One of my friends sent me an IM today saying he was reading a funny article about a Star Wars Galaxies CSR/GM. It’s been a few years since I’ve played, but I still have fond memories of my time in that game (2003-2005). Anyway, if you currently play, or did in the past, check the article out. On a related note, I’ve been following the SWG EMU project, and it looks like they are coming along quite nicely. Former players that enjoyed the days before the Combat Upgrade or New Game Enhancements, should check it out.
Star Wars Galaxies CSR – GM speaks out
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TradeWars: Rising by Sylien GamesTradeWars: Rising by Sylien Games
I’m not sure how many of you remember the good old days playing online games through a BBS (Bulletin Board System). In 1994-1995 I ran a small one line BBS called The Black Lodge back when I lived in Phoenix. Among other door games I hosted a small TradeWars 2002 game on my BBS and played quite a few other games on other boards. About 1996 or so I migrated to mainly using this new thing called “The Internet” and rarely dialed into a BBS anymore. Sometime around 2001-2002 I ended up discovering several telnet boards that were hosting Tradewars 2002 tournaments. I got back into my groove and actually competed in the 2001 Battle of the Elite (BOTE). The gameplay through telnet was quite a bit different for me than back in the BBS days. Much of the work I did in my corp was through REXX scripting. I had a 2nd computer that was logged in 24/7 defending our bases ready to photon torpedo any attackers and destroy them in less than a second (if possible). I lost interest for a few years and started playing again around 2005 or so, then didn’t really have the time to dedicate to the game to compete well.
Sometime after that I learned about a new browser based game now known as TradeWars: Rising. I’ve been following this game since developement was announced and am impressed with how much it has progressed. Version 1.0 has been released and 1.1 looks like it is just around the corner. The games are split into two categories: Turn Based and RTS. The turn based games are closer to the classic TradeWars gameplay. The RTS games are a little different and last only an hour or so. There are free basic accounts, but you can get more option for paid premium accounts.
If you want more information, please check out the forums.
Free to play Sci-Fi and Fantasy MMORPGsFree to play Sci-Fi and Fantasy MMORPGs
I just ran across an interesting post about free to play MMORPGs. These are on about the same level of retail pay to play games. The game model for these includes ways to purchase items or other things with money, but you can still play for free. One that caught my eye was Space Cowboy Online, which would give me a chance to use my Saitek x52 joystick and throttle. Archlord also looks pretty good as a fantasy style game. Check out the full post here.
Mazes and Monsters is a far-out gameMazes and Monsters is a far-out game
A couple days ago I was able to visit with some friends I haven’t seen in a few years. After one of them cracked open a bottle of wine, we eventually ended up talking about gaming. One thing led to another and one of my friends asked, “Have any of you heard of Mazes and Monsters?” In mere moments we were watching one of the most horrible acting performances I’ve ever seen. I wasn’t sure if I should be shocked or amazed. In retrospect, the alcohol definitely enhanced the experience. We ended up adding our own commentary, MST3K style. About half way through I regretted that we didn’t start recording our comments to dub in later on. My friend actually had the recording equipment to do it too.
The movie starts out with a scene with a bunch of police cars and fire trucks responding to a missing persons report. A university student got lost in some caverns in a game of Mazes and Monsters that got out of hand. I was battling with trying to figure out if this was supposed to be some type of spoof or just an anti Dungeons and Dragons flick. After watching it all, despite how close it comes to seeming like parody, I think they were actually serious. In the midst of all the no-name actors this guy by the name of Tom Hanks shows up in one of his first roles. I’m sure if you ask him about it today, he’ll try to deny any involvement with this feature.
I’m pretty sure that anyone that has played classic DnD would be amused by this movie. Just watch it with a few friends over a few drinks, and I am sure everyone will have a blast. Here is a clip, it doesn’t contain any real spoilers.

