[MUD-Dev] Mud Settings

[JC Lawrence]

On Sat, 27 Dec 1997 15:21:38 PST8PDT 
Greg Munt<greg at uni-corn.demon.co.uk> 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 can't say that I have a particularly futuristic or medieval or
<any-other-time-setting> specific theme.  I more or less took a bunch
of neat ideas, threw them together, and watched what grew out of there
with mild amazement.

Probably the best comparison would be Jack Vance's "Fire Upon the
Deep" meets Zindell's "Neverness" meets Myer's "Silverlock" meets
Gibson's "Neuromancer".  I'm not really heading for a theme, more a
semi-congealed nightmare.

> 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?

That's sorta what I've done.  Sorta.  Kinda.  Barely.

> 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?  

Not here.  Its too dynamic.  The basic model is that the world is a
leprous prison/sewer into which the players were thrown (they were
gods) after being stripped of most of their powers and abilities.  The
world is considered to have no real existance outside of its purpose
of containing and constraining the players, and will in fact cease to
exist once all the players have escaped the prison (for a new larger
prison).

There is a definate "Prisoner" theme, for those familiar with the show.

--
J C Lawrence                               Internet: claw at null.net
                                           Internet: coder at ibm.net
----------(*)                        Internet: jc.lawrence at sun.com
...Honourary Member of Clan McFud -- Teamer's Avenging Monolith...