A funny thing happened a month or so after we started the Victorian Secret game. People actually e-mailed me to ask to join, to compliment us on the game, or to inquire about the game and the players. I was surprised because, personally, I didn't have the occasion to read the other WebRPG PBP games and, in turn, I just assumed that nobody else read what was going on in our game.

I very much enjoyed talking to everyone who has e-mailed me since the game started, and all the players that have joined since has brought something unique to the table. But now, since this game has grown exponentially more complex in terms of its characters and history, it's become more convenient -- if not necessary -- to have a written archive to present everything concisely for new players and for others who were simply curious about VS. It also (hopefully) adds immensely to the flavor of the game.

The players and storyteller behind this game are just a bunch of nerds who played role-playing games when they were kids only to grow up to become... well... adult nerds who continued to play role-playing games. (Sorry guys, it's true. We are all still nerds.)

Three of us, John, Les and myself, started RP'ing D&D together in high school. (I myself have been playing since the tender and impressionable age of 8.) As we became older, I think we began to outgrow most of the other guys we RP'd with simply because they were more interested in the hack and slay aspects of D&D and we were more intrigued by the actual role-playing and the creation of intricate plots. Enter Anthony, whom we met in our senior year, and who stood as living proof that a guy could role-play in his mid-twenties and still be cool doing it. Gerard hooked up with us a couple of years later to complete the crew. Since forming our little clique, we've pushed the envelope beyond the typical treasure-hoarding D&D game and began to explore more adult themes with heavier psychological, political and moral issues.

Of course, with aging came the curveballs of complication. Careers, marriage and procreation all became issues that inevitably divided us physically so that the core five of us soon spanned four different states from coast to coast. Still, we kept in touch (mostly via e-mail) and visited one another, and eventually we asked the question, "Okay, if we can't RP together face-to-face, can we somehow play on-line?"

Victorian Secret was the answer to that question. I started this campaign as a regular tabletop game back in 1997 with three little characters by the names of Edward Longley, Don Giovanni DeCartago and Gregory Fleming. It was World of Darkness meets Victorian era London with some Highlander thrown in for good measure. Since the game kind of stopped once we separated, and since I still very much wanted to jump-start it, we grabbed a WebRPG page and the rest, as they say, is history.

Thanks to all the people who e-mailed me with such kind words about the game. Much additional thanks to Cherie, who contributed the amazing logo.