Hi everyone,

I've long wante do delve into the world of MUD's and recently i've deicded to take the plunge but I'm not sure which MUD would best suit.

I'm looking for an immersive world which however, isn't too religious about the role-playing (ie, there is some degree of latitude)

One thing i've noticed is that the muds listed all seem to be high fantasy, which i don't mind but is anyone aware of a mud that is steampunk' in genre a la, the RPG Arcanum and Thief series, by far my favourite genre...

Thanks for your time...
Grant

I suggest TempusMUD, because it has three different themes.
Telnet - tempusmud.com port 2020
Website -

Tempus is highly modified circle based mud that was started in 1995 as an alternative reality where different timelines are beginning to converge. There are three distinct planes of existence, the Past, the Future, and the Outer Planes.

Two of the planes are time frames: a past (high fantasy: elves, magic, kingdoms, etc.), and a future (cyberpunkish, dark cities, space travel, etc.), with rifts in time and storylines connecting the two. The outer planes encompass elemental planes, such as fire, ice, air, smoke, and also afterlife planes, such as ####, heaven, and limbo, and anything else that doesn't fit into the past or future.

Each of these planes have original and diverse storylines and themes, all under the umbrella of time travel. The combination of these different planes enable the players to explore a wide variety of environments, discovering interesting stories and connections, not limiting their world to a single theme. The past does have thieves, and the future has mercenaries, to satiate the thieving desires you noted in your post.

Here is the advertised game description:

Imagine that you exist in a world where time has begun to collide. Where the past meets the future, and neither will ever be the same again. Tempus is a fantasy roleplaying game set in a world where ancient magic confronts advanced technology. Upon entering Tempus, you become an adventurer in an imaginative and mysterious universe, where you have the opportunity to carve out a unique niche for yourself in an evolving world.

The distinction between different time frames has been blurred by the activities of the most powerful beings in existence. The high mages of the past have built their secret empire by planting political seeds of influence. These seeds have begun to sprout as they delve deeper into the realm of the arcane, finding a new lore in the art of time shifting.

The disciples of the greater gods and goddess, after a lifetime of attaining a closer relation with divinity, are shown a new realm of infinite proportions, the continuum of time.

Far into the future, the scientists and technologists that rule the civilized world relentlessly pursue the fleeting prize known as energy. They uncover the secret of time, allowing them to build great machines to send them back to the past.

As the time frames collide, these figures inevitably meet and begin to engineer the nature of reality to their own ends. Populations all across the timeline begin to notice subtle changes as strange visitors bearing unknown powers begin to emerge. As the flow of time begins to swirl together, you enter Tempus.

The players and Immortals of TempusMUD invite you to alter their world.
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Good luck with your MUD search!

Coil

I'm not aware of too many muds out there that are well-steeped in the genre you're looking for.  Those that follow the "past meets future" theme are either really vague about it or very strict on roleplaying.

I was an admin on a mud several years back that took this concept pretty far - even to the extent where a sort of "border" existed on the world.  On one side of this, futuristic technologies existed and the other side was mired in a historical/fantasy setting.  In between, there was a sort of "flux" or crossover space where magic and technology may or may not work depending on various factors.  Unfortunately the mud no longer exists, like many muds.

The mud I admin for now has explored this idea to some extent.  The main theme is based on Norse and Celtic myths, but we are also implementing a concept from Stephen King's "Dark Tower" series - that ancient ways have been displaced by technology perhaps brought on by unknown overlaps with other realms... that the "world has moved on" as King puts it.  The mud takes a lot of its development from player input and isn't too strict on roleplaying (though it is encouraged but not enforced).

-Aloysius D'Abetot
Dark Tower

I am not sure what steampunk is really... But if you are looking for a modern/post apoka kind of mud... Then I can recommend the Broken World.

The mud has an original, thought through world. It has a little twist of its own though, to set it apart from other post apoka muds out there. We got so much written about the world so it is hard to pick out something that describes the mud the best. Roleplaying is nice and encouraged, but by far not needed. Basically we like to have fun and enjoy ourselves there and its up to you to decide what is fun for you. So if you are interested, check out our website at vlug.msi.vxu.se/mud/ where you can read more about the world.

Sadly, there does not appear to be any steampunk MUD in existance. I myself have looked (though I was looking for RPI steampunk, I didn't limit my search to RPI alone) and could not find one.

There was an RPI MUD in development last year which looked a lot like steampunk but alas I have recently heard that the project has been abandoned and the MUD will not open.

I do agree though that a steampunk MUD would be awesome.

Take care,

Jason

If that's your cup of tea, might I ask whether you're looking for an up and running steampunk mud or would perhaps be more interested in the input towards the development of one? If you're after the former, alas, you're out of luck, broadly speaking, although there are some interesting alternatives out there as people here have advised, above.

If you've even a remote interest in the assistance in or the development of a purely fantasy world loosely based on someplace that combines the social unrests of early 20th C, pre-revolutionary Russia with the oppressiveness of prohibition-era USA (i.e. no magic nor medieval themes) then I can certainly point you in the right direction, although be warned that it's in the very early stages of conceptualisation. Apparently it:

'...is an RPI (Roleplay Intensive) game where YOU help decide whether the city survives or falls by the wayside, to be laid bare by Civil War. You may wish to be aligned towards or be part of the Church and its tireless work of propaganda and the funding of racketeering cells across the City. You may perhaps wish to be part of the Military or Political Elites -you know your business (the Art of War) and aren't afraid to 'clean up' the streets if necessary. Or perhaps you might rise through the ranks of the State Police, bound to an ages-old code of observing the Law, but caught in-between factions. Perhaps, instead, you will embrace your role as that of a supplier of illegal wares and other banned items to a City gripped in Church-sponsored Vice. The choice is yours.'


Co-incidentally, I do believe one of the people there is a confirmed Thief Disciple and wants to kick it in that direction.

Email me if interested. Thank you.

Oooh. Thief. Loved that game.

Must. Play. Urrrrrr.

*coughs* Didn't know that was steampunk, although in retrospect I should have guessed. I guess I was imagining pink mohawk haircuts in the 1800s. I don't see the appeal of it in text RP, though, but maybe I'm not imaginative enough.

Pink mohawk haircuts? Unthinkable. Maybe green. And Huron (I fear we have been mis-representing the Mohicans all this time). But you're right. I pleaded with these lunatics, not last week.

"Are you -sure- you want a steampunk game?", I asked.

A stony silence.

"Can't you add the merest hint of medieval?"

A man dressed entirely in black reached out a nicotine-stained finger, pointed to a large brass hammer, yet remained silent.

"Alright, then. How about magic? You needn't directly include it, but some kind of reference would please the audience, and keep 'em happy."

Again, no reaction, but I thought I saw the nostrils flare, unattractively.

"Very well". I took the direct approach. "But heed my warning, Spasm (for it was he). It'll bomb. Heck, you don't even know what steampunk is. Thief, indeed...!", I scoffed. "Good luck and good day to you!"

So you see. You're every bit as imaginative as the next person. It's the lunatics that won't listen to reason.