Loot the Castle

Loot the Castle is a closed-end, hand moderated, play-by-mail role-playing wargame. It was published by Tom Webster.

History and development

Loot the Castle was a hand-moderated PBM game. It was published in 1981 by Tom Webster, who also ran other PBM games such as Empires of the Gonzo Galaxy.

Gameplay

At two pages in length, its rules were simple. Games comprised 5, 7, or 9 players each. The game was closed-end. Each player role-played the leader of a dwarf or orc army.
The game map comprised 550 hexagons of varying terrain. It also included structures which could be looted. Combat and intrigue were elements of gameplay. Players were assigned victory points when "all of the castles, temples, and towers have been looted". Victory points came from the order of final standings as well as a player ranking highest in various areas such as wealth.

Reviews

Mike Drew reviewed the game in a 1983 issue of The [Nuts & Bolts of PBM|Nuts & Bolts of PBM]. He praised its simple gameplay but found aspects of the rules lacking. In general, he "found Loot the Castle to be an enjoyable game". Bob McLain reviewed the game in a 1983 issue of PBM Universal. He stated that "Although simple, Loot the Castle succeeds in its small way and deserves more publicity and players than it's gotten."