no one in my area plays, but a couple highschool buddies i know play, and i'm just kind of wondering what everyone suggests for playing online.


the possible options i see are

- AIM
- MSN messenger
- IRC
- James's client ( http://www.jamesandsian.wanadoo.co.uk/download.html )

just wondering if anyone has any experience trying to play this way and if you could offer any advice.

Well besides the obvious choice of playing an online game here in the forums, which moves at a slower pace than the game options you put out, I have heard good things about IRC and Trillian. Trillian works as a single interface for AIM, MSN, Yahoo, ICQ and IRC and has the added benefit that it automatically logs all conversations so it is easy to go back and look at the meeting between the players and the Johnson or track combat etc. I have no experience with these options but several friends have tried them with varying levels of success.

If you and your friends are in multiple time zones though and are willing to work at a slightly slower pace, the DS forums work well for online play, though large groups tend to get bogged down.

I've always loved IRC and used it to great success so far. The boards are nice since it gives you a bit of time to compose your post, say exactly what you mean to say with the added benefit of not having to rush if you're a bit of a slow typer. From your listed options, I'd say IRC.