To Win Just Once

The games magazine

To Win Just Once is a magazine about games (and other things). It's written and edited by Pevans, with occasional contributions from others. The links below give more information. The box on the right has links to the latest issue.

An introduction to To Win Just Once
The games played in To Win Just Once
How to subscribe to To Win Just Once

Introduction

To Win Just Once is the title of my 'zine, the first issue of which was published in February 2000. The focus of To Win Just Once is on games and playing turn-based games by e-mail/post, but I also write about other things – notably science fiction and beer. Up until the end of 2003, To Win Just Once was only published on paper. Since then it has also been available as a PDF to browse online or download. The main turn-based games are also published on this website.

Below is some more information about the turn-based games in the magazine and about subscribing. But most people's first question is "where does the title come from?".

The title of the 'zine is taken from Irish rockers, The Saw Doctors. To Win Just Once is a song on their third album, Same Oul' Town.

   To win just once against the odds
   And once be smiled on by the gods
   To race with speed along the track
   To break the tape and not look back
   ...
   To win just once...
   That would be enough.

Click the following link to see (and hear!) The Saw Doctors perform To Win Just Once (back in 2003) on YouTube.

Games played

There are four games currently (March 2012) running in To Win Just Once. The main one is my postal game of En Garde!, the swashbuckling role-playing game. My game, called Les Petites Bêtes Soyeuses, has its own section on this site. Follow the link for details. New players are always welcome: e-mail Pevans.

Railway Rivals is a board game of building railway lines between towns and then racing trains across the network. It works well by post, using a structured format of turns. Our ninth game has just started: You can sign up for the next game by e-mailing Pevans.

Star Trader is a board game published by SPI in the Eighties and adapted for postal play. The game is mainly about buying and selling commodities on an interstellar basis, but has scope for piracy, sabotage and all sorts of double-dealing. The latest game, called The Light that Failed, started in mid-2012. You can sign up for the next game by e-mailing Pevans.

The Bonking Game is an opportunity for the readers of To Win Just Once to pick on each other. Each round (issue), readers nominate ('bonk') one other reader: anyone who gets too many nominations at a time is out of the game. Last one left wins.

Easy Money is a share trading game devised by Chris Boote and open to all readers of TWJO. Players start with some funds and buy and sell four stocks over 12 turns. The most cash at the end wins the game. The first game ran from April 2005 to July 2006 and a second game finished at the end of 2010.

We have had a couple of games of Fictionary Dictionary for all readers of To Win Just Once. Players provide fictional definitions for a couple of obscure words and these are published anonymously. Players then vote on their favourite definition for each word - which scores points for the author. After ten rounds, whoever has the most points wins.

Great White Hunter is a Battleships variant open to all readers of To Win Just Once. Players score points by guessing where 'animals' are on a grid.

Follow the links at the top of the page to take a look at the PDF version of the 'zine. Or e-mail Pevansand ask for a sample paper copy. Subscriptionrates are shown below.

Subscriptions

The online PDF version of To Win Just Once is available free of charge. Or you can subscribe to the paper version – which includes the cost of playing in any (or all!) of the games (send an e-mail to To Win Just Once, if you'd like a sample copy first). If you want to play in the games through the online 'zine, you need to take out a "Games only" subscription.

The subscription rates are shown below and include postage and VAT, as appropriate. To subscribe, send your name, address and payment to Margam Evans Ltd, 180 Aylsham Drive, UXBRIDGE UB10 8UF, UK or by e-mail to To Win Just Once. You can pay in the following ways:

bank transfer to account number 03241742, sort code 09-01-50 (from other European countries use IBAN GB28ABBY09015003241742, BIC ABBYGB2LXXX),
UK cheque sent to the address above or
online with a credit card (handled securely by Paypal) or from your own Paypal account. Just click the appropriate button below. This goes through my online games shop, Games from Pevans, using the e-mail address Games (at) pevans.co.uk (and identified on your bill under the name of the company – Margam Evans Ltd).

	UK	Other Europe	Rest of World
Paper Edition Subscription Rates (inc postage and VAT)
Single issue	GBP 2.85	GBP 4.25	GBP 5.30
Subscription (11 issues)	GBP 28.50	GBP 42.50	GBP 53.00
Subscribe now:	Want to play any of the games?	Want to play any of the games?	Want to play any of the games?

Games only (inc VAT)
Per issue/game turn	GBP 0.65
11-issue subscription	GBP 6.50
Subscribe now:	Which games do you want to play?

The games only subscription is handled just the same way: send your name, address and payment as above.

If you'd just like to be notified when a new issue of TWJO is published, e-mail TWJO to request this.

To Win Just Once

TWJO online

The games magazine

Introduction

Games played

Subscriptions