Every bi-monthly issue of the Acta this volume has included a guest editorial in our global news page 1, and this issue is no different! Now I know many of you know Kallistos Alexandros, or have seen him around the site, as he is very prolific in his contributions, activities and interests... but perhaps not many of you know much about the man behind the persona! In Kallistos' editorial (which he very kindly managed to donate for me on short notice, without complaint! I owe you Sir K.), he talks about his view of what it is to be an active participant, something of which he surely has knowledge of. He also has, in this editor's opinion, the best music in all of AncientWorlds, so click on his link below and let it play while you read his words. Gorgeous stuff! Ok, take it away, Kallistos!

By Kallistos Alexandros

I recently got a post from a Dayling asking me, “How do you play this game?” It was a young man who had somehow encountered Ancient Worlds on the net and wanted to know how to play the game. My answer is simple, you play the game of Ancient Worlds by participating. The only rules are The Rules Of Conduct and as long as you abide by these, the rest is all up to you. Ancient worlds is to you, what you make of it. You can lurk and watch the others playing, but to “play the game” you have to participate and the more you do the better the experience gets for you.

Getting started can be as easy as saying hello on the welcome thread in the group of your choice. When you join your first group, someone always greets and welcomes you. Say hello back and you have started to participate. There is no limit to where you can go from there. We have levels here and to me that indicates levels of participation. After enough involvement in one level, you move up to the next and each succeeding level presents greater opportunities to enjoy the site. The enjoyment increases directly with the level of your participation.

There are many things here for all members and all interests. If you like to do graphics, you have been given 4 free pages already set up to decorate anyway you wish. If you don’t know how to do what you want, try the group, Arachne’s Web. You will find enough information there to put up a good home site and much more. You don’t even need to join, but if you do there are members there happy to help on a one to one basis. Post a question and you are already participating in Ancient Worlds discussion.

Are you into audio, video, pod casts, and multi media? try the group Audiophiles, that’s what it’s all about. Want to do creative writing, try Quill And Parchment or The Scribes Palette. There are professionals there who will be glad to help. Do you just want to chat and meet new friends? go to the groups list and look for social groups. Some of them like The Macedonian Bar And Grill, are open boards where you don’t need to join anything at all just drop in and say hello; you’re participating.

The Scribes here at Ancient Worlds are constantly working to provide events with all manner of entertaining interactive features for all members. Join in. Come have some fun by participating with your fellow members. You’re always invited and new faces from all the worlds are more than welcome. Interactive isn’t interactive for you unless you participate.

Participation for some can be writing articles for your home world and others. The worlds here are all neighbors. Don’t get compartmentalized. Interact with your neighbors, that’s community. You can create academic posts on one of our many academic groups or put up pictures of you cat on Nine Lives. It’s all participation and participation is the game. The object of Ancient Worlds is enjoyment and the more active and involved you are, the more enjoyment you will get out of it. Ancient Worlds is a virtual community and like a RL community it thrives on the participation of its members. Jump in, get involved, get active, be a participant. It’s “how to play this game” and this game can be a lot of fun for you if you just take advantage of the opportunities for participation.

That was wonderful Kallistos! Now on with our Global News..

Beginning April 20, of course, our annual AW Springfest! kicks off, and the teams of Celtia, Rome, The Americas, and Egypt are hard at work on the usual mind-blowing assortment of travel, history, quizzes, games, graphics, and more that have come to symbolize our semi-annual site festivals. Your reporter has been sniffing around, trying to get a feel for the 'theme' of Springfest (it will have its own Special Edition next month in the ACTA). Well, in one word - booze! From the founding day of AncientSites in July, 1997, everyone kicked back and enjoyed virtual Falernian wine. Since then, the sheer amount of spirituous liquors around AW has always been a standing laugh. Socializing over anything from pulque to Japanese green tea to retzina, our worlds have always equated fine liquors with fine times.

Taking a leaf off that theme, this year's Springfest will feature multiple projects built around the history of drinking in the ancient world - not just the intoxicating beverages, but those that became parts of their cultures. A "Bragging Rights" contest between divinities of the various worlds will give us a chance to make you laugh, while teaching you about everything from pulque to Falernian, meade to barley beer. There should be a lot of food, wine, and fun involved, not to mention - enough spirits to raise the roof! (Celtia, not to be outdone, has projects planned involving good-looking Celts in kilts - let's say, a quest to find William Wallace while knocking back a few?)

In any event, stay tuned for next month's ACTA Special Edition, which will provide all the info needed to celebrate Springfest April 20-23! (That issue due out April 15th, just in time to mark the events your interested in on your calendar)