I spent a couple of years on a gaming forum where a large part of the site was devoted to PBP games (play-by-post). Nobody used cameras or headsets, and since the forum didn't allow pictures to be posted, they had to do without maps as well, unless they posted links to them elsewhere.
I remember dropping in one day and reading some of the posts in a campaign that had gone on for most of those two years and a bit that I was on that forum, and the players didn't miss a single day of some posting and progress. About half a dozen people were involved, it was very organized, and reading the threads from an outsider's perspective was fascinating; it was like reading a play, imagining how the action would look, but at the same time the characters in the play would be discussing (in an OOC thread) the technical aspects of the play. I should think that a lot of PMing was going on as well.
Back in CFC's day when we had social groups, a lot of the NES/IOT activities used social groups for OOC conversations or strategy. I wasn't a participant, but as a moderator at the time, I was asked to help now and then with setting up these groups if someone didn't know how to do something.
PBP games would be easier here, since image posting is allowed. I know it's like reading/writing a script or present-tense story rather than watching it unfold on a stage (or being one of the actors), but it's better than nothing.
I once participated in a PBEM game of Civilization (the original board game). We were spread out in several different countries, lots of time zones, and the host still made it work. Of course some of us had alliances and talked strategy by private email, and the host provided updated maps after every turn so we could see who was where.
Too true.
