[MUD-Dev] Mud Settings

[Jon A. Lambert]

On 27 Dec 97 at 15:21, Greg Munt wrote:
> The 'traditional' mud is set in a fantasy/medieval "Swords 'N' Sorcery"
> environment. The only alternative seems to be some sort of futuristic
> setting. (Please reply to this, if I'm wrong.)

There's always historical settings.  I recall a WWI Mush that existed
for a time (called "Over There!", I think) ; No "magic" involved.  
Gothic horror is also a possibility as well as modern themes.  I don't see 
why some soap operas couldn't provide sustaining mud themes.  "Beverly 
Hills 90120", anyone?  *urk* *kof* Or maybe "Dallas"?  WOD themes can 
certainly be set in rather urbane settings that just happen to contain 
werewolves, vampires, wraithes and such.  Why not a spy theme along the 
lines of the Saint, Avengers, or James Bond?  1920's American gangland or 
the American wild west of the 1890's have provided rather interesting 
subjects of FTF FRPG games. I'd certainly go _gaga_ over a mud based on 
the old "Prisoner" TV series. ;)  I wonder if anyone's given any thoughts
to resurrecting Agatha Christie's Poirot or Doyle's Sherlock Holmes as
a sort of murder mystery or detective style games.  Lots of fodder there
for questy-type or puzzle solving games perhaps.

> Has anyone ever considered taking this medieval setting, with its 
> interfering gods, its magic, and its powerful heroes, and moving forward
> in history, to a contemporary (or perhaps futuristic) setting? Has this
> been done before, only I never knew about it?

Well it has been attempted in other mediums.  I think the Deadlands 
RPG and TSR's Spelljammer are interesting attempts at integration of 
techno-fantasy.  Recently I saw a coding advert on Usenet for a mud
that was attempting a world based on Stephen King's "Tower" series.

> The main thing to think about is how history has changed through the
> presence of gods and magic. How has technology developed alongside these?
> Does the technology require magic, and/or divine intervention, to
> function? In a futuristic setting, could cyborgs be interpreted as divine
> avatars? (C/F Forgotten Realms, where the source of magic is divine
> power.)
> 
> Does anyone have a world with a detailed history?

My theme is based on ancient Greece, so you could say I have a wealth
of history and literature at my disposal.  Not to mention that Homer's
copyrights have long expired. :)  

Scott Martin's "The Eternal City" mud is largely based on ancient Rome, if 
I recall correctly.

I also have about 300+ pages of a fairly detailed and original fantasy
campaign handy as a backup theme or alternative parallel world.  A large
part of which has been converted into machine readable format over the 
years.  The history is fairly well-developed and self-consistent.

--
Jon A. Lambert
"Everything that deceives may be said to enchant" - Plato