OngoingWorlds blog

News & articles about play-by-post games, for roleplayers & writers

Oct
27

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Whether it’s coffee, Earl Grey, or Romulan Ale, it’ll taste better in your very own UtopiaFleet mug!

Category: Roleplay Systems, Roleplaying community Tags: , Leave a Comment

That’s how it read on the shopping or merchandise or whatever they called it page on the Utopia Fleet website more than 20 years ago. As I recall, they sold at least four different Utopia Fleet-branded items:

ItemPriceDescriptionPitch
100% Cotton T-Shirt$14.99“White T-Shirt with Fleet logo on the front and the URL of the Fleet homepage on the back.”none
11 & 15-ounce Coffee Mugs$12.50 / $13.99“Dishwasher safe ceramic coffee mugs.”“Whether it’s coffee, Earl Grey, or Romulan Ale, it’ll taste better in your very own UtopiaFleet mug!”
Mouse Pad$12.99“Standard-sized premium cloth covered mousepad”“What better way to show your loyalty to the Fleet than by having the logo right under your mouse?”
Ballcapunknownunknownunknown
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Feb
16

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20 Years of Sunfire Script

Category: Behind the scenes - running RPGs, Events, Play-by-post discussion Tags: , , , , 4 Comments

Utopia Fleet

For as long as I can remember, I’ve heard people say, “I’ve been simming for 20 years.” Well, I can finally say it myself.

I’ve been simming for 20 years. 

Wow, that felt good!

On February 16, 2000, the USS Sunfire NCC-3935, a Bedford class starship, launched in old Utopia Fleet’s Deep Space Exploration Division.  I was the ship’s CMO.  That’s Chief Medical Officer for all you non-Trek role players.  Fast forward to today and it’s hard to image my life without play-by-post role playing.

I’ve been a writer, a politician, a diplomat, a founder, an editor, a counselor, an investigator, a philosopher, a Captain, an Admiral, and even a game show host–all of which are never going to happen IRL (that’s In Real Life for you non-simmers).  Role playing’s taught me a lot about people, life, and myself.  All in all, it’s been a fun ride.

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Oct
4

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Recruiting: The Lifeblood of Role Playing

Category: Advertising your game, Behind the scenes - running RPGs, Play-by-post discussion, Roleplay Systems, Roleplaying community Tags: , , , , , , , , 16 Comments

Fish joining others in another goldfish bowl

No single factor plays a greater role in determining the success of a sim or club than recruiting. Read More

Mar
8

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What is Open Role Playing?

Category: Behind the scenes - running RPGs, Character Development, Play-by-post discussion, Roleplay Systems, Roleplaying community Tags: , , , , , , , 28 Comments

Captain Dick Sprague, Commanding Officer of the USS Chuck Norris

That’s a question I get a lot when people read or hear about my game, the USS Chuck Norris, as it’s quite different from most other sims out there.  But before I answer that question, I should first explain what the Chuck Norris is to set up the proper context.

The USS Chuck Norris is a play-by-email sim, but we use the NOVA system from Anodyne Productions that came out a few years ago.  Play-by-post seems to be the most popular term today for this type of game.  We launched on January 2nd, 2012, and are a member of Independence Fleet.  There are currently 16 active players on the Chuck Norris, and many have been with us for more than a year.  Although, we also have quite a few players that have been simming for less than six months.

With that out of the way, I’ll finally answer the question! Read More