SDW From: if_info@fstgds08.tu-graz.ac.at (Inst. fuer Festkoerperphysik) Date: Thu, 12 May 1994 11:54:01 +0000 -- *********************************************************************** Willi Stumptner stumptner@bkfug.kfunigraz.ac.at "tu quoque, mi fili ?" ********************************************************************** Hi there to all fanatical PBM gamers. I am looking for people playing Stars of The Dark Well (SDW) from Mindgate. I am member of the Urr race , an alien warrior race fighting against a human megacorporation called FI (First Imperium), which proclaims human superiority and alien genocide. To those of you not familiar with SDW: It is an open ended SF game running for 10 years now with a 14 day turnaround. The company, Mindgate , is based in California. Turns cost 4.5 $ (postage included). You can Fax in your turns... actually this is my way playing this US game from Austria. There is a GM newsletter every turn and you can subscribe to some player newsletter (some of them have professional DTP quality). All allegiances are player run, there is only one neutral GM orbital city ... not very attractive because of high prices for equipment. Usually you join one of the allegiances and get upgrades, money and missions. After some time you can take over more responsibilty and positions in your organization. But you dont have to .... there is more to explore than explorers in the game. Position limit (theoretical): 2 ships, unlimited number of planetary settlements and orbital cities, president of one allegiance, president of one federation (4 allegiances minimum). The ship commander is the central figure in this game. The universe is infinite ... we currently know some 23000 planets. But if you continue flying, exploring and mapping star systems in any one direction, the GM just keeps on adding maps and star sectors. Again we have not explored even a small percentage of the Known Universe ! There are several alien races, some of them waiting to be played by a group of new players, and a lot of human organizations. After the downfall of the government (2nd Dominium) the corporations and megacorps took over ... and war and genocide spread ! Some of these corps wage war on the aliens (and we talk genocide here !!!) to get theit tech, their rich planets and slaves. Now the fascinating aspects of this game: a) New technology: Players can event new tech. NOT anything like tech levels !!!! Just gather some scientists and try to invent ANYTHING ! If it is feasible, then you can build it. It takes reasearch time and building materials. And if it is too fantastic, you get some dry renarks from your eggheads ("..too much SF books lately, Sir ?"). I guess there are about 40 new items each year !!! And this new technology can CHANGE the GAME !!!! The guy who invented working AI robots enabled (through automation) our ships to get larger by a factor of 1000 (!). If need be the GM changes the program code to accommodate the new technology. Do you know any game with this feature ... completley integrated tech invented by players ? I can tell you, it keeps you at the edge !!!!! b) Intense player diplomacy via Mindgate BBS, Compuserve, America Online or INTERNET ! c) The Universe: You can find anything from planetsized artifacts of a super race long gone, bad-tempered primitive aliens, etchings on planetary surfaces, derelict ships (anyone knows what follows ...?), crystal killer lifeforms, cryofreezed aliens .......... You name it !!!! d) Besides the normal orders you can send the GM a special note. This could be anything, try anything, ask anything. If it is feasible he will follow on with a story or executes your plan ! Be warned: he is very realistic, hard, but fair. Ok, enough about SDW. Maybe we talk again IN the game ???!!! Willi Stumptner, UC Ainulindale (UC = Urr Consulate Ship) Dx D Ddd D Dx D D The universe is infinite ... we currently now about 23000 planets B A them have newsletter (professional) quality from DP programs). X Referenced By Up