Review Submitted By: Parol
Author Status: Player and staff member
Started on A Moment in Tyme: August 1995
Submission Date: Jan 28, 2008
TMC Listing: A Moment in Tyme
The following review is the opinion of the review's author [Parol]
and in no way represents the opinions of this website or its staff.
A Moment in Tyme is by far the best Roleplay-Intensive MUD I've ever
had the privilege to play, to say nothing of the best Wheel of Time
MUD I've played. I've played there on-and-off for a dozen years, and
I've been a mortal, a Guildleader, and an Immortal. A Moment in Tyme
is a place where someone--with a little patience and perseverance--
can really have an impact on the course of the MUD.
We're currently set two years after the battle of Dumai's Wells, but
there have already been significant changes to the storyline from
the events of the books. Her Majesty Elayne Trakand Aes Sedai
returned to Andor earlier than in the series, and with the help of
several other Andoran Nobles, secured the Lion Throne without a
great deal of trouble. All is not settled within the Land, however,
as Asha'man and Aes Sedai have struck against one another,
culminating in a raid upon the White Tower itself that left smoke
rising above Tar Valon and forced the split White Tower to heal its
rift. As Serpent Ring and Black Coat struggle to make peace between
the Two Towers, the Seanchan rise in the westlands, having taken
Arad Doman, Tarabon, Altara, and Murandy, and pressing hard against
the Amadician and Ghealdanin borders. The invaders are currently at
peace with their neighbors, but with the number of spears lining
each side of the border, it is only a matter of time before war
comes once again to the Westlands. In Caemlyn, almost unnoticed
beneath the actions upon the grand stage of the Land, a mercenary
company forms. Called Heron Company, and led by a Blademaster, they
gather strength and information. Rumor whispers that they are led by
the renegade daughter of the Domani nobleman made Governor of Arad
Doman by the Seanchan, and that they hope to one day return her
homeland to a peaceful state. And the Shadow? They watch, they wait,
they meddle, and they laugh as the Lord of Chaos rules the Land.
Roleplay centers around Caemlyn, Tar Valon, and the Black Tower, but
there are some sparks of it in Tarabon, Arad Doman, the Borderlands,
Cairhien, and the wilds of Andor. If you want a steady source of
roleplay, rather than waiting on one or two people, you'll probably
want to start off in Caemlyn or Tar Valon.
While all that in-character intrigue is wonderful, it is the people
and the systems in place on A Moment in Tyme that really make it
shine. I've been RPing with some of the same people for more than a
decade, but we continue to gain new players--some of whom have
become real forces on the MUD in their own right. Old-time players
hold each other and new players up to high standards of Roleplay,
but they're always willing to offer advice or otherwise help out new
players. A Moment in Tyme boasts unique systems for rating a
character's channeling or melee combat ability, based entirely upon
the submission and grading of roleplay logs. While in the past this
system has been the source of complaints of bias, it has been
significantly improved and standardized (of course, in the interest
of fairness, I should note that I am the Immortal in charge of one
of those systems). Additionally, A Moment in Tyme boasts an
experience system entirely based around roleplay.
Let me emphasize this point: You do not need to go kill mobs to gain
experience on A Moment in Tyme. In fact, you can't. We're currently
in the midst of a long-term revision of our code-base which will
bring in an entirely new and amazing combat system to supplement
roleplay, but for the present, code combat is disabled. This means
that all experience is based on actual roleplay, not just time spend
wandering around hacking down bunnies and town guards.
Not an experienced roleplayer but interested in the world of the
late Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time? Come by, ask questions, people
are usually happy to answer questions and help you ease yourself
into a character and some Roleplay.
An experienced roleplayer, but not familiar with the Wheel of Time?
Come by, ask questions, people are usually happy to help introduce
you to the major themes of the world and point you in the direction
of some resources to get you up to speed.
Not an experienced roleplayer or familiar with the Wheel of Time?
Well, our players are so talented, they can answer questions about
both at the same time.
An experienced Wheel of Time roleplayer? Wonderful, welcome aboard.
We're happy to help you get up to speed on the differences between A
Moment in Tyme and the Wheel of Time. Be patient though, because A
Moment in Tyme values character development a great deal, and you
won't be able to start as a Blademaster or full Aes Sedai. But then
again, it can be quite the refreshing change to slip slowly into the
depths of a new world of roleplay instead of making big splashes in
familiar territory. Some of the most fun I've had with my mortal
characters is playing as Trainees, Recruits, and the like. Besides
reaching Dedicated rank or earning that heron-marked sword is so
much the sweeter if you've worked for it than if it's just handed to
you on a platter.
Give us a try. I can assure you, you'll be hard-pressed to find
roleplay as excellent or characters as rich as you will on A Moment
in Tyme.
