manager(since the game involves managing a soccer team) and each manager is given a unique number. You will be expected to quote this number whenever you have dealings with us so that we know who you are.
Turn	This is the name given to the process of receiving your orders, playing the matches and then sending out your next results pack. It is referred to as a turn because your orders are 'turned' into a 'results pack'
Turn Sheet	This refers to the list of orders that you will submit to us. You will be supplied with a ‘Turn Sheet’ for you to fill in and return each time you receive a 'results pack'
Results Pack	Sometimes known as ‘Result Sheets’. We mail these out to you after each league has played its games. Each manager receives a personal copy unique to their own position. It reports the results of your matches in a mixture of text and tables of statistics
Deadline Date	Every time you are sent a 'Results Pack' you have to make sure that your orders are returned to us on the 'turnsheet' and that this arrives at our office by the ‘Deadline Date’.