There are a few places out there that are first and foremost dedicated to helping out the MUD community. This is one of the finest examples of such a place.

When I first entered the TBA, I was greeted by enthusiastic players and staff members, who took the time to help me get started, and showed me all the patience in the world while I finished the application process.

The standard on TBA is generally very high, and it keeps getting higher. There is a common consensus among both players and staff that everyone, including those most experienced and/or most talented, has something to learn. Advice and honest opinions are given when requested, but at the same time every builder has the freedom to both experiment with unconventional building techniques, as well as a chance to learn or get better with traditional CircleMUD tools.

This is a place for builders who love to build, and the building happens in the friendliest atmosphere you could possibly imagine. I have yet to meet any single person who wasn't open, kind and ready to help with whatever you might need. And these people really know what they're doing.

Before I started at TBA, I was completely drained of creative energy. After a longer, rather trying Imm-ship, I felt unappreciated, unmotivated and with the exception of a little private doodling in Word, I had stopped building altogether. It took no more than a few days on TBA to make my mind start dreaming up new plots and schemes, planning a huge library meant to be a place that can help roleplayers evolve their clerics and mages at a scholarly level. I'm thoroughly enjoying every moment in there because, more than anything else, TBA remembers that building (and mudding in general) before anything else, is supposed to be fun.