QUOTE(new-world-order @ Apr 15 2006, 09:56 AM) 
Travian is a good one check it out http://www.travian.com
I'm with new-world-order on this. I'm a big fan of Travian, and I see that it has been around for quite a long time, and is still going strong. The current version of Travian is v3, which probably wasn't around when new-world-order made his/her post above. The graphics, while still simple, are certainly better than previous versions, and new gaming features such as the ability to conquer oases with Heros, adds to the fun of this browser-based MMOG.For those who don't know what Travian is, think of a simplified version of Settlers of Catan, mixed with elements of Age of Empires, but with only three races, the Romans, Gauls (French), and Teutons (Germans). The resources available are Lumber, Clay, Iron and Crop, with Crop being the most valuable as it is used to feed your army as well as for building upgrades. Research done in the Academy allows you to train more advanced military units. Once an army is trained up, it can be sent out to attack an opposing village, with the outcome of the battle dependent upon the quantity of offensive cavalry and/or infantry troops, and any upgrades they have, versus the quantity of defensive cavalry and/or infantry troops, and any upgrades they have, plus any defensive battlements, such as a Palisade Wall. Scouts can be sent before the attack is launched to determine the disposition of the target's troops, and reinforcements can be sent to bolster the defenses of the defending village. Seige engines can be used to overcome the effects of battlements, and waves of attacks can be sent out to try to outwit the defenders. Counter-attacks can be made while the incoming attack is away from their home village. Team-play is encouraged with groups of players forming into Alliances for coordinated attacks and defending. As these Alliances grow, they will often form branches, known as wings. These Alliances and their wings become a Confederacy, through diplomatic ties. Non-aggression pacts can also be negotiated. Eventually larger Confederacies will partner up, forming meta-Alliances that can hold the balance of power on an entire Travian server.
But such a massive show of unified force would make the game quickly boring for non allied players if there wasn't some form of check and balance. In Travian, this comes in the form of the Natars, a fourth race, mythical in nature, that are released on the unsuspecting inhabitants of the game world after a certain period of time. The Natars are ruthless, brutal, and bloodthirsty NPC's that will attack anyone arbitrarily, no matter what strong friends their victim may have. The Natars are the great leveler in Travian, and many large meta-Alliances have been brought low by them. Should an Alliance be strong enough to defeat a Natar village, they may uncover the plans for building a massive Wonder of the World, a building so great that it can only be built on a certain type of valley plot (which first must be found) and even then costs such an enormous amount of resources that no one player could do it alone, and the support of a solid team is needed to achieve such a thing. The first Alliance to raise a World Wonder to level 100 wins the server and the game is over. But doing so is not easy, as anyone who begins a World Wonder instantly becomes target of both Natars and other enemy Alliances alike.
This is a brief primer of what Travian is all about. There is much, much more to it than this, but you get the general idea, I'm sure.
