EGAbout

About En Garde!
(From the back of the En-Garde! rules)

In En Garde! a player finds himself born into and educated in a world where social climbing is a way of life, and status is a goal to be pursued over money. It is a world inhabited by Cyrano, Roxanne, Scaramouche, Errol Flynn, Porthos, Athos, Aramis, Rhonda Fleming, Francois Villon,  Constance and, of course, D'Artagnan. There are people to be used, friends in high places to be cultivated, enemies to be humiliated, the Cardinal's Guard to be trounced, lackies to be abused, the hand of a fair damsel to be won, and the ear of the King to be gained.

Sharpen your sword...Sharpen your wit...Take care not to insult a small man with a large nose...All for one and one for all...Good luck, friend, and may your swash never buckle!

The game is usually a series of "orders" supplied for one's character, usually over a months time:
 * PLAYERS in En Garde must adhere to a strict time schedule of events, each player being responsible for maintaining his own personal calendar of events showing his actions each week, and any changes in social level,, status points, or wealth. The basic unit of time is the week. For each week of the game, all players, after a short negotiation period, secretly note their personal actions for that week. The negotiation period is necessary to allow players to arrange for duels, toadying, or any other activity that must be arranged in advance. A player need not keep his word to other players, but must do what is written on his calendar. (From the En Garde! Rules)

The role-playing around this basic set of mechanics varies from game to game. The "short negotiation period" is often filled with large amounts of prose, and discussion, particularly as a PBM or PBEM allows for a long period (Usually a week) between monthly turns.