I remember a time when I used to MU* regularly. I played various different games from standard Hack 'n' Slash MUDs to themed MUSHes. After several years, however, with the decline of text-based games in general and the need to develop a life, I slowly stopped playing. Then, over a year later, when my life was calming down I got an urge out of nowhere to start playing something again. I wanted to try out a MUSH, one that I'd never been on before, and see if I could dust off some of the old RPing chops. I found Alveus whilst it was literally a few months old, but the very first thing that struck me was how deep, rich and developed the lore is. It has continued to be developed till this day, and there is an extensive, almost mind-boggling library of the stuff to be found in game and on the wiki. The players are all, without exception, friendly, relaxed and very creative writers. I have had easily the best RP I've ever had on Alveus, and not a single scene since I've started - and I've had a lot - could be described as anything less than quality. The staffers, too, are amazing. They cater to your every need as a player, and always with a smile and friendly attitude. If only call center workers were this nice. They are also each excellent writers themselves, and run several TPs where they write atmosphere/NPC poses. It is difficult to put in words just how good this MUSH truly is. All I can really say is this - back when I played text games regularly, I was simultaneously playing 4 Mushes and 2 MUDs, each one covering for the others in down time. Now, I only play Alveus. And I don't have down time I need to cover, because the RP is always there, and it's nothing short of amazing.

Alveus is without a doubt the best MUSH I've ever joined. Right from the beginning I found everyone friendly and helpful, from the staff right down to the players. I initially found the theme information a bit daunting, since there's so much of it, but with support from the staff team and an easy to navigate theme walkthrough (sort of like Alveus For Dummies), I quickly became comfortable with the files. Even though I've only been a member for a comparatively short time, I'm already heavily involved in the plot. Alveus isn't a huge MUSH, but there's never been a shortage of RP that I've seen and the staff try very hard to not only draw players into the main arc of the game, but also to give them material for their own personal storylines. I haven't gotten bored yet, and something tells me I probably never will. One thing that really stands out to me is how well done all the setting and theme files are. The amount of information provided for the player is pretty huge, so even though the theme can seem a bit complicated, it's very easy to navigate. Of course, none of that means anything unless the playerbase is quality, and I have yet to run into bad or even mediocre RP on this MUSH. RP anytime you want it, with people who are amazing writers and storytellers.. what more could you want? I love Alveus, and I plan to be a player there for a very long time.

I'm a long-time RP'er who hasn't played for a year or so, but suddenly got the itch to start up again recently. The itch was very specific: I wanted a world that was dark and somewhat unusual, where RP was mandatory, where the races were limited to basically-human, where magic wasn't freely available and where talented writers abounded. And I found it in Alveus. From the moment you arrive in the OOC nexus, you are surrounded by talented writers. But, unusually, this level of talent doesn't lead to the usual snobbery and cliques forming but, instead, has led to a small but deeply- bonded group of friends who have but a single common goal in mind: to tell the tale of Alveus. This joined spirit led to me - a noob - receiving every manner of help under the sun, including an IC connection to a well-established character, a staffer jumping in with me from the get-go to assist with my character creation and everyone else who was logged in at the time messaging me in some shape or form to welcome me aboard and offer their assistance in the future. This was unlike anything I'd experienced on any site before. These people are genuinely welcoming - and they should be. While Corvidae's name is on the MUSH as the owner, every single player-character has the ability to shape the world. This made itself apparent when the two main active staffers gathered everyone together for an OOC meeting. Rather than - as usual with other places - this being an ego-shining waste of time, it was, instead, the single most constructive and inclusive thing I've ever seen in an RP hub. Everyone was invited to offer suggestions - most of which were accepted - and everyone was invited to speak their opinion about the suggestions being made. And once the suggestions had been accepted, player involvement in getting these ideas off the drawing board and onto 'the grid' (the IC part of the game) as quickly and richly as possible. Even I - with my RP muscles having somewhat atrophied over my idle period - was able to jump in with ideas, offering experience from former sites and notions of stuff that I thought would be useful. And now I'm researching medieval history in order to submit a list of suggestions to the game staff to further enrich a rapidly-growing setting. Alveus isn't a vast game as you'd find on other MUDs - and it doesn't need to be. Instead, it has real atmosphere and its members carry with them a genuine love of RP and story-telling. Though it's a small play-base, it's a devoted one and in my first week I was involved in casual meet-in-the-street RP, a player-driven 'tiby plot' which is ongoing and had my character witnessing clues vital to the continuation of the tale, as well as humorous scenes and a rather touching one, too. The world is, to be fair, well-thought-out but still fairly basic. But this is , oddly, an advantage in a setting where players are so deeply involved. Corvidae and his staff are very wise to let their talent drive their vehicle, instead of forcing the game to head in the direction they perceived before everyone signed up. Character creation is surprisingly simple - there are no numbers; no character sheet - which was a touch odd at first, but actually offers the player far more options when it comes to RP: medieval life didn't see people new to a city arriving with notions of 'I'm a bard!' or 'I'm a fighter!' - life for them simply happened - and it does here, too. That's not to say that character creation isn't entirely simple, however. Before you can get onto the IC grid, you have to come up with a fairly detailed background for your character - something I found a little challenging. But go with it - before your character is accepted, you have a wee chat with an unimposing staffer who makes sure that your character is both playable and setting-appropriate, and then your away. For me, this whole process took about three hours - and the entire time I was chatting on channels, reading the wiki and receiving the warmest welcome I'd ever experienced in any site. In short, Alveus is a world that is well worth investing your time and imagination into. It is in a state of constant development, with RP being logged habitually so that the staff can incorporate events into the world's canon. There is a wiki to support the game play the features maps, characters, logs and a glossary. I would absolutely and wholeheartedly recommend this mud to anyone who craves for mature, character-driven (in thought and word and deed) play in a world that grows according to what its players get up to. GO THERE!

The problem, it seems, with too many MU*s that take the 'medieval- fantasy' brand these days is a lack of originality. Sure, we crave the excitement of new worlds and consuming storylines, but more and more we are seeing the opposite at every turn: cliche plot arcs that lack structure and uninspired settings that are practically interchangeable. Alveus MUSH, I have discovered, suggests none of these problems. Run by a team of experienced and highly competent administrators, Alveus boasts in particular a vastly creative lore and storytelling staff eager to help new players assimilate into the current plotline, which in itself has been subject to extensive thought and planning. The story is both staff-conceived and player-driven, with a plethora of possible outcomes that depend on the actions of the playerbase. RP and arc hooks are handed out on request; the admin team is willing and able to work with each player to ensure that he or she is involved in the storyline to whatever extent is desirable. Alveus is set against the captivating backdrop of Sanctum, a fictional continent in an entirely original world. Sanctum boasts its own set of personal lore and history, all of which is relevant and contributes to the current story. While the overall tone of the setting is quite dark, each player has the option of playing with a host of different character types or participating in nearly any type of roleplay they choose. Far from the hopeless situations too often encountered nowadays, players of Alveus will almost never find their character's personal story standing still. Opportunities to delve into the story are rampant, and for those who prefer to have something going on outside of the main arc, there are many opportunities in the bloody sports of magic, religion or political intrigue sure to draw in players that run the gamut of specialized interests. Alveus MUSH is both a refreshing reminder of the days when old-fashioned fun was king and a powerful suggestion of an equally bright future. I highly recommend this game for any serious MUSHer who is looking for real originality of content, dynamic plotlines or quality roleplay.