Games Like Archmage: Where Are the Veterans Now?

I Was There

I started in the 2000s when browser games meant something different. Archmage was legendary. A strategy game where guilds fought for dominance, where politics mattered as much as tactics, where your reputation followed you for years.

When Archmage eventually shut down, the community scattered. But it didn't disappear. We found each other again.

If you're searching for that feeling—the 3am coordination, the guild politics, the enemies who became friends—I can tell you where to look. Because I've been looking for 15 years.

The Direct Successor: The Reincarnation

The Reincarnation is where most Archmage veterans went. It's the spiritual successor—same style of gameplay, same depth of guild politics, many of the same players still active after two decades.

The game runs on reset cycles. Every 2-3 months, servers reset and everyone starts fresh. You build your mage, join a guild, and fight for dominance until the set ends. Then you do it again, carrying only your reputation and relationships.

Why I Played for 15 Years

This is where I learned that browser games could change your life.

I started as a newbie, watching from the outside. The guild I looked up to was OuT—Once Upon a Time. They weren't the biggest alliance. They were the most skilled. A condensed group of players who understood the game at a level most people never reached.

Before OuT, winning was a numbers game. They proved you could win with talent.

I studied how they played. Analyzed their moves. Eventually, I joined them. And over time, I became one of the top players myself—by learning from people who were better than me.

The Players Who Shaped the Game

WarTree was the diplomat. He could offer you a deal that looked beneficial—genuinely good for your guild—and you'd agree. Then three weeks later you'd realize he'd somehow positioned himself to win no matter what happened.

Tjinn was the mathematician. He treated the game like a puzzle, finding loopholes nobody else could see. Last I heard, he went into professional poker.

Shiraha taught me things that extended beyond the game. I learned digital marketing because of him. A browser game friendship that turned into real-world skills.

And Detritus? He was a constant enemy for years. We fought. He was one of those players you couldn't break. After years of being on opposite sides, we became friends. When I stopped playing TR, Detritus was the one who recruited me to Agonia.

The mIRC Days

All of this happened on mIRC. Not Discord—that didn't exist yet. You'd idle in your guild's channel, waiting for pings. When a war broke out, the channel would light up. Different timezones checking in one by one.

But it wasn't all war. When there was no fight happening, you'd just... hang out. Someone's dealing with a breakup. Someone else just got a new job. Another guy is recommending an album you've never heard of.

And every so often, someone would type: /me slaps UserB around a bit with a large trout

If you know, you know.

Where the Veterans Are Now

The Reincarnation is still running, but after 15 years I needed something new. Here's where I and others ended up:

Agonia — Where I Play Now

After 15 years in The Reincarnation, Detritus—the enemy who became a friend—recruited me to Agonia. Different mechanics, same feeling: faction warfare, coordination, stakes that matter.

I'm 500+ days in. I still set 3am alarms. The community is tight-knit in the same way TR was in its prime. Your reputation matters. People remember your name.

If you're an Archmage/TR veteran looking for something that captures the essence without the exact same mechanics, this is my recommendation.

Quick Comparison

Other Options

Open Dominion

An open-source remake of Dominion, which was similar to Archmage in style. Free, community-run, active development. Worth checking if you want something closer to the original formula.

Torn

Different theme (crime instead of fantasy) but the largest text-based RPG still running with 15,000+ daily players. If you want a massive community and faction warfare, Torn has it—just with a different coat of paint.

What You're Really Searching For

If you're Googling "games like Archmage" in 2025, you're not looking for a feature list. You're looking for a feeling.

The 3am raids where everyone shows up. The guild politics where your word is your reputation. The enemies who might become your closest allies if you both stick around long enough.

I spent 15 years chasing that feeling. I found it in The Reincarnation. I lost it for a while. And then I found it again in Agonia.

The games are different. The feeling is the same.