I decided to see if the game would load a few weeks ago, and take a nostalgic look around the game world. To my surprise there was a lot of action happening, with a lot of old players having returned, most bringing a new player with them. So, I stuck it out and level'd a character, after a little bit in the academy, I was picking everything right back up. Now, I'm here writing a review so some of you old players or new looking for an rp mud with awesome all original world items and a simple class race and combat system including weapon and armor restring and enchantments, might come join us for some fun.

Cities of M'dhoria is a free roleplay enforced MUD with PK allowed, nestled in a completely unique world. With diversely unique races and classes to choose from, M'dhoria allows you to mix and match in hundreds of different ways to create your character. Established in 1996 and based on a heavily modified Rom 2.4, CoM provides a steady uptime for players as well as a thriving history that dates back to creation.

We've put a lot of effort into being newbie friendly, with established player helpers ready to answer any questions you might have, as well as a helpful and friendly staff.

CoM features an ever-changing world where the players not only interact with each other, but also help shape the world with their actions. Emphasis on individual roleplay is key and tons of quests are available for character enhancement.

If you are interested in helping mold and shape a unique world and taking part in an epic storyline, feel free to start your adventure!

Roles (not classes) to RP and play as: A shopkeeper: collecting trinkets, interesting things, weapons or armor and selling them to other players.

A smith and tailor: offering services to make repairs, reinforce armor, sharpen weapons, make clothings from patterns and supplies.

A guard: serving in the local guard, learning discipline, enforcing the city laws, hunting down wanted criminals, making arrests, all for a lousy days wage.

A resourceful thief: fencing off goods to other players that you’ve collected from unaware victims or keeping the goods for yourself, making your living off the coins of others, or by providing services to paying customers, stealing information by listening in on conversations from the shadows and using it to your advantage, or using your street skills to aid in the catch of criminals for the local guard.

An enchanter: offering services in exchange for money by powering up weapons and armor with enchantments, protections, and fireproofs.

A healer: making money by offering healing services during quests or traveling with a band of other adventurers.

A spouse: wooing a friend and establishing a strong romantic relationship, getting married and exchanging rings, then finding the adventures of loyalty and/or betrayal in relationships.

An addict: find quick and easy ways to make money so you can feed your addiction habits as a dice rolling gambler, horse betting gambler, noisy town drunkard, magic pill popper, food glutten, or heart-breaker, always looking for a new relationship at the expense of someone else’s heart.

A sell-sword: offering your services as a warrior, traveling with people on adventures, hunting for loot, or giving protection.

A spy: working for the enemy so you can gain their trust, get information and relay that information back to your allies.

An assassin: you collect bounties and find ways to kill people as effectively and quietly as possible, waiting patiently for the perfect moment to strike or using cunning to earn their trust and then make their death seem like an “accident” during an adventure.

A knight: teaching morals and values in honor, chivalry, honesty, kindness, and zealously fighting those who would spread corruption and other forms of evil.

A priest: becoming the priest in a religion, or learning from a current priest in order to pass the values and tenants of a religion on to other followers.

A foreigner: making somewhere other than the most popular city your hometown and developing a foreign accent, different style, tastes, and habits.

A sailor: making a ship and taverns your often venture, and telling people of your adventures on the open sea, spending most of your adventures exploring watery regions.

A trainer: offering services to train people and help them hone their skills, languages, or spells, roleplaying with them along the way, and developing relationships. Or serving as a lieutenant and training soldiers and guards for a city.

A serviceman: serving the chain of command and working your way up, battling those at war, giving advice to royalty and advisors ,and establishing relationships along the way.

An explorer/historian: offering to document and record events and historical factoids as part of a position in a cities ranking system, all for a lousy days wage and the opportunity to make events part of the games IC lore.

Possible aspirations and goals for you and your character, because sometimes we just need a reason to play

To be the wealthiest well-known shopkeeper in the land, and to have a store built and named after my character.

To be the wealthiest well-known smith and tailor in the land, and to have a store built and named after my character.

To be the captain of the guard, highly respected and loyal to the crown, and on top of that, be the strongest at PvP to demonstrate why you should retain role as Captain; or instead of strength, using your cunning ways to establish order and crack down on crime. Use unorthodox methods such as recruiting thieves, or if you are cunning enough become captain of the guard as the lawful chaotic thief class.

To be an infamous thief, respected, feared and/or wanted in several cities, keeping a low profile and friends with very few. If possible, see how far you can go without your name being known by anyone.

To start a band of thieves, or a thieves guild, and to become wealthy and respected as gangsters who control the streets.

To be the best enchanter in the land, the one everyone goes to for enchantments, and possibly serve as a historian/explorer, documenting everything I see and becoming a renowned historian. Get a library named after my character, or at least a statue head.

To be friends with everyone, offering healing services to everyone I meet, the more friends I have, the more well-known my character is and remembered, marry a man or woman who is in power. Be the most loved character around. Avoid making enemies.

Play as an addict or someone with a poor lifestyle, be it a drunkard, pill popper, or gambler or homeless or prostitute, and learn to overcome that addiction or lifestyle or simply never overcome it. Let your addictions and lifestyle lead your decisions. Become connected to the underground world, doing assignments for criminals out of desperation for money, alcohol, pills. Gain the pity and love of people and become known for your misfortune and known for your victory overcoming it. Or become an infamous criminal that people remember for many years.

Be the strongest PvP character in the game, become renowned by the playerbase because of how strong you are, but at the same time respected and not loathed, and offer your services as a sellsword. Become a mercenary and help finish wars between cities because of your strength. Become the general of a city, become king one day and reign during an era of Peace. Host festivities.

Spy on everyone and everything. Let information be your power and use it to blackmail and control peoples actions. Cause a war. Cause a breakup. Then settle on being a historian and recording history.

Become a renowned assassin that people fear. Try to use an alias, and don’t let people learn your identity. Use a different mask each time you kill someone. Find unconventional ways to assassinate targets. Get a contract to kill a king and fulfill it without being caught. While not doing contracts, live a simple life as a guard or soldier that people wouldn’t suspect as a known killer.

Form a Knight’s code and live by it, either formally become a knight serving in rank and chain of command or informally serving a faith or religious order, eventually get a squire, travel with them and teach them what you know. Develop tests and trials for you and your squire to go through to “purify” or “humble” the spirit. Get a horse and name it. Develop a relationship with your pet, have it develop its own character and personality different from your own.

Become a priest of a religion, form your own interpretation of an idea and practice it, don’t just do the standard. Challenge followers to do things, hold quests and events to test their devotion and/or penitents. Work your way up to High Priest. Become so close to the immortal ICly that you can speak on their behalf. Achieve or attain immortality someday and work with the staff.

Live in a different city or land, become a leader or a person of influence in that land, then become the ambassador. Eventually become the king/queen of that city and form alliances. Work on getting more players to become a foreigner like you. Establish a new culture and record and document your work. Become part of M’dhoria’s history books as King of a distance land.

As a service man, work your way up the chain of command, eventually becoming a general or even at a chance of being king or queen. Establish a royal lineage that must stay within the bloodline. Establish mandates and new laws that you believe will promote peace and order. Gain the love and affection of everyone. Have a statue made after you. Die of old age.

I first logged into CoM while I was in high school. I graduated and moved out on my own. I still played CoM. I've continued moving around for 12 years now, coast to coast and voyages around the world. I haven't lived in the same place for more than a year. But, I still have a character that I log hours on.

I say this because one thing in my life has remained consistent, despite there being breaks in playtime, and that is Cities of M'Dhoria.

The staff has changed a great many times throughout the years. Even to include myself a few years ago. I probably stopped playing around the same time that a good chunk of players did, right before it closed for a bit. A few years later, I head it was up and running. So, I rolled up some stats and made a character. And, everything came back to me. I loved it.

My travels took me elsewhere and I left once again. Then I returned once again. And, it had changed even more, but in such an amazing manner. I was hooked once more.

I completely love the staff of CoM. They put so much work into this game and make it such an amazing experience. I don't even know how people find out about MUDs these days, but I'm glad they still do. The playerbase is a bit smaller than what it used to be, but it's full of some really strong players that bring everyone around them up to par and speed.

Was this more of a sentimental, sappy comment on my past? Yes. Completely. I just felt the need to share why I still play here and why I get happy when I see a new player log on. I'd like to think that one of you will read this and get what I'm saying. I'm certain that if you do, you'll love it here.