If you like playing Shadowrun tabletop, and need a virtual space to meet up. This is the place! Staff has extensive help files for running your game. You can basically do anything you want, as a player your actions have no impact on anything! If you want staff to run a story- expect never! Scenes? Nope! But karma bloat for all the eye can see! Want to be a Superhero? You got it! Want to be a Elfbian who sits in her apartment all day but claims to be a bada**? You got it! You can do anything you want at SR Denver: Because it's all in a complete vacuum. Players in one game can have assassinated major NPC's but you can still use them. If your idea of fun is playing a Jedi Knight who also owns a boxing ring, this is the game for you!

This is the ONLY Shadowrun / Cyberpunk game left for roleplaying. It's similar to guild wars or playing a public session of a console game in that players announce and create their own missions/plots/games and submit them. If this is your thing you'll have a lot of fun. If you are looking for character development and seeing your background activated by mysterious NPCs, good luck. Public RP boils down to meeting new people and bar rp, again fun if you like it. It is very easy to get approved and the sheets tend to be on the twinkier side.

Coding seems good but I am not a computer coder. Rules are 3rd edition, but the emphasis is on combat, sheet tweaking, and less on the other 'roles' in Shadowrun: Decking, rigging, etc.

There are a lot of great tools waiting to be used, but overall is you are someone wishing to participate in staff driven story arcs, plots, etc you will be waiting a very very very long time. This could change, but as of 2011 Denver is essentially table top for missions run by players with an adjunct grid for public role playing. There is little connecting the two 'worlds'.

If you want to play Shadowrun here this is a great place. You can play this game within player plots almost any way you wish. The problem is when there's no unified vision at all on the contextual game you end up with a sort of Disneyland filled with superhero powered player characters with a cyberpunk veneer. Perhaps with a larger staff willing to drive and write and interact more with players and the games theme this will change.

Having said that, I love playing Shadowrun Denver- I just wish it was more or owned what it really is: Table Top Meet Ups.

I've been playing on Denver for over 5 years now, and it has had its ups and downs. Just like any game out there. The last two years we've been striving to make the game better, improve theme, and get issues resolved as fast as possible.

But like all things, there are bumps in the road and players may not get what they want right away. Or at all. That is the nature of a game with so many different players and needs. We strive to fulfill all the requests made of staff to the best of our abilities.

If you are looking for a fun game, with lots of people to RP with, Denver is the place. If you are wanting to become a powerful sammy or mage, Denver is the place. Basically, Denver and its staff does its best to help you achieve whatever goals you wish to set.

That being said, personal experience is the best if you aren't sure. There are almost always at least a few helpful players and staffers on to answer questions and let you know if what you want is possible, and if it isn't how to go about it in alternate ways to achieve the same mark.

One thing ahead - I didn't even go through the whole character generation, so it's just a review on what I experienced up to that point.

Having played SR for over 15 years, I was rather disappointed to find only the priority system available for character generation. No merits and flaws, no possibilities to actually individualize the character with some system-relevant method. Instead, there is a requirement to write up a well thought-out background. About 3-4 pages of requirements, including justification for any skill above 3 (3 meaning you'll fail 12-13 times out of 100 on an average task.. like doing your job on an average day) When I asked how much would be expected to get the character approved, I was told about 2 pages of MS Word. Of a background that - as far as I could tell - might never actually come into play.

When I started pointing out the flaws I saw in the newbie channel, I did get a few more or less helpful answers - which often raised new issues, like the amount of background required. (Don't forget - required work that might as well be completely ignored, and to be done before I could even give the game and the actual gaming community a try) But when I narrowed the points down and addressed the new ones, instead of an answer like 'at least one or two aspects from your background will eventually be involved, it's worth writing it and making it consistent' - I basically got a 'I'm fed up with you, go away'. Well, that's what I did.

Denver has had glory days, but they are long gone. Currently certain aspects of the staff including the Headwiz are keen on allowing a group of players to violate rules and policy. The group known as 'The Watchers' has been given a hall pass to run the game which limits the amount of things other players can do. In fact disagreeing with The Watchers has become reason for a player to be jailed or punished.

Recently the Watchers were allowed to make a severe power play push and kill another player for out of character reasons. Now this is expressly against the rules of the game, however again they were allowed to do so. During this event players that tried to defend the victim were ignored and punished for not being on the side of the watchers.

Rules are one sided and while the game has had a good past currently if one does not play the game as the watchers deem you should, chances of being treated with fairness and respect are fairly low. Even the elements of staff that do support the rules and fairness of the game are being overridden and pushed out by a small group of manipulative players and their pet admins.

This was once a wonderful game and easily the best Shadowrun game on the web. However, this all changed in the latter part of 2008 with the rise of a group known as the Watchers. Founded by a long idle player and former staffer, the Watchers have gradually tried to take over the game by virtue of their leader's friendship with the headwiz. They are a clique of people who think that they can play however they want, that other players and their feelings aren't important.

Multiple members of this group had been on staff, and were then asked to leave due to a variety of issues, including leaking of staff alts to their members. The Headwizard of the game is himself a member of this group, and in spite of his assurances that he will stay out of decisions regarding them, as soon as the chief of staff is away for a week, he immediately turns around and overrules his own policies regarding building ownership for one of the members, who also happens to be a staffer. Said staffer has, since returning to the staff of the game, been guilty of making numerous attacks against other players on the game.

The situation is bad, with at least one staffer leaving, and possibly three more to follow, including one of the founders of the game. It is impossible to play on this game any more, because of the blatant abuse of the players by the Watchers and the Pro-Watchers members of the game's staff. I cannot, in good conscience, recommend that anyone play on Shadowrun Denver, until such time as these matters are resolved.

Shadowrun Denver is currently the most active Shadowrun MUSH around. The game operates on 3rd edition rules, with no immediate plans to change to 4th. Logins typically average 30-40 people during peak hours, which are evenings EST.

For the unfamiliar, Shadowrun is a table-top game (like D&D) set in the near future. Cyberpunk elements play a heavy role in the atmosphere. As is typical for that sort of theme, the old governments have collapsed, replaced by powerful megacorporations. Cyborgs roam the streets, and gangers control the slums where much of the unfortunate populace lives. With Shadowrun, however, there are many differences.

Shadowrun introduces fantasy elements into the cyberpunk genre. There's magic, variants of humanity (dwarves, elves, orks, trolls), and even supernatural creatures. Several corporations are controlled by dragons! The average person is aware of the fact that magic exists, but is otherwise usually unfamiliar with its workings.

Denver has been around for many years now. Today, it's the only active MUSH offering the Shadowrun experience. As someone who has played on both the player and staff side of things, I know that Denver is not without its problems. That said, it remains a great place to enjoy the setting. Rarely is there a time where roleplay isn't available. Something's always going on, and players have the freedom to run their own Shadowruns (mercenary jobs, like D&D adventures) if they wish.

The MUSH is quite open in terms of what you're allowed to play. All of the basic archetypes (samurai, adept, mage, shaman, decker, rigger, face) are allowed. Some people portray traditionally non-PC archetypes as well, such as enchanters, fixers, and gangers. Many elements from Magic in the Shadows/Cannon Companion/Matrix and others are utilized, though some are not. It's best to check in-game for that.

If you enjoy a gritty setting with some unusual thematic elements, I'd encourage you to check out Denver. People are very friendly on the Newbie channel and will gladly answer questions. My character, Gruk, could use some people in his gang! Instant RP hook for you.

Denver is the most populous Shadowrun-themed MUX available today. Though it has gone through many changes over the years, it remains a great game and one worthy of any SR fan's attention.

For the unfamiliar, Shadowrun is a futuristic Earth-based setting with strong elements of both cyberpunk and fantasy. The world is separated by lines of wealth and poverty, and the old governments have fallen before the dominance of megacorporations. Cybernetic technology is now a reality. At the same time, the resurgence of magic has restored various 'mythological' elements to the world. Elves, dwarves, orks and trolls walk the gritty streets alongside mankind. Spiritual shamans and calculating mages weave their spells in the forests of the reclaimed wild and the filthy alleyways of the great metroplexes.

Shadowrun's theme is definitely adult and gritty, as well as violent. Players take on the role of mercenaries hired to secretly carry out the dirty work of the megacorporations. When not doing that, players interact with each other on the city grid of Denver, drinking in bars and working deals with what little nuyen (the in-theme currency) they have earned.

Prospective players should be willing to roleplay, as that's what Denver is all about. There are no mobs to kill or 'phat lewtz' to pick up off the floor. Everything is RP'd, right up to the actual shadowruns that earn you cash and a reputation.

There are plenty of humans and elves. In my opinion, the game is currently in need of the less 'beautified' races: dwarves, orks, trolls. Other than that, the possibilities are really endless for what you can play here, so long as you stay within theme. Want to play a less-than-intelligent troll who lives in a filthy apartment and makes his nuyen bashing heads? How about a physical adept, whose magical abilities are channeled into the improvement of his body? These and more are equally possible.

Hop on to Denver and have a look around. I've enjoyed the game immensely and would be happy to see some additional new faces around. The game is quite active already, and having more people can only increase the RP possibilities!

I've been a player and a staffer on Shadowrun: Seattle, Shadowrun: Detroit, and Shadowrun: Denver; starting on Seattle in 1994. I've served as Director of Roleplaying on all three for various periods of time. My current role on Denver is that of the line admin in charge of thematic consistency, something which Denver had been missing for a while.

Jonathan Bayles is also one of my best friends and was the best man at my wedding. At the time of his original review I mostly agreed with everything he had to say. Since then, though, Denver has changed and how it's changed bears noting here.

The codebase is still outstanding. Craig and Wyldfire, still with the game, no longer try to run everything--the shiny veneer of their idealism has been somewhat tempered by experience, and they've changed the way the place runs to include more voices in the top and middle levels of staff. Player pages are not as 'monitored' as the earlier review would want you to believe.

The consent rules have also been modified to avoid people abusing them. There's no 'provoke than avoid' behavior pattern anymore, since it is possible to kill people who display such behaviors; player killing *is* possible but it's also rare. The sexual activity that happens on all MUXI occurs behind closed doors.

The game has blossomed over the years to be the most populous Shadowrun MUX on the internet and is regularly in the top 25 in terms of average overall logins of *any* non-MUD (roleplaying-based MUSH or MUX). Theme and storyline have been extended, with a new and ambitious megaplot project scheming to involve all of the players and staff in something with the potential to change the Shadowrun universe on Denver (disclaimer: I'm the guy in charge of that megaplot, so I'm biased.)

In short, Denver is probably the best Shadowrun experience you will find in the world of online text-based roleplaying games. I hope you'll come and at least check us out to see what we're about.

--Shayd

I've played at this MU* with the same character continuously for over 2 years now, and I have enjoyed it throughly. The code is easily understood and is all custom to the game I believe, though it uses some of the more standard conventions, so that people new to the game can understand.

There are always people on and usually at minimum one staffer. Most players are friendly and helpful, but whining and through fits are frowned upon sternly.

I would recommend this MUSH to anyone looking for a friendly, player driven SR game.

Shadowrun Denver is an interesting experiment in player empowerment. While some of its houserules are blatantly twinkish and/or power-gamish, it has chosen to amplify all walks of characters and brings the game system to the edge of its numerical workings. Players on Denver are awarded copious amounts of money and advancement points, with the stress being that if you are willing to run your own plots for yourself and your friends, you deserve award. The downside is that there are very few plot arcs or storylines with any duration.

Denver was created by two idealistic new-comers to the mush scene, known as Craig and Wyldfire on the game itself. These men are possibly visionaries, the game balks at the standard (and occasionally broken conventions) used by the other shadowrun muxi, and atempts to empower its players to run the game for them. This has had both positive and negative effects which you can see for yourself when you come and play.

The codebase, written mostly by Wyldfire is quite impressive. Numerous commands provide ease of use to the more experience players, and enable the admins to keep close tabs on the players. So close in fact that they also record and reference player's private pages. this enables them to keep a close eye on security, and it is also used in thier dispute arbitration system. Privacy, or lack of any, is clearly stated when you log on.

The consent rules protect players from each other, they allow flexibility such that if you want to engage someone in a lengthy and violent arguement and then invoke consent rules to save yourself from a confrontation that could lead to your're characters death, you may.

Shadowrun Denver is very lenient on low level roleplayers(roleplayers with very little skill), and will admit nearly anyone who is willing to have a good time. The head wizards believe firmly that anyone willing to try deserves a chance to play. This allows you to walk through an environment of all skill levels of play, from the lowest to the highest, and hopefully find the kind of people you match up with. If you do not enjoy the presence of lower level players, you are responsible for avoiding them.

While Denver has a very active sex life, as a whole, most of this sexual activity is tucked quietly away in apartments and private areas of the mush. Although you may have the occasional trouble finding the rp you are looking for, you will never be subjected to the voluminous sexual activity if you do not care to be. There has been rumored to have been a publicly rp-ed rape scene on the mush, but as far as I kow this type of RP violates the rules of conduct.

While I personally consider Denver to be a partial success, it has been on occassion the victim of its creaters. Numerous incidents by the headwiz(nuking parts of the database in fits of anger, shouting out of the god password to all players, and seemingly random retiring and returning to his post) have damaged the place, no doubt, but it is still active and carries with it enourmous potential for success. The environment can be volitile from an OOC perspective, but is fairly sedentary in its IC world.

I would recommend Denver if you are patient and enjoy smaller and shorter duration plots and storylines, as well you are a fan of mostly roleplaying in bars and meeting new people. For those of you whom are interested, there is an active and growing Lesbian population in the IC world. You must also be tolerant of the broad range of roleplayers, and willing to make a fair amount sacrifices on your own needs and desires.

JMB

Denver has the best coded base for any of the Shadowrun games out there, and is one of the most supported MUXs, as far as code goes. The only problems are that it has a bit too much TS, there are lots of high Karma (experience) people around, and there can be some fights over some of the houserules. The atmosphere is friendly for the most part, with a majority of the tinyplots being run by players instead of admin.

The theme is rather loose, but they've been cracking down on that lately to get more of an SR feel into things. A lot of RP on the grid, lots of regular players and tons of opportunities to build the character you feel like in a world where Man meets Magic and Machine, both by game mechanics as well as history and personal depth.