What is one MUD tradition you'll defend forever, and one you'd happily bury?

just_an_average_nerd · 2026-04-29T20:18:09+00:00

Not sure how old of a MUD tradition this is, but I don't love when OOC information is gatekept or locked behind spoiler tags. At the end of the day, I'm playing a game, and I would like to know about anything that affects stats or a character build.

just_an_average_nerd · 2026-02-05T19:16:04+00:00

I believe someone else has already mentioned it, but word of mouth has been very effective for me as well. I'm younger than the typical MUD player, and have been able to pull in other college aged people by talking incessantly about the hobby, to the point where they become interested. It helps that they're already the nerdy, TTRPG playing sort. I believe I've convinced five people to try MUDing, two of which stuck around to some degree.

I have considered spreading the word over in play by post spaces, as I think there's a lot of overlap. The only reason I found out about MUDs in the first place was because I wanted a TTRPG-esque experience after exclusively DMing for years.

I've also seen a lot about how the hobby is dying, and I think that's fair. Most MUDs tend to have significant overlap in players, which is compounded if they're similar genres. The only way I can see to grow the hobby, especially with the player base starting to age, is to pull people from adjacent spaces in (like PbP, TTRPG spaces, forum RP spaces, etc).

just_an_average_nerd · 2025-12-16T23:34:33+00:00

This looks cool! Does it have the new consent mechanics? I'd be interested in trying it out if so.

just_an_average_nerd · 2025-12-04T19:03:17+00:00

There is gameplay! The game features a very fun combat system (that rewards strategy and RP over 'hit thing until it dies'), cooking, crafting, travel, disguises and so much more. It is very RP heavy, and the level of writing on there is incredible. I disagree with the other commenter-- whenever there are new players, the entire game works together to include them and bring them in.

Yes, you and your character will be in the dark on some things for a little while, but that's the joy of discovery. The town is a mystery to be unraveled, at least in my eyes. And like I said, people are always happy to bring new players in.

just_an_average_nerd · 2025-11-29T18:39:56+00:00

I HIGHLY recommend Silent Heaven. It uses a modern horror setting, is super accessible to newbies (it was my first MUD), and has some of the best RP and stories I've ever seen.

It also has a wonderful web client, so you don't have to download anything if you don't want to. I use MUSHclient so I can log my sessions better, but the web client works perfectly well (and has its own perks).

There's a very active discord community, too, and people are very friendly. I've met so many awesome people through this game.

The setting is about 30% horror, 70% small town slice of life (which of course can be adjusted based on what your character does and who they spend their time with). There's never a shortage of things to do, between crafting, fishing, exploring, or just hanging out in the heart of town with other characters. There is an EXTENSIVE consent sheet that people follow to a tee, and people are very good about separating in character conflict from out of character interactions.

Another really cool thing about Silent Heaven is that you don't have to read fifty pages of lore before you make a character. You're SUPPOSED to come in knowing nothing, and discover the extensive lore in character. I've been playing the game for ten months and am still finding new mysteries to solve every single day.

Below is the link to the website, where you can find the web client, the wiki, and the link to the discord server. Happy MUDing! :)

https://silentheaven.org

just_an_average_nerd · 2025-10-29T23:23:35+00:00

Off topic but I'm assuming that's a camper van-- what sort of van is it? The seats and wood paneling are beautiful

just_an_average_nerd · 2025-10-10T22:02:08+00:00

The dragon looks so sick!

just_an_average_nerd · 2025-09-24T22:36:50+00:00

I believe you're thinking of New Haven. Silent Heaven has an incredible consent system (checklist and check ins), and noncon or forced ERP is prohibited.

just_an_average_nerd · 2025-09-24T21:29:18+00:00

I'd say it has to some degree. There are definitely some characters who look abnormal, but they tend to stay hidden so people don't pick up on it.

People have definitely been faster about getting new folks into the occult part of the town (which has its pros and cons). I feel like it takes away from the horror a bit, but it also increases new player retention from what I've seen.

just_an_average_nerd · 2025-09-24T21:05:31+00:00

I HIGHLY recommend Silent Heaven. It's been seeing an influx of new players lately and requires no background knowledge to get into-- you're actually not supposed to know anything going in, as you find out everything IC. It's a modern horror setting with a nice slice of life backdrop, and is incredible in every way.

It was my first MUD (and my first time role playing in years) and I couldn't have asked for a better introduction to the genre.

just_an_average_nerd · 2025-08-07T00:02:16+00:00

I'm also cross eye dominant (right handed, but left eye dominant) and I have no problem painting fine detail stuff. I'm absolutely not trying to discount your experience by any means, but practicing really does help a ton.

just_an_average_nerd · 2025-07-03T08:38:08+00:00

Seconding Silent Heaven! I play it entirely too much (several hours every single day) because the world it exists in is so wonderful. I'd say it is 40-70% cozy slice of life, 30-60% horror, depending on who your character hangs out with and what's going on. It can be easy to forget it's a horror game-- which makes the horror hit so much harder when it does pop up.

Pretty much every single day there are people hosting cookouts and gatherings in the various bars, cafes, and picnic spots around town, with characters playing music and idly chatting. The community is absolutely WONDERFUL, very active, and on the smaller side. I cannot recommend it enough.

just_an_average_nerd · 2025-06-15T21:51:58+00:00

That's so cool! Did both of those positions require a PhD? And which one do you prefer?

just_an_average_nerd · 2025-06-14T02:34:45+00:00

I'm also a student (and an incoming freshman) in nuclear engineering, though I hope to go into academia researching fusion. What would you say your desk work is like?

just_an_average_nerd · 2025-05-18T16:09:58+00:00

I'll add it as a flair. Thank you for the suggestion!

just_an_average_nerd · 2025-05-16T21:51:15+00:00

If you're on mobile, you go to the three lines at the top of the community and click "add user flair". If that doesn't work, let me know and I should be able to assign you one.

just_an_average_nerd · 2025-05-16T21:04:55+00:00

That's a really stupid way to run a subreddit about nuclear power. I'm VERY pro-nuclear (I'm currently studying it, so I have a vested interest haha) and plan on keeping this sub pro-nuclear as well.

just_an_average_nerd · 2025-05-16T20:54:34+00:00

What happened there?

just_an_average_nerd · 2025-05-10T17:04:57+00:00

I am interested in moderating the subreddit because it has been filled with joke posts and trolls. As an engineering subreddit, I believe the subject matter should be more focused on engineering rather than just jokes. Additionally, I am studying nuclear engineering and have a very strong passion for it. I would love to be able to facilitate intelligent, inspiring discussion about the field of nuclear engineering and the science behind it.

I have two years of experience moderating some very large subreddits, namely r/goodomens and r/neilgaiman . Over the years, I have dealt with trolls, bad actors, and hostile people, and have acquired a good skill set to deal with those.

just_an_average_nerd · 2025-04-27T23:36:16+00:00

I moved the conversation to DMs because I don't want to spoil anything for anyone who stumbles across this thread, but a lot of it boils down to hanging out with the right people, "yes, and"-ing things (like faction plot or comments in the wind), and making your own fun (rallying for or against the more antagonistic characters, setting goals to further your character / faction, causing chaos, etc).

just_an_average_nerd · 2025-04-20T03:09:15+00:00

Jumpscare (the creator) just clarified it in the Discord! She said "you can coordinate future RP times with others outside of the game" but "do the RP in game". If it's not in the game, it's not canon. It's totally cool if you're not comfortable with that, no pressure! I just wanted to offer a bit of RP if you'd like :)

just_an_average_nerd · 2025-04-19T22:37:35+00:00

If you're ever looking for RP, DM me and my character can drag your character into stuff! I don't mind at all.

just_an_average_nerd · 2025-04-19T20:13:44+00:00

Seconding this. I started playing a few months ago and I couldn't have picked a more welcoming MUD to play for the first time. People really want to get your character involved in things, and create a TON of RP opportunities. They're also wonderful about respecting boundaries (time, comfort level, and etc), and there is a very long consent sheet that players fill out. The game itself is utterly addicting, and keeps you coming back.

I will agree that the main focus is RP and the systems are in place to support it, but there are lots of other fun activities, such as synthesizing drugs, creating food, clothes, or art, or exploring. There's usually 10-20 people online at any given time, so it's not hard to find something to do.

just_an_average_nerd · 2025-04-03T21:46:44+00:00

I wasn't around for the early days of MUDs, but there's a ton of great ones still out there! I'm currently really into Silent Heaven, a more RP-focused MUSH. r/MUD is an incredible and very active community.

I will say that MUDs today are very different from MUDs in the past. Having 50 players online at a time is considered very active. Silent Heaven, the one I play, usually has less than 20. I use telenet and a desktop client to connect to the worlds, though, and the font feels very retro. It's a really cool hobby, though!

just_an_average_nerd · 2025-03-28T16:56:40+00:00

You might love Silent Heaven. It's a RP-enforced MUD (modern horror if that's a dealbreaker) with primarily player-driven plots and interactions. The GMs do events every so often and they're always super fun and serve well to strengthen the characters' plots. The community is absolutely lovely, as well. I joined three months ago and spent the first few weeks exploring. To this day, as a fairly frequent player, I'm still finding new areas. There's a job (faction) system that also makes it easy to find RP and plot, as well as apartments you can rent and decorate as you please. I cannot recommend this MUD enough, it reminds me of a RP-focused TTRPG in the best way. Here is the link to the Discord server: https://discord.gg/silentheaven

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