How would you describe Achaea?

Just curious, as we've always struggled with this. If you had to sum up Achaea to someone who plays games but doesn't know anything about text MUDs or Achaea, how would you do it in one or two sentences?

We're working towards getting ourselves in a position to start actively advertising Achaea again and describing it in a way that doesn't sound like every other MMO/MUD out there is a key issue.

For instance, for a game-that-isn't-achaea: "A player conflict-driven magma world focused on the interstellar conflict between rainbow-farting unicorns and giant space kraken."

Thoughts?
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Comments

  • It's entirely text, so it's like playing in a fantasy novel.
    ________________________
    The soul of Ashmond says, "Always with the sniping."

    (Clan): Ictinus says, "Stop it Jiraishin, you're making me like you."
  • "An interactive fantasy novel" would describe most fantasy-themed MUDs though.

  • 'Life's like a movie, write your own ending' (Kermit the Frog)

    A game where you can truly Choose your own Adventure!


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  • Sarapis said:
    For instance, for a game-that-isn't-achaea: "A player conflict-driven magma world focused on the interstellar conflict between rainbow-farting unicorns and giant space kraken."

    Thoughts?
    That isn't Achaea? What the f- game have I been playing for the last 12 years?

  • DaslinDaslin The place with the oxygen
    A game in which you can SERIOUSLY make a difference, impacting how everyone plays it. EVER.


    (Look at half of the "heroes" in the realms)
  • Honestly I alwats describe it to non-mud players as "WoW but without the graphics and a political system".
  • I describe it as real life where only the imaginative or blind people can see. Plus watch me pull off this rated M move where I rip out his heart. But, but, but then I can... yeah I'm talking to a God, shush I need to pay attention.

    (people only ask me what I'm playing when I'm either fighting or in a big roleplay situation...)
  • I do the same as @Tahquil, and then go on to explain how much better it is than WoW.
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  • JonathinJonathin Retired in a hole.
    I pretty much just do this:
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    Without the things in his head and force them to watch me play until they play. 

    Works every time.
    I am retired and log into the forums maybe once every 2 months. It was a good 20 years, live your best lives, friends.
  • OceanaOceana North Sea
    A living book where each player writes his own story.
  • edited October 2012
    A rather complex fantasy RPG in text.

    Not quite sure as to the question in the OP though. The first paragraph asks for how I would describe Achaea, while the second asks more for how I would advertise Achaea. Those are quite different things, IMHO. (I.e. when I'm simply describing Achaea to someone who never played MUDs, I won't really point out all the unique aspects of Achaea. That it's a RPG and that there are no graphics are probably more relevant information in such a situation than pointing out all its features. Things that make good "slogans" are often rather bad descriptions.)
  • JurixeJurixe Where you least expect it
    I tell my friends that it's like playing a character in an ever-changing story, and everyone else is just another character in this huge story world.

    I'm lucky if any of my friends read > 5 books a year though, so I'm not entirely certain this works. :( Even my own brother, who roleplays on Minecraft of all things and even writes lore for it, refuses to try Achaea because 'I don't have a good enough imagination without pictures'. It makes me sad.
    If you like my stories, you can find them here:
    Stories by Jurixe and Stories by Jurixe 2 

    Interested in joining a Discord about Achaean RP? Want to comment on RP topics or have RP questions? Check the Achaean RP Resource out here: https://discord.gg/Vbb9Zfs


  • edited October 2012
    Elevator pitches, okay. "It's a high-fantasy adventure game where players lead the main factions, play a direct role in events, and carve their names into the lore."

    Achaea excels in a few ways -- Aerek summed them up well -- but these are the most unique bullet points.
  • Do you still have those old ads that you ran on nuklearpower.com? Not saying that they should be used anymore, but I know they got my attention way back in the day, so might be worth examining. Just a thought!

    "Gilgamesh, where are you hurrying to? You will never find that [everlasting] life for which you are looking. When the gods created man they allotted to him death, but life they retained in their own keeping. As for you, Gilgamesh, fill your belly with good things; day and night, night and day, dance and be merry, feast and rejoice. Let your clothes be fresh, bathe yourself in water, cherish the little child that holds your hand, and make your wife happy in your embrace; for this too is the lot of man." 

  • MishgulMishgul Trondheim, Norway
    "I'm playing a text game." No one really asks for more of an explanation afterwards.

    -

    One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one's work is terribly important

    As drawn by Shayde
    hic locus est ubi mors gaudet succurrere vitae
  • how I describe Achaea...

    I tell them the truth.

    I start off like Have you ever watched a movie that's been made out of a book such as The hitchhickers guide to the galaxy, They say yeah, I tell them did the movie miss out much of the story in the book and did you not enjoy the book more than the movie? Yeah Achaea is like that, you get to imagine everything in your head, if you got great Fantasy in your head you will love the game as you can picture a thing 1000 times and none can ever erase that picture you got like a movie does to a book.

    In short. Do you like to Fantasies about things? If you do try Achaea all is in your head and everything you picture is correct as the game is made out of your fantasy,

  • Life, exploration, combat, trade, diplomacy, war, crime, love, religion, politics, death and more. In Achaea your imagination is the one and only limit.
    Tvistor said:
    Achievement Unlocked : Made A God Feel Guilty.
  • I just saw the little flash animation advert at the top of Topmudsites, it made me laugh. Quite well drawn too, hope it works out.
  • edited October 2012
    It looks the same as every advertisement for graphics MMOs :|
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  • That advertisement's been there since at least 2005, actually. It's the same one that used to show up at VG Cats and Ctrl+Alt+Del.
  • Tahquil said:
    Honestly I alwats describe it to non-mud players as "WoW but without the graphics and a political system".
    Just described it to someone almost exactly the same way earlier today.
  • edited November 2012
    Nocht said:
    Tahquil said:
    Honestly I alwats describe it to non-mud players as "WoW but without the graphics and a political system".
    Just described it to someone almost exactly the same way earlier today.
    Okay, serious question, fuelled by my WoW virginity as much as anything else: What are the parallels between WoW and Achaea? Don't you spend the whole of WoW running around hitting things, with zero RP interaction other than the odd witty exchange of Chuck Norris jokes, and trash talking that the other faction can't even understand?

    ETA: Yes, yes, I should know the answer to this already, or go find out by playing WoW myself. But I'm of the impression that the average WoWite was still bawling for milk from his momma's tits when I started playing MUDs.
    Tvistor: If that was a troll, it was masterful.
    I take my hat off to you.
  • I've only played WoW a couple times during a free trial, and yes, as far as I can tell there aren't really a lot of similarities. I use it as a comparison to Achaea only because most people have heard of it and are more likely to listen to me if I start off talking about WoW. 
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  • Wow virgin as well, but it is the most well-known fantasy MMO that even those who don't play have a rough idea what's it about. It's a pretty solid reference point in that respect.
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