[[about|The PBEM Engine]] is a server application and toolset to run [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PBEM|Play-By-E-Mail games]]. It is [[http://www.fsf.org/about/what-is-free-software|Free Software]], licensed under the [[http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.txt|GPLv3]]. It enables people to run multiple PBEM games of multiple rulesets simultaneously. 

====== Latest news ======
{{rss>http://sourceforge.net/export/rss2_projnews.php?group_id=182054 description date 5}}

====== Getting started ======

  - [[Installing|Installing the Engine]]
  - [[Ruleset Installation]]
  - [[How to make your own PBEM]]
  - [[https://apps.sourceforge.net/phpbb/pbemengine/|Forums]] (Sourceforge.net account required)
  - [[http://www.sourceforge.net/projects/pbemengine/|SF.net Project Page]]
  - [[https://apps.sourceforge.net/trac/pbemengine/|Trac]]

===== Developers =====

Please check our [[Developers]] page for developer resources.

==== Engine Development ====
For anything relating to development of the Engine itself, please subscribe to the [[http://lists.sourceforge.net/mailman/listinfo/pbemengine-development|development mailing list]].

==== Ruleset Development ====
If you want to create your own ruleset and need help, or want to offer assistance, please subscribe to the [[http://lists.sourceforge.net/mailman/listinfo/pbemengine-rulesets|ruleset development mailing list]].

===== Getting the Engine =====

To get a copy of the Engine, you are encouraged to fetch a copy from our [[http://sourceforge.net/svn/?group_id=182054|Subversion repository]]. Once the 0.3 branch has been adequately tested we will be distributing downloadable packages on our [[http://www.sourceforge.net/projects/pbemengine|SourceForge project site]], but it currently only has releases of the 0.1 branch, which is obsolete.

====== Running games ======

The Engine itself does not have any built-in PBEM games, but requires a Ruleset (a sort of plugin) which contains all game logic. You can opt to write your own Ruleset, or download one somebody else wrote. The Engine was written to stimulate the creation of open source PBEM games, and due to the [[licensing]] requirements of the Engine, all Rulesets are required to be [[http://www.fsf.org/about/what-is-free-software|Free Software]], so you can not only run games others write, but also see how they wrote them (assuming they release their Rulesets of course).

  * [[List of Rulesets]]

====== Games ======

Are you a player looking for a game to join, or are you a game master running a PBEM Engine based game and looking for members? Please subscribe to the announcement mail list:

  * [[https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/pbemengine-game-announce|PBEM Engine Game Announcements mail list]]


====== Acknowledgments ======

  * The PBEM Engine includes [[http://www.freemarker.org/|Freemarker]] software developed by the [[http://www.visigoths.org/|Visigoth Software Society]].
  * The PBEM Engine includes the [[http://www.hibernate.org/|Hibernate]] object/relational persistence framework
  * The PBEM Engine includes the [[http://logging.apache.org/log4j|log4j]] logging framework by the [[http://www.apache.org/|Apache Software Foundation]]