If you ever want to sink your teeth into a true RP society, you have to try your hand at this amazing game. I have tried many MUDs/MUSHs and nothing compares to the level of RP & tight knit community seen in this game. It always draws me back. And if you truly get into it, you'll notice that no one ever truly leaves. It takes a unique player to really get into CM. There are no free emotes. It makes the game more challenging but it forces you to express better with verb/adverb combinations. If you are a writer or just love medieval culture and society, you will really appreciate this game. Play it today!

Castle Marrach is an interesting mud. It is an anti-achiever mud, with very limited combat. Instead it is much more of a social/intrigue/roleplaying mud. Picture a murder mystery LARP set in an magical castle where time itself is frozen. The game has been going on for six years now, and is a very robust and mature world, though a small one compared to a hack-slash mud. The concept is, you wake up with litte or no memory. You find out you were dead but resurrected. From there, you have to start learning about where you are, and the mysteries behind things on your own. Pros: * Very roleplaying intensive * Different from most achiever focused muds, and thus a nice change of pace. * Robust game, having been around for 6 years now Cons: * Engine/parser while very strong once you get into it, confusing to get used to * Need to be self-motivated to insert yourself into the flow of things, as there isn't the equivalent of a 'newbie area' to get the hang of things. * If you are looking for hack-slash, none really to be found. Suggestions: * Have a concept for a character. Don't worry too much about your past, but have a sense of your character's personality and what things the character would find an affinity for. There are innumerable crafts and guilds to be a part of, but you need to seek it out. * Type: @article tutorial ... that will help you get up to speed on the game and engine both. * Find some of the helper characters. One of the largest guilds is dedicated helping new players/characters, but sometimes you need to make sure your voice is heard. Anyway, definitely worth a try. Not everyone's cup of tea. If you want to really try to get into a social RP mud though, it is a good choice.

Before playing this game, I was limited to table top RP experiences. Though I don't have the gaming background that many players do, I do have a short attention span, and an American need for constant entertainment. I have played this game for over a year now, and paid to do so. From the volunteer supported plot designs, to the guides and coders willing to help at any time, this game is a really encouraging and creative environment for all who really love to become a character.

Seriously, this game has everything a RPer could want: drama, mystery, action, plots, romance, great interaction with the makers of the game and with fellow players... more plots... :P One Word: Addictive.

This is one of the only online games I have ever thought had the feel of a real RPG. Good RP, flexable parser, and a easy to approch staff. All in all a very fun game, and one I have enjoyed playing for over a year now. The backstory is truely huge, but it only comes out in little bits and bursts. just enuf to drag you along for the ride.

I've been playing since almost the very beginning. Back then the focus was on intrigue, mystery, and adventure. That's when I loved it the most. Now most of the themes in the game are romance, deception, manipulation, courting favour from nobles, and back-stabbing. There are a few players who are consistently creative, responsible, and mature, and if you can find them and interract with them, the game is great. If you cannot, less so. I'm still engaged enough not to cancel my account, but I encourage new players to help bring back some of the more fascinating aspects of rping in this setting. It is small, the staff are generally helpful, though there have been problems concerning issues of favouritism and the like before, and some of the players are usually good-natured and helpful to newcomers.

Straying away from the norm, Castle Marrach shows that not all muds seem the same. Though most MMORPG's boast a freeplay system, and Marrach's requires a sign-up (After a free no-strings-attached month) to the Skotos Network for a small fee per month, this particular game stuck out in this reviewer's mind as the most original and fun to play. Before you think that paying for a mud is outrageous, consider the fact that you're dealing with a game that has it's own cliant, the Alice client for IE, for instance, which includes a map and easy to access buttons for those new to the game. And Marrach is not the only game on Skotos' site you can access with your account. Marrach's environments and discriptions give the player a truely vivid mental picture. Roleplaying is not encouraged, but MANDATORILY enforced. There are seperate Out of Character (OOC) channels for those who wish to chat occasionally with players ooc'ly, and a paging system for the same use. Those playing will quickly immerse themselves in a wonderous would of nobles, knights, and higherups who are almost secluded from the commoners in a seperate bailey. As you start the game, as a commoner of what is known as the 11th link, you work your way up the status ladder by gaining favour, working in guilds or clans, helping others, and trying to make a name for yourself. Or as an alternative, you can do the opposite, and take the shady path by disobeying, hanging with the underbelly of the baileys, and taking on secret plots to make the castle a more "interesting" place to live. In this game, you become your character, molding him or her to your own liking, and taking the many paths you choose. During character creation, you choose no class.. you choose no race.. you merely set your discription, a background, your sex, and your roleplay and studies shall take you from there. Adjustment is sometimes a bit difficult at first, but once the original parser system, which consists of a clever addition of adverbs with verbs like: CharacterA smiles cleverly. and use of a proximity system to determine exactally where your character is in a given room, there is no other mud like it. Castle Marrach is truely one of a kind.

The great Castle Marrach! :) I have been playing different kinds of rp's for nearly a decade now and I can gladly say that this one is by far my favorite!(oops, hope my fiance doesn't see this post :P) I have been with the beta since day 2 and have been loving every minute of it. As stated in previous posts, it is limited to ages 18+ and I agree that it is nice not to have to worry too much about what or how things are said. I would like to add that although our hosts cannot be online seven days a week, it does not mean that things don't happen when they aren't around. Because of such a wide variety of characters(everything from one being so scared and timid they hide in corners and cluth tightly to their belongings to the one who rants insanely of consuming flames)and excellent players, things still happen on the "off days". Ok, I know that cause I play That much. :P After reading the other previews of the game, there's not much more I can explain about the game. However, I invite anyone and everyone to go to www.skotos.net and check it out, see why we like it so much. :)

As someone who's been walking the halls of Castle Marrach since day one of the beta, let me say this. If you desire a strong story based game that is both PC and NPC initiated, a game where the GMs (StoryHosts) actually care about what the players want and respond on group and personal (one-on-one) levels to you; or an experience of unbridled (but still well controlled) setting where players characters are brought together with common reasoning and then unleashed on a multitude of paths and goals (both GM and PC driven) then Castle Marrach might just be for you. A little overview on Castle Marrach. Marrach is a 'Grand Theatre' setting in the Skotos.net gaming system. What that means is that there is an area that confines the game, in this case characters are confined to a castle trapped in a never ending winter. One awakens to find themselves lacking all but the briefest snippets of memories from their past, even then not enough to conclude what life was life before Marrach. I wasn't sure what I thought about that when I first joined the game, but once inside it does level everyone out with equal starting points and leaves more then enough room for creativity. Many players have been able to use this to their advantage to further the RPing in the Castle. So what is Castle Marrach? Well.. its kind of like a MUSH, kind of like a MUD, kind of like any MMPRPG really. What makes it different? The level of interaction from both players and StoryHosts. Marrach is also expanding and exploring on technical levels realistic levels of game play. The way I've come to view Marrach is a massive gaming group with numbers ranging from a few to over 30 at any given time (more during prime hours) where the team of StoryHosts are actually able to direct stories, events, and NPCs directly to the players. This fact alone is worth playing for. As someone who spends her in between paper-dice games online to fill in the much needed RPG hits, I was amazed once I found Marrach and dug my heels in. Some of the other differences Castle Marrach provides are near unique and refreshing. Unlike most MUSH/MUD s, there are no levels or skill systems in game that we know about (Language being the only exception that we've been made aware of at this time). Why is that a big deal? Because not knowing is more fun then knowing. You may think your a good sword arm, and you may be against others of your skill level, but when presented with someone who has years above your skill (and you don't know this) it becomes obvious and quickly that you underestimated your skill, and still, nothing is impossible. Anything can happen in Marrach. Marrach also boasts an 18+ policy, which in its own way is refreshing. While I can realize there are a great number of very good RPers this... Read More

I regret to say that I can only spend 3 nights a week on this game, it is that good. I always feel as if I am missing something fantastic when I can not play all 5 nights in which the story hosts are online. That is how much I love this game. If you like mystery, intrigue, suspense, thrills and love to roleplay, this is the game to play. Although it is still undergoing beta, each weeked that upgrades and changes that happen, I find that I become even more addicted to the game. I have been playing since the first week beta testing started, and let me tell you, each week gets better and better. I do believe that this text enriched game is a must for those that are avid role-players. My hats off to the Skotos team for developing a wonderful atmosphere/game for role-playing in a texted enrich enviroment.