524: Confessions of a Pirate BBS SysOp: The Arcadia Story - The Retro Hour EP524

Step back into the underground world of 90s dial-up piracy as we’re joined by Beast of Quartex, SysOp of Arcadia, once the largest pirate bulletin board system in the UK. From trading disks in the post to running a five-line elite BBS packed with the latest cracked Amiga games, Beast shares how the scene really worked: the hierarchy, the rivalries, and the race to release first. Plus, the secret world of crackers and couriers, and the moment it all came crashing down when FAST raided his operation. Contents: 00:00 – The Week’s Retro News Stories 50:08 – Beast of Quartex Interview Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show: Bitmap Books – Go to or use code RETROHOUR at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN! Play Expo Blackpool: Check out PCBWay at for all your PCB needs We need your help to ensure the future of the podcast, if you’d like to help us with running costs, equipment and hosting, please consider supporting us on Patreon: Join our Discord channel: Website: Facebook: X: Instagram: Bluesky: Twitch: Show notes Sega 32X Elite-Style Game: Double Baboon Ninja: Xbox 360 PS3 Wii U Retro: Final Fantasy IX Animated Series: PS2 Emulator iOS: New Steve Jobs Video:

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524: Confessions of a Pirate BBS SysOp: The Arcadia Story - The Retro Hour EP524 is an episode from The Retro Hour (Retro Gaming Podcast) by The Retro Hour.

This episode is 109:51 long.

This episode was published on Mar 27, 2026.

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