So You Want That Military Gaming Experience in Second Life

I've made it obvious on many occasions that I'm not a "gamer". At least I don't seem to share the need to kill or be killed in my virtual life. But, there are voices who insist that this is what is needed to expand Second Life and make it the number one destination in the metaverse.

Fine.

An intrepid explorer must be intrepid and because I know that this type of gaming exists in Second Life I decided I should check out some of these destinations and report back on a few of the options available.

My first venture took me to Vanguard Station - Opposing Forces Spawn.

I love interesting builds and this view of Antarctica 200 years in the future seems really well done. It's obviously a military site, home to the Vanguard Armed Forces, "a group of 300-350 dedicated individuals who attack other organizations of the same nature".

According to the notecard you can get in the landing area "You are allowed to walk around the simulators. But there are sections that are prohibited to civilians. Most of the time, you will be approached and offered an escort! Vanguard is very unique, very open, and very fun to participate in.". They give instructions on how to apply to join the force - unless you'd like to just invade which appears to be something they're prepared for.

I assume they'd appreciate new recruits - they have a wide variety of roles available. However, their recruitment approach could use a little work. In spite of the invitation to look around I inferred from the notecard I was killed twice while still in the landing area. Guess an unarmed, middle aged civilian is considered a major threat.

How very special.

I decided to go look at two other different types of inworld rpg which still involve "fighting". The first of these is Alexandria - "The sim is set in the time in Egypt when there was a civil war between the Queen Cleopatra and her brother the Pharoah. They each had an army and fought against one another in a series of wars. At the same time, a Roman LegionX came to Egypt and eventually chose which side to assist in the civil war. Thus, the sim is divided into three factions: Queen/Pharoah/Roman. There is (also) a set of 'general' roles in which you may choose through RP whether or not you are assisting a faction or playing a straight role."

My last excursion took me to one of the oldest rpg's inworld - DarkLife. Medieval role play involving quests for gold, monster killing and more.

In addition to the apparent appetite for mayhem (organized or not) all three locations shared at least one more thing in common. They are all high traffic areas - so they seem to have active dedicated players. If this is your thing then check them out. Or go visit one of the many other rpg's inworld.

Me? I'm going to go find a way to recover from the delightful greeting I received on Vanguard Station. I didn't find it hard to imagine the typists behind my two separate "deaths". I'm sure they're very good at what they do but perhaps they might want to get glasses or at least wait til they've gotten off the landing area before trying to accumulate "kill points" or whatever it is their achievement system awards. The little darlings.