My latest gig is playing a game called Anarchy Online.  It is an MMORPG style game. 

What's an MMORGP?

No, Its not some kind of disease.  It stands for Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game.

I find it funny that I'm actually interested in this game.  I'm not much of a gamer at heart. In the past, I've hated role playing games, whether they were text based or first person shooters. 

This game has two things different that I think I like.  The first is that it draws on more than just your role playing skills.  You define your character (toon) from the moment you start the game.  You select everything from the type of life form to their physical build.  This continues throughout the game as you add to your skills and find or buy new items.  Yes, this is pretty much standard role play protocol, but I find this particular setup more enjoyable than the few I've tried in the past.

The second thing that I like about Anarchy Online (AO) is that its 'over your head' challenging.  Not everybody can just jump on and play it.  The people that do play end up being people willing to put time into the game.  This means that there is a lot of folks willing to help you learn the game the right way.  They teach you not just how to advance yourself, but little courtesies that are observed, such as not stealing kills from other teams.

I've been fortunate that my best friend (and his whole family) play.  They have gotten me through scrapes and helped me find little (ok BIG shortcuts) to gain ground with my character.  I'm pretty sure, without their assistance, I would have given up before I got off Noob Island (the place you start the game to learn the basics). 

I'll post some more information about the game as I go along.  Maybe I'll even build a section in my gallery for screen shots.  I'm not good enough to take them during battles yet, but I have spent some time exploring.  I usually find a few neat things to take shots of then.  For now though, let's start with the basics, my "toons".

My original character:

Name: CaptCurt

Breed: Solitus

Class: Engineer

Level: 67

Pets:  Patchwork Gladiator Bot

Name: Kitjabutai

Breed: Solitus

Class: Adventurer

Level: 38

Pets: None

Name: Manolette

Breed: Nanomage

Class: Meta Physicist

Level: 13

Pets: Calling of Medinos, Lesser Anger Manifestation