How does one get the marks under their names? i.e. shields, etc?
Also...playing online sounds like a blast...how does one get started?

1) The shields etc are directly related to the number of posts you have and are an automatic function. If you want to see a wider selection, go have a look in General Discussions or one of the other forums here.

Beware however that "spamming for ranks" is actively discouraged [img]graemlins/nono.gif[/img]

2) Multiplayer is fun, provided you can actually find someone to play with :D . First off, read the manual to get a general idea of the mechanics of setting up a multiplayer game. I would also recommend you visit here and here for more information. Gamespy Arcade also supports multiplayer Darkstone.

Have fun [img]graemlins/wavey.gif[/img]