Cantr II (
www.cantr.net) is a completely free (no pay features), open-ended browser-based text society simulator with a strong role-playing element. What exactly does that mean? It's the best short description we could come up with for a game that is as unique as Cantr.
While most of Cantr's players consider Cantr to be a massively multiplayer roleplaying game, it was not created to be. Cantr's creator, a political scientist by training, created Cantr to be a virtual society where all of the social, political, historical, physical and cultural elements were created entirely by the characters. The only thing hard coded is the game map and specific, non speaking actions (like attacking, lock picking, etc). I suppose the reason why Cantr's players think of Cantr as a role-playing game is because with such freedom of action, without the constraints imposed by games like MUDs, role-playing is a natural byproduct of the game's unique design. There is one role-playing requirement, and that is your characters have no knowledge of the real world, nor do your individual characters know about each-other (you can play up to 15 characters). This is called the Capital Rule (CR), and is the only written rule of Cantr.
In Cantr, you are truly limited only by your imagination. There are no character classes, no flashy graphics, no preset adventures, and no non-player characters. Cantr is also, by design, slow paced. While you certainly can "power game" in Cantr, and by that I mean, playing constantly, checking on your characters all the time, doing so doesn't confer any significant advantage over a player that checks once or twice a day. Entering a slow-paced world without defined limits and restrictions can be intimidating for a new player. The Cantr community has multiple resources available to assist players. There is the
wiki which walks players through the Capital Rule and their first day, and there is the
forum where players can talk and get answers from the rest of the player community. However, once you get into Cantr, most find that they can't get away!
Cantr II can also be played in 16 different languages, and all of these languages are played on the same game map, creating opportunities for cross-language contact. While you need some rudimentary skill in a language before you can start a character in it, it is a great way for gamers to practice and strengthen their foreign language skills.
Still not sure what Cantr is? Maybe telling you what Cantr is not can help.
-Cantr is not a MUD. There are no confusing commands, NPCs, monsters, game-designed quests or character classes.
-Cantr is not a free-form RPG. Roleplay in Cantr is confined to a physical world with interactive attributes, and role-play should involve only actions other characters could reasonably see.
Cantr, I suppose, while not being either of those, includes the best elements of each.
Still not sure what Cantr is? I guess you'll have to try it out for yourself. Go to
www.cantr.net. New accounts need approval by a human, but that typically takes less than a day.
I'm happy to answer any questions you may have.
