Phoenix: Beyond the Stellar Empire has recently celebrated its 21^st birthday, yup an open ended space opera that has been running for 21 years! It has evolved from a pen and paper postal game through email and has for some years now been primarily web-based.

With a game that has been around for so long, qualifying it with a terse statement is impossible. You can read more about it here:

An older article regarding its origins can be found here:

And a review here:

There are also a whole bundle of Inter Galactic News articles on all aspects of the game (including reviews of other games and general items of interest):

But before reading any of these, is the game for you?

• If you hate gaming with fickle kids, know that our typical player has been with us for a few years and is in their 30’s-40’s.
• The universe is an open-ended space opera where events of the present shape the future – we do not do zoos.
• If you prefer your sci-fi fairly realistic you will be pleased to know the moderation team is led by an astrophysicist who handles the unique exploration features of the game.
• If you like combat to be both straightforward but also highly nuanced, then the article on how damage is calculated will fascinate you – especially if you, like us, dump a game if the combat system is rubbish. 
• You can game alone or join a faction, you are not forced into either.
• There are plenty of places to go where nobody tells you what to do.
• Due to the turn-based nature of the game, it can fit in around the day-job, spouse and kids (and even other games).