MUDs After Armageddon, Episode 1: Arx
Aug 31, 2018 7:01:20 GMT -5
baobob, BitterFlashback, and 1 more like this
Post by mehtastic on Aug 31, 2018 7:01:20 GMT -5
So, you've decided to quit Armageddon. Congratulations. Many people who quit Arm have played for a long time, and quitting a long-time hobby can be hard. You probably find yourself with some free time you didn't have previously, and now you're wondering what to do with it. Or perhaps you're thinking Armageddon isn't what it used to be. Maybe it used to be fun, but now, logging in feels like a chore. I've been there.
Personally, I would suggest something productive. If you ever wanted to write a book or take a class, this is your perfect time to do it. But it's fine to have some fun, too, and if you're getting that MUD itch, you're probably wondering what's out there.
In this thread, I'll post about some MUDs that are out there that will scratch your itch for roleplaying. Despite my history on this forum, I'm not actually concerned about game code, and a game's mechanics take a very low priority for me. I simply expect them to make sense and to be explained decently so that I know about them and can focus on my roleplaying. So these suggestions will focus on rich roleplaying opportunities, something that Armageddon suggests it has itself. I'll let you decide if you agree.
I'll try to cover a single MUD every week or so. The first MUD I'll cover is one that I've often spoken about and referenced:
Arx: After the Reckoning
play.arxgame.org/
"The common people of Arvum wouldn't really call the last thousand years a 'golden age'. Since the founding of the Compact of Arvum, the five great noble houses of the realm have schemed and warred against one another, locked in a millennium-old struggle for dominance kept only in check by the occasional powerful monarch. But even as the fragile peace frays with the latest dynastic crisis, creating courtly intrigues in the capital city of Arx, ancient foes that took mankind to the brink of extinction a thousand years ago stir once more."
Arvum is probably an unusual world for someone used to Zalanthas. The game isn't extremely large; instead, the game's design focuses on depth in the relatively small area of Arx and its immediate surroundings, with other areas available for play during special events. But the result of this design choice puts a large variety and amount of characters in a relatively small area, ensuring a great deal of interaction practically all of the time. It's rare that a place is empty for long, especially if you are findable on the "where" list and happen to be in one of Arx's taverns. It's highly likely that someone will come by within a few minutes looking to roleplay.
Speaking of roleplaying, it's so important in Arx that character advancement revolves around it. There are commands like +firstimpression to say something about a character you've met for the first time, giving them experience, and they can do the same to you. There is also a random roleplaying partner function that refreshes weekly, although as a new character, you're guaranteed to be on that list for a couple of weeks. Unfamiliar faces aren't treated like persona non grata; in fact, it's quite the opposite, and people will rush to play with you; ostensibly, for that small experience boost, but also because roleplaying is fun. And if you leave a good first impression on people with your roleplay, people will seek you out to have fun.
If you're not a fan of glass ceilings, look no further than Arx. It simply does not have one. The game has a concept of social rank. This is represented by a number from 1 to 9, where 1 is the King and 9 represents criminals and other sorts who shirk away from the traditional social ladder. An average commoner would be about an 8, whereas a rich merchant would be at a 7, and nobles typically fall between 1 and 6. One of the amazing things about this game is that every social rank is playable. Yes, a player actually plays the King, and players play his personal guard and family members, and even more players play nobles from the other non-ruling Houses. In fact, the game is fairly top-heavy, and focuses on the interaction between nobility quite a lot. That's not to say commoners don't have a place; you can have a fun time as a criminal, or a shopkeeper, or someone hoping to start a merchant league, or something. When you're creating a character, you'll find that social rank dictates how much experience you start with to invest into skills; the trade-off of starting at a higher position in society is that you have less experience. Or, you need not create a character at all; you can instead play a roster character, which could either be a character someone created for the specific purpose of someone else playing it, or a character someone played previously but is not playing anymore. Either way, you'll get access to that character's skills, as well as all of their journal entries detailing their past life. Players who played with that character will be eager to help you get your bearings on that character as well. But if you're like me, you like to have a personal connection to your character and you'll probably want to build one yourself.
Whatever you choose to do, you can easily ask for help in-game in the public channels, and people will gladly welcome and help you out. The game has very dedicated people, as well as active staff that will speak on these channels regularly. The game has a good OOC environment, and though OOC drama crops up on practically every MUD, Arx players are adults about it in the rare instances it happens. The players treat each other with respect, and the staff are thankful for the players. The game's environment feels like a large-scale tabletop, with all of the civility of face-to-face roleplaying combined with the hundreds of active players.
Sadly, I don't play Arx right now; this is for personal reasons as I have a lot of work on my plate as well as a sick family member to take care of. Arx is a solid game and if you have the time to try it, you really should. Who knows, it could even become your new MUD home. I would be happy to answer questions about it, though I strongly encourage you to jump into Arx as a guest and ask questions there too.
Personally, I would suggest something productive. If you ever wanted to write a book or take a class, this is your perfect time to do it. But it's fine to have some fun, too, and if you're getting that MUD itch, you're probably wondering what's out there.
In this thread, I'll post about some MUDs that are out there that will scratch your itch for roleplaying. Despite my history on this forum, I'm not actually concerned about game code, and a game's mechanics take a very low priority for me. I simply expect them to make sense and to be explained decently so that I know about them and can focus on my roleplaying. So these suggestions will focus on rich roleplaying opportunities, something that Armageddon suggests it has itself. I'll let you decide if you agree.
I'll try to cover a single MUD every week or so. The first MUD I'll cover is one that I've often spoken about and referenced:
Arx: After the Reckoning
play.arxgame.org/
"The common people of Arvum wouldn't really call the last thousand years a 'golden age'. Since the founding of the Compact of Arvum, the five great noble houses of the realm have schemed and warred against one another, locked in a millennium-old struggle for dominance kept only in check by the occasional powerful monarch. But even as the fragile peace frays with the latest dynastic crisis, creating courtly intrigues in the capital city of Arx, ancient foes that took mankind to the brink of extinction a thousand years ago stir once more."
Arvum is probably an unusual world for someone used to Zalanthas. The game isn't extremely large; instead, the game's design focuses on depth in the relatively small area of Arx and its immediate surroundings, with other areas available for play during special events. But the result of this design choice puts a large variety and amount of characters in a relatively small area, ensuring a great deal of interaction practically all of the time. It's rare that a place is empty for long, especially if you are findable on the "where" list and happen to be in one of Arx's taverns. It's highly likely that someone will come by within a few minutes looking to roleplay.
Speaking of roleplaying, it's so important in Arx that character advancement revolves around it. There are commands like +firstimpression to say something about a character you've met for the first time, giving them experience, and they can do the same to you. There is also a random roleplaying partner function that refreshes weekly, although as a new character, you're guaranteed to be on that list for a couple of weeks. Unfamiliar faces aren't treated like persona non grata; in fact, it's quite the opposite, and people will rush to play with you; ostensibly, for that small experience boost, but also because roleplaying is fun. And if you leave a good first impression on people with your roleplay, people will seek you out to have fun.
If you're not a fan of glass ceilings, look no further than Arx. It simply does not have one. The game has a concept of social rank. This is represented by a number from 1 to 9, where 1 is the King and 9 represents criminals and other sorts who shirk away from the traditional social ladder. An average commoner would be about an 8, whereas a rich merchant would be at a 7, and nobles typically fall between 1 and 6. One of the amazing things about this game is that every social rank is playable. Yes, a player actually plays the King, and players play his personal guard and family members, and even more players play nobles from the other non-ruling Houses. In fact, the game is fairly top-heavy, and focuses on the interaction between nobility quite a lot. That's not to say commoners don't have a place; you can have a fun time as a criminal, or a shopkeeper, or someone hoping to start a merchant league, or something. When you're creating a character, you'll find that social rank dictates how much experience you start with to invest into skills; the trade-off of starting at a higher position in society is that you have less experience. Or, you need not create a character at all; you can instead play a roster character, which could either be a character someone created for the specific purpose of someone else playing it, or a character someone played previously but is not playing anymore. Either way, you'll get access to that character's skills, as well as all of their journal entries detailing their past life. Players who played with that character will be eager to help you get your bearings on that character as well. But if you're like me, you like to have a personal connection to your character and you'll probably want to build one yourself.
Whatever you choose to do, you can easily ask for help in-game in the public channels, and people will gladly welcome and help you out. The game has very dedicated people, as well as active staff that will speak on these channels regularly. The game has a good OOC environment, and though OOC drama crops up on practically every MUD, Arx players are adults about it in the rare instances it happens. The players treat each other with respect, and the staff are thankful for the players. The game's environment feels like a large-scale tabletop, with all of the civility of face-to-face roleplaying combined with the hundreds of active players.
Sadly, I don't play Arx right now; this is for personal reasons as I have a lot of work on my plate as well as a sick family member to take care of. Arx is a solid game and if you have the time to try it, you really should. Who knows, it could even become your new MUD home. I would be happy to answer questions about it, though I strongly encourage you to jump into Arx as a guest and ask questions there too.
