The Obligatory Street-Cred Establishing Intro:

To be technical about it, I’ve been role-playing since I was a kid, long before the Internet was anything more than a techie toy for the military-industrial complex. Back then, my role-playing was of the “Let’s Pretend” variety, though I gradually got interested in role-playing games in high school, then started playing them more when I was in college.

Back in 1999, while I was in grad school, a couple of my friends started talking about this computer game they were playing on. The game was based on the old Transformers cartoon series from the 1980s, one of my personal favorites back in my early adolescence, and was called a “MUSH”. Unlike other games, it was text-based and played in some sort of chatroom-like environment. I was intrigued, especially after getting to hear some of their stories about what happened in the game and such.

At first, I was reluctant to start MU*ing. While it sounded like fun, I’d had bad experiences on IRC chatrooms in the past (largely self-inflicted, agnostics who go to fundamentalist chatrooms are just asking for trouble) and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to let myself in for more hassles. But as is typical with RPGs and me, once I came up with an idea for a character, it was just a matter of time before I started playing. The next thing I knew I was writing up an application for a Decepticon medic of my own creation named Triage.

And thus the addiction started. Now, three years later, I’ve gone from one MU* to about seven that I play on with varying levels of regularity. I’ve even expanded, moving from strictly Transformers based games to World of Darkness and a few social games.

What is a MU*?:

MU* is the generic term for a group of text-based role-playing games which encompasses MUDs, MUSHes, MUCKs, MUXes, MUSEs and MOOs. The oldest of these games date back to the early 1980s and are best defined as follows:

"A MUD (Multiple User Dimension, Multiple User Dungeon, or Multiple User Dialogue) is a computer program which users can log into and explore. Each user takes control of a computerized persona/avatar/incarnation/character. You can walk around, chat with other characters, explore dangerous monster-infested areas, solve puzzles, and even create your very own rooms, descriptions and items." (rec.games.mud FAQ)

While this definition refers to MUD games in specific, the same general definition applies to all MU* systems, at least well enough for the purposes of this discussion.
Most MU*s work something like this: a person finds a game that suits their interests, logs on and creates a character (usually of their own creation, though some games allow people to play pre-generated characters). Once they have that character, they are able to log into the game and interact with other people's characters.

There are a wide variety of games out there. There are games based on table-top RPG systems (such as Dungeons and Dragons or the World of Darkness series of games), TV shows (Star Trek, Buffy the Vampire Slayer), books (The Dragonriders of Pern, The Wheel of Time), video games (Final Fantasy, Mega Man), as well as games based on original themes developed specifically for the game (Castle Marrach here at Skotos.net is a good example of an original themed game).

MU* games are similar to chat rooms, in that they are a text-based medium where people can meet and interact in real-time. The biggest difference is that unlike chat rooms, players on a MU* can wander through a series of virtual rooms rather than being limited to one main area where everyone who is currently logged in is gathered. This allows for various types of role-play, from private, one on one conversation to public oratory and displays.

What are the various types of MU*s?:

MUD (Multi-User Dungeon/Domain): The granddaddy of them all, MUDs tend to be similar in feel to graphical computer games like Diablo, Dungeon Siege, or Ultima Online (which is sometimes called a graphical MUD). MUDS have been around since the late 1970s-early 1980s. While several players are usually logged on at the same time and while they can talk and work together, emphasis is often more on individual achievement through combat with coded objects (sometimes called ‘mobs’). Because of this, some more ‘serious’ MU*ers look down on MUDs, considering them to be a ‘lesser’ form of gaming.

MUSH (Multi-User Shared Hallucination): More role-play-based than MUDs. Combat, if it occurs, tends to be between players rather than between players and coded objects. MUSHes are extremely versatile and themes vary widely.

MUX (Multi-User eXperience): similar to MUSHes, with the emphasis being on role-play over ‘roll’-play (i.e. character interaction as opposed to coded combat).

MOO (MUD, Object Oriented): Most commonly associated with educational uses, MOOs tend to center around social or educational themes.

MUSE (Multi-User Simulated Environment): MUSEs are also often associated with educational/social uses.

MUCK: Unlike the other servers on this list, MUCK doesn’t stand for anything. According to The MUCK Manual, the name derives from the fact that the server’s code system (MUF) gives people the ability to ‘muck’ about with it. A lot of MUCKs have anthropomorphic themes, one of the most widely known such games being FurryMUCK.

Talkers: Not strictly a MU*, but rather a related type of telnet-based chatroom. These tend to be unthemed places where people come to socialize and chat.

It is important to note that the differences between the various systems are not set in stone nor do they necessarily dictate what a game absolutely must be like. There are RP-based MUDs and combat-oriented MUSHes. For most players, especially those like myself who know little to nothing about code beyond a few simple things like creating basic objects, the code differences between games are secondary to the RP experience itself.

Other Variations:

There are differences between games that aren’t related to the game’s code system. Instead, these differences relate more to the ‘feel’ or structure of the game:

Themed: A themed MU* has a detailed setting. The game’s theme gives the game its structure, gives players an idea of what they can and cannot do/play and basically gives people a common set of knowledge to base their role-play on.

Unthemed: Unthemed games have no set structure and tend to be more social games than RP-based games. People may have characters, but these characters may be nothing more than their online persona or avatar, similar to what they might develop for a chatroom or IRC channels.

Socials: Conversely, social games tend to have little or no real theme to them. Instead, they exist as nominally RP-based chatrooms where folks come to socialize with a little RP tossed in for flavor.

Again, as with the various types of MU* servers, there are no hard and fast lines between these subtypes of games. You can have Unthemed Role-play Talkers or Themed Social MUCKs or any other variation in between. If you name it, chances are someone out there has managed to code it.

Who Plays MU*s?:

If you want to see what a MU* player (or any RP gamer for that matter) looks like, go look in the mirror. Role-playing in general is an extremely popular hobby. MU*ers can be any age (the youngest player I've heard of was nine years old, the oldest in his 50s), though most players seem to be in their late teens through their mid 20s.

Who runs a MU*?

In tabletop and LARP games, there is usually one easily seen head of the game. This person is called something like the Gamemaster or the Storyteller. It is their job to give the players a scenario in which to act.

On MU*s, things are different, both from necessity and from a logistical standpoint (in order for a storyteller to be able to keep a reign on what's happening, he or she would have to be on the game and awake all day, every day).

MU*s also vary from chat rooms in that they are more complicated to create. Generally, no one person builds and runs a MU*. Most MU*s have a staff made up of Gods, Wizzen, Admins and Staffers.

Gods: Own the game's database and, generally, pay the costs of keeping the game up and running. In terms of access to the game's code, these people have the most access.

Wizards (also Wizzen or Wiz [singular]): The Wizards are, generally, a step down from gods and usually control one area of the game. This could be a particular aspect of running the MU*, such as building new areas of the grid or coding new commands or helping to watch over a group of players.

Admin: Are a further step below Wizards and are sometimes assistants to them. They are more likely to be working directly with players and dealing with the day-to-day running of the game. Admin is also a generic term for a game's entire staff, regardless of level.

Staff/Staffers: Basically players with a bit more access to the game's code and with special duties on the game. Staffers tend to work more closely with players or to assist admin and/or wizards. Staff is also a generic term for the entirety of a game's staff. Staffers also tend to have more specialized tasks. Some common types of staffers are:

Coders: Coders are those individuals who create and maintain the framework of an online RPG's "software", up to and including the text-based commands used to perform various tasks on the game. They also handle the behind the scenes tasks, that keep the game up and running, connected to the Internet and free from bugs. (special thanks to Mouse for the definition)

Builders: a subset of coders, these are the people who create the rooms/spaces for the game's grid. It is their job, generally, to program, describe (desc) and link the various rooms to each other, making it possible for characters to move from one area to another. This can be a daunting task, especially on games that have several thousand or tens of thousands of rooms, exits and other areas that need to be described, given entrance/exit messages and then tested.

CharStaff: Short for "Character Staff", these are the folks who approve characters and are probably the first staffers that most newbies will come into contact with. The duties of a charstaffer include reviewing applications (if the game has an application process), answering questions about what the game is looking for in terms of characters, and approving/denying characters based on how well they fit into the game (for example, an elf might work great on a Lord of the Rings game, but would be out of place on a Star Trek-based game).

TPStaff: TP is short for "TinyPlot," scenarios that are organized to give folks on the game something to do. TinyPlots, like other role-playing scenarios, can be simple ("You will deliver this package to Mr. Smith") or they can be more complex and involved. They can involve a few individuals or the entire game and can take a night or several months or years to be resolved. TPStaffers are the folks in charge of approving, running and supervising these plots. Sometimes a game will have several TPStaffers, each focusing on a particular game group (or sphere).

Judges: A subset of TPStaff, judges are usually called upon to handle one scene, usually combat-related. They act as arbitrators, watching dice rolls, settling differences and otherwise helping to keep the scene running smoothly.

Help/NewbieStaff: These staffers have little to do with the In Character workings of the game. Instead, their job is to help players, particularly new players, adjust to the game. They exist to answer questions and help Newbies with problems (or to direct them to the people who can help them better).
Not every game will have all of these different staff types. Social games have little need for TP and JudgeStaffs, for example. Also, some games may call these positions by different names (RPSTaffer instead of TPStaffer, is a common example).

Generally, everyone who staffs on a game, from the game's 'God' down to the lowliest staffer, is an unpaid volunteer. In some cases, the 'God' of the game is paying for the game's server out of his or her own pocket, meaning that from a financial standpoint they're running the game at a loss.

Why MU*?:

Speaking for myself, I prefer role-playing online because it allows for more freedom to create and play a character than either tabletop or LARPing can. Because you don’t have to worry about what you look like in real life, you don’t have to worry about the distractions of trying to play characters that differ widely from your real-life appearance. You can play with ten other people and only have to worry about cleaning up your chips and soda. You can listen to music, read a book, surf the Internet, or chat with your friends (either on or off the game) and role-play all at the same time (well, depending on how well you multi-task that is). There is no travel time, no rulebook to buy, no dues to pay, just role-playing, pure and simple. That’s reason enough, if you ask me.

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