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Don’t worry: “massively merciless” doesn’t mean that more experienced gamers will hack you to bits as soon as you join the game — it means that Shadowbane mercilessly attacks MMORPG conventions and turns them on their heads.
“Shadowbane is a very different experience than any of the other online games offer,” explains Robert Marsa, vice-president at developer Wolfpack Studios, Inc.. “It presents the player with a solid RPG experience where you can adventure, form parties and explore dungeons, defeat monsters, and gain power and prestige.
 Cryptic. An Aracroix doing its thing. “On top of that, though, we’ve added a deep feudal warfare aspect where players create cities dynamically, then form armies and attack other cities using siege engines. As new cities are created and old ones destroyed, the world actually changes over time. The end result is that much of the fate of the world will be left up to the players to decide.” A Long-Lost Sword  The world Marsa talks about is Aerynth, where a Dark Age lies over the land. One hundred years have passed since civilization nearly collapsed after a massive catastrophe, known as The Turning. A brutal war followed, destroying the Great Library where much of the world’s knowledge was kept and leaving Aerynth in the hands of warlords. The brave few who haven’t lost hope, however, speak of something that will stop the chaos. A sword called Shadowbane — but known in past ages by such names as World Cleaver, King Maker and the Sword of Thurin — that could decide the fate of the world, if it is found again.
Will you be the one who wields Shadowbane? Or will you seek to control the world by building a mighty empire? Or will you be satisfied with shaping history by affecting Aerynth in little ways, such as playing political games? Before you can answer any of those questions, though, you must create a character. He or she can be one of 10 races — including winged Aracroix, stout Dwarves and ox-like Minotaurs — and one of more than 20 professions, such as druid, barbarian, warlock or thief.  Sneak Attack. Watch out for monsters on the prowl. (Read “An Aerynthian Primer to learn more about the history of Aerynth, as well as the available races and classes.) “I prefer playing a rogue who can sneak around behind the scenes and mess with people,” says Marsa. “I find it entertaining to watch the way people react when unexpected things happen.” “I’m more of a wandering mercenary type of player,” adds Shadowbane associate producer Louis Lamarche, “one looking to jump into anyone’s conflict for a price. Slowly gathering gold, my character might buy a small town one day or even scheme his way to ultimate power.” So Cool Buy a town? Yes, Shadowbane is more than just an MMORPG; it’s also a real-time strategy (RTS) game that allows you to attain a position of power and manage resources.
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Because Aerynth was almost decimated during The Turning, there is no centralized base of power in the world and anyone with enough might and influence can amass the resources required to become a king. 
“The level of city management is truly amazing,” says Lamarche. “For the first time [in an MMORPG], players have control to create and customize cities, take part in the economics, plan for the protection and well-being of its citizens, and anything else you can think of to create a thriving city.”
And if you see a city that threatens your plans for world domination, you can team up with other players to lay siege to it. If you’re victorious, you can plunder its wealth and leave, take control of it, or even wipe it off the face of the map. “It’s so cool to be able to burn someone else’s city to the ground,” says Marsa.  Clash of Titans. A fierce battle between two well-matched foes. A Dark Fantasy Feel 
As you wander the world, you may meet non-player characters (NPCs) who are actually actors hired by Ubi Soft to nudge Aerynth’s history in certain directions. These NPCs could be high-level members of established classes or even gods that descend from the heavens to unleash supernatural events. The players’ responses to the NPCs will dictate future events; Ubi Soft says they have the next five years’ worth of stories planned out but won’t divulge any details, of course.
“The idea was to create a world that would embrace a dark fantasy feel and have a rich enough background to provide a foundation for players to create their own epic stories,” Marsa explains. We’ll see you in Aerynth. If you liked this game, check out:  Baldur’s Gate II Icewind Dale Lineage Sacrifice
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These games allow hundreds or even thousands of players to join together in an ongoing game. The game world is persistent, existing for weeks or months on end; players simply visit it for a while. Many allow the player to assume identities of player characters in fantasy worlds. These games are oftentimes referred to as MMOGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Games) or MMORPGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games).
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