This is the entirely unofficial Encyclopedia of Megiddo. I congratulate you on finding this page. Be it through a link from a friend, an intentional search or a complete coincidence, the best place to begin would be to explain what's going on, so here goes:
What is Megiddo?
There are several answers to this question:
It's a hill located in Israel, a mythical mountain upon which the ultimate battle between good and evil will supposedly take place, and most importantly to this wiki, a Star Trek RPG which began in 1996. Originally having started as a play-by-email (PBEM) role-playing game (RPG), and eventually evolving into the forum based game it is today.
What is an RPG?
RPG stands for Role-Playing Game. Many people are familiar with this term in some form or another, as video games are quite popular, but unlike Zelda and Final Fantasy (video game versions of an "RPG") this one takes place online. This is not a PC game. While there are PC RPGs (such as Runescape and Warcraft), they are merely a computer-based version of a video RPG, which is entirely different from an "online RPG."
A video RPG (be it a video game or a PC game) is a game based on a story. You are a character (generally the hero) in this story and your goal is to reach "the end" either by seeking out someone or something or accomplishing all the missions you're meant to finish. An online RPG is held either via email, real-time chat or forum board, and just as in a video RPG you are a character within a story. The difference is that the story hasn't been written yet. The creators of games (video or computer) create a story for you, and you play as a character merely carrying out that story, but in an online RPG your play a character who's actions, thoughts and feelings are the story. It's not the entire story, but it is a part of it.
Think of the last book you read, movie you watched, or the show that's on the television in the background right now as you read this. Imagine each character, their thoughts, their actions, their dialogue, everything they say and do, were written by one person, and each character had their own person writing for them. That's an online RPG. You're one character in a story that's being written as you go, a story that isn't finished until everyone involved decides it's over, and even after you've finished one story or mission, your character continues on into the next chapter, the next episode, the next part of the series. The limits are endless, and likewise is the history. Which brings me to the next section…
Who the hell are you and why is Megiddo important enough to make a wiki about?
My name is Christina, and I originally joined Megiddo in 2001, when it was still under the name Federation Defensive Taskforce (FDTF). I can still be found on the Megiddo boards under the character name "Tanner Willeg." I can hardly say I've been around since the site's birth, and I will certainly not claim to know everything about the site there is to know. I'm not an internet wizard, so there are far better people to ask about the technical aspects of the site, and I'm not a follower of rules, so if you're looking for procedure and policy, you're in the wrong place. However, I have been a part of this site, and friends with the people on it, for nearly eight years. My information is not complete, but this is a wiki, and the ability to update is part of the programming, and because of the time I've spent trolling the boards of Megiddo and in the company of it's members, I carry with me a slew of memories which mean just as much as any story we've created on the boards.
Megiddo is an RPG, it's a game, a hobby, and a way to spend your free time, but it's also an interactive endeavor. The stories written there are a collaborative effort, when a member arrives, they not only add their name to the member list or roster, they also add their input to the story, and therefore become a part of something that cannot be changed. When a member leaves, not only do they remove themselves from the community of the site, they often leave those in their wake wondering what may've been different had they still been around. There are out of character (OOC) areas on the site where we speak to each other, not of stories having been written or ongoing, not of plans or ideas for stories yet to come, but of random, everyday things. We speak not from the point of view of some character we've created within our own minds, but from that of ourselves, and about ourselves. We talk about our day, how it went or how it's going, we talk about our families, our friends, our opinions, our thoughts and our feelings. We've had discussions about politics, religion and the meaning of life, and we've talked about this week's episode of some television show, the ongoing debate as to what is so hypnotizing about boobs, the fascination we all have about the great mysteries of this world (such as why nobody has to pee when there's a bathroom in plain view, but five minutes later there isn't one to be found, how strange to word obey sounds if you've had one too many drinks, or the fact that Americans are shocked and confused by the concept of milk in a bag).
We don't always agree with one another (on the topics of politics and religion, I'd rate the members of Megiddo as more vehement than most on a volotile subject), we don't always like to hear what the others have to say, and we don't always like one another, but we're all a part of something bigger than ourselves. That something is more than just a story, it's more than a game. There's a sense of community involved that transcends the disagreements, and we all know that while there will always be people who come and go, there will also always be those who stick it out. No matter how strongly we feel about something or how different our opinions, when all is said and done, it's merely an opinion, and we make it work. All of us joined the site because of a common interest in Star Trek and/or science fiction, but after a time we became members of a kind of elite club—a group of people with a common interest, all a bit unsure how they relate to one another, a group of people who've made acquaintance with each other purely through coincidence and circumstance, and just as is true of any circle of friends, we may be able to give a ballpark figure of when we met, or where we were when we were introduced, but none of us has any explanation as to how or why we are friends. But we are…
If you're a Megiddo member already, then this explanation was a bit pointless, and the following link is even moreso. If you're not a member of Megiddo, then I'm surprised you've made it to the bottom of this page. Either way, I thank you for reading, and encourage everyone to visit the Megiddo Website. You can apply for membership by clicking on application or by clicking here, and the forums are likewise on the mainpage under the heading "Message Boards."
The information in this wiki is a collection of bits and pieces I've gleaned from years spent on the site and conversations I've had with the friends I've made there. While it may be possible to find some of it on the site (in either the archives or the library), there is a reason I've titled it the "Unofficial Encyclopedia of Megiddo." My experience with Megiddo is not limited to the stories written on the boards or the Megiddo website, but extends to all those conversations had in out of character posts, messenger conversations, brainstorming emails and other medias which contained ideas for the site or about the members which never made it into the stories.
This is not an attempt to put down in writing everything that has happened between all of us (that's not only impossible, but also inadvisable), it is an attempt to create a more complete record of those things which are "Megiddo" by nature. It's a record of the brainstorming, all those things we thought up and couldn't fit in, all those things we passed on because they were too ridiculous or outrageous, even for us, all those things we said for the fun of it, never meaning to make it part of a story at all, and all the times we said "what if."
If you're unfamiliar with Megiddo, again, thank you for taking the time to read this page as far as you have, and I hope you continue, because I've gained much pleasure from the site and it's members over the years. If you're already a member, thank you for taking the time to read this page, and I can only hope I'm capable of explaining more thoroughly those mysterious stories you've heard so much about.
—Christina
