I have been playing in a Tunnels and Trolls Play-By-Email game for a couple years now.  It is great fun.  Tunnels and Trolls was the originator of remote play and solo play.  They started with "Play-By-Mail" and then "Play-By-Fax" and now "Play-By-Email". While nothing quite beats the enjoyment of sitting around a table, eating pizza and chips, rolling dice, and getting sidetracked by Monty Python, Princess Bride, and Star Wars quotes, PBEM is nice when you cannot achieve the "round the table" option.  The problem as gamers get older is their communities spread out, jobs change, people move, and schedules get hectic.  Fantasy Grounds (and other Virtual Tabletops) helps people play with their school buddies (college or earlier) but scheduling can still be a bit hectic.  PBEM solves that nicely.  It is a cheap thing to try and see if it works for you and your gaming friends.