GRUMPS

[maddog at best.com]

Lately I've been thinking again about the virtuality of virtual characters.
A few years ago I posted to rgm.something about having transportable 
characters, i.e. characters that could roam from mud to mud and
essentially be the same character.  At the time I was looking at muds
as a traveler might, such as Dr Who.  I think only two people liked the 
idea,  me and someone who wouldn't publicly admit it.

So of course now I'm thinking  in terms of virtual virtual characters.
Partly, its because I've had an email conversion with the creator of
the Window-- a generic RPG and some other material that I've been 
looking at.  And partly because I like to try out new ideas but 
I don't want to rebuild big chucks of work.  It's the same sort of
idea that drove GURPS, RIFTS, and FUDGE.  Now I'm thinking in
terms of GRUMPS (GeneRic Universal Mud Playing Syste.  
One advantage to creating GRUMPS is that anything
could be converted to GRUMPS, or GRUMPS converted to anything.

The pencil-and-paper people (yes, real people made of 
pencil-and-paper, it's amazing technology), have conversion charts
to do essentially that. But in a MUD I could use GRUMPS to build
a horde of things and just work with  GRUMPS,  or have my things
go through a GRUMPS->something converter and I could enter a world 
based on the new system.  

So...does anyone have a suggestion of where I can start?
The groundrules are such that the engine must be completely open,
freely distributable, and no restrictions on its use.  This just
about eliminates everything that is currently available.  

If you have such an engine or have the energy to help develop one
or at least have one or two darn good ideas about it, send
me email frankc at maddog.com. Or visit me at 
blackrabbit.mudservices.com 1150 where I'm currently working 
on "Toxic Springs" based on Waste World from Manticore Productions Limited.
(its a freebie project and should take me about 23 years to complete).

frank

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maddog's studio http://www.maddog.com/
Frank Crowell frankc at maddog.com