TMC Reviews: The Inquisition

The Inquisition is a unique fantasy world, completely original with no stock zones that I could find. The zones that exist are well-written and make sense within the worldview set forth by the mud-world itself. The world is medieval fantasy, with little obvious magic, thus making it actually worth noting when someone finds magic within the world. The player starts in the section of the city Lithmore, in the old section, where new players can gain initial levels without the restrictions that exist elsewhere on the mud. This is a world that will discourage the casual mudder who's looking for a quick level-up/grab-n-go experience, for this world requires its inhabitants to be both quick. savvy and persistent. Money is scarce, and killing animals and insects and avians can only get the new player so far.

From my exposure over the months that I've visited this world, the mud itself is a friendly place. The immortals are helpful and courteous, and the players are, for the most part, the same. Suggestions are listened to and acted upon, so long as they fit into the world-view of the mud. Questions are answered nicely and concisely, They have a good helpfile system (which gets pointed to a lot) and their web-site is also full of tips and helpful information. The main emphasis of the mud is the role-playing, and they have a fabulous system that automatically awards role-playing experience to those participating in such (and I'd love to know how this is done), so role-playing is a vital part of the mud. I was fortunate enough to participate in a few RP "scenes", one gained me the position of a retainer of the Duke (I think he was a Duke, he was noble) of Tubor. I saw a wedding, which was quite well done, and the reception that followed presented a tradition where the bride and groom have their wrists bound by a chain of daisies at the culmination of the wedding ceremony, and must remain so bound throughout the reception, thus symbolizing their union and almost forcing them to learn to work together, to begin to rely on each other's help. I thought this was fascinating, and the two characters who got married played it off without a hitch. (No pun intended)

The world of The Inquisition is relatively small, but since it is role-playing and not hack-n-slash mudding that is the "norm" there, that works rather well for them, since the main key to Role-Playing is finding out _where_ there is RP going on that you can join. In a larger world, this would be near-to-impossible. The room, monster and object descriptions are sometimes a bit rudimentary, but they are all-original, and provide enough atmosphere to support the RP-intent of the mud. They are accurately written, with few, if any, spelling or grammar errors, and those that are found are fixed quickly. This mud is more realistic in the way it presents itself^Å more legitimately medieval than traditional "fantasy", no flowery crystal-spired turrets, lofty castles that seem impossibly built, it's all very down-to-earth, thus setting the scene for "realistic" role-playing that focuses less on the power/skill of the character and more on the personality developed.

The one drawback with The Inquisition is this: Unless you have a ton of time to devote, and are good with interacting with other people, you won't go anywhere in this mud. Levelling outside of Old Lithmore (the newbie area) is slow and virtually impossible beyond about the 7th or 8th level. If you don't know where role-playing is going on, you're cut out, and likewise, if no one knows you, it's much harder to get involved in the role-playing that you do stumble onto. In fact, out of 100 mortal levels possible, you can only reach level 67 by killing things. After that, RPXP (Role-Playing Experience) is the only way to continue your upward climb. So, if you're like me most days, and prefer to be the "lone leveller" type, this place might not be your best bet. However, if you're like me on my odd days, and really into role-playing on Muds, then this is the place for you.

The Inquisition is a small-but-growing, role-playing only Mud, and has some of the best mud code I've seen yet for role-playing. (I especially enjoy fishing for my dinner, but that's just me maybe. :) The staff are helpful, the regulars friendly, and the world contributes significantly to the encouragement of actual role-playing. If you're a RP-er and looking for some "realistic" role-playing, without the influence of the powermudder elite hanging over your head, I'd heartily recommend this Mud to you. Just tell 'em Bertold sent you. :)