Congratulations! You are on your way to becoming addicted to an old, ascii, out of date game that is a heck of a lot of fun to play.

CURENT GAME 66.47.154.118 Thanks to Ghoti & Flint Web page - Forum thread USEFUL LINKS - EIS Online Creators of Trade Wars 2002 - TW HELP - TW beginners guide

It's pretty easy to start playing... you just pull out any old telnet client, or download a telnet client designed specifically for tradewars, like Swath or Attac. Then, you connect to the tradewars server with the IP address and Port # of the game you want. Free, easy, and multi-platform.

The idea behind the game is that earth has become basically uninhabitable and in the emerging new galactic order a few traders have worked their way into interstellar trading vessels and are prepared to shape history. You begin the game in a merchant cruiser, and you move from space sector to sector docking at ports, buying goods, and selling them to other ports that have a demand for those goods.

As you make money, you can upgrade your ship, start a colony, and in general, attempt to take over the galaxy. There really are a wealth of strategic options in this game, and it can become very complex and stratified over several months.

I thought I would post a few pictures here to give you a general idea of the feel of the game. Enjoy!

It sure is bleak looking though, when you connect for the first time.

Fortunately, things get more engaging quickly after you select a name as the TW 2002 menu appears! Woohoo! You made it!

As you will soon realize after heading to sector 1, Earth has been destroyed, and the colonists are just dying to get off that heap of rubble. Will you take them to a brave new world, or jettison them off into space?

I guess it's up to you...

Anyways, this game is all about moving around and making money in various ways. You then spend it on a variety of things, hoping to eventually use your money to conquer the universe.

Stardock is a place where you can buy many interesting things

And you may even run into the scourge of the galaxy!

Whome it is your duty to destroy.

If you're lucky, your planet will eventually become the stronghold of your galactic empire

Or if your not so lucky....

The Ferrengi may eat you.

I hope you enjoyed this little pictorial introduction to the game of Tradewars 2002. There are many tutorials on the tactics and strategy of this game, and I suggest you investigate the Useful Url's thread to learn more.