> Aegis and I are trying to design a DND rule-based mud engine. It's going to
> be a reletively strictly following of the rules, and geared towards enforced
> roleplaying. If anyone is interested in the project and wants to work on it
> with us, give us a shout.
>
Sorry if this is in reference to an old message. Just moved to
Austin, and still settling in. Time-Warner apparently crashed (the whole
city) on Tuesday and my cable modem didn't work and then I was off to
Dallas for some work. Message 88 of 388.
While I thrill to the idea of a strict D&D system, I hardly become
excited towards the idea of enforced roleplaying. Truth to be told, I
cannot believe that anyone can successfully run a MUD; something based
primarily on the killing of monsters to gain equipment and increase power
(be it skills, levels, or what have you); and have it 'primarily' a role
playing environment.
To take things to the logical extreme, you'd need an irc chat
channel for the 'best' online roleplaying environment. Failing that, a
MUSH would probably suit you much better.
The analogy to running a MUD as a roleplaying environment is
something like having videogames behind the theatre stage. Your players
came for the video games, but like to have a theatre environment. They
get pissed when you make them perform as actors. You get pissed because
all they want to do is sneak off and play video games.
Further, even the people who came to act are going to be pissed
off. They want to do their part, but there are no supporting cast
members. Also, if they want to play something other than the 'new kid in
town', they have to play the video games too; your theatre assigns roles
based on your standing on the video games in the back. The king, simply,
will not appear as a level 1, 18 year old warrior with 'Shiny Newbie
Armor'.
Etc.
Perhaps you can get around this if you have some massively indepth
and regulated system for object acquisition and customization. Perhaps
the value of the equipment he has is zero, but it _looks_ like he's a
king. Of course, it ruins the 'play' if the magic sword he hands out to
slay the (game-based) dragon is just fancy crap. Seems that you have two
choices;
Either fully integrate your roleplaying into your game world (ie,
make it primarily a game world, and allow your roleplaying to develop as a
natural course of things, and play a _small_ role)
or
Remove the things that will eventually detract from the
roleplaying (ie, items with stats, fighting, levels, stats (str/dex/etc +
hitpoints/etc).
Of course, I'd certainly play the first, I'd never personally play
the second. That's what a MUSH is for.
PjD
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