Hogwarts Extreme

Summary
Roleplay as a Hogwarts student in the Harry Potter universe, by playing games, doing homework, chatting, and collecting objects.

Description
Type: RPG
Platform: Online Forum
Players: Mass Community
Age: PG 13
Game Time: N/A
Developer or Designer: N/A
Publisher: N/A

Pros

Cons

Review



, also known as HEX, is a forum based roleplaying game, in which you enrol as a student Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry. Once a member, you will be able to attend class, do homework assignments, earn house points, collect objects, chat on message boards, and make friends with other Harry Potter fans.

There is a lot going on at HEX, and as a result, it means newcomers have a lot of reading to do about how everything works. This can be a bit daunting, and might put some people off, but you needn't worry too much. Instead of reading everything all in one go, take it in small chunks. A lot of the features (such as opening a shop and playing quiddich) won't initially be relevant to you to start with anyway. All the rules and instructions are easy to navigate through, and they use screenshot to explain how to do things.



The first thing you're going to want to do after registering is to get sorted into your house. To do this, you simply write a little blurb about yourself - describe your likes/dislikes, personality, favourite books/films/characters, etc. The more information you give, the easier it will be for the admin (sorry, sorting hat) to determine which house you belong in. The house you are put in is non-negotiable, so don't ask to get changed.



Out of all the Harry Potter RPGs I've played, I have so far been put into Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and this time Ravenclaw. Once sorted, you have access to your house common room (you cannot access the other common rooms); this is a forum where all your fellow housemates can chat, play games, and set up competitions. The activities that go on in each common room are different. For example, in the Ravenclaw common room, we are currently having a carnival. Different contests are being held, such as creating a carnival theme recipe, entering a raffle, and giving a tarot reading.

There are also forum-wide contest available for everyone. In a theme with Valentine's Day, current contests include writing about why Dolores Umbridge loves cats. There are also art forums, and a fan fiction section, where you can share your work.



Although it is a forum based game, there are lots of great graphics, and interactive features. The best example is probably Diagon Alley, where you can enter shops, and buy lots of different objects. These are usually books for class from Florish & Blotts, or food to feed to your pets.

You are allowed up to three pets. The include various owls and cats, a rat, toad, tarantula, hamster, a reindeer, and a pet rock. These pets get given random personalities, but unfortunately, you cannot interact with them, which kind of makes it all a bit pointless.



A lot of the objects don't do anything either, but are just there to be collected. You can even start collecting your own wizards cards to put on display. Some items do have functions, though. For example, equipping quills and ink changes the font of your text in the forums. You can also buy prank objects that cause other people's messages to read funny.

You can buy these objects through several means, either at Diagon Alley, Knockturn Alley, Hogsmeade, auctions, or at a forum member's own shop, where items might be going cheaper.



To buy these items, you use galleons, sickles, and knuts. These can be earned by selling items, participating in activities, and collecting your Daily Money. The Daily Money jackpot changes hourly, so if it is low when you go to check, it is worth waiting and coming back later. There is also a double money hour. Pick a chest, and it could either double your money, or give you nothing.



Classes at HEX are a few paragraphs about a certain topic, which has been written by a teacher. You are then given a homework assignment to complete based on that information. This could be be true or false questions, fill in the blanks, or trivia. Submit your homework to get a grade, and house points.

Most of the features of HEX are really enjoyable, but there are two sections that really need work. They are the dorms and clubs. These are basically exclusive forums you can join, where you can talk about specific topics. The dorm has the added benefit of a trunk, where you can store your items (your inventory has limited space, whereas a trunk is like a tardis of space). The concept is good, but unfortunately, there are thousands of inactive dorms and clubs that you have to sift through. New members could spend ages looking for a dorm to join, only to find that all the founders have long since left the forum. They really need to clear these old forums and start anew.

Categories
#free
#online
#forum
#rpg
#roleplay
#harry_potter
#social

%giventogaming