Global War

An old game I used to play when I frequented Bulletin Boards was called Global War.  It is based on the commercial board game, Risk, and the object of the game is to dominate the world by conquering every country.

It is certainly my favourite online game even now, despite it using what current users would call very primitive graphics, and a very simple display.  However the strategy is what I'm interested in, and it's certainly got that.

I've been managing to play the odd game or two of late, thanks to the fact that there are a number of sysops STILL OUT THERE who allow access to their BBSs via the telnet function.  I would have loved this years ago.  Instead of having to pay for a phone call to call each BBS, you can now contact telnetable BBSs with just one internet session.  In fact, most systems have other BBSs available as a function on their own BBS!

To do this you need a Telnet program, such as PuTTY or even HyperTerm which comes standard with Windows.  You'll also need an ibm-type font which displays drawing characters using the hi-ascii set (essential for such BBS games as Global War).

I suppose the main reasons sysops have their systems online is nostalgia; because what's available through the internet using html is far superior to what you can display on an ANSI-ibm terminal (essentially a colour VT-100 implementation).  But some of the functionality from a BBS is fantastic, and the screen displays are orders of magnitude faster than anything you can see on the net!  There are a lot of old BBS users re-discovering their hobby, so if you want to join in, feel free.  I'm happy to answer any questions you might have - simply drop me an email.