2008 · Role-playing · Turn-based strategy

Forumwarz

An online game about participating in online communities.

Released: 7 February 2008
Platforms: Browser
Genres: Role-playing Turn-based strategy
Developers: —
Publishers: —
Modes: Multiplayer Single-player
Themes: Comedy Erotic
Engine: Ruby on Rails

About

Forumwarz is a multiplayer browser-based role-playing game that is a parody of Internet culture designed by Crotch Zombie Productions, a Toronto-based company run by Robin Ward, Mike Drach, and Jason Kogan. Written in the Ruby on Rails web application framework using the Haml markup language, the game launched on February 7, 2008. In the first month since the game launched, around 30,000 users signed up.

Forumwarz is notable for its humorous and sometimes ribald writing and references to Internet memes. com as "stupid, insulting, and really damn clever". To ensure new players are aware of the potentially — and deliberately — offensive content of the game, players must confirm that they are "not offended easily" before they can begin playing. In August 2008, a second episode of the game was in preparation prior to release; it was released in Beta to a small number of players in mid-September.

Keywords

memes
internet culture reference
turn-based rpg

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

Forumwarz takes place on a parodic version of the Internet, and the interface reflects this with an Instant Messaging client, online shopping for virtual items and services, and Internet forum battlegrounds. The Instant Messaging Client is called sTalk, a pun on "stalk", and a parody of Google's IM client gTalk.

The combat system is turn-based, and the player is given a set number of forum visits per day that they use to improve their character and proceed through the storyline. The player may attack virtual forums, each based on a different theme, with various attacks suited to their character class. Attacks consist of posting varying obnoxious comments and trolling, via an array of attacks specific to the user class including "self-mutilation" (Emo Kids), "threaten to contact authorities" (Camwhores), "ASCII art attacks" (Trolls), "font changing" (Hacker) and Tech support (Permanoob).

Story

Unlike many traditional role-playing games (RPGs), Forumwarz takes place on a fake, parodic version of the Internet. The primary battlegrounds are in the form of virtual internet forums, as opposed to the fantasy settings found in traditional RPGs. Parody themes include furries, script kiddies, Boing Boing, Apple Computer, ricers, 4chan, Ron Paul, Fark, gamers, Bill O'Reilly, Otaku, Cory Doctorow, and the Church of Scientology.

The player begins as a bored Internet user, searching on a parodied search engine (a thinly veiled analogue of Google). Soon their search query is interrupted by an instant message from "Shallow Esophagus", a mysterious non-player character who introduces them to the concept of "pwnage".