Century 23 Open to new players!

From: ben <levybenathome@aol.com>

Date: Fri, 27 Jun 2008 16:22:59 +0000

Century 23 (last year it was Century 22) is a free game depicting the
history of the 23rd century. Players take the roles of leaders of
nations or other entities, responding to changing social, economic,
political, and technological conditions. Turns represent 5 year time
periods, which means that players will be more concerned with long
term trends and crises than daily political events.

It's a little complex, because the engine behind the game allows for a
lot of different player actions while running a fairly detailed
economic simulation. Players should be familiar with (or willing to
get familiar with) the Yahoo Groups system, understand how to post to
the group, and navigate around the group site to find rules,
information, etc. The economic system requires that you be able to
download, understand, and make changes to a spreadsheet. You need
Excel or a similar compatible software to read and make changes to
your national Stat Sheet. (there is a "Lite" version for those
uninterested in the spread sheet stuff) The Stat Sheet represents all
the information about your nation and its regions, you can think of it
like a Character sheet in a typical Role Playing Game.

There is roleplaying as you deal with the other players, who are
directing nations of their own, but the game requires a different kind
of input than a free form role playing game. You don't half to post a
paragraph every other day describing the next 10 seconds in your
character's life, but you do have to fill out a turn order once a
month telling the GM what you did, and making the choices for your
government. And you are expected to communicate on the list with the
other nations.

You choose your nation's policies- do you favor Labor or Industry?-
it's spending- guns, roads, schools or profits? - and its investments,
and guide your nation, if you wish into the exploration of space.
Raise or lower taxes? Get into social engineering, and alter your
nation's cultural values? You can change the form of government-
perhaps its time for a coup d-etat. There are a lot of possibilities.

We have, over the course of the last few years, brought the game to
the year 2215. Humanity has managed to expand into the stars, and even
contacted a handful of alien civilizations (not the sort the usual
science fiction sources predicted.) Science and Technology have come a
long way. Conscious, self-aware entities of incalculable intellect
inhabit computer networks. Genetic tweaking of Dolphins, Chimpanzees,
and Wolves have created new intelligent species. Most people live well
into their second century. Humanity is no longer dependent on oil for
power, but the problem of waste heat has caused the old issue of
Global Warming to resurface. And Humanity finally has the technology
needed to cross the gulf between stars.

Pacing varies- the list heats up when a controversial topic emerges.
Posting on the list is expected to remain generally on topic. We do
not engage in discussions of real world politics, although referencing
the occasional real world event that happens to closely match a game
event is OK, as is general socializing, passing tidbits of relevant
real world information like new scientific discoveries, etc.

We do not have flame wars. It is a group of 40-some players who form a
fairly reasonable and friendly community. If you have a gripe with
another player it must be kept private. If your government has an
issue with another government, keep it in character.

Due to some player turnover, we have a number of openings at the
moment. A nation such as Arabia, Madagascar, the United Kingdom, or
Pakistan (minus a chunk that split off, went independent, and now
calls itself Baluchistan) can be yours!

We are especially interested in players from diverse backgrounds-
outside the US, outside the Anglosphere especially. If you think
language may be a barrier, we have experienced, veteran players who
speak native French, Spanish, and Greek, who can help explain things.

And it=92s all free! Find us at:

http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/Century22pbem