The first time I saw Farscape it immediately caught my eye, literally for I had been switching channels and the colourful images of Rygel and Zhaan in some sort of beautifully made ship just leaped off the screen at me. I didn't care that this was obviously a story of which I had missed a great part, I just saw the amazing colours and details that had been laid out in the set and costumes, bringing a sense of life and vibrancy to a science-fiction show unlike anything I had ever seen before. And then of course, there was the story. Even though I had stumbled upon this intricate story long after it had begun, it wasn't hard for me to catch up and learn to identify the characters and their relationships with one another and the vast universe around them. All this without the story ever seeming to slow down or grow repetitive for those who'd been watching from the start which, to quote my college's creative writing instructor, is the true mark of a great writer. Before long, I was hooked and grew to love this series which didn't shy away from tough decisions, character deaths, and expecting the audience to be intelligent. And all of these aspects I found apply to an online text roleplaying game called Firan as well. At first sight however, Firan and Farscape couldn't be less alike. Because it's a text game, Firan completely lacks Farscape's visual appeal. It's also set in a Greco-Roman parallel world inhabited only by the human-like Firans and their monstrous enemies the Shamibelians , a far cry from a diverse and technological-savvy universe. But everything else applies: the complicated but well-thought-out overarching story, the three-dimensional characters, the twists, the thrills, and the danger. New players to Firan can choose between creating a new character who's a newcomer to the city a la Crichton, or to choose a character with an network of relationships to other character and who may have already been played before, thereby having an extensive history as well. All sorts of characters from all walks of life can be chosen: a priestess so devoted to her goddess that she tends to forget the more material world from time to time, the petty criminal trying to earn a living in the slums, even a harassed clan leader upon whose decisions might well depend the lives of thousands. Because of Firan's extensive and interrelated economic, social, and political systems, every character is part of something bigger and may potentially influence the game's history. And in that Firan overshadows even Farscape, as the players become active participants and writers of this complicated story. To log on to Firan is like stepping on board of Moya, ready for the ride of your life. Or, to quote John Crichton at the end of the series: "This is your playground".
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