Alright, I checked out the top 5 PBBG's, but those aren't for me. I'm trying to find a game to take up some of my spare time, but the ones I used to turn to have died or are dying (or have been changed in ways I find unacceptable). What I'm looking for is a text-based game that operates in cycles (think Utopia), not an RPG with "end-game" content. If anyone played Space Merchant back before it's decline and subsequent revival as the now-failing Space Merchant Realms, that's an example of a good game for my tastes. Utopia would be excellent now, but I don't want to have to circumvent the rules to play in the same kingdom as a friend. So:

Any suggestions that would allow for cooperative play with people I know? A decent game population and enjoyable community are big pluses.