Barbarians and RPG's  seem to go hand in hand.  There is a great amount of RPG information regarding barbarians on the Web.  Unfortunately, most RPG's tend to treat the poor barbarians like scum.  (The Roman influence, again, no doubt.)  One of the games I reviewed actually has barbarians eating CORPSES (yuk!) to gain stamina.  The following sites are gaming places where barbarians are treated fairly and as an integral part of the game (and not necessarily an evil part.)

• AMTGARD. This particular fantasy war-based game is based in real-life play; the players actually dress up as the characters and act out the battle action.  Check out their home page for more information on the game, and how to find a group near you.
   
  Other AMTGARD sites:
   
  • The Barbarian Guild Homepage.  An AMTGARD Barbarian site, filled with information.
  
  
• Barbarian Kings.  This is an e-mail turn-based RPG/strategy game of European domination during the first centuries C.E.
   
• Bethesda Softworks. Bethesda is the gaming company that brought the world The Elder Scrolls: Arena in early 1994, set in the fantasy milieu of Tamriel.  They have a wonderful site, full of information about their games, including Daggerfall (1996), the sequel to TES: Arena, Redguard (1998), and Battlespire (1998), their latest offering.  Still in the making:  TES 3: Morrowind (due for release in late 2001).
  
  
• Diablo II.  This game single-handedly has brought back a resurgence in barbarianism!  The Barbarian class is one of the most popular ones in the game, and with good reason:  it's the one with the best all-around fighting skills.   Diablo II can be played single-player, or multiplayer at battle.net.  A new expansion set, Lord of Destruction, is now available as well.   Diablo II is the sequel to the still-popular Diablo, also available through Blizzard Entertainment.
  
  Check out the Geamorian Undying Diablo II Barbaian web page.  Lots of information on the clan, battle pictures, characters, and the latest news on the Geamorian players.  Great site!
  
  If anyone else has a web presence about their Diablo II barbarian character, or are running an online guild, and I will put a link up to your character or guild's site here. 
  
   
• The Bonechewer Clan's Homepage.  The Bonechewers are an RPG society of barbarians.  Check them out! 
   
• Happypuppy's Web Site. The premiere web site for computer gaming information.
   
• The Midgard Barbarian Homepage.  An excellent site regarding the Midgard Barbarians, part of an RPG game of the same.
   
• The Mud Connector. For those of you interested in Multiple-User Dungeons (MUDs), this is an excellent site for locating MUDs on the internet.
  
• The up-and-coming Neverwinter Nights features a barbarian class of characters as well.  Many gamers are eagerly anticipating the long-awaited release of this game, one that uses 3rd edition AD&D rules.
   
• RuneQuest.   This game is similar to a D&D setting, but with more flexibility.  The barbarian characters in it are treated as human, if not noble; a nice switch from other games that make them look like bloodthirsty cannibals.  While you're at it, check out Dave Dunham's Glorantha page. Glorantha is one of the milieu in which RuneQuest may be played.
   
• The demise of the venerable Sir-Tech was a stunning blow to the Computer Role-Playing community.  In a way, it was to be expected, with the prolonged wait for the release of Wizardy 8.  Sir-Tech Canada, the only remaining branch of the organization, is still determined to release the  final episode in the 18-year saga of the acclaimed Wizardry series.    The last installment in the series, Crusaders of the Dark Savant, had a party of adventurers exploring a lost world in search of an all-powerful artifact that could create or destroy universes.  Whether or not Wizardry 8, the culmination of the last 2 Wizardry games: Bane of the Cosmic Forge and Crusaders of the Dark Savant, will ever be released is anyone's guess.  Stay tuned for more information.
  
  LATEST INFO:  Wizardry 8 is due for release in mid-2001.  Sir-Tech Canada is still carrying forth with the project.
  
• A very fun game released in late 2000, Wizards & Warriors, has unfortunately suffered bad reviews and press, but is an extremely enjoyable game and is more like a 3D versions of the old Wizardry games (for fans of the old Wizardry series).  Barbarians are classes in this game as well, with high HP and thieving skills, making them worthwhile characters.   For more information on W&W, check out The Ironworks.  Also, check out the amateur story writings from this game at Freudianslip's W&W Story Archive.  (Make sure to check out "Sazerac's link" ... that's me! [my first attempt at fantasy authorship...])
  
  Also, for the best all-around walkthrough and hint site for Wizards & Warriors, check out Rick Volberding's WW Hint Page.
  

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• If you want to play a barbarian at a renaissance faire,  you'll need to review costuming, accent, and acting behavior for a barbarian at a renaissance or fantasy-related faire.  This character is always popular, mainly because of the freedom of expression it yields.

  Many renaissance faires have active barbarian participants in the faire; some of them act as guards to the royal court.  Texas Renaissance Festival is one such venue.  The head barbarian, Toruk, helps guard the King and Queen of New Market Village.
  
  

• Check out this site for information on Renaissance Faires.  More than likely, there's one close by you.

The Society for Creative Anachronism is an international society devoted to reenacting the medieval world in today's society. Barbarians do play a role in SCA activities, although the majority of players tend to favor european nobility, merchant, peasant, and warrior classes from the 11th to 17th centuries.

The Barbarian Freehold Alliance, a subset of the Society for Creative Anachronism, is an excellent place to display your barbarianly mannerisms and battle skills.  Check them out for more information.  Clan Dana, a Celtic barbarian reenactment group in Scottsdale, AZ, is a member of the BFA.

Another good SCA resouce; check out Drafn.   Drafn is a subset of the Society for Creative Anachronism, concerned with Germanic/Norse reenactment.

If you're in the UK, check out The Vikings Re-enactment Society.  The members of this society seek to recreate the setting of 1000 years hence when Vikings invaded and ruled Britain.

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