Introduction

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2010 Auction

Introduction

Photo Finish is an online fantasy horse racing game. It is one of the best and oldest running games on the net, established in late 2002. Unlike many other horse racing games online, it has a personal touch, as it is not fully automated, and the racing steward is very active in the game and always available to answer questions or help solve any problems. Photo Finish (also known as PF) has a large community of players who love the game and are friendly and open and willing to share their knowledge to help out those players new to the game.

The game is open to anyone and is free to play. If you are under 13, you should make sure you have a parent’s permission to play. Photo Finish is a great game for families to play together.

There are two main parts to the PF web site (found at www.pfsim.com). The first is the main site itself. Here is where you can find all the information you need on horses in the game, other players, their stables, silks, race results, race entries, horse sales, breeding, etc. The other important part is the Forum. This is the communications center for the game, and is where all new information is posted, questions can be asked, and various topics both about the game and non-game related can be discussed. The Forum is a very important part of PF, as this is where the racing steward will post important announcements or rules changes, so you should check in regularly, even if you don’t post anything.

The rules for PF have been revised many times over the years. No game is perfect, and PF’s rules are always evolving to better meet the needs of its players and the steward, so they may be changed at any time. As a game master for over 20 years, the steward has experience in running games, listening to the players needs, and making decisions on rule changes. She strives to make the game as realistic as possible while trying to maintain the best balance of fairness and fun for all players. This is something you won’t often find on automated games.

This manual may seem daunting, but you don’t need to memorize everything in it to have fun playing. The first chapter covers everything the new player needs to know to get up and running in the game, and further chapters go into greater detail on all aspects of the game and rules. You should go over this complete manual at least once, so you can familiarize yourself with the rules, and refer back to it when you have questions or need clarification. If you can’t find the answer in the rules, feel free to post a question or contact the racing steward. She can be reached by email at lbrown@aerth.org, or by instant messaging systems: On MSN as ShirikLektar@hotmail.com (Do NOT send email to this address, it is used only for IM), on ICQ at 3890194, on Yahoo as snowbankfarm, and on AIM as SnowbankFarm. Email is the fastest way to reach the steward, and you will nearly always receive a reply by email within 24 hours. If you don’t, assume your email didn’t get through and try again. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. No question is dumb, and the steward and the other players are happy to answer them and help you to enjoy the game.

PF-related Links