PBEM Players (Play By Email Games) - Spotlight Interview: Andy Jones

Spotlight Interview: Andy Jones
By David "Onion" Ball
Published: February 24, 2008

This article was originally posted on the PBEM game Blue Dwarf's website, we thank our friends over there for allowing us to use it here.

This spotlight article lets us hear what simmer Andy Jones thinks of his experiences in the PBEM world.

Hi, I'm Andy Jones, I'm 22, and working as an IT Technician. Since Andy is quite a common name, I am sometimes known as 'SMAndy' to online friends. I enjoy all sorts of Sci-Fi, Fantasy and roleplaying. My Rolyplaying experience began at the start of secondary school (High school for the rest of you), with Dungeons & Dragons. Since then, I've moved on to other forms, including PbeM. I will always remain a gamer, and roleplayer at heart... If I stray too far, I will be relying on my friends to bring me back into it.

How Long have you been a member of the Blue Dwarf?

I've been a member now for... a very long time. Since 2003 if memory serves. At the time of writing this, that makes it a solid 5 years come this summer. I've left a couple of times, after getting a little bored with my characters... But now that I'm back, I don't want to leave again.

What has been your favourite, or most memorable storyline?

Well... That question is quite hard... I really enjoyed the storyline where two of the medical personnel joined forces as Emperors of the universe, creating a giant space station called the 'Death Jar' which was used to destroy planets... That was the point I'd say has stuck in my memory most. As for my actual favourite... I think I'd have to say all of the recent ones, where I've been using my new character. I really think I've found a character I can properly play now, which always increases enjoyment.

Please explain about the characters you have created (Past & Present)

Well... My first character was called Jack. He had no surname for a long period of time, before I decided to make him the long-lost half-brother of the ships GELF. Then he became one of the infamous 'FeBuggures'. Unfortunately, I didn't really like this character after a while, and killed him off, while simultaneously saving a planet, and everyone onboard the Blue Dwarf. Originally, he had a condition where every alternate form of him in every dimension got squished into his head, giving him a huge amount of multiple personalities. This was fun, but it also made it impossible to roleplay effectively... After an incident, he was resurrected as someone with almost super-human strength and speed, yet very little intelligence. Roleplaying someone with different intelligence to yourself is very hard, even for seasoned roleplayers.

After that, I left Blue Dwarf for a few months, returning with a new account, and a female character. It was fun hiding from my friends, not telling them that I had re-joined, but very quickly, I got bored of that character too. Another month of inactivity lead me to rejoin once again, with my latest, and current character. I stole her name from two places, her first name, Rosette, was taken from an Anime series that I enjoyed, and her surname, LaChance, was taken from a game I like. Her character has been pinned down to one I feel I can roleplay, and her history is shaping itself as I continue to play. I hope to expand it even more as the story continues.

What was your first expression of the group?

I'm not going to start with 'well...' again this time. Since I love Red Dwarf, my first impression of the group was "WOW! I have to be part of this!". I read a few posts, and joined alongside a friend. I read a few of the posts, and loved all of it. Occasionally it gets a bit slow, but I feel there will always be something that can be written about, as long as you are motivated enough.

What is it you like about PBEM games?

I love PbeM games because it doesn't matter if no-one else is online. As long as you try to keep other characters in-character, you can use whoever you like. Most forum based games ask you to only post as yourself, hugely limiting your chance to add to the game. The freedom of a PbeM game is unparalleled. Even open-ended RPG games, like The Elder Scrolls don't have as much freedom as a good PbeM game does.

Have you tried any other type of games? what are the differences/similarities?

I actually run my own Forum-based RPG, called 'Reapers union' that is based around an anime that I watch. It is very similar in that I don't mind if people use characters that are not their own, but it is different because the setting relies on some sort of statistics system to keep it 'sane'. mostly though, these are the only games I play that have any similarities that can be written here... It's either PbeM, my forum based game, or a videogame.

Have you ever run a Blue Dwarf storyline of your own? (if not, how do you think you'd handle it?)

I haven't personally run one... but I have been involved in keeping one going. I've been given the chance to write 'Action' posts by the admins, to help move the plot along. If I were to run one completely, I think I would set the stage for something, and then let people handle it entirely as they want. I know this can lead to it being ruined, but as long as you have a wild imagination, you can continue to keep it following as you want. To be really honest, I don't think I'd want to run one on my own. Being part of one is enough for me. Running one requires dedication beyond that which I can provide, due to my mind wanting me to stay in complete control.

Favourite/leas favourite Red Dwarf episode?

Favourite has to be the classic 'Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse'. Just seeing Rimmer get beaten is hilarious enough to make it my favourite. The ideas behind it were also great. In a way, all of the episodes have added to my imagination, and give me ideas for new posts on Blue Dwarf. As for my least favourite... If I look at an overall picture, I would have to say that the first time Kryten is seen, in series 1, he was completely out of place. His personality was hugely different, and he already appeared to have broken his programming... which didn't happen again for a long long time.

Do you think Blue Dwarf is representative of the Red Dwarf tv series? Or is it too different?

I don't think this can be linked in any way. The Red Dwarf was off in another part of the galaxy for millions of years. Who's to know what would happen around Earth in that time? The entire human race could have been wiped out! (and it nearly was, several times). In terms of the actual storyline, Blue Dwarf fits in perfectly, because the Red Dwarf was never found in the series, and has also never been found on the Blue Dwarf. (except for one player, who decided to find it... He was then banned from the game for ruining continuity.)

Overall, I love being a part of such a huge game, and I hope that it never ends. I want to be a part of this for the rest of my gaming life. (read: my entire life)

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