Want to play a crafty courtier or formidable duelist? How about a lady-in-waiting who manipulates the court for her own ends, or a foppish gentleman who is secretly a deadly shot with a 'spell-lock' musket? Or there's always that old standby, the young noble raised in an honorable-but-impoverished family who comes to the city to make his or her fortune! If your wits are as sharp as your swords, come try Outremer! It's a game of political conflict and factional maneuverings, as the King's Immortals, the Queen's Escort, and the Cardinal's Guard all vie for power. But this isn't about hacking an enemy to death with a big axe--it's a game of cutting words and cunning plots, where you humiliate the enemy, win the accolades of your faction and the blessing of the court. It's set in a magical world like the 17th century France of the 'Musketeers,' with floppy hats and high manners and the clash of rapiers. It's not the easiest game--there are many newsfiles to be read--and although it's newbie-friendly it does require more attention than many games. The theme is pretty familiar, though--Musketeers! So if you're willing to put in a bit of time, the world of Outremer is an interesting, original, and sometimes-surprising place. The game just re-opened about three weeks ago, with streamlined chargen, re-set history, and a playerbase of 10-12 during peak times and about half that--usually eager to RP--during many odd hours. There are pre-generated characters, for those who don't want to make their own. If you like social RP and are a good RPer you should definitely check out the website. This is a great time to join, with meta-plots just starting and a strong beginning playerbase.

Okay, so Outremer isn't even open yet (it opens in about two weeks) ... why am I submitting a review? Three reasons: 1) The theme. It manages to be both entirely original, and totally accessible. You saw the movie "Musketeer" or "Brotherhood of the Wolf" and read the Three Musketeers? You like dashing swashbuckling, subtle manipulations, and crafty scheming? Add a little magic, a couple of races, and a brand new world designed for conflictual factional role-play, and you've got Outremer! There are currently three factions. The King's Immortals, the Queen's Escort, and the Cardinal's Guard. Play is limited to one city and its environs, to keep the RP rolling. And the history is full of possibilities for great RP--the old king was assassinated, the new king is young and hot-headed, the Queen was banned from the castle but has her own power-base, and the Cardinal has his own cunnning plans! 2) The imms. The head Outremer imms were imms on one of my first games. They're excellent. They don't play favorites, they don't make half-baked decisions based on whim and froth, and they complement each other perfectly. One of them, Duke, will probably be running the global plots--as players investigate the old King's assassination, say, or deal with border skirmishes breaking out with a neighboring kingdom, and so on. He'll also be keeping the game world entirely consistent; he's the resident whip-cracker. Another, Minion will(again, probably) be dealing mostly with 'tiny plots'--so if your character's background includes some great hooks for RP, she'll follow up on them ... possibly to your great surprise, but definitely to your great entertainment. And a third, Vin, is as dedicated and devious an RPer as you'll find! There's only two problems with them. First, they're quite dedicated to maintaining the consistency and realism of the game-world, and they have high standards. They're friendly, and they'll help out if you're a newbie, but they have high expectations of their players and not a lot of patience with twinks (not that that's ever been a problem for *me*, of course!). Second, they don't play favorites. : ) 3) The level of (anticipated) play. I am, sorry to say, no longer a teenager. My days of H&S play are over, and I prefer a more mature, nuanced, and intelligent game. I like plots and schemes, I like wheels within wheels ... and I -still-, despite my advanced age, demand a game on which stuff still happens! I don't want a chat-fest, where everyone sits around posing and nothing ever happens. Outremer looks like it's gonna be my perfect game. (Depending on that most important of ingredients: players.) But will it be yours? I'd say you ought to check it out if you're a bit older than many gamers (or young, but a stand-out RPer), if you want to really immerse yourself in a gameworld and aren't afraid of reading a few newsfiles, and if you don't mind joining a new game that's still developed.... Read More