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What's Old is New Again

© Sandy Brundage

³You stand west of a white house with a boarded up front door....² That phrase has become legendary in the history of adventure games. Infocom frustrated and entertained gamers with its text-only storytelling. Today, flash in the way of graphics and sound effects has usurped such mindbending puzzles. Or has it?

Interactive fiction is coming back strong, thanks to design engines like Inform 6. Easy to learn, Inform 6 allows you to code your own games, and to play new ones done by others, such as the excellent ³Christminster.²

But that isn¹t the only place text-only games are found. Online, the vast world of MUDs, MUSHes, MUX and MOO offer exciting roleplay in an environment connected to users around the world. The variety of themes is boggling- some focus on White Wolf¹s World of Darkness, with vampires as player characters. Others are purely social places to hang out and chat, or, like Storyteller¹s Circle , spots to talk out-of-character about better roleplay and storytelling. Anne McCaffrey¹s Pern world, William Gibson¹s cyberpunk visions, castles in medieval Germany... just about anything you dream of, you can play.

Where to start? Juliann¹s MUSH Matrix is one of the best organized catalogs of online games. Search by theme to find a MU* that intrigues you. Or go to The Mud Connector to log onto a MU* at random.

If you aren¹t familiar with connecting to or playing on a MU*, there are several guides to get you started. The MUD Resource Collection helps you choose a client program and teaches the fine points of player etiquette. Ready to staff or create your own game? Check out The MUSH Manual for coding and admin tips.

Upcoming columns will take a broad look at roleplay in general, from live action to tabletop to MU*- what are the misconceptions about gaming, and why roleplay, anyway? Who plays? Here¹s a little bit about my gaming background. I¹ve been an avid Rper since age 10, when my love of acting and adventure collided with a game called ŒDungeons and Dragons¹. Now almost twenty years later, as an online Storyteller for a White Wolf MUD there¹s always some new twist that keeps my interest high.

Let¹s make this a place to share discussion about a hobby we love, with the hope of spreading our enthusiasm. Tell me what topics you¹d like to see. Opinions are always welcome, as are suggestions for improvement. Thanks for dropping by.

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