[StealthStalker]

Boy am I happy to be able to post! I've been lurking on these forums for like 2 weeks (having attempted to register the first day) and just today got granted access. I apologize for the rantishness of this post, as well as the length, but I've had this brewing for a while!

I'm one of the players looking for a new mud alongside greuvy, and have a few more questions/notes.

I've seen in various other locations on this board, that RPI/Roleplay enforced muds are 'Rare', yet any MUD I've been interested in lately has been strictly RP enforced. Are they now the norm and not the exception? Is this due in part by MMO's taking over the "hack and slash" gameplay? Because in MMO's now, the Roleplay servers are the rarity, and not the norm.

I don't roleplay myself personally, but I would love to play on and explore some of these worlds. I respect roleplayers, and I strive my best to not interrupt their world. I'm just admittedly not very gifted or talented when it comes down to that type of play. The thing is, a lot of these places have extremely well done zones and lore. I may not have the ability to 'be' my character, but I would love to see that world through his eyes, even if I have no idea exactly how he'd 'act or behave' in those situations.

I even play on "Roleplay" servers in most MMO's that I've ever tried, because frankly those servers generally have a higher maturity level overall. We roll/play there knowing that others are there to enjoy the game and not just make asses of themselves.

So when looking for a new MUD this last time around, I've been really intimidated by all of the "Role play enforced", "stay in character or suffer consequences" type statements or rules. I'd love to explore your world with my friends, or even on my own, and if we keep to ourselves and attempt not to disrupt the "roleplay" atmosphere, is that really a big problem?

I know that I may not be able to participate in PvP due to it 'requiring a roleplay reason', but there's even some that boast extremely active PvP that are labeled as "Roleplaying Required" (, for example).

All I'm trying to get at is, there's still some of us out there who are interested in MUDs, but may not be roleplayers at heart. We can still be respectful and we're still interested in your History, Lore, and the worlds you've created. The few muds that seem to be left these days just don't seem to cater to us.

I don't want to be forced to play a Commercial mud where I have to invest in my character with Real money to feel adequate. I just want to login, play with some friends (or even meet some in game, crazy idea, that) and enjoy the game, even if I'm not a hardcore roleplayer. Are there any MUDS out there that fit this bill anymore? Think early RPG games for the PC, like Eye of the Beholder and other type games, Morrowind, or any "RPG" created in the last 10 years. I assume the role of that character and just want to see the story and world unfold before me.

Am I just looking into it too deeply? Are some of these muds that claim they're Roleplay enforced not as strict as they appear? I'd really like them to clarify that, but maybe that's just asking too much.

Whew, that said, here are some other questions for 'MUDS' lately.

What the heck is with the bajillion levels to "progress" through? Aardwolf has hundreds, there's a recent ad that boasts 500 levels to level through! Am I the only one that is immediately put off by such absurdly high numbers? Where is the draw for that? Am I just missing something?

Sure I respect the fact that you expect us to work for our character and attempt to progress in some way, and even grind things here and there... but 500 levels? That's 470 more than the mud I call home (ArcticMUD), and 420 more than one of the most popular online multiplayer RPGs to date (WoW, for lack of a better all encompassing example).

I recognize the fact that these are just numbers, but honestly, couldn't you make it 10 times harder to level and simply have 50 max? Shouldn't those levels feel like they mean something each time I ding? "Dinging" used to be important to me, reaching level 25 in arctic meant I could acquire a title. That felt important. Level 25 in a 500 level mud would just feel like I killed a rabbit for the first time, or something.

Colors, what is with the absurd amount of colors in some muds? More colors does not always mean more awesome. I really don't have much more to say about that, other than if your wholist looks like greuvy described, I'm probably not going to stick around long.

I'm sure I'm missing some other key ideas I'd like to hit, but I better end the rant there and save those for later.