News

On Saturday, August 23rd we hosted our first Network Town Hall in many years. It was wonderful to see so many community members come together to hear updates, share ideas, and talk about the future of SorceryNet.

✅ Done

• Deployed 6 new servers (4 client, 2 hub) and retired all old hardware.
• Upgraded to the latest stable InspIRCd 4 and Anope services.
• Launched a new website backend with channel submission system and direct webchat links.
• Introduced a new charter focused on inclusivity and community values.
• Created a Patreon to help sustain and grow the network.
• Added a public network status page (Uptime Kuma).

🔄 In Progress

• Onboarding new staff and adding staff profiles to the website.
• Expanding the website’s “Getting Started” and services help sections, including guides for registering nicks, channels, and using services.
• Developing a channel bridge request system to connect with other chat services.
• Planning an official dice bot to support roleplay channels.
• Updating and improving IdleRPG and other game channels.
• Enabling permanent logins/backlog in The Lounge webchat.
• Adding official community channels (#anime, #cinemaclub, #books, #idlerpg, #DuckHunt, #trivia, #music).
• Working on reclaiming or reactivating dead/unowned channels.
• Publishing guides for roleplay channels and hosting channel rules on the website.

🚀 Future Goals

• Prepare for SorceryNet’s 30th Anniversary in 2026 with major updates, community focus, and network history pages.
• Grow Patreon support to fund bridges, bots, and hosting expansions.
• Launch a “Channel of the Week” feature promoted on the website and social media.
• Form a Council of Channel Owners to help shape network direction.

💡 Community Suggestions

• Provide a dedicated services help section with clear examples of nick/channel registration and operator commands.
• Develop best practices for bots to avoid throttling or message limits.
• Create a GitHub repository for the website to allow feature requests and contributions.
• Add a more detailed “network status/weather map” to show outages or performance issues.
• Consider proxy/bot accounts (e.g., Gameserv) to allow channels to deliver messages in a structured way.
• Investigate NickServ email delivery issues (notably Gmail/Hotmail) and continue improving reliability.

We’d like to thank everyone who contributed ideas during the Town Hall and everyone who attended and supported the discussion. Your input and presence are vital to the future of SorceryNet, and together we’re building a stronger, more connected community.

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SorceryNet has been busy! Here’s a round-up of what’s new, what’s coming, and how you can get involved.

Website Progress

The current SorceryNet website continues to be improved, and we’ve also started planning a new and improved version in the background for the future. Stay tuned for previews.

Support SorceryNet

We’ve created a Patreon: patreon.com/SorceryNet — while there’s no expectation for anyone to sign up, every little helps keep the network running and moving forward. Thank you to all supporters.

New Staff

This week we’re onboarding:

• Naomi
• Joe
• Neo_Nemesis
• SgtSarros (returning)
• Hal_Emmerich

Special thanks to SgtSarros for rejoining — by volunteering again, they’re helping ensure SorceryNet has a strong support system for users going forward.

Webchat Updates

Our webchat at chat.sorcery.net has been rethemed to match the SorceryNet website. If you notice any issues, please let us know. Remember: you can always switch back to the default theme at any time.

What’s Next?

• Register accounts directly in The Lounge webchat
• Keep a permanent connection (your nick stays in channel, even while offline)
• Access scrollback/history you missed while away
• Works in any browser on any device

Town Hall — Saturday 23 August

📍 #Square
🕖 7:00 pm UK (BST)

Other time zones:
• 8:00 pm CEST (Central Europe)
• 2:00 pm EDT (US East)
• 11:00 am PDT (US West)

How to Join

• Already on IRC: /join #Square
• Web (no setup needed): Open The Lounge to join #Square

This is your chance to have your say! We’re inviting channel owners, ops, and community members to join us and share feedback, ideas, and even complaints. We’ll also be forming a Channel Owners’ Council to give channels a stronger voice in shaping the network.

Agenda
• Website & webchat improvements
• Feedback and ideas from the community
• Formation of the Channel Owners’ Council
• Q&A with staff and network admins

See you there — bring your hopes, ideas, and thoughts on the future of SorceryNet!

You’re invited! We’re hosting a network-wide Town Hall in #Square on Saturday, 23 August 2025 at 7:00 pm UK (BST). Channel owners and ops—this one’s especially for you. We want your ideas, your wishlist, and your honest feedback so we can help your communities grow and thrive.

How to join
• Already on IRC: /join #Square
• Web (no setup needed): Open The Lounge to join #Square

When
• UK (BST): Sat 23 Aug — 7:00 pm
• CEST: Sat 23 Aug — 8:00 pm
• US Eastern (EDT): Sat 23 Aug — 2:00 pm
• US Central (CDT): Sat 23 Aug — 1:00 pm
• US Mountain (MDT): Sat 23 Aug — 12:00 pm (noon)
• US Pacific (PDT): Sat 23 Aug — 11:00 am

Who should attend?
• Channel owners and ops (please encourage your owners/ops to come!)
• Community organizers and regulars with suggestions
• Anyone curious about what’s next for SorceryNet

Agenda
• Our “relaunch” plan: new website, fresher look, better onboarding
• IRC software updates (InspIRCd 4.7.0 + Anope v2) and what they unlock
• Features and tools for role-play & gaming communities
• Your requests: services, web integrations, docs, and promo ideas
• Q&A and next steps

Why this matters
SorceryNet is recommitting to being the best home for role-players and gaming communities. This Town Hall is your chance to help shape the roadmap—both for the network and the website.

Can’t make it?
We’ll post a summary on the News page afterwards and outline concrete follow-ups.

See you in #Square on the day—bring your hopes, pet peeves, and bold ideas!