Thanks to RPoL...
I was first introduced to RPOL by one of my FTF GMs...I had moved about an hour away, had a career that often had me working the evenings that everyone else had available for gaming, and had, as a result, just about given up on the hobby completely. He had an idea for a Star Wars game, wanted a 'dream team's lineup of his favorite players, and this was the most viable platform for getting us all together.
The game didn't last...as happens all too often, Real Life interfered as he got a job that ate up his time, then lost it, then got another, then got engaged and married...but it filled a niche for me, and I stayed on and found another game, and another after that one folded, and so on...currently in three games that have been running for years, and grateful for the virtual friendships that have helped me endure some of my more trying times.