What is it and who is it for? If you're reading this, chances are the highlight of your involvement in Europa is when the magazine arrives every other month. "EXchange" and "Rules Court" are consistently among my favorite sections of TEM.

So about a year ago when GR/D announced Europa On Line appearing on the GEnie network, I quickly joined. For me it was a chance to tap into the world of the EPA community on a daily basis. After nearly a year of unstructured existence, Europa On Line has gained enough support from the Europa community to warrant more GR/D involvement. So here we go!

The Story So Far

In the last year Europa On Line has featured John Astell, who has given readers insight into how Second Front is progressing. Gary Stagliano keeps us up to date on Winter War, and has even called playtesters to arms using the Bulletin Board. To date several gamers have picked up the challenge.

Other notables have included Tom Johnson of Europafest fame and Dennis Dubberley, designer of The Urals. The list of participants continues with Winston Hamilton and Rick Gayler from GR/D. The new direction of Europa On Line will focus people's talents into "Topics" of discussion so members can take an active role in Europa.

Topics Open To Date

These are shown in the box as they appear on GEnie. The number appearing under "Msgs" is the number of entries into that Topic of discussion. As of October the number of messages came to average about one per day. Not too bad considering Europa On Line has been considered inactive by GEnie standards.

Rules Court

Got a rules question and need an answer in your natural lifetime? If the Europa games you play are like mine, waiting for a Rules Court decision can seem like an eternity. No more! Rick Gayler has opened a Rules Court Topic with the same authority as found here in the magazine. In fact, many questions found on GEnie will find their way into the magazine.

How will it work? Presently, any question asked by Wednesday will be answered by the following Sunday. Not bad, hey? Get an answer in less than 4 days and never more than 10. An unofficial interpretation may be available the same day! Rules Court by itself should be incentive enough for the average Europa gamer, but there's more!

Customer Service

New and improved, the Customer Service Topic is now fully staffed. Just tell Stephanie your problem and a reply will be waiting within a short period of time. Stephanie is a full-time employee of GR/D and is learning the GEnie ropes.

Chrome Rules

Got a rule which will enhance your favorite Europa game? Post it here. A Chrome Rule should not serve to change the system or alter the designer's intention - it should add detail without hindering play. One of my favorite Chrome Rules is to allow air units with a tactical bombing factor of 4 or greater to roll twice against the same target.

What's your favorite home brew or Chrome Rule? All submissions will be collated and filed away for use in a possible "Master's Rule Set" for players who have gone beyond the Optional and Advanced Rules.

EXchange

The EXchange Topic will be the same as in the magazine; in fact, some letters written to the magazine will be posted by GRD1. So if you have something to say, put it here. Not only will you probably get a quick response from someone else on the network, but unlike the magazine you won't have to wait for the next issue to see if anyone did respond. EXchange promises to be the liveliest and most entertaining Topic in Europa On Line!

Opponents Wanted

Opponents Wanted is as the name implies. Tentative plans also call for a very limited GameMaster Service for any Europa On Line game. (The games will have to adhere to certain software guidelines, however.) Quite often, all that's needed to get a PBEM match started is an impartial person to roll the die, which is probably the extent of the service for now. And remember, "Rules Court" is also now on GEnie.

Getting Started

First, follow the instructions in the ad found in this magazine. This, however, will only get you a password. Verification from GEnie will be required to activate it. Once activated, you will be allowed to sign on and get involved. Europa isn't the only category on GEnie of interest to wargamers, so your effort will be well-rewarded for the cost involved. (Although the sign-on membership fee is now being waived for Europa members, there is a slight monthly service charge.)

Once you have your password verified, here are a few hints which will get you into the Europa category quickly. First, however, let me explain some of the terms I've used throughout this column to help you through the world of electronic Europa.

Category... Europa is in Category 26. Once you get into "Scorpia's Roundtable," located on page 805, you will have to instruct GEnie to take you to the proper location.

Topic... These are the areas of discussion as shown on the previous page. Although you're not confined by the listed Topics, please resist opening a new Topic until you've learned the GEnie ropes. After that, if you or your group feel a need for your own Topic within the Europa Category, I fully encourage you to open one.

Messages... After you read a message GEnie will prompt you with several choices, one of which is "DO YOU HAVE A REPLY?". We hope so, because that's what Europa On Line is all about.

Let's start with your sign-on then. After your modem has made contact with the GEnie network you will get a prompt, the same as when you received your password. It looks like this: U#=. At this prompt, type your password without spaces. At the end of your password enter a comma without a space, then "805" followed by a semicolon, and then "l." It should look like this: xtx12345,xxx,805;1"

At this point Genie will welcome you on and advise you of your last log-on. Next comes the GEnie Star-Services menu. To get where you're going quickly, at the prompt just hit . If you've logged on with the ",805;1" after your password, the next menu to appear will be in "Scorpia's Roundtable" at selection "'I". The selection "'I" was predetermined by entering the "'I" after the "805." A menu will appear as illustrated in the box below.

Your cursor will be next to the question mark. Enter '7' to SET the category; GEnie will then ask "Which category?". Enter "26" for the Europa category. At this point you're there! If this is the first time you've been on GEnie, there is a lot of reading to do. By entering "5," the Topic list on the prior page will appear. To read any messages, type '7." GEnie will then ask "Which Topic?". Select as desired from the list. GEnie will then ask "Which message?". Enter either a specific number or "all." GEnie will then offer several three letter choices: I always use "CAT." After your first time on GEnie in the Europa category if you've read all the messages, merely entering a "2" will tell you which topics have new messages since you last signed on.

Note selection 16. Your name" will default to your mail address unless you enter a special name here.

Did I say "mail address"? Well if you're looking for opponents and wish to play by mail, GEnie mail gets it there in seconds! Not overnight for $7.95, or two days for $2.40, or even calling your opponent by phone to send your move via modem. Your move will be there in seconds via GEnie mail for $4.95 per month! And the Europa Library contains some other goodies as well to help you in the PBEM arena.

I've defined "Category": it's an area of discussion in the Roundtable. But what is the "Roundtable"? Typing "805" without the %11" will take you to the main menu of the Roundtable. Typing "3" will then get you into the Europa Library. What's in the Library? Find out in the next issue, or sign on and find out in a few days!

In closing, the quickest way to exit GEnie is to type "Bye" at the prompt. Bye.