Hey guys! Do you like MUDs? They fit right in with the whole texty DF theme, but I never see any advertised here. Anyway, here's a hugepost about my favorite one,
Unwritten Legends.
Unwritten Legends is a roleplay-mandatory text-based game (automated afk experience game is not permitted, and all players must be in-character at all times) that's been alive and kicking with constant development for over a decade. On the surface, it's a sword and sorcery MUD with steampunk and magitek elements, but the rich history and incredible roleplay scene really set it apart. You decide your role in this world, whether it's taking up the badge and serving the law as part of the player-run imperial guard, delving into the arcane sciences, or just enjoying a cup of tea in polite company. The game is free, and it's just about the only place I've ever been able to find any really complex roleplay online.
Races:There are 11 races in Unwritten Legends, which are further divided into 48 subraces. That sounds like a hell of a lot, but most of the subraces are just simple cultural divisions, like the Anglo-Saxon analog Kivians, or the Tesugans, who most closely mirror the peoples of East Asia in our own world, or the four Sylvani subraces who each align with one of the four seasons. The diverse races all have their strengths and weaknesses, but anyone can excel at any role, making this more a roleplay decision than a mechanical one.
Including subclasses, there are 16 classes to choose from in Unwritten Legends. Your class determines your spells or abilities, the type of armor you wear, and most of your skill specializations. At character creation, however, you are allowed to tag seven skills as innate specializations, making it feasable to play a mercenary who really likes using wands or a channeler who's good with a sword or a gun if that's what you want to do.
Thrael is a large world with a somewhat intimidatingly huge backstory. It's made a little easier to swallow by the fact that many of the regions in the game closely resemble nations and empires in our own. The Vashan empire, for instance, is quite similar to much of Eastern and Central Asia. Rhe'yubla closely resembles a fantasy version of Indonesia with elements from other Pacific Island cultures, and Peregorne, the hub of the game, is quite similar to England, Scotland, and Ireland. Woven in are elements of pure fantasy--millenia-old elven cultures, wandering gharkin, and ocean-dwelling Naiads all add unique flavor to the world. The setting can roughly be said to be anything from late renaissance to early modern (Think Napoleon, The French Revolution, or Pirates of the Carribean) with a healthy dose of steampunk and fantasy tech to keep everyone on their toes.
Roleplay drives UL more than anything else. The nobility, the innovators, the criminals, the guard, the religious--all of these are roles filled mainly by the players, and interacting with other players who have actual jobs to do and a meaningful place in the world is a big part of why UL works so well. However, it doesn't stop there. Players in UL can gain experience by fighting, fishing, or foraging, and learn skills by going out and practicing whatever it is they want to be good at. Additionally, good roleplay is rewarded with points that can be spent to customize items, alter your character's appearance, or do a number of other things, meaning that those players who would rather not chase levels still have goals to work toward if they wish.
Crafting is currently in the middle of a major overhaul. It's still in its baby steps, but right now players can collect and refine metals and disenchant or recharge magical items. Fame can be spent to turn that metal into something useful or put permanent enchantments on items, but hopefully before too long we'll see a lot more stuff for players to make without GM intervention via the fame system.
So come say hi!
