[bloviate]

When my mud was last in development, there was a standard approach used in MUDs of similar origin.

Players chose a race and joined a certain guild, which dictated the skills and abilities available to them. They earned experience which allowed them to train skills when they had collected enough. A player had an abstract body with hit points. When the hit points reached a certain level the player might fall unconscious. And below a lower point, death would happen. Gameplay consisted of going out into the world and killing things. Perhaps trying to do the simplistic quests which were implemented.

It wasn't particularly deep or interesting, but it worked and adopting it was economic in the sense that it was hard enough to get all the work done required to ready a MUD for opening. Builders and players were of course familiar with it, a custom system would not only potentially delay opening but might also discourage the interest of both parties. And in that sense, it was the only option. You wanted to create something, but you wanted to create something achievable.

Now I find myself considering how my game should work.

Is it more playable or fun to have the simplistic hit point as a measure of consciousness and life rather than a more extensive system based on the condition of limbs and the usability there of?

Is it more playable or fun to have the membership of a guild strictly defining the abilities and skills available to the player in such a shallow manner rather than a more extensive system which allows the player to specialise their expertise from the range of possibilities?

Does this standard which was in place back in the day resemble anything you were familiar with? Have things evolved and is there a new standard? Or is this level of depth still the standard?