[MUD-Dev] Mud Settings

[Matt Chatterley]

On Sat, 27 Dec 1997, 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.)

I don't think you're wrong, but I'll add a few passing comments to this
first paragraph. I don't think 'traditional' is an appropriate word.
Common, or even Stereotypical is probably better suited (if you look into
the real of Tiny-based games there are *hoardes* of non-medieval/fantasy
games). However, if you ask a random mudder, they generally will think
that fantasy/medieval (or some other badly mispelt version) is the norm.

As to alternatives, I would say that other possible settings are:
Historical, Futuristic (sci-fi, sci-fantasy, etc), Modern,
Post-apocalyptical (put aside from futuristic, since I think it has an
altogether different feel), and I would say, Gothic.
 
> 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?

Yes. Michael Moorcock wrote some interesting books (not necessarily good
writing - I don't like his style very much, only his ideas) using this
idea, and I promptly swiped it in a fashion for my theme. I've never seen
it done in a mud environment before (but that doesn't mean that it hasn't
been done, of course).
 
> 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.)

To answer the above in context of the theme I am fashioning:

History continued along some fairly typical and popular futuristic/sci-fi
notions such as genetic engineering and bio-technology (somewhat in the
B5-Vorlon sense), and Humans evolved (partly by their own misguided
design) over four millenia from the present day (roughly speaking) into a
being which can now be considered god-like (nearly infinite lifespan, few
vulnerabilities) and such. The world which we live in was devastated by a
war between two factions (note that human nature has changed little as
they themselves have changed), and a new one crafted by the council which
ran the victorious side (the other was exterminated almost entirely).

In doing so, 'stores' of elemental and pure energy (the 'stuff' from which
the universe is made), were established, forming four elemental planes and
a magical plane, from which power could be drawn for use by technology
(much of which is now naturally part of the human organism). The old
'plane' or world was deserted in favour of the new one (the 'land of the
gods'). One being remained and fashioned another plane, secretly, but
because one alone was not powerful enough to do this he had to draw power
from the elemental and magical plane, thus tying the new world of his
making inexplicably to the 'dead land' of the human race.

This creator went on to fashion much of the world in which the game
actually takes place (a medieval/fantasy realm within itself). There are
ties to the old world (as mentioned above), and various pieces of
technology, some from current times (museum pieces or recreations) and
more modern things could be found in the 'dead lands'.

Regards,
	-Matt Chatterley
	ICQ: 5580107
"We can recode it; we have the technology."