¶ What is TribeNet?
TribeNet is an open-ended, multiplayer, turn-based, play-by-email, civilization-building game. You begin the game as the leader of a nomadic Clan wandering in the wilderness. Over time, your Clan will advance to form an empire, managing cities, trade routes, envoys, and armies.
As an open-ended game with 70+ active players in a shared world, you can pursue your own interests such as building, crafting, trading, farming, herding, brewing, mining, hunting, sailing, fighting, exploring, scouting, spying, training, researching, and a myriad number of other options. As you encounter other players, diplomacy and the possibility of warfare become a part of the game. Will you form alliances and trade with your neighbors or challenge them for resources?
There is no set path for advancement in this game. With over 80 skills and hundreds of research topics to choose from, the direction of your civilization is yours to decide. You can even introduce your own research topics to impact the scope and direction of the game itself.
Imagine a game where players can participate for years, building up a civilization in a Medieval era game world.
¶ What is Play-by-Email Gaming?
Play-by-email gaming (often referred to as turn-based gaming) is a form of gaming that is experiencing a resurgence. The genre requires less "active time", as you don’t have to schedule an in-person board gaming or role-playing session or be online for hours on end to play a real-time game. You play these games on your own schedule when you have free time.
This form of gaming provides active time for preparing your position's orders and the downtime between turns is usually devoted to diplomacy, planning, and communications with other players, as well as mapping newly explored areas and figuring out what you want to do next. It's not about answering the question "How can I play my favorite games via email?" but introducing you as the player to unique, new games that are specifically and creatively-designed around the play-by-email genre. These types of games offer new, deep, and immersive gaming experiences that allow you to play with and against players from all around the world.
In TribeNet, you receive turn results every two weeks via email as an attachment. Players then review the results and have about 10 days to submit orders back to the gamemaster for processing using a spreadsheet template that handles movement, activities, scouting, skills training, research, and miscellaneous orders. Players will do their own mapping of the world based on their movement and scouting results. Most players use a hex-mapping software program called Worldographer, although some prefer to do this on hex paper.
Imagine a game where turns are due every two weeks and you can play during your free time on your own schedule.
¶ Joining TribeNet
TribeNet has a long track record, a vibrant player community of 70+ players, and a dedicated and reliable gamemaster who processes turn results every two weeks like clockwork. The first turns are easy enough, but the game is supported by rules that allow for great depth, detail, and immersion as your play develops over time. You can learn sections of the rules over time as your Clan gains new skills.
After more than ten years and hundreds of turns, the world of TribeNet was rebooted in October 2023, with all clans, old and new, entering the rebooted world and new map at the same level of power. This rebooted game will run for no less than ten years, allowing clans to build up a civilization over many, many years.
New players are always welcome and are thoroughly supported by the existing player base. There is a new player moratorium on being attacked for 18 turns to learn, grow, and make their way in the game world. New players are also given extra skill points to allocate when joining. While wars do exist in the game, they aren't common. Most players prefer to trade and work together.
TribeNet is not a game for everyone. If you love deep, immersive, strategy games and are excited about the idea of playing an open-ended, civilization-builder game over the course of many years, this may be the game for you. TribeNet is a big game, and while the initial learning curve is small at the beginning, the rabbit hole goes quite far down as you advance. You learn the specific rules of the game as you need them. This isn't a Eurogame. It's more akin to a strategic boardgame from GMT Games or Avalon Hill. New players are given a mentor to help in the learning process.
To help determine whether this is the game for you, new players are allowed to play for free for a full year. In that time, you'll come to realize whether TribeNet is something you're willing to invest your time and money to play long-term. Turns fees after one year are reasonably priced - generally the cost of a beer or a latte (or two) every two weeks. You can read more about the cost of TribeNet from an article written by a player entitled The Cost of TribeNet.
We hope you’ll join us. It's one of the most immersive gaming experiences you'll ever have. Build a civilization over many years in small steps over time instead of trying to cram a whole experience into a two or three-hour board gaming session.
¶ The TribeNet Community
The TribeNet players and GM use Discord to communicate with one another. This includes providing assistance to new players. All are welcome! If you want to chat with someone about TribeNet, you can join the Tribe Talk Discord Server. There's always helpful players online to answer your questions. Discord is available to download for Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android.
We've learned over the years that players who don't participate in the TribeNet community on Discord are far more likely to quit. We strongly encourage you to join us on Discord so we can answer your questions and help you with your turns.
¶ Resources
- Tribenet Fundamentals (read this first)
- Your First Turn in TribeNet
- Understanding the TribeNet Auto Turnsheet
- TribeNet Mapping Tutorial
- TribeNet Rulebook (called 'The Mandate')
- TribeNet Research Topics
- Tribe Talk Discord Server
- TribeNet Website
¶ Sign Up to Play
- Sign up to play (the first year is free)
¶ Contacts
You can email either the gamemaster or an existing player mentor for more information.
- Peter Rzechorzek (Melbourne, Australia), peter.rzechorzek@optusnet.com.au, TribeNet Gamemaster
- Raven Zachary (Portland, Oregon, USA), raven@rinzai.com, player & new player mentor
The map used in the Facebook & Reddit ads was created using Worldographer™.