1. play-by-mail - Noun
2. play-by-mail - Adjective
play-by-mail (not comparable)
(games) Describing a game that can be played in a turn-based fashion through postal mail or email.
play-by-mail (plural play-by-mails)
(games) A play-by-mail game.
A board game (of sorts) variant has been developed by web developer Kevan Davis and its rules are available on his website. citation The deduction game A deduction game of the same name was created in 1991 by David Tittle in the play-by-mail zine Smodnoc. Source: Internet
E-mail and traditional versions Since e-mail is faster than the standard postal service, the rise of the Internet saw a shift of people playing board wargames from play-by-mail (PBM) to play-by-email (PBEM) or play-by-web (PBW). Source: Internet
Further popularity Finchley Central and Mornington Crescent became popular in the United Kingdom as a play-by-mail pastime, and in the 1980s were played by post in a number of play-by-mail magazines. Source: Internet
With a play-by-mail game, the players can play whenever they choose, since responses need not be immediate; this is sometimes referred to as turn-based gaming and is common among browser-based games. Source: Internet
Mechanics The mechanics of play-by-mail games require that players think and plan carefully before making moves. Source: Internet