Trekking Through the MUD

I've watched Star Trek since the days of Kirk, curled up next to my father in front of a small unreliable television. One of the things I like best about Star Trek now, from The Next Generation forward, is that roleplay is not only an accepted hobby, it's the preference of the majority of Trek crew.

What am I talking about? The holodecks. Crew members exercise their imaginations by programming virtual realities that encompass everything from Worf's fighting programs to Data's Holmesian mysteries. Then they invite their friends to play in the story, too. The holodecks have been used to solve Geordi's engineering problems and get Riker off the hook for murder. It's enough to make a roleplayer drool.

"Among the Stars TrekMUSH" may just be the closest thing to holodeck nirvana this side of the 21st century. Connect to: ats.trekmush.org 1701. Play a Bajoran, a Fed, a Borg ( "voluntary" assimilation) or just about any other sort of Trek denizen and enjoy a helpful staff on one of the busiest MUSHes I've ever seen. At least 100 players are logged in whenever I connect.

The only complaint I've heard is that there is too much code, making for a very technical atmosphere. Transporters, weapons, replicators, spacecraft, computers . . . one player groans that "it's like having to go through the Starfleet Academy in order to be able to play." Then again, to some RPers, a complex code system means more toys, not more headaches. Be aware that the documentation for the commands could be better. You'll learn more by experimenting than by reading help files here.

Speaking of complaining. Lately I've heard about guests logging in to various MU*es and being as obnoxious as possible, supposedly in order to "test the staff." These pests claim to do this on behalf of a magazine that wants game reviews.

As a staffer and a player, I find this to be a ludicrous, pointless method. How do I deal with people who log on just to harass others? @nuke works.

Testing a MUSH for review should mean playing there long enough to get a feel for how the game is run and how the game is played. Not bugging fellow RPers to see how long it takes them to get mad. And if you want honest feedback from the gamers, stay undercover. Who wants their favorite MU* flamed for the whole RP world to read?

Where do you like to play? What games do you avoid? Let's start building our own review list. Granted, everyone has different ways of enjoying RP, but with enough input, we'll be able to create a list that guides players to sites worth connecting to.

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