Hmmm. RPGs. Perl. Methinks there be possibilities.

My creative juices left the following mess:
I'm envisioning a system whereby turns are periodic (x turns per day), and results in calls to user built packages that handle calls for game events.

Each player takes a base module and is free to modify the handlers to send responses back to the environment as pleases them.

Environment script sanity checks response signals (i.e. is this a valid move for character (like no initiate calling down the "Wrath of Wall" on anonymous monks).

Players are free, of course, to respond to "Signal: Greeting" with "Response: Boiling Oil" all they want.

If no signal is sent, player/character module is allowed one sub WhileIdle per turn.

Framework: packages may be hosted remotely if desired (like if I have a Perl-enabled webhost), or gamesite hosted. Each module must return a result in X seconds or be defaulted to no response (for better or worse). Gamesite hosted modules do not write or read the disk, but may fetch one XML file from offsite (hosting to be provided by player)-- and probably should be verified by a second party before eval'ed.

Hmmm. Better yet. All player modules get signals and respond using XML, whether onsite or off. Offsite gets a slightly longer timeout due to HTTP transaction.

Of course there would be an obligatory stats and "state of the world" page. And obviously some messaging capability. (Players could send messages as part of their turn...)

] ichimunki stopped rambling at this point, and was noticed to have a vacant stare on his face, but looking a little giddy at the same time.