Fellowship Site Reviews
Editor's Note: RPG Host has somewhere near 160 fellowship sites, but only a fraction of these are included in the site listings in the Fellowship section. Since this is where our staff looks for sites to review, only those actually listed therein stand a chance of being reviewed. Owners of sites not listed in the Fellowship section are encouraged to send e-mail to the webmaster and get themselves listed. Site owners interested in having their site reviewed by our staff are also encouraged to send their requests to the editor.
Site: The Osiron PBeM - www.rpghost.com/fellowship/osiron
Owner/Designer: Design - Osiron's webmistress, Content - Soni Powell
Category: Fantasy
Primary Content: Information pertaining to playing Osiron
Reviewer: Elissa Carey - binah@tough.com
Rating: 
This site was created using Microsoft FrontPage 3.0; the first page is actually a splash page that gives a movie-like introduction to the theme of the PBeM's setting. At least, that is what one is given to think. The rest of the pages themselves, while very nicely and neatly done, are a confusing mixture of what is open and what is not. One game setting is available to play in, for example, and yet no information on it can be found. The reverse is also true on one or two other settings within the Osiron world. Some links go nowhere at all, and some go to pages that apparently are not fully set up yet, without even an 'under construction' notice.
The Osiron PBeM game as a whole is apparently heavily AD&D oriented, and yet no real mention of that fact is made anywhere at all despite the usage of many of its conventions. The only confirmation of this is found on the Player's Guide page; several AD&D books, such as Oriental Adventures, and the Krynn and Dark Sun worlds, are mentioned. Within the Setting section under General Campaign Information, the Spell Frequency page lists the spells which are all found in the AD&D books. Deities are Greek, from AD&D's version of the Greco-Roman pantheon, and many creatures mentioned in the same books are used liberally within the site and game world, as well. All of this in itself is not a bad thing, but it would have been helpful to have it mentioned on the main page to let folks know what they are in for.
The game world as it is put together is somewhat original, except that it also heavily borrows themes and ideas that have been seen before in other fantasy books and movies, in addition to the aforementioned AD&D. The grammar is frequently awkward, with word misspellings dotted throughout the site. The writing itself could use a boost; although it is meant to convey basic information, a little punch to it would make it a more enjoyable read. There are a great many e-mail addresses linked throughout the site as well, making it difficult to see whom should be contacted about what. Better organization, a more clearly stated RPG game setting, and providing the rest of the needed game information would make this a much better site.
Site: The Eastside Irregulars Gaming Club - www.rpghost.com/eigc
Owner/Designer: Marc Staubitz
Category: Sci-Fi
Primary Content: Information about the EIGC
Reviewer: Elissa Carey - binah@tough.com
Rating:
The ever-popular Microsoft FrontPage 3.0 was used to create this site; so far as I can tell, monitors of any size or resolution can view it with no problems. The navigation bar and other, similar graphics look custom-made, and they've done a very good job with them in my opinion. If you have problems with frames, the site is also no-frames friendly. These folks have their act largely together with their site; no stray links here taking you to an unfinished page, at least not without warning so as to avoid disappointment. The site belongs to several webrings, among them being RPG Host's own Fellowship Ring, the One Ring and the Rolemaster/MERP Webring. They are also a part of the Mythos Compliant campaign, the Great RPG Archive and the Amethyst Alliance.
The Eastside Irregulars Gaming Club itself is based in the east side of Detroit, Michigan, in a suburb called Mount Clemens, and they meet every Saturday night, between the hours of 7 p.m. to midnight. Membership is completely free, and so far they are approximately eight members strong. Their newsletter, the Scroll of Knowledge, is put out monthly and is available from the 'net; as the site says. It is approximately four pages in size and details the current ongoing campaign, with hints, player-to-player conversations, background information and so on. It is in .pdf format, so if you don't have Adobe Acrobat Reader, don't fret. They include a link for downloading it, free.
Currently they are into the Rolemaster (RMSS) system, and play Call of Cthulhu, Star Wars and a version of Shadowrun which they are in the process of converting to RMSS. Apparently there had been some loss of information on the Star Wars front, so there really isn't a page to look at for it, but at least you are informed of it before clicking. As well, they don't have up the game material for the Shadowrun RMSS, but they say it is coming soon. The last date the site was updated was the 20th of January, so we'll see. There is also a message board, where one can drop them a line and discuss their gaming club as well as other things games-related; this is found when you click on the 'Interact' button. Various disclaimers are also made visible in order to keep things legal for them, as well as to discourage others from theft. What would make this site truly spectacular is the inclusion of more material, either on individual games or on gaming in general. Right now, all I can say is that I know where to go should I ever move to Michigan.
Site: Dark Chyld's Rifts Page - rivendell.fortunecity.com/zelda/789/riftsindex.htm
Owner/Designer: Dark Chyld
Category: WebRPG GM Fellowship
Primary Content: Original R.C.C.'s and O.C.C.'s for Rifts
Reviewer: Elissa Carey - binah@tough.com
Rating:
Created using Mozilla 4.5, this site's main scheme uses a black background with a red font and graphics, which makes it a little difficult to read at times. The layout is good, however, and displays membership with two webrings - the Palladium WebRing and the O.C.C. and R.C.C. Creators WebRing, as well as several disclaimers and a guestbook. Also, if the page does not show as the author intended, he offers a font to download.
The main content of the site consists of an offering of five original O.C.C.'s and R.C.C.'s for the Palladium game, Rifts. (Editor's Note: the site owner assumes you play Rifts and know what these acronyms stand for.) These are the Darklings, MegaPsychic, Dragorians, Mystic Slayers and the Forgotten. Judging from the amount of material given for each, I'd say that the site's author put a lot of thought into them. There is not much else to the site, however. If all you're looking for is a few alternate types of characters to play within the Rifts system, then this site is just what you need.
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