this post was submitted on 24 Feb 2026
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Trying to get into MUDs - any suggestions? (lemmy.ca)
submitted 1 day ago by brynden_rivers_esq@lemmy.ca to c/retrogaming@lemmy.world
13 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Hey folks,

just in the last few days I've really become very interested (probably one of those ADHD micro-obsessions) with trying to play a MUD or MUSH. I'm a long-time tabletop RPG GM, and I've been diving into retro games lately. It feels like it should be right up my alley!

That said, I haven't had a great experience with my first little foray. I've had some software issues accessing some of them, and others are simply dead. It sounds like Gemstone IV is super popular, but I don't want to jump into a neutered experience (and I certainly don't want to pay to play from the outset!).

I'm hoping to try a few more, but it would be great if anyone has: (a) specific ones that they think are still great, so that I can feel more sure that it's worth the trouble of getting set up on and used to a specific MUD. (b) advice about getting started!

Thanks for any input! =)

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[–] Maestro@fedia.io 3 points 20 hours ago

Discworld MUD! If you know Discworld, you know why you should play it. If you don't know Discworld then go read a few Discworld books instead of playing a MUD πŸ˜„

[–] Crylos@lemmy.world 6 points 1 day ago

Lostsouls

This mud has been around since 1990. I was one of the founders when I was in college, but no longer have the time to invest in it.

[–] ptz@dubvee.org 3 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

I used to play the crap out of A.V.A.T.A.R. As of a few days ago, it was still alive and active.

avatar.outland.org:3000

You can use telnet or a more capable MUD client. I used to use zMUD back in the day, but it hasn't been developed since 2008. The last time I sat down and played, I used Mudlet.

[–] brynden_rivers_esq@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 day ago

That's great! What's Avatar like? Why did you like it?

definitely looks like its still active on mudstats.com!

[–] Sanctus@anarchist.nexus 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I second Gemstone, but batMUD is fun and so is Solace. There was this one also based on Runescape I played a while back but I dont remember the name.

[–] brynden_rivers_esq@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Nice; thanks for the suggestions!

Solace doesn't even show up on mudstats.com (which is a tool I just found last night to see how active various muds are)!

Gemstone and batMUD both seem kind of like pay-to-play options; is that your impression? No shame on that, I wouldn't mind at all if I'd been playing for years and would know I liked it!

[–] Sanctus@anarchist.nexus 1 points 1 day ago

I dont remember paying for batMUD but gemstone for sure has a paid option. iirc you can play Solace here: https://solace.i-read-you.ru/ and they have their own trackers at https://solace.rs/

[–] Arkhive@piefed.blahaj.zone 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Multi User Middle Earth (MUME) was my go to as a teen. I periodically think about getting back into it.

[–] brynden_rivers_esq@lemmy.ca 2 points 19 hours ago

MUME

I'm jumping into this and it's very cool; thanks for the suggestion! I think the very-clear shared lore makes it so that it's not a huge amount of work to get into it (for me anyway), and that consistency means you're not going to have the weird issue that some of these seem to of clashing archetypes and themes (e.g. a telekinetic alien, a brooding goth gunslinger, and a magical rainbow pony walk into a bar).

That said, I do think the shared lore may restrict freedom a bit (I don't know how plausible it would be to work towards making the events of the third age impossible...like leading a peasant revolt in Gondor or something).

[–] PetteriPano@lemmy.world 1 points 23 hours ago

StickMUD has extensions for mudlet to bring you quality of life enhancements for 2026.

[–] _Nico198X_@piefed.europe.pub 1 points 1 day ago

i had a ton of fun playing cyberSphere back in the 90s.

https://www.topmudsites.com/forums/muddisplay.php?mudid=Cybersphere

https://www.cybersphere.net/

[–] farcaller@fstab.sh 1 points 1 day ago

Slothmud (https://slothmud.org/) is still fun and has that very classic MUD vibe.

[–] violentfart@lemmy.world 0 points 1 day ago

I played Gemstone for a very long time.

I would avoid it as it’s mostly bots now.