My experience with this game wasno matter what I tried in game whether it be on OOC channels or newbie channels no answer ever came and I started at 7am this morning and am still waiting on Admin to get my e-mail to get a account. I tried signing on as a guest multiple times and nothing, no player would answer me and the admin is not on at all. Wouldn't recommend this at all.

I joined Serenity after a good MU*friend suggested it. From October to February we had a blast. There were a couple catches here and there, but for the most part, the world was fine for Joe Player.

Then the communication bugbear started. Staff ask you submit +reqs for problems, but they close the request without ever telling you the results. Staffer A never talks to Staffer B, so when you page up a staffer, they have no idea what you're talking about. Rules and code are changed without warning or notice. If you don't happen to be on when these things are mentioned on the PubChan, you find out by logging in and realizing everything changed. And then there's the habit of Dark Staff lurking on every ship channel.

Oh and don't forget the space pirates, which have no resemblance to Serenity that I've ever seen.

I liked the idea behind the game. I like a lot of the players, but the Staff don't have their act together. And it's just not the place for me.

When I first arrived on Serenity, I was slightly doubtful, I had heard some bad reviews from players, but I wanted to judge it on its own merits.

Chargen was pretty darn simple, there were some complicated parts but they were pretty easy to work through. The problem I found was that what I wanted to play wasn't exactly something that worked well with the MU*. That's fine, I suppose. Almost 90% of the playerbase are a part of a ship's crew, so if you were looking to be a shop owner or some other business type, I'd encourage you to look elsewhere.

I really, really wanted to play an Alliance character, but such characters require an application, that didn't bother me. I started my application around febuary, after the MINIMUM required 2 months of gameplay. Yes, 2 months before you can get an alt of any sort or apply for a 'restricted' character. I can understand that I suppose, the problem I received was that I rarely, if ever received feedback on my application. It was as if my application got thrown in the waste paper basket.

The staff are active, if you see one online and unidle, they will readily respond, but their response rate for a submitted issue is on average, a week or two. That is not to say the MU* is run by 1 or 2 people. There are plenty of staffers, it just appears as though their organization is limited.

The MU* also has no idle disconnects. You can be logged on for 30 days and remain idle, you will not be disconnected. Somewhat annoying when you +finger someone, see they are connected, page them.... wait.... wait... nothing, check the WHO and see they are 15 hours Idle, a little excessive.

Contrary to popular belief, I have found the MU* to be very cliqueish and difficult to fit in, very, very difficult for a new player to 'dive' into the RP. Everyone has their little groups they RP with and interactions with other groups are frowned upon. Many players hold a grudge against another player or group. I detected a lot of animosity amongst certain groups which I found to be rather petty.

All in all, I found the MU* to be interesting. I am not sure I would recommend it to others at this time. While the code is solid, the theme is solid, there are lots of quirks that make it somewhat tedious from a player's perspective, a new player's that is. It can be fun at times, but a lot of the time it is frustrating at best.

I'm a fairly jaded person. Between job, life, and social engagements, I don't have a lot of time, anymore, to play online. When a friend of mine pointed me to SerenityMUSH, I was...less than eager.

However, they were quite enthusiastic about the place, so I logged in as a Guest, to poke my nose around and see what was up. Now, I am used to the internet being a less than welcoming place (See: Jaded). So, it was to my pleasant surprise that I was immediately greeted with a few welcome messages, by staff and players.

The information on the mush is somewhat...erratic. While there is a wiki and a PDF New Player's Guide, it is somewhat out of date. The staff is aware of this, and they're working on updating it. This is where my amazement truly hit record levels. Normally when I ask a question, I'll get an answer...and 17 sarcastic replies of 'RTFM' or 'Use the search function', or some variation therein.

On SerenityMUSH, you get answers, and no sarcasm. People are truly willing to help you solve your problems there. Staffers and Players seek to create a warm, welcoming environment for new players, and I truly appreciate it. Even if I'm still in a bit of shock.

Chargen is complex, with feats, attributes, and well over a hundred skills available to choose from. But a staffer dropped in to help me /in person/, and there's a walkthrough service available to assist you through each step of the process.

Once I submitted my application, there were some minor tweaks to be made, and I was approved in under a day. Once I got onto the game grid, I was roleplaying in under an hour. And you can't beat that with a stick.

SerenityMUSH is an anomaly in the world, a place where a diverse slice of people of all ages and from all around the world come to be a part of Joss Whedon's 'Verse, even if only for a short while. The players and staff have created a friendly, engaging environment, and I encourage everyone with an interest in wild west/Sci Fi character-driven adventure to come pay a visit.

Or, as they say on the MUSH, 'Welcome Home'.

Serenity was recommended to me by a friend on another MU*, so I thought I would give it a try.

Upon logging in, I was greeted with friendly staff, but a tricky chargen system. Not having any experience with the theme, it was difficult to get help on certain aspects, but I digress.

Upon getting halfway through chargen, and probably annoying several of the staffers, I was banned. It seems that if you attempt to play, with zero knowledge of the theme, no one wants you around. I would not recommend this MU* to anyone who wants to enjoy a welcoming, friendly atmosphere in which to play, the staff are very, very childish and immature, disrespectful, and unsympathetic to newer players.

I joined SerenityMUSH in February of '07, mainly idling there as I was playing elsewhere. After ItB closed, I needed my Firefly fix, so I began to devote my attention to SerenityMUSH. I realized, after about two or three days, that I made a mistake in not committing myself sooner. The chargen system is a little different, but the admin were amazing.

They were able to help walk me through the character generation system, and even helped me adjust my concept to something that was a) true to the concept I had in mind for roleplay, and b) playable on the MUSH.

That was the beginning. I'm currently experiencing the 'now'. I applied for a couple of 'special' characters (Companion and Alliance), which are restricted only in the sense that the admin want quality roleplayers to portray them (this ensures that the exposure to the universe is authentic, and adhered to). I'm having an absolute blast on the game, and the plots there are to die for. I've been involved in one 'big' TP, and I was pulling my hair out trying to solve the piece that I was involved in. It was brilliant.

Overall, I'd recommend anyone who wants to experience Joss' Firefly experience in a way that not only immerses one into the world, but does it believably, in a fun way, and offers scads of support from the core staff, as well as friendly, helpful players. While the systems can be complex to learn, like most any MUSH, SerenityMUSH is a very newbie-friendly place to learn. Whether one is new to MUSHing, or just to SerenityMUSH - learning is made easier by a caring, dedicated staff.

Special props go out to Mal and Inara, or at least the humans behind them in the game, for being extra helpful. Inara went the extra mile when I first applied for the Companion's Guild in order to make me feel welcome, and when I had an issue 7 months after joining, Mal connected with me on Yahoo! with voice in order to work the issue.

If you show up, you won't be disappointed. Unless you're an idiot. :)

This game has grown substantially over the past few months (44 people connected at 11 am, nearly double that in the evenings). Numerous ships crewed by new and old rpers alike. Though space based planet communities are just fledglings. The code progressive, evolving with each passing month. The economics system, by which players earn money, varies from planned events and tps to a coded market and commodity system that keeps players free from being tied to unreliable jobs from other pcs. Some of the staff are very friendly and easy to communicate with. But as with most things this mush has it's drawbacks.

The foremost flaw in my opinion is the co-owner Mal. Though a kind and intelligent man, he trumpets an open door policy for people to approach him. Sadly that open door more often than not leads to an empty office. Communication with him is difficult if existent. Page, mail, request... his attention is difficult to gain. This combined with certain aspects of the game being in his control alone, when these matters are placed on other staff those staff are left fumbling the ball due to unfamiliarity.

The ships armed with weapons seem to belong solely to staff member alts and I have heard rumors of staff surpassing the alt limit in upwards of a half dozen characters... though this could be argued that those characters are plot tools and such.

And the standard it seems of all mushes the drama ic tends to drift ooc with certain players resulting in grumbles, barbed words and nasty rumors spread behind people's backs.

I have played several MUDs and a few Mushes, on themes I know and love. Here was one based on a movie I had seen once and enjoyed, but could scarcely remember. But I was immediately drawn in by the nifty systems that all enhance the RPing experience and the notably helpful and friendly Admins and players. Great system, great Admins, great players, broad and enjoyable theme. A perfect home for someone who really enjoys every single pose they post. Highly recommended. In fact, it is probably the last game I will ever play online.

If you RP or MUD (and are looking for something different) come and see what a difference atmosphere can make. They even have a CG service where an Admin will come and guide you personally through the Char gen process! Talk about player oriented! If you are a fan of Firefly or Serenity, this is a sure bet. If you are looking for a nice place to spend your gaming time, you owe it to yourself to come and look. What else can be said?

Because I love writing reviews about places I much adore (And ya'll know ya wanna read more from -the- Kariana Kelsey). I'm a very choosey person about where I RP because I -hate- it when I get nothing from staff. In fact I won't connect again if the greetings are obsolete because it makes me think I will not get answers. Which is usually what happens.

However, on Serenity I've never met with that problem. Staff always seems to be around in one form or another there. And it's not just 'lower' staff members that answer but admins and what not as well. I talk to at least one of the game owners on a daily basis and I asure you despite having been on Serenity for about a year I still have a ton of questions that really could pass as a newbie to the game and often it's the same question sixty million times, despite it likely getting annoying, the staff still answers me (Now a lot of them mock me about it because they know me well enough) each and every time. I find -very- few games with such a fun staff that tries to be involved and not be on a 'high horse'.

Now, I know what kind of player I am and often I push the boundaries of comfort the people have with me. And yes, a couple times I have been told to not do something. However they don't ask you to change who your character is. I played Kariana the way she was meant to be and she had an unbelievable amount of growth, yet still retained her essence. And Mal surprised me when he told me he knew I needed to finish Kari's story. (In a different phrasing of words but...yes...) and the way she went out was suited to her. It's a new experience for me to have people willing to 'take a character out' in ways suited to the character. There were only two ways that Kariana could have gone out without not being true to who she was and they picked one of them.

Granted, there are some problems there but staff, from what I can see, work hard to fix them, be it spelling errors, relations, broken codes or what ever.

All in all I think Serenity is a fun place to be, moreso because I still enjoy it even after a year of playing, there which is usually when I usually start losing interest in a place. There is a constant hum of activity there and except really late at night I've never really had to work too hard to find RP.

Much with the love on Serenity and the people there. See ya'll in the 'Verse under my forms not Kariana.

One of the greatest site that I have ever had the pleasure to play on. There is an excellent staff and a wide playerbase that is quite diverse and has been vastly entertaining since the day that I arrived on the game.

The skills system is easy to use and maintinan and allows for a wide diversity for each individual player. The administrators are fair and interested in PC development and are very approchable. Scenes both Admin run and player run are both allowed and encouraged and supported by the staff. Space system is HSpace and is easy to learn and use. A wonderful place to play, drop by and find out.

When first logging into Serenity as a guest, I had noticed that the Admin staff, as well as the players logged on where quick to give greeting, offer assistance, and answer any questions I had. I quickly created a character, and had the Head admin offer to myself, as well as the others in character generation any assistance or walk through with the process, which was highly detailed and allowed for an indepth character.

I have never played a MUSH before Serenity, and I am glad that I have tried this one, seeing as the RP perspective, as well as the CharGen was quite something to behold.

The Featured Characters add quite a bit of spice, and Rp is not hard to find with Employment boards, A large array of planets, and different characters, each with their own stylized background. I felt that I could talk with any of the admin about anything, and even have 'silly' questions answered without judgement over public channels.

I get the impression that Serenity MUSH is more of a family atmosphere then a game, and they are always always welcoming new players into their fold.

Serenity the MUSH offers everything that one such as my self looks for in a game, Challenge, Diversity, Excellent RP, and A Warm welcoming admin and playerbase..

As a staff member, and a player of Serenity the MUSH, I have the unique perspective of seeing both the ins, and the outs of the game. That has given me the great opportunity to help pick at the game and see what I do like, and what I don't.

Upon connecting, the first thing I noticed about the game was the staff that jumped to say hello to me, and offer help. I see this on a daily basis, and that makes me very happy. All players are waved too, or greeted in some manor. Guests and new players are offered any guidance that they need, either by senior players, or game staff.

Next, you can see that the documentation on the game has been well thought out. Although some of the files have spelling mistakes, players are awarded for pointing these errors out so that they can be corrected. To me, that is encouraging in showing that the staff want to have a game that isn't just doing well, but one where the players are rewarded for helping in that process, with experience points, and with great roleplay.

And on to the final portion of this review. The roleplay. It is very good on this game, some of the best that I have been privy too in a long time. The players are always making efforts to get better, and each week they do get better. There are players that run their own plots, some that help run plots with help of the staff, and then there are the player driven plots as well.

Overall, the game is great, and improving each week. The staff work hard to make sure the players are doing well, and the players make sure that they are doing well. The code is getting way better with each passing day, and the game as a whole is as well.

We even have a website for you to take a look at! So come and check us out, and be part of Serenity the MUSH!

Fetch

URL://http://serenitymush.secondstarnetworks.net It's being built, and added too each and every day!

As you can see from my start date, I did not spend much time on this MUSH. When I first attempted to connect to this MUSH (probably about two weeks ago), the guest program disallowed me as there could only be one guest on at a time. I decided today to give it another go, and they had fixed the guest program, at least. I logged on and started looking around, asking questions, that sort of thing.

The first thing that hit me were the typos. In major thematic files, there were completely ridiculous spelling errors: 'virse instead of 'verse, governrients instead of governments, and so on. The greeting I received from a member of staff (royalty, not full staff) was prompt, but I quickly learned that few of the players or staff took any pains to make their typing legible. Spelling errors, grammatical inconsistencies, lacking punctuation and a total disregard for capitalization of any kind do not generally inspire confidence in potential players. Not this player, anyway. (I learned later that the staffer who greeted me with such atrocious spelling errors is, in fact, their Player Relations person.)

I started asking questions. I will admit that their staff was ready and willing to answer them, at the very least. What I learned was that they have no real way to show potential players (or existing players) what kind of quality of RP happens there. There are no groups or websites where logs of scenes can be submitted. In fact, the MUSH has no website of any kind. Players are not required to submit any kind of substantial background for their characters, limiting it to, as I was told by staff, 'a few lines' - none of which are accessible to other players. If I want to read someone else's background, I simply can't. (I would never use OOC information in an IC setting, but apparently the staff doesn't have any faith in the playerbase's ability to separate the two.)

None of the players I spoke to gave me any kind of confidence in the MUSH's quality. One of them even went on to tell me about a DIFFERENT Firefly/Serenity-based game that would suit me better, saying it was of a higher quality than this one. (Having looked at both other Firefly games in the past and having a character on one of them, I tend to agree.)

Lastly, one of their major plot points of the last two weeks closely parallels the plot point of one of the other Firefly games, which to me seemed irresponsible on the staff's part. When I inquired about available FCs (clearly not any of the canon characters from the namesake ship, as they are all staffers), no one had any answer for me. 'I think there are some,' I was told, 'but I can't find the information.'

If you're looking for a quality game, don't play on this one. There are at least two other games with the same theme that have been executed MUCH more competently. SerenityMUSH seems like a juvenile game by comparison.

Most MUSH sites I visit have tons of players and administrators around. On half of these sites, it takes several minutes, even up to several hours before I get a response if I need help from something.

This is not the case on Serenity: A Firefly MUSH. From the moment I connected as a guest, until the moment I finished chargen (Character Generation), I had administrators and players helping me make decisions of what I want to do on the game. There was no pushing, prodding or even ignoring. It was all helpful and polite. There was even a point where I was in the presence of THREE staff members at the same time trying to help me and another player work our way through chargen!

Now to the good part: Roleplaying. If you enjoy roleplaying (no matter what time of day it is!) this is the place to come to. You don't have to know much about the Firefly series (I don't) nor have to have seen Serenity the movie (I havent!) to fit in on the game. All you have to do is this: Think 'OK, this is a futuristic Sci-Fi game.' Thats all!

If you are looking for a friendly and helpful staff and playerbase, head on over to Serenity: A Firefly MUSH and make yourself at home!

The address is: serenitymush.com port 2020