Is it possible to design an online game so that communication, community, story-telling, and the genuine playing of roles is core and essential to the experience?

Of course it is. You just won't get the $40m budget you need for a big commercial title out of the philistines who rule our industry today unless you want, in essence, to imitate World of Warcraft.

Enter Skotos, and Castle Marrach.

Q: What's Grendel's Revenge?

A: Grendel's Revenge is an online storytelling game created by Worlds Apart Productions in conjunction with Skotos Tech Inc. It first opened for beta release on May 6, 2002. It is a game set in a high fantasy world where monsters are the heroes and evil adventurers need to be put in their place. It contains strong roleplaying and achievement elements.

A text-based, multiplayer, online role-playing game, Lovecraft Country has a social rather than combat-oriented focus. The theme and objects of the game are to experience horror genre thrills in settings inspired by the works of H. P. Lovecraft and authors who have followed in his style.

The Eternal City is a long-running multiplayer prose game, developed and administered by Worlds Apart Productions. It is being published online by Skotos Tech under license.