Review Submitted By: Saxon
Author Status: Player
Started on Crossroads MUSH: February 2008
Submission Date: Apr 12, 2008
TMC Listing: Crossroads MUSH
The following review is the opinion of the review's author [Saxon]
and in no way represents the opinions of this website or its staff.
My previous online experience was confined solely to the world of
MUDs and the very limited RP that was to be found there (at least in
the MUDs I had played). However, after the initial thrill of hacking,
slashing and questing my way for three years or so on my favorite
MUDs, I realised that I was enjoying the rare moments of RP that had
occurred along the way more than the gameplay itself.
It was with some curiosity that I clicked on the website for
Crossroads, deciding to explore this alien world of MUSH and pure
roleplay. I was stunned, there were pages upon pages of history to the
MUSH; its theme, backgrounds, timelines, geography, character bios,
logs of events, explanations for etiquette and currency, and most
importantly a newbie information section. Logging into the MUSH I was
instantly greeted by both players and staff alike, and I was eased
gently into my first character.
Coming from the world of MUDs I hadn't a clue on how to cope with
the different code, and I was constantly asking how to form a pose,
how to send pages, tells, switch channels on or off, etc. I was
probably a complete pain, but if I tried the patience of anyone, no
one showed it and once I had my character out on the grid there were
more than enough people willing to invite me into a scene and allow me
to find my feet.
I chose a simple commoner, but should anyone wish a higher status
there are numerous spots open within the noble classes, along with a
complete list of characters being looked for on a +wanted list (useful
for anyone wanting a character concept to jump right into since ideas
on what the character should be like are quite detailed).
I've now been a part of Crossroads for about eight weeks and have
loved just about every minute of it. The staff are helpful and respond
quickly to queries, problems or suggestions. The roleplay is amazing,
far and away above anything I have ever experienced on a MUD. People
really 'live' their characters, scenes unfolding like a rich
tapestry with each pose laid down. I don't think I truly appreciated
just how far inside a character's head you can get until I joined
Crossroads and I began empathising with what my character might feel
or think in the situations she found herself. Perhaps that's a little
sad, who knows, but for most people the reason they roleplay is for
the escapism it affords when they go online, and if one is looking for
escapism then I can think of no better place to do that than this
MUSH.
Having said that, this isn't the place for those who would create
some super-powered all omnipotent mage that casts fireballs at those
who would oppose him. The focus is on cooperation between players,
exquisite roleplay and the furthering of the MUSH'es unique
storyline.
There is political intrigue aplenty going on amongst the nobility for
those that wish to be involved in it, but don't rule out us lowly
commoners when considering creating a character, we have our own lives
too and as much fun can be had in our ranks as those of the ruling
factions. This is probably why those nobles are often to be found out
of the castle, mingling with the mere citizens...
