Shattered Kingdoms is one of the best muds that I have come across since I started playing muds in 1994. It has mandatory roleplay and unrestricted PK and manages the delicate and at times very difficult balance between the two with reasonable succes. Being more to the roleplay side than PK, there are elements of 'I win' culture on the mud that I could be without, but Imms are very keen on nurturing a vibrant and strong roleplay environment, and so are most of the players.

Its building is generally far above average in all categories; interesting plots, detailed descriptions, good coloring, good use of ambience scripts and plenty of well thought out interactions between area and player.

There are many quests of all sorts and on all levels of difficulty, and I have been told that even more are to come in the future. The world is enormous and exploration here is a time stealer of the worst (but most entertaining) sort.

SK does a lot to promote newbie friendliness, and manages in my opinion to get away with one of the best results I have seen. All helpfiles are accessible on Shattered Kingdoms's website, which means that you can be as prepared as you choose to be when you start. Even if you don't have the patience to read through them, most of the kingdoms have newbie areas that are easy to navigate and tell you what you need to know. The 'mentor' command allows any player below journeyman to send out a request for a teacher and guide, and any high level player may teach skills below a certain level in the mud's inns.

It is a free mud, with no buyable perks or benefits. The immstaff seems dedicated and fair, and the playerbase is generally friendly and helpful. The mud is usually placed around 12th on TMS's list of top muds, though I, after having tried most of the others, honestly think it deserves to be placed higher than that.

I suggest you peek in if you're interested in finding a new mud to play. I expect you won't regret it.

See you IC!