New: Mystic Arena (free, open-ended, email, mixed, fantasy, modern, historical, rpg)

From: lindahl@pbm.com (Greg Lindahl)

Date: Mon, 26 Feb 2001 08:13:01 +0000

Name:		Mystic Arena
Email:		grifters@execpc.com
Frequency:		turns generally aren't used here....fights every two - three days
Type:		roleplaying
Contact:		tyranth@execpc.com
Costs:		free
Last-Update:		2001Jan16
Keywords: free, open-ended, email, mixed, fantasy, modern, historical, rpg

Description:

Imagine Wrestling - only with weapons - that's ARENA. Well, sort
of. ARENA is a combat simulator, basically. It requires players and human
input to turn ARENA into a real game, but it's a lot of fun if done so.
The setting can be almost anywhere, I prefer a near-future or contemporary
setting where (this is the only important thing!) gladiator fights are
still common. Modern time settings have the advantage of television and
other broadcasting technology, which is vitally important for those parts
of the game not depending on the program.

Each player is one Gladiator (or his manager or whatever) and
there are two parts to this game. Part one is the fighting itself. This is
done with the ARENA program, that takes the Gladiator data files as input
and simulates their fight. It also takes charge of the daily maintenance
and other stuff, but more of that later on. Now the fights have to come
from somewhere and that is part two. Part two is the communications part.
Via e-mail, echomail on FiDOnet or newsgroups, via whatever, the players
have to communicate. As in the WWF and other wrestling leagues, they
insult each other, claim to be heroes and of course much better than the
rest, and - very important - challenge each other to fights. Once two
Gladiators have agreed upon a fight, the GameMaster aka Commissioner
starts the ARENA program and then publishes its output. Sometimes, he will
also have to send a Gladiator a private mail, as Gladiators can increase
their skills with experience and buy new equipment with gold won in
fights.

All other details of the game are in the hand of the GameMaster.
He may schedule fights himself, introduce titles or tournaments and much
more. The program doesn't care how the fight was arranged. Fighters also
heal with time, not automatically. ARENA runs maintenance once a day,
where all fighters regain Wounds and Fatigue. Most Gladiators will not be
able to have a fight every day, or not even every other one. The game is
designed for around 2 fights per week per Gladiator, but if someone gets
really hurt, it could well happen that he'd better stay out of the arena
for a week. Oh, yes. Gladiators CAN die in this game. It should happen
seldom, but it is well possible. The program doesn't kill (erase their
data files) anyone automatically, but I really recommend that anyone with
less than 0 Wounds is considered dead. Gladiators with 0 Wounds should be
considered very seriously injured, taken out for two weeks or even more,
and also get one or two of their attributes decreased. As usual, this is
in the hands of the GameMaster.

[ This is a new entry for the PBM List. You can find the list
itself, and instructions for adding games or comments, at
http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/pbm_list/ -- greg ]