SciWorld Online Convention official logo
Designed by David Ball
The SciWorld Online Convention (also known as SciWorld or SWOC) is an online convention for the play-by-post role-playing community. Held in chat rooms each spring over the course of several days, SciWorld features games, discussions, and events run by members of the play-by-post role-playing community. SciWorld is free and open to all play-by-post role-players.
List of SciWorlds[]
| Edition | Dates | Location | Master of Ceremonies |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | Mar 18-22, 1999 | America Online | Ender Maki |
| II | Mar 23-27, 2000 | America Online | Chas Hammer |
| III | Mar 15-18, 2001 | America Online | Robin Knight |
| IV | Unknown 2002 | America Online | Unknown |
| V | Mar 29-31, 2006 | Diaspora Games irc | Chas Hammer |
| VI | Apr 3-5, 2007 | Diaspora Games irc | Chas Hammer |
| VII | Apr 29 - May 1, 2008 | Diaspora Games irc | Chas Hammer |
| VIII | May 19-21, 2009 | Diaspora Games irc | Chas Hammer |
| IX | Apr 14-16, 2011 | Independence Fleet irc | Charles Star |
| X | May 10-12, 2012 | Dark Myst irc | Chas Hammer |
| XI | May 1-3, 2013 | Independence Fleet irc | Landon Wakeland |
| XII | May 1-3, 2014 | Xertion irc | Yatalu |
| XIII | May 18, 2019 | Discord | Role Play Wiki, TNU Project, Theta Fleet, Ongoing Worlds |
History[]
The SciWorld Online Convention was conceived by Ender Maki in the latter half of 1998. His club, the Online Simulations Association (OSA) had been created via the merger of three separate groups, and Maki believed a week long series of special events would generate a sense of community within the OSA. In January 1999, Maki asked Chas Hammer, President of the Simming League, if he would be interested in helping with the convention. Enamored with the idea, Chas threw the full support of the Simming League behind the venture and it morphed into a convention open to the entire play-by-post role-playing community on America Online. Maki and Chas, together with Tashak, a sim host in the OSA, organized the first SciWorld Convention, which was held in chat rooms on America Online from March 18 to 22, 1999. The event proved popular, with some three dozen events run by individuals from ten separate role-playing organizations. Inspired by SciWorld, the Non-Affiliated Gaming Forum on America Online attempted to organize its own simming convention in the summer of 1999, but was unable to bring it to fruition. For their work in creating and organizing the first SciWorld, Maki, Chas, and Tashak shared a 1999 Simming Prize.
The Simming League organized subsequent conventions in 2000, 2001, and 2002. These conventions followed the pattern established in 1999, each featuring several dozen events spread out across chat rooms on America Online.
No convention was held in 2003, 2004, or 2005. A number of factors transpired against SciWorld during those years - turmoil within the Simming League, the collapse of clubs that had been major SciWorld benefactors, such as Trek Online, and an overall decline in the popularity of America Online. In 2006, after the Simming League reconstituted itself on the internet, SciWorld was revived by the League as an irc based event. This necessitated a tighter convention, with the majority of events occurring in irc rooms dedicated to the convention, not in offsite rooms, as had been the case on America Online. Between 2006 and 2009, the League partnered with Diaspora Games on SciWorld, with Diaspora providing the irc rooms for SciWorld during those years.
In the spring of 2010, the League website was compromised; this distracted the attention of the League and no convention was organized for 2010. SciWorld returned in 2011.
The 2011 convention was held in irc rooms hosted by Independence Fleet. This was part of a proposal to rotate SciWorld to a different club each year. Hosting responsibility for the 2012 convention was initially awarded following a public call for proposals - a first for SciWorld. This, however, was deemed to be a failure by SciWorld. The call for proposals resulted in only two submissions, and the chosen entity backed out days before the start of the convention, resulting in a scramble for a new host. In the aftermath, SciWorld reverted to privately selecting a host, and for 2013 again selected Independence Fleet. This move proved controversial, with Phoenix Roleplaying boycotting the 2013 Convention, upset that no reply had been given to their request to host the convention.
Following the disbandment of the Simming League in March 2012, oversight for the 2012 SciWorld convention was transferred to Ongoing Worlds. After the 2012 convention was successfully completed, SciWorld was spun off from Ongoing Worlds and became an independent entity.
Transcripts[]
Surviving transcripts of SciWorld events are posted below.