The Legacy

From BlackDawn to Gaming Hounds

What is now called Gaming Hounds started the same way a lot of gaming communities did in the early 2000s. It just wasn’t called Gaming Hounds back then. I began as BlackDawn in Star Wars Galaxies, and later built a separate multi-game hub known as ClanWarriors that existed alongside BlackDawn, not as the same thing.

In the early 2000s, two related but distinct paths began forming around my me and the people I played with.

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The Origin (2002)

In 2002, I became active on the Star Wars Galaxies forums. This period focused on recruitment and discussion while waiting for Star Wars Galaxies to fully unfold. During this time, I joined an existing guild, Dark Star Syndicate. That experience clarified something important to me. I didn’t want to follow. I wanted to build.

BlackDawn formed shortly after for Star Wars Galaxies. Recruitment came directly from the SWG forums, drawing players who valued cooperation, dedication, and no drama. BlackDawn was a guild first, shaped by a shared love of Galaxies and held together by the people involed.

Darkthorn was among the earliest members and initially helped co-found the guild, followed by Kola, Trigger, and others. Over time, Darkthorn engaged in deception and internal disruption that threatened the cohesion I was building. His motives remain his own. I removed the instability and BlackDawn continued forward.

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The Expansion (2003-2004)

By late 2003 and early 2004, I created ClanWarriors as a separate project. Built on PHP-Nuke and phpBB, it hosted clans and guilds free of charge so players could find groups, join servers, and hold discussions about their games and clan activity. Its earliest focus was Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy.

From 2004 into 2005, BlackDawn continued operating in Star Wars Galaxies. The group saw sustained success through hunts, crafting, large battles staged around my ranger camps, and of our player city.

In late 2004, ClanWarriors expanded beyond a single game focus. The Order of the Broken Sword, built around EverQuest II, became the first major hosted guild. This marked ClanWarriors’ transition into a multi-group network. Independent clans operated under shared infrastructure while maintaining their own leadership, culture, and identity.

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The Golden Era (2005-2008)

By 2005, World of Warcraft reshaped the MMO landscape. ClanWarriors adapted as a platform, hosting multiple WoW guilds and expanding its ecosystem. Hosted clans included Jawa Clan, Disciples of the Blade, Order of Crimson Might, and others. Many of these groups implemented formal systems such as DKP, attendance rules, and rank hierarchies, built by the clans themselves and supported by the tools I maintained.

As Star Wars Galaxies declined, BlackDawn transitioned into World of Warcraft. I stepped away shortly after The Burning Crusade, but BlackDawn activity continued well beyond that due to members such as Trigger, who remained active long after my direct involvement ended. The guild persisted as leadership and participation evolved.

From 2005 into 2008, ClanWarriors continued even though games changed. World of Warcraft dominated activity, but earlier roots in Jedi Academy and other titles remained part of the site’s identity.

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The Dormancy Years (2008-2024)

Over time, pressures accumulated. Hosting costs increased. Player habits shifted toward newer platforms. Recruitment slowed. My available time for maintenance and oversight became limited. This period also coincided with widespread security exploits targeting PHP-Nuke–based sites, increasing the burden of upkeep.

ClanWarriors declined gradually rather than collapsing outright and ultimately shut down in 2008. Much of its record survives only through partial archives and Wayback captures.

You can see a glimpse of its below in the download link

After years of dormancy, the lineage resurfaced.

By 2024, circumstances had changed. I retired from a demanding work schedule that had limited my ability to participate in community projects. While contact with former members never fully ended, particularly with Kola, sustained involvement in the gaming scene hadn’t been possible until then.

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The Rebirth (2024)

In early 2024, Gaming Hounds formed. Not to revive ClanWarriors or BlackDawn, but as a new community I built on the foundation they left behind. Kola stood firm that BlackDawn never died, holding his mug high, dripping ale all over my clean floors.

FOUNDING MEMBERS

Name	Role	Legacy	Link
Gage	The Anchor	Led through presence and continuity rather than volume. My camps were places of relief and stability.	#
Kola	The Endurance	A trandoshan armorsmith who supplied protection that lasted. He never stopped doing the work that kept everyone else standing.	#
Trigger	The Momentum	Thrived in motion. When something needed doing, he was already moving. He kept the group pushing forward.	#