Does anyone play (or have played) Accursed Lands? I just stumbled upon it for the first time a little while ago. I'm always looking for games like Dwarf Fortress and I think I found something awesome.
If you haven't played AL, it is very similar to Cantr II and WurmOnline, but not tediously boring like those two can get (but I'm still a fan of those games anyway ). It starts out looking like your averaged text-based MMO, but as soon as you try to attack a creature you will quickly find out just how different it is. Everything in AL has been inspired by real-life. Just as in Wurm Online, just about everything can be crafted. Lighting a torch, for example requires all the necessary components.
My first experience was killing a rabbit. The combat really reminded me of Dwarf Fortress. Damage is location-based, and you can 'aim' for body parts. After battle, you can skin the creature, then butcher it's meat for cooking and eating.
There are no levels, no 'classes' and no meta-gaming elements anywhere. Instead of hit-points, you have body parts like Dwarf Fortress that can be damaged. Every skill can be practiced from the start. Reading, skinning, crafting, fighting, hiking, etc can all be practiced. There are no lame 'Practice points' you can spend.
The world is vast and really "feels' vast. Travelling from one town to another takes planning and a lot of time. It is very cool to see a creature like a bird in the same 'room' as you, but it still takes time to 'walk' up to the creature within that room. If exploring is your thing, you can build a cabin in the mountains and live a trapper's life.
AL is a Role-player's dream come true. Using channels to ask 'meta-game' questions is prohibited as is talking about game elements outside of the game (just like Cantr II). Languages pose barriers to different races, and learning new languages can be a translator profession. One of my favorite aspects of this game is the 'accent' command. With it turned on, your words can come out with a different dialect.
There is just so much to this virtual life, that it's difficult to explain until you've played it. Real weather effects, true light/darkness, caves you can explore and dig yourself. I haven't died yet in my game, but according to help docs, the punishment is strict: 75 real-life minutes of being a ghost, unless someone resurrects you (not sure if it is perma-death or not). This makes role-playing all the better. I haven't come in contact with magic, but I've heard it is great too.
It's just an awesome experience. I hope I can get a few of you to come on and try it - the player-base is pretty small. I think the DF forum is probably as good as anywhere to recruit new players.
Website (comes with a decent client): http://www.accursed-lands.com/
More Information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accursed_Lands