Posted by Zioth to the WotC boards on 9-24-03

I've been DMing an email game for seven years now, and it's been a lot of fun. Email does change the dynamic of the game though...

Advantages
1) Major combats can be a lot more dramatic, since you have plenty of time to think out responses.
2) There's a whole lot more role-playing when people have time to think. I suggest you increase role-playing experience a lot, since that's most of what will go on.
3) The increased planning time will also result in a more internally-consistent world.
4) I personally consider the writing aspect to be an advantage. I get to write nice dramatic storylines, which players can read at their leisure.
5) Things are not as easily forgotten, because you can always look back at old posts.

Disadvantages:
1) Minor combat is impractical when it lasts more than two or three rounds. If you like fighting, you'll be disappointed.
2) The game is a lot less personal. You'll have less joking, and less friendly banter when people aren't face-to-face.
3) Things can get SLOW. Some players will only respond every couple of days, which can really take up a lot of time. My game has gone on for seven years, but that equates to only two or three months game-time.
4) I doubt this is a problem for a group of friends like yours, but it's a lot easier to cheat. On the other hand, it's a lot easier to hide your own rolls, and convert them into descriptions.

A previous post suggested that you use a WotC thread to run your game. I know that many DMs like threads and message boards, but for me, it makes things a lot more confusing, slows things down (people check boards less often than email), and can get tedious. I prefer the direct email approach, combined with a web site. For my own game, I have an email alias that goes out to all the characters (an address book entry would have the same effect). As far as the game text goes, I collect all the emails, and, when we reach a nice cliffhanger or enough time has gone by, I clean up all the text, write it up as if it were a chapter in a book (called a 'turn'), and post it on my web site (see the links in my signature).