the people who started the Play By Mail industry. It features 15 players
each playing one of 6 character types. Each character type requires different
resources to produce points to achieve the victory score. These requirements
will bring them into conflict with other characters OR bring about alliances
that can cooperate to better each other's score, provide security or take
out competing players. These characters include:
Berserker - robots who gain points
by the wholesale destruction of life.
Apostle - whose mere presence
will start to sway your population to their credo or religion. Gaining
points by the number of converts or totally converted worlds and by shooting
at infidels and unbelievers.
Empire Builders - who gain points
for real estate and not just any real estate. They thrive on worlds with
the richest mines, industries and largest populations.
Merchant - you score by hauling
precious metal from outer worlds to the industrial centers of your clients.
Why hire you? Because only a merchant can double load their freighters.
Art Collector - you gain points
by collecting those rare artifacts found scattered throughout the cosmos.
Pirate - To plunder and pillage
gains you points despite the fact that it stops the world from mining,
industries from building and population from growing. Your ability to capture
enemy space fleets intact make you an awesome warrior.
As the diplomacy builds you may find that you are trading your turnsheets
with allies and that you may have upward of 20 pages of data to peruse
each turn. In fact, the more successful your play the larger the turnsheet
seems to get. I have found the best way to handle such large amounts of
data and to find those important to your scoring, fighting or trading is
to utilize the STARWEB ANALYZER.
It is an amazing utility by:
Flying Moose Technologies
.
Combined
Turnsheets
Basically, the Starweb Analyzer takes the turnsheets you obtain by email and those of your allies and combines them into an online combined turnsheet encompassing all the information. It remembers data from older turns that no longer shows up on your turnsheet and all this information can be saved for printing or emailing to other players. One of the most advantageous abilities of the Starweb Analyzer is it's ability to search this database for specific information you require without having to pour over pages of data. A series of searches, filters and sorts allow you to find those things you need such as metal stockpiles, reinforcements, plunderable worlds, enemy fleets, high population worlds etc. This feature is also linked to a color map which will highlight any of the searches/filters.
Mapping
The map is very user friendly using the mouse for drag and drop to position worlds and even supports mouse supported order generation from the map (no typing required). The map also can be exported as a bitmap or gif for emailing.
Order
Editor
Finally, the program has an order editor for creating your order sheet.
It will check them for any typing errors, major game errors such
as ordering mutually exclusive orders, check the world connection information
and even sends warnings when you transfer or build to other than yourself.
The editor can create a template of incomplete orders for you to fill out
- unloads, builds and incomplete fleet orders. It supports comments so
that you can put your thoughts in concerning your plans - which you can
email to your allies or just keep to remind you why you are doing certain
actions. This draft copy will be stripped of comments when you are done
so that the final copy is in FBI order format and ready to be emailed.
For more detailed information about this amazing GUI utility click here 
Do you want to see how I did at the Flying Buffalo Tournament 1998 using the Starweb Analyzer? Click on my trophy :-).
To go to the 
and Lizards 
pages click on the pics.
For more information about the
The Starweb Email Discussion Group (SEDG)
Elliot Hudes - somnos@compuserve.com