The first thing to note is that Shadowsiege is not for the casual MU*er. It is an RP enforced MUD (Though in a lot of ways, it more resembles a MUSH), and RP is taken very seriously.

The system is class-less and level-less. It's done very well, leaving your character openended. Character advancement is gained solely through roleplaying. The code rewards characters based on the quality of their 'emotes' automatically once every hour. One gains little or nothing from combat with NPCs and Mobiles.

The playerbase is very friendly and helpful, as are the admin. There are a handfull of Player Aids to help newbies get acclimated to the environment. The players themselves often go to lengths to help get a new character involved in the game and whatever is going on.

The game itself is fairly stable, and does not crash too often. This is surprising since the game is still in 'beta.' Reboots are made for putting in new code and such.

The admin maintain a very active role in the game and the goings-on of the characters in their game. They enjoy playing as much as anyone else, so this just makes it even moreso.

Occasional admin-run RP events will happen as well. Sometimes they seem very carefully planned and thought out. Other times, they seem more winged and 'spur of the moment.' When these events work out well, it can make the players feel like their character is an integral part of the game world and contributing meaningfully to the overall story.

While much has been done with the venerable Circle 3.0 codebase (renamed to Draig), you can still sense its limitations lurking in the background. Considering the scope of what Shadowsiege tries to accomplish, Circle seems a poor choice. It creates a stark contrast to the beautiful and dynamic RP in the game by leaving a lot of things feeling too static. This can sometimes lead to a little bit of frustration if one is used to MUSH, MOO, or LP style play.