World-building

Ideas and advice for building immersive worlds game worlds with text, such as MU*s, play-by-post games, chatroom roleplay games, and interactive fiction.

Latest posts

Inside Cryosphere: the satirical sci-fi space MUD

Inside Cryosphere: the satirical sci-fi space MUD

Oct 25, 2025

Jan 10, 2026

Long-time developer Morwen shares the origins of Cryosphere, the design decisions that shaped the game, and what's coming next.

GoMud: a lightweight engine for building text-based worlds

GoMud: a lightweight engine for building text-based worlds

Jul 21, 2025

Jan 8, 2026

Volte6, creator of GoMud, talks about the new engine, what it's like to make a project open-source, and lessons learned along the way.

How long should room descriptions be when building a MU*?

How long should room descriptions be when building a MU*?

Sep 18, 2024

Jan 9, 2026

New MU* creators and builders often want to know how long their room descriptions should be. Find out in this post.

Draped in wealth: 10 luxury furs and leathers worn by the elite

Draped in wealth: 10 luxury furs and leathers worn by the elite

Jul 29, 2024

Jan 8, 2026

A hand-picked list of luxury furs and leathers used throughout history. For writers and world-builders looking to craft wealthy characters and settings.

Crafting elegance: how luxury fabrics and textiles are made

Crafting elegance: how luxury fabrics and textiles are made

Jul 29, 2024

Jan 10, 2026

Learn how luxury fabrics and textiles are made, including types of fibers and their sources. For writers and world-builders who like to dive into the details.

Mystavaria MUD: a world of dreams and magic

Mystavaria MUD: a world of dreams and magic

Jul 14, 2023

Jan 7, 2026

Creators Alora and Aion share their experiences developing Mystavaria, a new fantasy MUD that features dream magic.

30+ Luxury fabrics for wealthy characters: a guide for writers and world-builders

30+ Luxury fabrics for wealthy characters: a guide for writers and world-builders

Jun 14, 2023

Jan 8, 2026

A detailed guide to luxury fabrics with tons of examples and ideas. Perfect for writers and world-builders looking for inspiration!

How to create a style guide for your MU*

How to create a style guide for your MU*

Apr 3, 2023

Jan 7, 2026

Learn how to create a Builder's Style Guide for your multi-user dungeon (MUD), including what should go in it and where it should live.

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