This week brings us an MMO of a different kind. Come and adventure in the Kingdom of Loating.

This week's game is a web-based, free-to-play, multiplayer role-playing game that may take you back if you remember other text-based adventure games.  Kingdom of Loathing (KoL) is packed full of throwback comedy from pop culture past. You take the place of a stick figure adventurer who starts out in one of six classes. 

• Seal Clubber
• Turtle Tamer
• Pastamancer
• Sauceror
• Disco Bandit
• Accordion Thief

Your character adventures and fights creatures all across the land.  Amidst all the humor of the game, you find time to do adventures to gain skills in three point categories: Muscle, Mysticality, and Moxie.  You pick a class that does melee or ranged damage through weapons or spells.  In the left side menu appear your HP, MP, Meat Total, and Turns Left.  Below that is your last adventure and your Familiar. 

The Familiar is a creature that adventures along with you and can perform helpful actions in combat.  You obtain them by placing certain items into your terrarium at your campground.  It's also a place to hang your hat and rest or whip up a cocktail with your personal bartender.  That's right, there is a lot of pounding alcoholic beverages in this game that can boost your stats or give you more turns that day with each drink.  You get a certain number of turns each day on your character and there are many ways of gaining more turns.  Besides drinking doing certain adventures or obtaining certain items can give you extra turns each day.

As a new player in KoL, I found joining a Clan to be an excellent way of getting extra turns and more meat each day.  Meat is the common currency in KoL so you try to collect as much as possible.  Other than currency, meat can be made into paste that can help you during the crafting of certain items.  The best way to get in contact with other players is to use the chat system.  They have employed a clever little test of basic English grammar and spelling to weed out anyone who doesn't belong in chat (Yes, I passed - thank you!).

Kingdom of Loathing does not have a subscription fee.  The game is paid for by donations and sale of merchandise.  If a player donates $10 or more, an item gets delivered to them in game called Mr. Accessory - one for each $10 spent.  These can be used to pick up powerful in game items at Mr. Store. 

After grinding away and solving puzzles for awhile, I'm finally a Level 7 pastafarian.  I'm still adventuring and having a fun time learning about the many aspects of this game.  If you get started, you can look me up, of course, as Omnibot.  This game is a great quick play anytime you can find a web browser and the time to knock off a few turns.  You can bank turns for a few days, so even though you'll want to grind it down you don't have take your turns every single day. 

That's all for now, see you in the Kingdom of Loathing!

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