[southpointingchariot]

I'm looking to get back into playing MUDs. I'd like to find the MUD with the strongest emphasis on player created and run economies/politics/etc. Any suggestions?

[SnowTroll]

Every mud owner that reads these forums is going to reply to you saying that their mud is the living, breathing embodiment of this feature you request, so I won't waste your time tossing out the usual list that replies to every thread insisting you try their mud, but no mud actually has nor emphasizes fully player-created or player-run content. Nor does anybody really want such a mud (people will say they do, but they don't really), because unregulated players make things less fun for other players, and every mud owner has a vision for his/her mud that they're not going to let some player or group of players deviate from just for the sake of making things player-controlled.

But nearly all of the roleplay-required muds in the top 20 allow some player-created content, to some extent. They want you to create your own detailed character with a detailed backstory, make the game interesting by interacting with other players and coming up with interesting things to do, forming groups (whether supported by the game code or ad-hoc), and influencing the game's politics and economy in various ways, just like you want. But very few muds are going to let you execute your own ideas, entirely unreguated, nor code or build anything to support your ideas.

[KaVir]

He could probably do that on certain MOOs, and I vaguely recall an LPMud that lets pretty much anyone code/build if they wish.

But that's not what the OP asked for. He asked for a mud with a strong emphasis on player created and run economies and politics. A good place to look for the former might be the muds with extensive crafting systems, as those muds generally build the economy around the player crafting. For the latter, I'd suggest checking out muds with detailed clan/guild systems, as those tend to drive the in-game politics.

Having said that, I imagine it'll take considerable time and effort for a newbie to reach a point where they'll personally have any impact on the economy or politics. It's likely there will already be powerful and well-established guilds monopolising the market.

[southpointingchariot]

I appreciate your honesty .

[southpointingchariot]

You are correct - I'm not asking for a place where I build the code, but where the system is focused on organic player-driven mechanics. I understand that this of course means that institutions will already be built to fill this hole - I am comfortable with this.

Your directions are helpful - as I am unfamiliar with the current landscape, is there a particular MUD or small set of MUDs which embodies this concept best at a relatively high level of quality?

[DonathinFrye]

There are two lists, depending on what you are looking for.

If you are looking for an immersive, roleplay-focused world, here are a few games that I'd suggest:

- New Worlds Ateraan: Strong guild system, focus on roleplay/exploration/crafting(stuff to do).
- Threshold: Similar to New Worlds Ateraan in style of content.
- Atonement: More roleplaying intensive, including permanent death and lack of OOC channels. No "NPCs" or imaginary figureheads - players have organically created their own post-Apocalyptic government/law and regulate it themselves.

If you are looking for a more hack+slash world with encouraged roleplay and strong player-run government systems:
- Achaea/IRE MUDs: Huge playerbase, player-run governments, pay-for-perks system for fast advancement (if you have $$$).
- Realms of Despair: Similar to the pros of Achaea, but entirely free. Original SMAUG MUD.
- Ironclaw Online: A lot of focus on Guilds and some creative gameplay. Races include furries.

I'm sure that there are other good examples, but these are the ones that come to mind based on personal experience. I'll rank them in terms of their roleplaying intensiveness with 5 being the greatest and 1 being the most casual of this bunch of suggestions (not compared to more h+s games.) I do this because the importance of roleplay is probably the biggest pro/con for most players.

Atonement: 5
New Worlds Ateraan: 4
Threshold: 4
Ironclaw: 3
Achaea: 2
Realms of Despair: 1

[Ide]

Maybe give Wayfar 1444 a try, it has a Dwarf Fortress-ish vibe.

[southpointingchariot]

I'll check it out, thank you.

[southpointingchariot]

Excellent information! Thank you so very much.

[Threshold]

This is an area where I believe Threshold really excels. It was designed specifically with an interweaving set of player allegiances that create unique and interesting challenges and conflicts.

Guilds, clans, Kingdoms, and especially religions are major player run and organized groups that battle for dominance in the game. There are coded and non-coded representations of this dominance by which players can monitor their progress, success, and/or failure.

The roleplay surrounding these conflicts and competitions have been incredibly epic over the years. People tell stories about them years later.

You should give it a shot:





Or use your favorite client:

Address: thresholdrpg.com
Port: 23

Hope to see you online!

[Newworlds]

Booo we want a 5!

Just kidding, nice list DF.

[Threshold]

Small nitpick regarding which game is similar to which. Threshold is 8 years older than New Worlds, and New Worlds was created by a former (and still current, and welcome!) Threshold player. We are proud that our game has spawned its own little branch on the Great Mud Tree.

So I'd say New Worlds is similar to Threshold, not vice versa!

That's not to say anything qualitative about either game. From what I have read, New Worlds has lots of cool content including some features that never existed in Threshold. And of course, Threshold has a lot of features that don't exist in New Worlds.

Just setting the record and timeline straight there!

[Squeegy]

I might as well pop in and say that we have player-run economies, politics, clans, and a strong emphasis on versatility in crafting and homes. There are even homes you can buy where you are in complete control, and can expand and build on it as you wish to make it completely yours.

Check it out here:

[Newworlds]

I agree with Threshold and will add: Age before Beauty!

But seriously, both games kick major Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhs! So let's leave it at that. Peace Out!

[chrisburr]

[Odd Raven]

Honestly, I'd recommend my old MUD, Imperian. But it's not all Little Debbie snack cakes. As mentioned previously--heavily player-run things tend to get sort of eerily biased and so on. Make sure that's what you're willing to tolerate.

Good luck!