The Q Files

From roughly 1989-1993, Muskateer and I ran numerous online message based games on the old Q-Link Commodore 64 Computer Network. Here in the Q Files, we will be presenting these old games to a whole new audience. Comments on each game will be given in their individual areas. Additionally, there will be new commentary in the files themselves to help clarify what is going on.

For the uninitiated, a Message Based game was RPG game played out on a bulletin board. The GM or Game Master would post the situation and the setting for the players. The various players would then post their reactions and what their characters wanted to do. The GM would then put up a new post or an update based on the players actions and the process would start all over again. Typically, a new post would cover one week.

What you are about to see are copies of the actual messages from the individual players and us. A part from being edited for spelling, grammar, and clarity, what you are about to read is their characters actual words and reactions. We plan to release the various Q Files in the order that they were originally put out, so they should be easy to follow as time passes by.

Quality wise, this stuff is all over the board. It took a while to things to hit stride, but once they did things did get very interesting. Like any MB game, there were good players and not so good players. Fortunately, the good players tended to last longer. With the high cost of Q-Link access, this was back in the days before flat rates, many players simply disappeared never to be heard from again. Such was the nature of the beast.

Once done here, you can pop over to the Forum to discuss the latest updates.