Introduction to MUSHing
What is a MUSH?
MUSHes are a glorious bit of technology leftover from the beginning of the internet that no one really got around to throwing away. The 1990s were their heydey, and though things have calmed down--MUSHes still thrive. Tenebrae receives 20 to 30 connections a day, and runs plots every week, with a thriving grid that's "open for RP, whenever you want it to be."
Imagine a MUSH as a "text-based MMORPG on a roleplay server," or a "living, text-based world." Players login as their various characters, and meet together to RP in any number of virtual locations. If you've never been to one, you're in for a treat. The tutorial below will walk you through the basics of how to use them, and what they are.
Step One: Connecting
Connecting to a MUSH is done through a MUSH Client. These are small programs, and can be found for free. A sample of recommended ones can be found, below.
If You're Using... | You Probably Want... |
Windows XP | SimpleMU |
Windows Vista or 7 | MUSHClient |
Mac OS X | Atlantis |
Linux | Potato |
Once downloaded, you'll want to connect. Clients will generally ask you three things:
- Name for the MUSH? Tenebrae
- Server? tenebraemush.net
- Port? 4001
For client-by-client help:
If You're Using... | Connect This Way... |
SimpleMU | File > New Connection Wizard |
MUSHClient | Connection > Quick Connect |
For Atlantis and Potato, the connection setup is going to be similar. Look for a "New Connection" or a "New World" setting.
Step Two: Saying Hello
Once you've connected, a "banner" will fly into your Client's screen. It says, The Emblem of Ea, and should look vaguely like the below:
__ __| | ____| | | | __ \ _ \ __| __ `__ \ __ \ | _ \ __ `__ \ | | | | __/ | | | | | | | __/ | | | _| _| |_|\___| _____|_| _| _|_.__/ _|\___|_| _| _| _ \ _| | | | | | __| \___/ _| ____| __| _` | | ( | _____|\__,_| "Tenebrae - The Emblem of Ea" http://www.tenebraemush.net "A Third Edition Dungeons and Dragons Mush" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "connect <name> <password>" connects you to an existing character. "create <name> <password>" creates a new character. "con guest" connects you to a guest character. "WHO" tells you who is logged in to the game (case sensitive). "QUIT" exits the game and saves your character. "news" informs you about recent program changes and items of interest. "help" gives help on the commands. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type connect guest to enter the world as a guest. This logs you into the game, much like you'd log into a MMORPG or a chat room. In fact, it looks like this:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Welcome to the world of TinyMUX. Explore places. Meet people. Have fun! If you need help, just ask somebody (type a double quote mark and then type your question, like this: "Where's a fun place to explore on this MUX? The question will appear to others in the same room as: <yourname> says "Where's a fun place to explore on this MUX?" If you want to create a character of your own, type LOGOUT and then follow the directions for creating a character. Enjoy your visit. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MOTD: MAIL: You have no mail. -=--=--=--=--=--=--=<* OOC Room: The Bottom of the Well *>=--=--=--=--=--=--=- The greater out of character room consists of an old well. Its sides rise up in beautiful, earthly colors. Bits of moss glow luminescently in the dark, along with colorful mushrooms, some with 'EAT ME!' written across their surface. A number of small stones (though large enough for you or me) lay scattered at the bottom for comfortable seating. Many of them share moss-padded surfaces, for the alleviation of discomfort of the most discerning bottocamus. Theme Wiki: http://wiki.tenebraemush.net Recent History Wiki: http://emblemofea.pbworks.com Game Forum: http://forum.tenebraemush.net Sendorian War Arc: http://emblemofea.pbworks.com/Event:War-In-Sendor -=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-- Contents --=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=- Myrana A short young woman with thick coal-black braids 56m 3h Bramble A veyshanti woman wearing next to nothing. w/ staff. 32s 7h Dee A cloaked figure with a metal mask and guantlets. 58s 4m Svarshan Be a paladin. Chomp a demon. 7s 3h Boshter A hobgoblin. In robes. What is the world coming to? 3m 19h Roland 6'3" charismatic man with auburn curls and hazel eyes 9m 7h Agril An obvious priest of Daeus, blond, blue eyes, 5'7" 3m 19h Jareth Tall young man with a strong build, wearing full plat 38s 7h Chiddle Dark haired gnome in artifice-armor and finery. 46s 4h -=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-- Objects =--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=- Horde of Hobgoblins -=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--= Exits -=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=- Character Generation <CG> Staff Nexus <SN> Quiet Room <QR> Building Nexus <BN> Roleplay Nexus <RN> -=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-
Congratulations! You're on Tenebrae.
Step Three: I'm Connected!
Right now, you're in a virtual room. You can type look to look at the room and see who's there, or use +glance to see a list of people who are in the room with you.
Some Commands For Getting Around | |
Type This | It Does This |
look | You look at the room! |
look PersonName | You look at someone in the room. |
say Hi! | You say, "Hi!" |
: waves! | Guest waves! |
page PlayerName=Hi! | You page PlayerName 'Hi!' ...this is like sending a secret message. |
+staff | Gets you a list of helpful folks. |
WHO | Tells you who's online. |
+where | Tells you where everyone is. |
+help | Our ingame help files. |
QUIT | Quits the game safely. |
Step Four: What Now?
You might want to practice moving around and talking to folks. The basic commands you learn, such as look, are the main ones you'll need to use Tenebrae, so settle in and get comfortable.
From here, you'll want to make a character. To do this, you'll want to leave the game first, by typing QUIT. Then, log in again, only instead of connecting as a guest, type create NameOfMyCharacter MyPassword. This is now your character, and you and she, or he, will be able to do a alot of different things.
Once you have your character, check out Chargen, which is a series of rooms that walk you through the chargen process. There's a chargen guide available on this website also, and don't be afraid to page a staff member or helpful player.