Didn't see a thread for it so I'm making one.
Also to explain the title there... I kinda jumped into the fountain of youth, subsequently deaged quickly and drowned when I turned into a baby.
Yes a Mud game that requires a client but I find extremely enjoyable.
As the title points out the game is literally called DartMud. Also like most muds the game is completely in text. While this can be a pain sometimes because so many things are happening at once it is hard to keep up, at others it is a great blessing because of the amount of detail that is put into the surroundings and what you can look at individually. Like I could come into a room and see a bookshelf, I could then look at the bookshelf specifically and see books on the shelf, then I could pull a book off the shelf and start reading it. There are also interesting things that you couldn't normally find if you weren't looking at your surroundings, but I'll leave that for you all to find when or if you join the game.
The thing that I think sets DartMud aside from most games is that it has no set class, or leveling system. You can literally do whatever you want with your character. There are also hundreds of skills that help you along as well. For instance Spell_Casting, Channeling, Fighting, Control, Split Defense, Scroll Writing, Scroll reading, cooking, butchering, hunting, travel, hiking, swimming, etc. Most skills also overlap where one skill complements another, like cooking and farming, or cooking and butchery.
There are also some unique races as well, to make things more interesting your race doesn't only define how you look but also how inclined you may be to do a certain task. Like a Human can just about pick any path they want, they just won't excel as well as others have. Or how a Centaur can be just about the toughest fighter around.
Pulled straight from the helpfiles:
It is said of Braman that they never forget a name or a face. They are the close relatives of elephants, having a trunk, large ears and an overall grey complexion. The rest of their body is roundish and while looking soft and pudgy, it masks their natural strength. They can use their trunk to do any number of things, since it is as flexible and much stronger than any arm. They see poorly but have a deeply defined sense of smell and incredible hearing that makes them rely on these other senses and giving them different views of the world than other races might have. Braman are a proud and intelligent race. They are fearlessly brave, never forgetting neither a friend nor foe. Braman have historically been a pacifist race, but lean and uncertain times have lessened that emphasis somewhat. Braman sages surpass even the mystical Rowans and Elves in their knowledge.
Catfolk have both human and cat characteristics. They walk on their hind legs yet have hands ending in claws and a long swift tail. Creatures of the night, they can see in the dark well and are good at scouting land from their ancestry of hunting the wilderness. Strong and very quick they are some of the best natural fighters bringing down even the most skilled warriors with their deadly claws. Because of their clawed hands and low visual acuity they have a hard time manipulating hand tools and learning the more delicate crafts. Catfolk make their homes in forests in trees, caves and the surrounding hills. With their fiery disposition and passionate nature, they have a slightly harder time learning new skills, but given their natural aptitudes at many things, they can easily surpass this barrier.
Centaurs are unusual hybrid beings, half horse and half human. They are a fierce and proud race, some say savage, passionate, but with a deep streak of mysticism. Their strength, large frames and sturdy constitutions make them particular effective warriors. They are also quite talented with a bow and most centaur warriors are archers. They are originally from the forests and hills of an island north of the mainland and are friendly with elves and ogres, but they are slow to trust others. Centaurs are relatively long lived by nature, although most of them die in combat before reaching dotage. Those that do survive to old age tend to mellow and though not terribly inclined towards magic, centaurs are known for producing noted sages, seers and teachers.
Dwarves are much like the mountains that they mine and often make their homes in. They are strong and stubborn, with solid constitutions. They are somewhat shorter than the average human, with both a stockier build and stubbier features. Almost all dwarves are bearded, including the women. Their high night vision and also their near-sightedness are from generations of living underground. They are excellent smiths and miners. Many dwarves trace their lineage proudly pointing to the famous smiths in dwarven history. Dwarves are most happy with other dwarves, and are often distasteful of other races. Dwarves are very proud, and would steadfastly die in battle protecting their friends although it's not certain whether from a feeling of honor or merely the stubbornness to not admit defeat.
Elves are a lithe, graceful people with slightly pointed ears and almond shaped eyes. They are intelligent and very sensual. Elven poetry is said to be the most beautiful in Ferdarchi. Despite their smaller bodies and weaker constitutions, Elves are very skillful fighters and are well renowned for their swordwork and bowmanship. Elves make their homelands in the deep forests throughout Ferdarchi and because of this and their natural agility, they often make excellent scouts and rogues. Although not as strong as humans, Elves have very dexterous fingers which they employ in the respected trades such as sewing and woodworking or the less respected such as lock picking or pilfering. Fascinated by beautiful things, Elves have always been deeply interested in magic and many are well respected healers and magi. Elves tend to be considered frivolous by other races, but their nature is one of joy of the world they live in and peace, playfulness, and happiness therein.
Gnomes by nature are forever curious, always searching for something new. They are the smaller cousins of dwarves, with less rough features and lacking the famous Dwarven beards. They make their homes in the mountains and they are also near sighted like their Dwarven cousins but have a very refined sense of smell in addition. More tinkerers than true craftsman, Gnomes create many wonderful inventions. They are very skillful with their small, dexterous hands and their small stature often allows them to get into places that other races cannot. Many Gnomes find magic to be the most interesting mystery of them all and their highly magical attunement allows them to become powerful magi as long as their interest holds.
Halflings are short and resemble large Human children. They are far from cowardly, yet they often choose not to stray far from their beloved burrow homes where they live in the hills of Ferdarchi. Being small and not physically powerful, they rely on their speed and and hardy constitutions to make them the equal of larger opponents. Although they are happiest at home among their family and friends, Halflings often feel a need to travel sometime during their life and with their quick fingers and natural aptitude for stealth, they are often sought for opening doors or scouting dangerous areas. Once their curiosity is filled they tend to return to their homeland and engage in farming or other simple trades, telling their travels to their children who in turn yearn to see the world for themselves.
Humans are the most versatile and enduring of all races. While having no language they call their own they speak different dialects depending on what region of Ferdarchi they come from. By their very nature, while not being naturally adept at any skill, they are so adaptable that they can learn anything. While other races have a difficult time learning some types of skills, humans can manage to excel at anything. It's this perseverance that allows them to flourish in the hostile and widely varied environments of Ferdarchi. It may seem to some that they have the fewest natural advantages, but by their sheer determination and their great adaptability they may become great at anything they try.
Considered rogues and scoundrels by many, Mohnkees often live up to their reputation. They possess nearly unnatural quickness and dexterity, which they use to become thieves of unsurpassed skill. The more aggressive of the race become warriors. Although not strong, their blinding speed and flexible tail, which they use like third hand, allows them to strike down their opponents before they can react. A few Mohnkee become craftsman, using their natural talents to learn tanning, sewing or similar crafts. Mohnkee are very small, like normal monkeys and while very clever are often too playful for their own good and have difficulty concentrating on a task for long period of time.
Ogres are much larger and stronger than any other race in Ferdarchi. They aren't brilliant, however, as their heads are more filled with fangs than brains. They can still learn simple trades such as farming and fishing though, and are feared fighters for their sheer might. Their powerful frames and hardy constitution allows them to take risks and survive where another would have easily fallen. Since they have poor vision and are somewhat clumsy, many fear ogres as senseless brutes who carelessly destroy whatever gets in their way. This is far from true, as ogres often feel a great need to protect the "little ones". An ogre is a fierce and loyal companion.
Orcs are foul tempered and brutish in looks as well as nature. They have short fangs, a constantly scowling appearance, and a vicious personality. From years of living in caves, their vision has become somewhat near-sighted although still quite keen in the dark. Orcs are very strong and tough. Although their lack of agility slows them down some, they make excellent warriors. In general, Orcs are considered xenophobic, and are usually very suspicious of other races. Because of this, they are often cut off from the rest of the world and thus they have been forced to become quite good in all trades.
Thin and blue skinned, Rowans are said to look otherworldly and their mystical nature and incredible intelligence seems to support this. They have natural control of the elements of magic and with their dexterous fingers can sew, gem craft, and tan easily, allowing them to master any handcraft. Artistic by nature, they are avid readers and theatre goers. They often devote their lives to the study of magic, alchemy, or anything else which intrigues the mind. Despite their short lifetimes, Rowans often become "bored" after easily learning everything in a few years that takes others lifetimes. Because of their high intellect they remain aloof and distant. Many are somewhat disdainful of other races, yet some look past racial lines to become great healers and teachers. Rowans have surprising patience and understanding.
Spyders, distant cousins of the more mundane arachnid race, in many ways resemble them. They have four arms which they can use equally well, four legs, eight eyes and the highly developed sense of hearing. In other ways they differ from normal spiders, they are a little smaller than Humans, and have lost their ability to create poison, making their fangs small and harmless. Highly intelligent though with their weaker physical strength, Spyders often study magic, becoming very adept in a short time. With their many arms they can defend themselves well, and Spyder warriors are feared because of their many-armed attacks. Able to perform complicated tasks with their many hands, Spyders perform hand crafts well. With their natural agility they become fair scouts or rogues. Like all creatures that make their homes underground, Spyders have lost the ability to see very far.
Trolls come in many shapes and sizes, their appearance being as diverse as their nature. Living very long lives, Trolls have the outlook that in time things will work out. They usually don't see a need to change since time and again things revert back to the way they were. They are strong and heal so quickly that it is said that to actually kill a Troll they must be totally dismembered. Highly magical, there are rumors that Trolls were created long ago by a mad wizard. While being slow learners, they can with time become very powerful mages. Trolls are very near sighted, the result of living in the dark swamps and caves that they often spend their lives in. It is sometimes wondered if the trolls live in the swamps because of a lack of a desire to leave or if they have hidden themselves so deeply that they have forgotten the way back.
Many diverse races all good at one thing or another, not saying they can't do whatever they want just that it would be somewhat harder for say a Ogre to be a Mage than a Gnome or Elf who are more magically attuned.
The Game is also a Semi-Permadeath game. Basically you can die, and normally easily if you don't know what you are doing. However there is hope, another player can save you by pushing your soul back into your body. The downside is that as your body rots and your soul is pushed farther away from it you will start forgetting important skills, and possibly even how to speak. An amulet can save all these skills by holding your soul in it, completely separate from the body. If the body rots away though a new one will have to be found to accommodate your soul.
There is currently a decent player base that is large enough to keep places busy, but small enough that you could walk around in the wild and have a small chance of meeting someone else. Most other players are willing to help you out when you first start out and start you off in whichever direction you want.
Most characters can be classified into one of three things. There are the mages who have decided to specialize in magics which can bee seen mostly in the Healers Guild, or the Mages Guild.
There are also the warriors who specialize in fighting toe to toe with opponents, and in heavy lifting if its needed.
Then there are the thieves and assassins. I do not know if there is a rogue guild of any sort since it is fairly hard to play such a character but rewarding at the same time. Anyone who goes around asking where to go to learn how to be a thief or assassin will likely be killed by the first person they come across. I would recommend trying to be a thief after learning a bit about the game. They are a fun type to be and play.
RolePlaying is enforced in Dartmud, those who don't roleplay may find themselves banned or just killed since the person they are talking to will think you are speaking gibberish and thus put you out of your misery.
Edit: thought I should clarify, bad rp won't get you killed. Not rping at all will.
The health system is unique in that individual body parts may be hit. Not as far down as Dwarf Fortress but you can lose a leg and still live. It goes down to limbs and body parts for the most part, but in rare occasions you can have your heart or lung damaged if you are getting hit hard enough.
For those of you wanting to find me specifically, I'm a gnome mage named "Happi". Be sure to seek me out in a rp sense way. You won't know who I am when you first join the game since your character has never heard of me. I can often be found in the Ebon tower or the Healers Hall which the game will point you to when you first join up.
One more thing, this game is made to be tough so don't be discouraged if you die. Dieing can actually become quite amusing.
For those having a problem registering their email:
Charter and Comcast both provide e-mail accounts to anyone with their internet service that are not freemail. Come to think of it pretty much anyone who doesn't use AOL as their ISP should have these available to them. They're really easy to set up too, usually just need to hunt down your account number, go to your ISP's website, and you can set up a primary account and e-mail accounts.
Now when it comes to advertising... I have no idea, but for a while I was using my parent's comcast e-mail to play.
Quoted from the Dartmud forumsMore info:
DartMud Official Site:
http://www.dartmud.com/Wiki:
http://dartmud.xnet.org/wiki/Forum:
http://dartmud.xnet.org/To log in with a client:
dartmud.com
port 2525
examples of clients: MushClient, Zmud...
Okay I think I've done enough here, Ask any questions that you have.
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Topic: DartMud: Where you can die of youth (Read 7288 times)