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Old 05-08-2012, 03:04 PM   #10
Gorboth
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Join Date: May 2011
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Re: What do you look for in a mud?

What a fantastic thread!

I'm Gorboth, the lead admin for the game Kitriana is from (Genesis LPMud). It's been fascinating to read the posts here. Snowtroll, you make so many keen observations on the realities of managing the issues relating to roleplay in a modern mud - thank you for this. One of my challenges has been trying to balance what the game offers for various populations. As the saying goes, if you try to please everyone, you often end up pleasing no one. Our mud, while definitely featuring roleplay and having enjoyed a long and rich history of that roleplay over the decades, is not what you would call "roleplay enforced."

That term, though, is interesting to me. I tend to feel that the further we can point the needle toward roleplay, the better off the MUD is. In the games you've experienced as your favorites, how was this "enforced" status of roleplay policed and monitored by the admin? Was it up to players to report non-roleplay behavior, and then for the admin to respond? Were admin always on-hand to "snoop" players to make sure roleplay was involved?

In Genesis, we have a fairly wide blend of players. Most will call themselves roleplayers, but of course the talents, standards, and inclination of these people to make it happen is invariable to say the least. What I've found is that as the "typical" mud player has gotten older (30+ with spouse, job, kids) the ability to delve into long roleplaying sessions has soared off a cliff. Back when we were all students, we could happily procrastinate from all of our studies and eschew our anxieties by taking on the mantle of our favorite RP character in the mud, spending hours banding together for advantures, or running our favorite guild with all the politics and intrigue that may ensue. But nowadays? Sadly, so many of us just want to log on, grab our favorite (and immediately available) gear and get a bit of grinding, crafting, or whatnot in.

I've been involved with Genesis for 20 years now, and the game has continued to attract new players and keep many of its old stalwarts present. As Keeper (lead admin) of the game, I've had us experiment with many new offerings for players (flashy new web page, custom game client, Diablo-esque random loot, dynamic maps, external game forums) but all of these accomplishments seem to just distract from the fact that we all wish we had the "magic" of the old days with the rich roleplay and stories to live out.

So ... Snowtroll ... I'd love to hear some specifics about how that has worked in MUDS you play, especially in these modern times.

G.
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