[PvK]

Sorry Fryon, if you were really just trying to help. Seemed to me like you were dismissively telling me my question was irrelevant, but I don't see that it is.

I don't see much that TCP/IP offers that PBW + IRC/email doesn't offer, without any development cost.

TCP/IP forces people to only play when connected, but that's a limitation which could be matched by players' will or gamemaster enforcement, if the goal is to force people to all play at the same time.

The performance gain is minimal - I've played PBW two-player games and the first few turns go by with hardly any delay.

Is it just that people don't want to have to alt+tab to IRC, email, and/or PBW? Or the illusion that TCP/IP offers something that PBW doesn't? It seems cooler? The slightly improved convenience makes all the difference?

Am I missing something?

PvK