So I've been thinking recently that the main thing I miss in gaming these days is talking about the current game I'm playing with my friends.
This has happened to me because of multiple reasons:

Being between houses my rig is in storage so I'm laptop gaming (Yay for GOG!) so no new AAA

There are so many games now compared to my youth, so unless you are playing the flavour of the month none of my friends are (let alone going back to play the games I missed).

If the game I'm playing is old and "everyone" as already finished it so it's hard to have spoiler free discussion (until I finish it, but that's a different kind of discussion).

World of tanks, this is what all my friends seem to be playing (and before that it was TF2, and then RUSE) and I don't have that kinda of time to invest (and when I do they move on to another game), and I still like a good old story driven game.

So where is this all leading? Well I thought maybe a book club style idea where we could have a thread discussing the game currently being played by lots of people.

I thought to start it off with Ultima world's of adventure 2: Martian Dreams. As I've always wanted to give it a try (love the setting), it's FREE, and tfishell was saying that it doesn't get many reviews.

So what do people think? Who would like to join me and how do people think it's best to talk about it? a couple of threads in it's forum maybe one spoiler free, one for help and one just to chill and talk about the game.

*Taking opinions on different games to start off with if people have a strong opinion I'm happy to go with a different game my short-list is below:

Little Big Adventure
Alone in the dark 1
Privateer
Fallout
Ultima Underworld ½
Kingpin
Knights and Merchants
Ultima worlds of adventure 1/2

Sounds like a good idea. The Double Fine forums have been doing a similar thing and I think it's been going well. I might not play along for Worlds of Ultima, but I'd still read people's stuff.

I've never heard of this before, but I'd be interested to see what it's like. Maybe I'd even join in!

Perhaps it would be a good idea to start with a bigger game to generate interest. Baldur's Gate?

I did think that, but the problem is two fold with something like Bg, one most people have played it and most people who want to play it would want to run with different mods leading to a non-homogeneous experience.

I was thinking a point and click but they are too linear, as in someone has either got to a point or they haven't and talking about it would be very spoiler filled.

I also thought of starting with a free one so more people would be inclined to join.

I'm up for playing a different game if more people would be interested:

Looking through my shelf these ones jump out:

Little Big Adventure (got maybe an hour into it)
Alone in the dark 1 (loved the demo back in the day)
Privateer (Love WC love trading, never played)
Fallout (Never played always meant to)
Ultima Underworld ½ (Again always wanted to knuckle down and play them properly)
Kingpin (Bought in a sale as it looked cool)
Knights and Merchants (My brother always told me it was stupidly hard so wanted to beat it)
Ultima worlds of adventure 1/2 (interesting stories)

I'm happy going for any of these, people have any thoughts or preference?

This is fucking brilliant. I know Licurg will demand Sacrifice as the first entry, I'll go ahead and add Giants: Citizen Kabuto, Arcanum, and Sacrifice, in no particular order.

I'm in. I will find the time to do this if you get it going;)

We need some sort of voice or wiki feedback system, not just a thread, I think. Not sure what would be the best, just yet...

This has been tried at some point in the past. And it failed horribly. I was in back then, even tried to play the chosen game, but people lost interest far too easily. Aaanyway, I'd recommend starting off with the first part of Worlds of Ultima if we were to go that road.

Yes, yes, yes. These are good suggestions. My tilt is towards Ultima Underworld 1, then Privateer, then Ultima Underworld 2.

From experience of proper bookclubs - no, you want just a few people that are actually committed and take it serious (not a contradiction - when everyone actually progresses at a similar and focused pace THAT is when proper meaningful and, yes, fun discussions happen). It just doesn't work with too many people. Quality not quantity.

But the reason most avid readers avoid book clubs is because they they have the exclusionary sense of superiority that most real people can't handle without becoming a spree killer :D

I recommend beginning with one of the free games, those who have interest will stay, the others will not, but everyone should have the option to START.

BTW, I'm in for whatever we can play, but I do not own Little Big Adventure, Privateer, Kingpin, or Knights and Merchants from the "short list"

I would recommend Atlantis-the lost tales, Master of Magic, and Arcanum.

I think people should be able to come and go, I have many games here, but I don't really have much money right now to buy games just to participate in whatever the selection is for the month.

And yes, starting with the free games is a good idea.

Bleargh, if just talking about experiences in particular games that I've already played is cool I'm definitely in.

Otherwise I probably won't have the time to regularly play much of anything (jealousy).

Well, as when I got home there wasn't any massive opinion towards anything, I started on Martian dreams played for a couple of hours then had to restart as I had messed up.

But it really drew me in, and I'm really looking forward to playing it again tonight (this time rereading the manual and searching EVERYWHERE)

Something that I feel I didn't make clear, is that I work 7 days a week so I'm going to be progressing at the rate of an about an hour (maybe two) a night. I don't know if this will put people off or even draw in some people who have little time. Either way when I get home tonight I'm going to restart and then post my 1st thoughts.

BTW should I post in the main or game specific forum?

That I can see. But I think it would be better to let everyone be able to enter just to get it off ground. Its hard to have a "locked" discussion on gog anyway. Might as well just see how many that are interested and se how many that stays later on.