MUD

Multi-User Dungeon, Domain or Dimension

A multi-player computer game that combines elements of hack and slash style computer games, role-playing games and social chat rooms. Typically running on a Internet server or bulletin board system (BBS), the game is usually text driven, where players read descriptions of rooms, events, objects, other characters and computer-controlled creatures or non-player characters (NPCs) in a virtual world. Players usually interact with each other and the surroundings by typing commands that resemble a natural language, usually English.

Traditional MUDs are set in a fantasy world populated by goblins, dwarves, elves, halflings and other mythical or fantasy-based races with players being able to take on any number of classes, including thieves, druids, warriors, mages, priests and so on in order to gain specific skills or powers. The object of the game is to explore a rich fantasy world, slay monsters, go on adventures, complete quests, create a story by roleplaying and/or advance the created character. Many MUDs were fashioned around the dice rolling rules of the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) series of games.

The first MUD was created and written by Roy Trubshaw and Richard Bartle at Essex University in 1978.