Proving Grounds RPG Chats is thrilled to announce the opening of its sixth chat: Dawn’s Gate!

A 3.5 chat with its own setting and flavor, Dawn’s Gate is another great addition to the Proving Grounds RPG Chats family. But don’t take our word for it.  Step down the path and see what adventures await you as you enter Dawn’s Gate!

The latest chat to join the beta test family here at Proving Grounds RPG Chats is Arilaea!  Using the Pathfinder system from Paizo, Arilaea is ready to accept players and looks forward to crafting new tales of adventure with you!  Head on over today and check it out!

Set in the dark, often seedy streets of Manhattan is the latest chat to join the Proving Grounds RPG Chats family.  Brought to you by Eden Effects, The Witching Hour – Manhattan uses the Unisystem rules created for the Buffy and Angel fandoms.  Our first modern chat to go live, The Witching Hour already has a solid player base and seasoned GM team established.  Will you count yourself among them when night falls and The Witching Hour begins?

Welcome to the world once known as Dracnar’s Realm. Where the dragon god Dracnar once ruled with an iron fist before abandoning it and its people to chaos and strife.  Now, ten years later, Io has stepped into the void Dracnar left behind, giving hope to the people of Trinstan once more.  However, lurking in the shadows,  dark plots are still being made.

Shall you be the hero or the villain in the rebirth of this 3.5 chat?  Join today to choose your destiny and pray that you’re able bring forth the desires you seek to fulfill.

Neverwinter Unlimited, the latest chat to join the growing Proving Grounds RPG Chats family, is now open for beta testing!  This 3.5 chat set in the popular Forgotten Realms city of Neverwinter is bound to please with a little something for everyone.

As with all of the chats currently in beta testing with Proving Grounds RPG Chats, now is the perfect time for players to not only have some fun exploring a new chat but to impact the direction the chat takes once it’s officially opened by play testing the various rules and giving feedback on them in the Neverwinter Unlimited forums.

Arm yourself with a stellar character concept and head on over to Neverwinter Unlimited today to join the beta test!

In a world full of overbearing, untamed wilds, little pockets of civilization shine like beacons of hope to road weary travelers and refugees.  Arilaea is one such city, and it serves as the backdrop for one of the latest chats to secure hosting with Proving Grounds RPG Chats.

This chat using the Pathfinder system from Paizo isn’t open for character submissions just yet.  However, the forums are open and ready for any and all interested players and information about the setting is up on the main website.  Now is the perfect time to get your voice heard as important decisions concerning the direction of the chat are in the process of being made before the official grand opening so you’ll want to be doubly sure to register for Arilaea’s forums and take part.

What are you waiting for?  Consider this your gilded invitation to be a part of Arilaea.

Get ready to explore Mordent in this 3.5 edition chat set in the gothic horror setting of Ravenloft!  An official opening date will be announced as soon as it’s decided upon, so stay tuned!

There are two other chats currently in the works.  More details about them will be posted just as soon as I get the go-ahead from their chat admins.

Interested in joining the ranks of the elite few who call themselves Chat Admins and Head DMs?  Fill out the form on the Contact Us page and we’ll happily get you initiated into our noble order by getting you set up with your very own chat!  Chat hosting is free until October 2011 so you have nothing to lose by giving it a try!

I’ve heard from several people that are toying with the idea of opening a chat with Proving Grounds RPG Chats but haven’t quite committed for one reason or another.  Some are a little intimidated at the thought of having their own chat because they’re worried about the amount of time involved in running it.  Others are waiting until the character databases get online.

I seriously cannot stress this enough:  Get off the fence and take the leap into chat hosting.

For those waiting on character databases, I cannot start work on the character database for your chat until I know a) that you’ll actually be hosting with Proving Grounds RPG Chats and b) the particulars of your chat; what game system you’ll be running, what you need on the character sheet, etc …  A character database will take time to code.  The more time I have to work on it before you actually open the doors to your chat, the better for everyone involved.  I’m also working on character databases in the order in which chat’s sign up.  So, if you want priority, you need to contact me now and get the ball rolling.

Which brings me to the other reason people are hesitating: the issue of time.  Online RPG chats can be very time consuming for chat admins if they don’t plan ahead.  Let’s face it, even though it will only take me a few hours to get your WordPress site, forums, dice roller, e-mail accounts, etc … all set up for you, you’re still going to need some time to get all of the setting information posted for you chat.  You’ll need time to get the forums the way you want them.  You won’t be able to simply fling open the doors and start sanctioning characters right away.

However, while you’re doing all of this, you can start generating a buzz about your chat on any game forums you frequent.  You can set up Twitter and Facebook accounts for it that will be automatically updated with links to each new page and blog post you make on your site, thanks to nifty WordPress plugins (yet another reason why WordPress is awesome).  Once given the go ahead, I can direct Proving Grounds RPG Chats’ players your way by setting up banners for your chat on our main page.  You can start to get potential players involved on the forums for your chat site by asking for their feedback.  You can even begin to get a solid DM team in place with adventures and scenes pre-planned for when you do finally start accepting characters and your chat officially opens.

If you don’t have a lot of time to devote to creating the WordPress site and working on some chat marketing now, the sooner you get started, the better.  You control when your chat opens.  Whether you open a week from now, a month from now, or even three months from now, it’s all your call.  If you only have a little bit of time you can devote to getting things up and running, it’s definitely in your best interest to get started now so the groundwork is firmly in place when you are able to finally open up your chat.

Chat hosting is free until October 2011. It costs you absolutely nothing to get started now.  The most it would cost beginning in October is $60 per year.  If all of those presently interested opened a chat with Proving Grounds RPG Chats, the cost would drop to $35 per year.  Having a premium WordPress blog with the ability to edit/upload your own themes, unlimited storage space, no ads, and unlimited users will easily cost you over $300 per year.  With us, all of that and more is included in the hosting cost.

Remember, the only reason why I’m charging anything is to get my server bill covered.  That’s why the  more chats hosted with Proving Grounds RPG Chats, the cheaper the cost is for everyone. With enough chats open, it would be possible to get the yearly cost down to as little as $6 per year.  You will not find cheaper chat hosting anywhere else online that provides the same services as Proving Grounds RPG Chats, guaranteed.

Finally ready to take the plunge?  Contact us today so we can get started on making your online RPG chat dream a reality!

Get the answers to your most burning chat hosting related questions by cruising on over to the recently posted FAQ.  Who knows?  You just might discover the answer to life, the universe, and everything by reading its enlightening contents!