PBEM games not showing

[Casus_Belli]

I get the file from my partner, download it into the pbem games folder, all fine, but it's not showing up when I open the game. It's there in windows file explorer, in the saved games and in the incoming email folder, but doesn't show up in either from in-game. Anybody know What's going on?
When I try to use automated PBEM, it wants me to register/sign in to something, but I don't know what. Obviously, I don't know my password, since I don't know what I'm signing in to, but there's no 'forgot p/word' button. Also, I can't really read anything in the menus since the display is illegible. I have high-en gear, easily capable of running the game, and I've been playing CM games since forever. This is the first time on Steam, though. We both have the same version, same DLC, etc.
If anyone has any ideas of how to fix this, I'll be grateful.
Is there an easy way to decouple the game from Steam?