Some people play games to avoid the political news of the day; I know I found myself seeking the refuge of a fantasy world rather than hearing the political talking points during the last electoral campaign! Some, however, play games to participate in politics and organizations with their characters, and games with player-run factions like the MUD Achaea: Dreams of Divine Lands, lets you do precisely that!

Most MMORPGs like World of Warcraft or Final Fantasy have NPCs that "run" the cities, though there isn't much in the way of running day-to-day activities. Mostly, they're quest NPCs or purely there for flavor. In many MUDs, including Achaea, however, cities are run by the players! Everything from relations with other cities, to setting prices in the training arenas, to declaring enemies is done by other players.

Games generally offer different things for different kinds of players: for the blood-thirsty, there is player-versus-player combat; for the creative, there's crafting; for the grinder, there's leveling. But Imperian is unique in that it also gives players an environment to roleplay a political career, or "How To Make Friends and Influence People, Gamer Edition"!

When you start out, you're low level, know no one, and are rank one in your city. It takes time and sincere effort to get yourself involved in the political arena, and it's not just limited to long-time players. Getting involved as an aide to an elected official and showing your eagerness to help out your city will move you quickly through the ranks. From there, it's up to you to make friends, back-room deals, whatever in your character's personal code of ethics (or lack thereof) it takes to advance your character's political career!

So leave the real world of politics and join us in Imperian, where you can rule a fantasy city as a tyrant with an iron fist or as a benevolent dictator, a backstabbing senator or a smooth-talking devotee to a cause. The choice is yours, and the choices are endless!