Might be such a thing has already been discussed in the past, but I would like to know how many people play the game, aboutish.
-rvlvr
aboutish? 21 (that’s as high as I can count 
Unless he has just had a cold shower or played naked in the snow. Then he only counts to 20.
I hear you sisters! 20 it is - what was I thinking?
Does the question mean how many in ONE game (25 max), or how many players of Middleearth are there in total? (corporate, secret!)
Dean
I was after a ballpark figure as I do not know how popular this type of gaming is. MEPBM has been around for a long time, but no idea if it is only a small group of people that has kept the fire going.
The reason the pool of players is fairly small is that there is no instant gratification like in most video games. Two weeks is too long. It is sad that society has lost its ability to hold concentration for an extended length of time.
I agree.
I believe the default is two weeks, but are games running with one week turns?
At least they advertise 1 wk games right here. I’ve been both tempted and frightened by the idea. 2 weeks is how long it took Him to do His work!
Try this on for size:
Based on Dean’s “due today” postings, it looks like about 2 games a day get processed. Based on that forecast, its 10 days (two weeks, 5 days a week) times 25 positions per game or 500 actvie postions. If you use two games per player, then its about 250 players.
A bit less. Some of us are anti social and take up whole or half teams
Good Analysis Tuor, I was wondering is someone would figure out that my Games Running posts were good for something!
One of the missions of my recent appointment is to increase player numbers, hence our presence and Dragonmeet Games Convention last Saturday, which has led to my call for BOFA mentors to help new players recruited there into the game.
Younger and new people do enjoy this game when they pause long enough to find out its great!
We have a fantastic product here and my mission is to keep the community and game healthy and thriving!
So thankyou to those of you who have volunteered to be be BOFA mentors.
Just as an aside guys, I have play tested 3-4 games of BOFA as we convert it to PC and it is an insanely good game, action from turn 1 as it should be in 10-turn limited game, tactics are fiendish. Some of you veterans should consider it for 5 player grudge matches, you would enjoy it immensely, I promise you!
Dean
The game moves fast enough for you to actually see your plans come to fruition (or failure…) whilst you still remember what you were doing and why… The 1 week game was more popular a number of years ago, back in the day when there were more than 250 players… You should sign up, bring all your friends with you… 
Guys, we run 1 week games ALL the time!
They suit gunboat best I guess as there is no diplomacy to slow you down.
But a 1 week game is really get turns, diplome, write orders, go! Get results, get on the case, repeat!
They are lovely and fast paced and your attention never has time to waver!
Just let us know and we run them!
Dean
In fact one of main reason you forgot is price… , assuming exemple you play only 1 gunboat weekly is 36 UK pounds per month if you play a second gunboat 2 week/turn it becomes 54 UK/month.
Other reason is The total time you spend on the game and the time you could need for ending a game( up to 2 years) and you cannot stop play when you like and play “more” in other periods.
You don’t have alwqys the time to follow well a game in 2 years, and imagine games with full diplo going on 2 years… .
For this reason i prefers gunboat i Think one week gunboat is a good format but it’s enough expensive.
Just a little update, you may have noticed games of BOFA running, calls for mentors etc… This is us/me/we getting new players into the game. Also, we have brought some old players back to the fold and some have found us on their own. So I feel that I have at least moderately started to achive one of my aims, in increasing the player pool! Tis merely a start of a process I wish to push further. An adjunct to that has been a big push to making JOverseer easier to install and update, BOFA and KS compliant, so it can be ‘install and go’ for newer players.
Dean
P.S. Do remember that friends merely exist for you to convert into MEPBM players (jokes, but if they are interested, get them into BOFA and mentor them for free).
I wholeheartedly support your endeavour!
But I have to say that getting new and younger people on board could be helped by pimping the visuals. I love the pictures of the characters because I have known them for so long–seeing them again after so many years away from the game took me back to my salad days–but I am sure the new crowd does not see them in the same light. Not an easy task, and, for all I know, maybe even impossible due to licenses and/or other factors, but still.
Pimping visuals is on a list! But not immediate! We are aware of the factors you mention!
Never doubted that, man! Just was not sure it could be done