[KaVir]

Is it really the case that many MUSHes are run like tabletop games? I was under the impression that in a MUSH it was typically the players who (self-)policed the roleplaying and created their own stories, with the staff creating and directing the overall plots in the background and only stepping in when necessary.

I've played Mind's Eye Theatre LARP games that worked much like that, where you could sometimes play an entire evening without needing a referee (unless you were heavily involved in a major plotline). The roleplaying was more like improvised acting, and focused much more on interaction between the players.

But in my experience, tabletop RPGs are a different style of game entirely, with the GM telling the story as the players progress. The roleplaying I've encountered in such games is more like interactive storytelling, with the players each playing the role of one of the major characters in the story, and the GM creating the plots, setting the scenes and playing the NPCs.

The problem with tabletop games is that you really need a GM to do anything, and that's difficult to organise online unless you're a group of friends who arrange to meet up at specific times (and even then, you can't just play whenever you like). Many muds try to reduce this problem by automating as many of the GM's tasks as possible - in some cases, the mud itself becomes the GM, creating adventures and controlling the NPCs.

But it was my understanding that the MUSH-style muds usually take an approach more like the LARP games, focusing primarily on player interaction and therefore reducing the need for GMs, so that the players could play without a specific GM (or even without any GM at all). I realise not all MUSHes work like this, but I'm talking in very general terms. Have I misunderstood the way MUSHes are usually run?