Review Submitted By: fluxcat
Author Status: Player
Started on Avendar: The Crucible of Legends: Spring '98
Submission Date: Sep 2, 2005
TMC Listing: Avendar: The Crucible of Legends
The following review is the opinion of the review's author [fluxcat]
and in no way represents the opinions of this website or its staff.
Avendar is well-written, fleshed out world. It has a creation story
which leads to religions of all angles. It's war torn history infuses
the atmosphere with conflict and struggle between the different
causes. Some causes have been taken up by Houses, which are led by
mortals, and are sponsored by a patron god.
The Houses all have a purpose and unique style of operation. There are
the Guardians of Law, the band of notorious criminal Raiders, the dark
and secretive Coven of the Shunned, the purehearted Champions, the
honorable Legionnaires, and the Knights of Enaerai whom constantly
attempt to keep the Houses in balance. The Houses struggle for the
Stones of Power, which grant them abilities. I have a soft spot for
the brash and tempermental Raiders, whom often bicker and fight
amongst themselves due to varying beliefs and ultimately greed. True
to their theme, their abilities consist of dastardly escapes with
kicks to the groin and quick lift off reptilian-avian mounts, leaving
a wake of bandits pillaging and setting fire to a city.
There are many races of original design (except for the obvious
human): the wolfish Kankoran who by tradition are affiliated with
tribe-packs, the reptilian (saurian) Srryns who originate from the
swamps and have a reputation for savage nastiness, the hulking
Alatharya whose capacity for magic was taken away from them during the
Sundering for their hubris, the sophisticated Aelins who fly with
avian grace, the Shuddeni whose hatred runs ancient and deep as their
subterranean cities, the list goes on (11 races total). The Chaja, a
race long enslaved by the Shuddeni, and once only seen as a mob, just
recently became available to players with good accounts.
Avendar's greatest draw to me is it's clean game mechanics. There are
so many classes, each with their unique style of play. They can be
split up into Warrior, Rogue, Scholar (mage), Templar (mage-warrior),
Naturalist (Ranger and Druid), and then the uncategorized Bard whose
array of sweeping songs can be surprisingly effective and mindwarping
Psionicist. Each category contains 4-6 classes. The showy gladitor is
a warrior with many options, from gouging out eyes, to entangling a
foe within a net, to the crowd pleasing decapitation. The barbarian is
different, a berserker whom relies upon brutal offense, hewing through
his enemies with abandon. I dig the Scholars, initially weak, but
gradually they will grow into powerful archmages. You select a major
and minor within an element: Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Spirit, Void.
You can mix them up for more combinations, or go pure (Greater), which
I recommend.
Some of the areas are immersive as they get, complete with quests, and
mobs that react in interesting ways. To this day, I fear the kankoran
hunter that prowls a certain set of woods. I will never forget the
last glimpse of movement in the brush, being knocked out, dragged into
a cage, then waking up to the sight of the predator sharpening his
knife, preparing to skin me into a new piece of clothing. The
Clockmaker's Mansion is a prime example of area that can really absorb
you for a good few hours, a place where you can carry out multiple
missions, and solve them in different ways. Whether it be through wile
or brute force, the reward is gaining experience without the doldrums
of repetitive hacking and slashing.
Mechanically, the game is solid; its nuances are continually being
fine-tuned through updates. The player-killing takes quick wits and
skill, plenty of strategy and tactics. The battles for me are
definitely the most fun aspect of the game, but a lot of players are
here for the roleplaying. As with PK, the skill of RP varies from
player to player, but the entire playerbase sticks to the scheme of
things, since RP is enforced. The phenomenal RP that I've seen really
shines through, and I am finding that this has been occurring more and
more frequently.
So, if you're looking for a MUD with a sound PK system and consistent
RP, making up for a world predisposed to action and a strong
atmosphere, then check out Avendar. I recommend starting up an
account. Play well under an account and you will gradually unlock
extra features. This MUD has kept me entertained since 1998. I have
watched it slowly evolve into a rich game of increasing depth and
complexity.
