[uranbigis]

Alinestra Covelia- (February 2000)
I think I started after I posted a scenario question to the administrators, and they referred me to the lively message boards. So that makes my first posts probably roundabout a year ago, and on the Civ2 Creation thread.
I very quickly reproduced and spread like some fulsome cancer, spreading my cybermass into the AC threads. Relatively recently, in February of this year, I successfully began my first story (a spoof) in the Fiction thread, to general indifference.
This juvenile piece of fiction can be found at: http://apolyton.net/forums/Forum14/HTML/000173.html?
Following this triumphant exercise in utter mediocrity, I refused to sit on my hardies and instead returned after a four-month hiatus, to try writing something sensible and straight faced. My housemates occasionally see what it is that I've written and express utter disbelief that anybody would read such works. But then again, none of my housemates play Alpha Centauri, which may explain their lack of appreciation. (She said, covering her ass.)
The serious fiction is here: http://apolyton.net/forums/Forum14/HTML/000223.html
Otherwise, I managed to start a hundred-post topic about the Chairman, Communism, and China (the three Cs), which got as much vitriol as it did praise, and I also lurk unhealthily around Off Topic.
Apolyton also served as my hiding place for a little while when my stuff got deleted from the Hard Drive, hence it was that many of my web pages were first showcased in discreet posts here (e.g. the Height Peeing Competition, Helium Pond's Tech Trees, etc).
I'm trying to remember what life was like before I came to Apolyton. I think I must have been comatose or something.

ghen- (August 1999)
I first started posting under the name Fast_Eddie in June of whatever year I made this name. I used to complain in the CTP section about bugs, but only for the first day because everyone (CD) had mods out to fix my problems.
Apolyton is the first place I used the name Ghen, now it is my primary nickname. Typing it over and over again for the past year and whatever has etched it into my brain.
Also, my posts double the count to my left, from double logins, Fast_Eddie, and post count reductions. My that was a fun week.

Lazarus and the Gimp- (pre-august 2000, sometime in May?)
I called Joe an "imbecile", a "wanker" and a "twisted little inbreed, rotting in a trailer park". In the same post I'm fairly sure I leveled some fairly ripe comments at Michael Jeszenka as well, before denouncing the forum as a haven for Nazis and storming off in a huff, swearing never to come back.

Faboba- (2-15-99)
I started out in Civ 2 strategy by posting three times during a period of about 8 months. Then when call to power started I lurked around posting a line or 12 in the game engine forum when I left and went to the CTP offtopic. And then I couldn't be bothered moving anymore.
My first post said some gibberish about defending cities.

MLeonard (The other OT Moderator)- (August 1999)
I started in the OT and my first thread was "Your Favorite/Best Monty Python Sketch" I posted it twice because I spelled Python "Pythin" and since I had never used a UBB before I figured it would go away on its own, I contacted Ming and had him delete it though.
My Username is my first initial and last name, I probably would have chosen. For any of you who don't know my first name and are simply dying to know, it's Matt

Evil Capitalist- (July 2000)
My first post would have bee in the SLeague section (the only other bit of Apolyton I visit that often). I can't remember what it was about. I was soon in the Civ3 section, where my first post was about exploration of the new world. After about 2 weeks I entered the OT, and suddenly realized where the huge post counts had come from. My first post here [In the OT] would have been the 'racist Hollywood' thread, of which I am now dreadfully ashamed
I came here in search of Scenarios, started posting in the Sleague forum, then stumbled across the OTF. Since then I have lost any semblance of a social life. However my ability to express myself in words has increased dramatically, and I have met a lot of knowledgeable, interesting people, so my friends can go and get knotted.

The Mad Monk- (March 2000)
My very first post was in the Civ II community forum, after weeks of lurking. It was in the now legendary Mountain Cities thread, and went something like this:

Tell that to the Swiss...

This was my first post at any forum ever.
The thread, by one Alexander's Horse, is located here: http://apolyton.net/forums/Forum1/HT...tml?date=09:45
...and may give newcomers some insight to his new ahem 'title'...

White Knight- (February 2000)
I am WhiteKnight and I came to Apolyton many moons ago for Civ2 information and mod packs. I decided to join the forum about a year ago, and have spent many hours since reading the boards.
My username is because of my chess playing days, and I thought it sounded pretty good

Sprayber- (October 2000)
I am Sprayber. I am different things to different people. I came to Apolyton to indulge my SMAC habit. Now I have expanded to CIV and CTP. Of course OTF is good for relaxing after work.
[My username is a] Shortened form of my last name. Well two letters anyway. I wanted to use Scipio but it wouldn't let me.

Phantom- (January 2000)
I came here because I wanted to improve my English

Rogan Josh- (July 2000)
I am not here for Civ (heresy!) although I do play it. L&tG actually pointed me to this place (although I am sure he doesn't know who I am). When I saw some discussions I just had to comment since I am an opinionated bastard. Once you post you just have to keep checking to see if anyone responds (they never do ), so I am still here - vaguely at least.
[Story behind username] I'm a lamb curry (no really...!)

Snapcase on Snapcase- (September 1999)
-I was once deprived, deprived of the internet, but always a great fan of the PC game; The most exciting prospect for me once was SMAC, Which I read about in PC FORMAT Magazine. When listing it they said the site, the site of firaxis that is, had a great forum; when I came upon the internet, and in nineteen ninety-eight I joined it. When that was closed I aimlessly wandered about, finding enjoyment elsewhere; Finally I came to rest upon Apolyton and I have not come back. Touché!

-Like the story of why I ended up at York University, the story of my user name takes several steps to explain.
My first user name on owo was one of those annoying newbie user names with lots of capitals in weird places (tOFfGI, short for The Open Forum for Gaming Ideas). After posting about 1300 times with this login (which is was more there than it is here), I decided to re-register as something more sensible. A trend at that moment was Literary Characters, so I chose Cornelius Murphy out of Robert Rankin's books. Everyone derided me for it, saying "Cornelius" sounded like a redneck, etc. etc. So I switched to another character from the same books, Hugo Rune. I was unhappy with this user name, though, as I didn't particularly like that character.
So, when the opportunity came to change my user name on Apolyton (I had registered here as Hugo Rune, originally), I opted for a small character from the Discworld Novels by Terry Pratchett (He only occurs in about five or six lines in the entire series, and only as a secondary reference, once in a list of previous patricians in Guards, once as a commissioner for one of BS Johnson's works, and a few times in Feet of Clay as an example for keeping Vetinari in place; strangely enough people seem to remember him, because all references to him are funny), which I judged sufficiently obscure to be a user name.
All my subsequent names have been variants of this name, The Call of Snapcase a Lovecraft reference, Like a Preserved Snapcase on Stage a Spinal Tap reference (A line (with "moose") from the interviews during the ending credits (this one with Derek Smalls) in case anyone was wondering), Snapcase's Temporary DL self-explanatory, and Snapcase on Snapcase a reference on all of those autobiographies with titles like "Scorcese on Scorcese".

-[How Snapcase ended up at York University]
*sigh*
My father has essentially his entire working life worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Stockholm. Part of the job condition at the Ministry is that none of the higher-level employees stay at the same post for more than, maybe, five or seven years at a time. It is also almost a requirement that a significant number of positions held should be on embassies rather than at home. In 1971, my father left his post in New Delhi to move back to the ministry. In 1975, he met my mother, just when he was about to be transferred out again. My mother, who had been a refugee, did not want to leave the country, so my father managed to delay transfer until he finally got a position almost forced upon him in Budapest (my mother's home city), to which my Mother reluctantly agreed. I was born three months before we moved.
After five years we moved back home, and my early schooling was all in Sweden. Again, we tried to delay a transfer out of the country because of my school, but in 1993 we were forced to chose a new position, and ended up in Tanzania. Here I went to the Swedish School in Dar es Salaam, but this only went up to 6th Grade, after which I had to switch to the International School. This had the structure of 8+2+2 (i.e. eight years of primary and junior high school, two years of IGCSE and two years of IB) rather than the Swedish system of 9+3. After the spell in Tanzania, we were supposed to move to another country, but we got no good positions at the time and had to move back to Sweden. As I had just finished the IGCSE, I had two options: either go to an IB school, or drop one year and go to a normal Swedish Gymnasium. I did not want to do the latter, and thus ended up in the IB system at Kungsholmens Gymnasium in Stockholm.
The final piece of the puzzle concerns the fact that the IB diploma is highly valued in the US and UK, but not at all in Sweden. So I had both the opportunity to go abroad, and was forced to do so, and so I picked a university in the UK and came here. (The US is too expensive for my meager Student Loan.) Good enough for ya?

Provost Harrison- (February 2000)
Started coming to Civ sites because I have been a Civ/Civ2/SMAC player for many years. I eventually found myself posting at the alpha.owo posters about a year and a half ago, but then had a break in my 'internet career'. When I returned, alpha.owo has disappeared up it's own posterior so I came here. And here I am now. No real good reason, I just am. And I don't regret it!
[My username is] from the title of the leader of the university faction in SMAC (Provost Zakharov), a scientifically and research-based faction. It is apt as I like SMAC, I am a 'man of science' and they are my favourite faction. And the 'Harrison', well it is my surname of course I have held the title 'Provost Harrison' since the days of alpha.owo. Despite a brief change to 'AI', I will stick with my present title (some forums I use the handle 'Provost' just for brevity

Richard Burns- (November 1999)
About a year and a half ago, I was looking for Civ 2 information on the web. I came across this site, with its vast reservoir of knowledge. After I had gotten a lot of strategy help, I happened to stumble across the Clash of Civilizations project, and have been working with that for about a year. Recently that project has slowed down, so I wandered over to the OTF to see what it was like. I got involved in a few discussions and I am now hooked.

Titan.- (May 1999)
I have no idea why I'm here.
I went to owo about 1 year earlier to smac release and when owo closed I came here for two weeks before leaving the forums. I came back last week, I have no idea why.
[My username] comes from my nick at owo Titan with no dot. However here Titan was already taken. I opted for Titan. .
It comes from the ancient Greek Gods predecessors of the Olympians. The choice is also motivated by the Saturn (or Jupiter, I never remember ) moon, which is one of the astral body of the solar system where life is the most plausible.
Titan.

Ramo- (October 1999)

I registered last October after first playing SMAC. I don't think I posted at all. After buying Civ 2 in April, I came back to this site, and found the Off Topic forum... And I got hooked

Sirotnikov- (February 2000)
I came in search of good scenarios for Civ 2. Discovered Civ III section and stayed. Later discovered OT and got corrupted.

Lefty Scaevola- (October 2000)
Barrett H Moursund born, raised, % gone senile in San Antonio, Texas Lawyer (best kind, retired) I spend time here because such forums well suit my intellect, limited sociability & short attention span, no obligation to listen, no obligation to speak, pop in and hang up exactly when you please, wide variety of people and topics, pop over to a specialized forum for special interests.
With increasing IT skills and subject knowledge I might switch some of this time expenditure to a Civ news group.

DarkCloud- (July 2000)
Well what's the story behind your username... mine is the name of my dog 'Cloud' with a 'Dark' in front of it so as to make it sound more interesting... (It also is used in "The Odyssey" when Poseidon speaks to Zeus "Zeus- oh dark clouded one"

Big Crunch- (September 2000)
My user name comes from the types of crisps I like.
Oh, and its also how I believe the Universe will end.

Dissident Aggressor [Now known merely as "Dissident"]- (February 2000)

[My name comes from an] obscure Judas priest song. my other name was derived from an obscure iron maiden song- but also from a polite old west stagecoach robber. Now my 2 months are up I may change it back to Black Bart. it is easier to type. I couldn't get the spelling right on my name 3 times this morning!

UnGod- (July 2000)
[My user name comes from] Stabbing Westward's first album

Caesar the Great- (April 1999)
Mine comes from Caesar, the greatest man to ever live. And Caesar since his time, has been considered the greatest title a man could have. From the Caesar's of Rome, czars of Russia to the Kaisers of Germany… well "the Great" part of my name came from Alexander the Greats name... and no one ever calls Caesar "Caesar the Great" and if anyone, he deserves this title, although his name is already infamous... I guess I wanted to improve upon it

Darth Veda- (2-15-99)
It [the origin of my username] involves a History class, my best friend, the Hindu Veda and a poor joke
"I AM DARTH VEDA!"
I thought it was catchy...

MacUser- (July 1999)
[My Username] is in remembrance of a favorite magazine that died: MacUser. Well, that and the obvious!

suas333- (February 2000)
Show Up At Shea was the New York Mets team motto a few years ago, so I took the first letters [for my name]. 3 is just my favorite number.

Dr Strangelove- (February 2000)
[My username is] A must see movie starring Peter Sellers. Originally I eschewed user names, preferring to use my own. But I started frequenting forums where flame wars were too frequent, so I decided a little anonymity would be a useful thing.

Stefu- (2-15-99)
[My username] is short of my second name, Stefanus, and I got that second name when I was still waiting to be born and my brother and sister were checking the calendar and it wasn't sure yet whether I'd be boy or girl and the two said "We don't care whether it's boy or girl, we'll call it Stefu!"

phoenixcager- (September 2000)
There's no story behind my username. It's one of those things that just popped into existence some 12/13 years ago.

MikeH- (May 1999)
My name's Mike Hunt, this [the username] is a contraction of that.

bondetamp- (November 1999)
I am bondetamp. Bondetamp is I.
Now bow before me.
Bondetamp is an old, patronizing term used for farmer, used in Danish and Norwegian language. Describing the simple, toiling soul. It was used by Holberg, and probably earlier as well.
Needless to say, I grew up on a farm.
The name came to me as I, a few years back, wringed my brain for a good username for my first e-mail address on Yahoo. For some reason I found usernames like spawnofsatan95874 and angelofdeath8963 somewhat uninspiring (a friend of mine was actually baffled when he saw that someone had already nicked the address 'darkangel@hotmail.com' ) so I figured a Norwegian name would do the trick. I also figured that it went rather nicely with the server name -Yahoo.

Rand Al'Tor- (?),
A character from Robert Jordan's "Wheel of Time" Series (badly misspelled [Rand Al'Thor] is the correct spelling )

Lews Therin- (?)
A character from Robert Jordan's "Wheel of Time" Series

Usually Insane- (March 1999)
[Story behind username] (Milop) well... the beginning comes from a game called battle Isle, and is short for Military Operator. the rest is internationaled from Offerlamm, which I called myself when I was being thoroughly trashed in a game of quake/duke nukem? don't remember really X_X

MOBIUS- (December 1999)
[Story behind username] An old arcade gaming handle...
The MOBIUS strip is the symbol for 'infinity'. To me, by extension, that represents the Universe...
I am the Universe!

Also I pride myself in being able to understand both sides of an argument - I believe that the unique attributes of the Mobius Strip represents this perfectly!
My name is in capitals as it affirms my individuality by distinguishing me from the lower cased masses...

Ming (The Loveable Moderator)- (2-15-99)
I started posting on the Greek site before the merger [Of The Ultimate Civ Site and The 1st Greek Civilization II Site into Apolyton], so I really can't remember.
I will assume it was in the Civ Strategy section, since that was what I came to the site for, and I will assume it was long post, because I was always long winded on the subject of strategy

[My name came] From the old Flash Gordon movie serials and comic strip...
Ming the Merciless. The nasty bad guy