That's what I've always wanted in a text-based game. I want people to discriminate against each other, come up with derogatory terms, hate crimes. I'm not being sarcastic, I'm serious! That's one thing I've always seen lacking in many MUDs, and one of my main problems with Achaea. In Achaea, all the races pretty much were just names slapped before a generic description. It's good to know that Iron Realms has put the effort in Lusternia towards making that happen. I think MUDs should all try towards making people really role-play into their characters to have that realistic effect. In real-life, people just don't all love each other and get into big groups to help each other, every person hates somebody. And I think that should be the same in MUDs. Anyways, I just felt like getting that out. That's one of the problems with the races is that in most MUDs they are amiable towards each other, the only thing they hate are the monsters they are fighting! I swear, if that dragon or giant mole didn't attack them first they'd probably start talking to it and trying to find out what it's life motivations are.

That is how it is in RPIs and many other RP-enforced muds. Some people don't enjoy roleplaying though and that is why there are muds more oriented towards H&S.

So what you want is already true in some muds. Wanting it to be true in all muds is unreasonable as some people play muds just to hack monsters to bits and feel good about themselves or maybe some other reason(PK, socializing...) that doesn't involve racial RP.

If you enjoy Racial RP, play one of the more roleplaying oriented muds. If you don't, don't. Simple.

If you want a place where different races don't get along to well, and fights, arguments, and insults are commonplace, where the only reason the races don't tear each other to bits is because their leader would kick their *** if they did, the city of Minas Morgul, in SoI would be a good place to play. Though there are probly other games with other such areas with well RPed racial interaction.

I actually play SoI right now. I've got a Gondorian leathercrafting guy, though. I didn't like being a goblin that much.

You can make hundreds of races, think out fancy names for them, make detailed descriptions, write elaborate backstories for each of them, paint them blue and adorn them with all kinds of ribbons and bows. But they still don’t add much to the gameplay, unless they are different in some crucial ways, and also are balanced.

Because if they aren’t really different, in the sense that they have some useful property that not all the other races have, all the rest is just cosmetics. Just like skills and spells that have been renamed to look original, but still are basically the same as the old stock skills are nothing but cosmetics.

And if they aren’t really balanced, the players will choose only the ones that give the biggest advantages. Players are usually very quick in catching up on those things, and word spreads incredibly fast in a mud. And you’ll end up with only a small number of all the races being popular, and some not being played at all.

It might be a different thing in a pure RP Mud, with no code-driven combat, but as soon as there is some kind of competitive gameplay in the mud, balance immediately becomes an issue. And I think even in a hardcore RP Mud, people would be pretty reluctant to pick some of the choices offered.

There are several ways of making races different. One of the better might be extra or unusual wear_locs, like wings, tails, horns, antennas, tentacles, 3 heads, 6 limbs and so on. But as soon as one race has more wear_locs than the rest, it becomes unbalanced, and a large number of the players will then choose that race for that very reason, which perhaps wasn’t quite what you intended. And if you switch one wear_loc for another, you need to make sure that there is similar-quality equipment available in the world for ALL the different wear_locs.

You could also use size to differ the races. But for this to be meaningful you also need to implement size to many rooms, and to all the available equipment, and make sure that there is a sufficient and balanced supply is for all races. Because if a giant can use the same equipment and weapons as a pixie, size doesn’t really make sense. Giants should not even be able to enter human-sized houses, let alone pixie-sized ones, and pixies should have a rough time getting along in a normal sized world, because those little butterfly wings will only take them so far. And if one or the other gets the disadvantage, you have the unbalance back again and nobody will choose that race once the word spreads.

Many Muds use stats like int, wis, con, strength, speed etc, to differentiate the races. This again poses some balancing problems, because wisdom isn’t automatically exchangeable for strength. And the same goes for ‘natural’ weapons and armour, like scales, exoskeletons, elephant-skin, claws, fangs, stings, fire-breathing etc. A race that has any of those natural assets should automatically be disqualified from using things like swords or platemail. This might give those races some initial advantage, but those could easily turn to disadvantages in the long run.

Then there are special abilities like gills, fire- or heat-resistance, waterwalk, flying etc. These properties are only really useful if the zones are created in a way that makes you need any of the abilities to get along. And if this shuts a majority of the other races out, it is not only a waste of areas (and Builder work), it’s also very frustrating for the players. And again it’s potentially unbalancing, unless all races have equally unique possibilities.

I am not saying it wouldn’t be fun to make a lot of different and unique races. But if you want a logical and consistent world and not just cosmetics, you need to follow them up throughout the entire design of the Mud. And that could lead you into problems and difficulties that you never even dreamt of, when you first decided to make all those cute races.

I guess it would be quite possible to design a mud solely based on the properties of a number of very different races. It could for instance be quite interesting in a Pure PK Mud, with a small world, to set races with different properties and abilities (like claws, poison stings, scales, termo-shells, firebreath etc.) against one another, like humans were set against lions in the Gladiator games of ancient Rome. Provided of course they could all be sufficiently balanced and have weaknesses as well as strengths.

But in the ‘normal’ Mud too many REALLY differentiated races would probably lead to either creating an insanely complex world, or discarding many other aspects of the game. It is a choice you have to make when you first start to plan your world. After all, the main aspects of a game are playability and entertainment. And that is why, after lengthy discussions, we decided to limit the races to humanoid size and shape in my Mud, and only have a few extra wear_locs. We would rather spend our best efforts on features that we found more interesting and rewarding for the players.

I have a question. I've just finished re-reading the Silmarillion and I never saw any mention of elves having pointed ears. Does anyone know which is the precise book that mentions this? Is it The Fellowship? Which one? Also, where did hobbits come from? There's no mention of their origins in the Silmarillion.

Tolkien didn't write Elves as having pointy ears in any of the major books, but he did reference pointed ears in one of his Letters (#27 I think but I don't recall), and in the Etymologies, published in the Lost Road. (It's a study of his Elven languages). He wrote: The Quendian ears were more pointed and leaf-shaped than <blank>. It's assumed that he's comparing them to human ears but it's unclear because his writing was quite light and that word isn't readable in his handwritten manuscript. This is one of the classic Tolkien-geek arguments, along with whether Balrogs have wings (who gives a toss, I say) and a couple others. It does seem likely that he intended for Elves to have slightly pointed ears but it's never going to be 'decided' for sure.

As for hobbits, they were probably created in the First Age, but nobody paid attention to them (or knew about them? I don't know.) until the Third Age.

--matt

I play a MUD that's got quite a few original areas, races, and theme elements. It's not really that there's no originality in MUDs, but more just the fact that it's easier to build onto established themes than create new ones.

My theory on Tolkien is that he wrote very vague details about the races because he wanted the individual reader to draw his own conclusions about what the races look like. That way his singular works would have limitless possibilities which were only kept in check by a reader's own perception of the world. He would say that someone was tall, but you would be able to create your own imagery because you had no idea what the normal height was. It's really a classic example of fictional writing, write a detailed story and then let the reader fill in the holes himself. I don't write this way. I enjoy detailing my races and locations with specifics, but I wouldn't compare myself to Tolkien!

Re: Lack of race originality?
 

It mentions Dopplegangers, what MUD has those?

Re: Lack of race originality?
 

A doppleganger is a ghostly image of a person, quite often appearing as a harbinger of that person's death. As such it wouldn't be a race of its own.

Re: Lack of race originality?
 

... in your game.

In another game, it may be an entirely different sort of creature or race.
In various versions of D&D the doppelganger is a creature that can take the form of a humanoid, and mimic them very well. When not disguised they look like this:

Since so many of the games seem to be based on the standard D&D races and settings, it doesn't seem unexpected to see the doppelganger appear as a race in at least some games.

Much like the above discussion about barrow-wights vs wights and whether they are undead or just creepy people that hang out in graveyards. Is it a creature from beyond the grave that feeds on life, or is it a wannabe goth kid? Depends on the story you're telling and the mythology you're following.

Re: Lack of race originality?
 

At Wake, a highly customized ROM mud, several years in the making, one of you earliest goals was to create a unique set of playable races that took a differant path than that of traditional muds, but we still wanted players to be able to relate and retain some of their favorite races they have grown to enjoy. This is what we came up with:

Human
Average in height and stature, humans represent the middle ground in all aspects of the world. Varied in both government and religion, it is hard to not find a niche in human society, and their adaptability and durability lets them pursue any profession. After centuries as nomads and bandits, most of the humans settled down, developing towns and kingdoms and eventually even dominions over the land. While they may not offer anything special upfront, a human child is a blank canvas who could become a great leader or a nefarious outcast. Physically, humans can be frail and skinny, or thick and muscular, short, medium, or tall. Their skin ranges from ghostly pale to the darkest chocolate, and blonde, brown, red or black hair usually. But with humans, there are always many exceptions.

Algid
Algid are on average taller than humans, but not by much.Their skin tone ranges from a translucent white to dusky blue, on a lean body. Their body chemistry allows them to survive in extremely cold conditions, but also makes it impossible for them to survive in the heat. Algid are brutal and warlike, but live by a strict code of honor that forces them to respect those that have bested them in combat. Their society prevents the existence of frail or handicapped life, as any weakness is exploited in combat, of which all Algid live by. Most Algid choose a life as a warrior of some form, there are those who devote themselves to the pursuit of magical and divine powers, as they have realised in recent years, the importance of mystical support.

Daurin
Daurin were once the slaves of a much younger, naive Quolin nation, and the rebellion and exodus of the Daurin have left much tension between the two races. They are slightly taller than humans, with slender bodies and elegant faces distantly similar to the Quolin. Their skin is usually tanned, except for those from a few remote tribes. Daurin are not as slim as Quolin, instead having bodies with lean, tight muscles, or voluptuous, graceful bodies, varying between tribes. Most notable of their features are their pointed ears, which extend several inches perpendicular to their heads, and their glowing, bright eyes. Out of religion and physical limitations, Daurin cannot practice magic, instead resorting to powers of their own design which repel and destroy mana. Few Daurin are antimages, as most apply themselves to more physical, and profitable jobs. Though they are not war mongers, many hire themselves out as mercenaries whose only allegiance is the loose one that binds all Daurin together which has been forged by many centuries of hardship.

Quolin
Quolin are an amphibious race possessing great intelligence and magical affinity. Physically similar to the daurin though their skin has a bluish tint. The other distinguishing features are their ears, whichare pointed and broad, and gills on their necks, which look like faint ridges when closed in the air. Their hair is most commonly blond, white, gray or blue, but browns are possible, though very rare. Their eyes are common colors, brown, black, blue, and green, but silvers and golds are seen sometimes. The Quolin are very noble, being one of the oldest races, they have much knowledge of the world, and a grasp of holy and magical power unlike any other. They are peaceful and have a great love of the world, but are not unwilling to defend themselves should a threat present itself.

Dwarf
Dwarves are a stout, enduring race that has changed almost as much as humans over the centuries. Only the tallest of dwarves come up to a human's chest in height, but their stocky bodies are much stronger than a human, giving them exceptional strength and stamina. They look like short humans, except that their features are more rounded. Their eyes are only naturally brown or black, and on a rare occasion, green, which is considered a mark of an outsider. Their hair is thick and curly, and of some shade of brown, but the most distinguishing feature is their large beards, which are worn as a symbol of pride and prestige. Dwarves are no longer the dutiful miners they once were, instead focusing on their exceptional minds, which has turned them into a formidable race of inventors and politicians. Though small enclaves of traditional dwarves are found remotly. They have a strong political and economic tie to the Daurin, but are more free to join other nations than their desert companions.

Ogre
Ogres have grown much since their days of living in filth and blindly raiding and pillaging. The tallest, most massive of all the sentient, ogres are commonly more than a foot taller than even a vithe. Their skin is a greenish gray, and thick and rough like a hide. Hair on their head and bodies ranges from ash gray, to a green tinted black, turning more mossy green as they age. The range of colors their eyes can be seems random, red, green, blue, gray, black purple, and yellow. Their are very muscular and strong, but have a tendency to retain fat more than a human, giving them a bulky appearance. Ogres live in tribes scattered throughout the forests and badlands, all loosely allied, with an ever changing leader. They are intelligent enough to wield magic, though it is very uncommon, as most pursue a life as a fighter, shaman or necromancer.

Vithe
Vithe are the most noticeable of the races, not only for their tall stature, but also that their bodies bristle with thick spikes. Their skin is some tone of brown or beige, and their hair is either black, or sandy blond. They lack irises, instead, their entire eye is colored either red or black. Spines and spikes sprout from many places in their body, fortunately in such a way that it is very hard for a vithe to stab themself. The spikes can either be thin and short, or long and thick, and are extensions of their natural bones, which have the same iron like strength. Their bodies are muscular and have abnormally high regenerative abilities. They are tribal and xenophobic, magic and agility have almost no meaning to them. Instead, they practice brute force and druidic or shamanistic religion.



We are quite proud of our race creations, and we would hope that you can come experience our mud for its unique world, come visit us at.

port: 2177