How to choose a text crime RPG you'll still play next month

From the outside these games look alike — menus, numbers, a skyline in the header. Underneath, they make very different demands on your day. Four questions sort them quickly.

§1 1. What clock does it run on?

Every game in the ledger rations play somehow. Torn and HoboWars use bars that refill on timers, so they reward several short visits a day. Kingdom of Loathing hands out a daily allowance of turns; spend it in one sitting and you're done. Fallen London spends an action per choice. Popmundo runs in real time and is content with a couple of logins a week. Omerta uses short cooldowns between crimes, which pulls you back often.

Pick the clock that matches your day, not the setting you like best. A brilliant game on the wrong clock will either eat your evenings or leave you feeling permanently behind.

§2 2. Does progress last?

Torn states that players are never reset. Omerta plays in rounds, so a strong position ends when the round does and everyone starts again. Neither model is better. Permanent games reward patience and slow compounding; round-based games reward intensity and give you a clean slate every season.

Ask yourself how you'd feel about losing six months of progress. If the answer is 'cheated', choose a permanent game. If it's 'relieved', rounds may suit you.

§3 3. How much company do you want?

In Torn the depth lives in factions, in Omerta in families, in Outwar in crews, in HoboWars in gangs. You can play all of them alone, but you'll see less of the game. Fallen London and Kingdom of Loathing are the most comfortable solo. Popmundo is the most social of the lot, since every character in it is another player.

Groups also come with obligations: wars, raids, coordinated crimes. Joining one is the best way into a game and the fastest way to double the time it takes.

§4 4. Story or system?

If you want to read, start with Fallen London. If you want to optimise, try Torn or Kingdom of Loathing. If you want to compete, Omerta or Outwar. If you want to laugh, Kingdom of Loathing or HoboWars. If you want a life rather than a career in crime, Popmundo.

§5 Before you sign up

• Read the publisher's own page on paid extras, so you know what is sold before you're tempted.
• Check the age guidance: Popmundo recommends 18 and over, HoboWars sets thirteen as the minimum.
• Give a new game a week before judging it — most of these start slowly.
• Play one at a time. Two timer games at once is how evenings disappear.