Our Legacy

From BlackDawn to Gaming Hounds

What we now call Gaming Hounds started the way a lot of gaming communities did in the early 2000s. Only we didn’t go by Gaming Hounds back then. We began as BlackDawn in Star Wars Galaxies, and later formed a 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 the same people.

---

The Origin (2002)

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

BlackDawn formed shortly after inside 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 the love of Galaxies and held together by what people contributed, not what titles they carried.

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 being built. His motives remain his own. BlackDawn removed the instability and continued forward.

---

The Expansion (2003-2004)

By late 2003 and early 2004, ClanWarriors was created 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 coordinated hunts, crafting, large-scale battles staged around Gage’s ranger camps, and the construction of a major 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.

---

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 (still around today!), 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 ClanWarriors’ tools.

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

From 2005 into 2008, ClanWarriors operated as a multi-clan hub. World of Warcraft dominated activity, but earlier roots in Jedi Academy and other titles remained part of the site’s identity.

---

The Dormancy (2008-2024)

Over time, pressures accumulated. Hosting costs increased. Player habits shifted toward newer platforms. Recruitment slowed. Gage’s 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 past here (download link).

After years of dormancy, the lineage resurfaced.

By 2024, circumstances had changed. Gage retired from a demanding work schedule that had limited his 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.

---

The Rebirth (2024)

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

FOUNDING MEMBERS

Name	Role	Legacy	Link
Gage	The Anchor	Led through presence and continuity rather than volume. His 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. Kept the group pushing forward.	#