Community
Tips and advice for making creating welcoming communities, addressing sources of toxicity, and solving community-related issues in roleplaying games.
Latest posts

Lumen et Umbra: re-imagining a world between light and shadow
Learn how Simone, AKA Niymiae, rebuilt the Italian game Lumen et Umbra from its Diku roots into a one-of-a-kind hack-n-slash MUD with ARPG influences.

Too many MUDs, not enough players?
We've all heard it, but is it true? And does that mean it's a lost cause to make a new MUD in 2025? Andruid shares her two cents.

MudVault: a new way to discover MUDs
Asmodeus, creator of MudVault, is building tools to make MUDs easier to find, fairer to rank, and more fun to play - all while keeping the focus on user experience.

Federation 2 Community Edition: from hauling cargo to shaping the galaxy
Federation 2: Community Edition is a player-run revival of a space trading MUD. Jonathan (“Cosmo”) shares how it came back from the brink - and why it's still special 30+ years later.

Bridging virtual worlds: past and future of the InterMUD chat network
Long before Discord, MUDs had cross-game chat networks. This post dives into the sometimes dramatic history of InterMUD.

A picture worth a thousand rooms: the Worldmap project by Hades_Kane and Grieffels
Discover how Hades_Kane and Grieffels built a worldmap system that lets you quickly make areas from PNG files. Includes screen reader support!

3 Years of Writing Games: a look back
Compelling insights and key takeaways from the first year of interviews in a single post.

MUDing mistakes and surprising lessons learned
Read about a text game blunder I made and the lessons I took away from the experience about mistakes, reputation, and trust in MU* games.

Making a MUD vs. creating a game: is there a difference?
So you're making a MUD: does that also make you a Game Creator? Is there a difference? Find out in this installment of Ask Andruid.

SysAdmin Day: celebrating the people who keep our favorite games running
Learn why SysAdmins are important for MU*s, plus ways to celebrate them on SysAdmin Day. Featuring quotes from Opie, Faraday, and Viriato.

Shattered MU: beyond monsters and magic
Tat, creator of Shattered MU (a post-apoc game), talks about the importance of community and shares her guidelines for game design.

AresMUSH: the next-gen server platform
Faraday talks about why she created AresMUSH, as well as some of the core tenets that went into its development.

MU* Accessibility Week: 6 ways to take part
It's MU* Accessibility Week! Whether you're a staffer or player, there are ways to get involved and make a difference. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

