What is RSW?

RSW is actually a family of related games. Some RSW games have fairly simple rules, and others are quite complex. Some games can play out very quickly--within an hour--but most RSW games play out slowly, over weeks, and can take multiple months to finish. You decide when you sign up for a game what kind of game you would like to play.

The simplest game, RSW Core, is a basic game of tactical resource distribution. Each player tries to capture the biggest part of the galaxy, using their fleets and ships to the best advantage.

Another game, RSW Classic, is a more complex game, with greater levels of sophistication. In RSW Classic, each player takes on the role of one of the following character types:

The Emperor, who strives to own all worlds
The Collector, who covets the strange artifacts deemed largely useless by others
The Raider, who strikes fast and furious at their opponents
The Trader, who earns profit from interstellar commerce
The Positronix, who seeks the destruction of all human life
The Missionary, who wishes to spread their truth across the galaxy
--or additional, more advanced, character types

These different character types interact together in the galaxy in complex ways.

RSW Gameplay

RSW is a cross-generation hybrid. It is a classic play-by-mail text game with a modern, graphical interface.

RSW is an homage to the play-by-mail games of the 1970's, some of the earliest computer-operated games ever played. These games were played by people who didn't necessarily have computers; players received their turn report printouts in the mail, studied them carefully and drew up their own maps by hand, and then wrote out an order sheet and mailed it back.

Although you can play RSW this way, via email or the web interface, almost everyone prefers to use the graphical interface instead. This is a separate, downloadable application called the RSW Client. Once you install and run the RSW Client, all of your games will automatically appear within the client, and you can see each of your game turns and the movements of the other players within the game. Instead of typing orders, you order your fleets to move by dragging them onto their destinations. You fire by dragging your fleet onto an opponent's fleet. Gameplay looks something like this:

Or, depending on the game, maybe more like this:

There are many different kinds of strategies for success in RSW. Some people excel at negotiations and diplomacy, while others emphasize military force and battle tactics. Still others are masters of misdirection and deceit. The galaxy has room for all kinds of players--which one will you be?

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