The Evolution of Fantasy Role-Playing Games - Michael J. Tresca [73]
TVTropes calls this an Excuse Plot, “a plot that is clearly there merely as a justification for the gameplay, or other form of flashy, show-offy-ness, to happen. In short, the story serves the needs of the gameplay, nothing more. It makes no pretense of intrinsic value, but simply provides some banter so you understand why the purple and non-purple units are shooting at each other” (TVTropes 2010).
The reasons for a lack of plot are a familiar problem with multiplayer games. Each player represents a huge number of possible ergodics. Altering the game for each player’s decisions multiplies the possible outcomes exponentially by the number of players in the game, making it impossible to uniquely cater to each player’s needs.
Ergodics are what really keep MUD and MMORPG players engaged. The players are the content, and the quantity and variety of players provide endless permutations. Players act as stalwart companions who help individuals achieve success, as rivals for power and treasure, and even as opponents in player-killer games. Ergodics provide a level of narrative distinct from other single-player, non-interactive forms of entertainment that makes MUDs unique.
Personalization
If ergodics are what make players stay in MUDs, personalization is what draws them there. Most MUDs vary little from the typical Dungeons & Dragons paradigm, as evidenced by the standard set of DIKU statistics that mimic the tabletop game.
RetroMUD includes the attributes agility, charisma, constitution, dexterity, intelligence, perception, luck, size, strength, and wisdom. It also has a three-point system: hit points, spell points, and endurance points. RetroMUD and MUDs like it presaged many of the eventual changes to Dungeons & Dragons that appeared in the third edition. MUDs, because of the sheer number of players, had to create rules for adjudicating a wide variety of situations that were not formalized in Dungeons & Dragons. New rules for very powerful and very weak creatures were created. Other elements that didn’t factor into a tabletop role-playing game required adjudication in a MUD. A size statistic, for example, is a critical part of spatial relationships on RetroMUD, but in a tabletop game a game master can simply decide if a character can fit through an opening or wear a suit of armor.
On RetroMUD, strength, dexterity, constitution, intelligence, wisdom, and charisma function like Dungeons & Dragons. Agility determines lower body speed and affects movement. Perception determines one’s ability to perceive his or her surroundings through his senses. Characters with negative perception are blind. Luck is a random modifier determined each day, which affects a variety of rolls. Size determines height and weight—it affects damage inflicted, hit points, and ability to enter certain rooms. It also means equipment must be a certain size to fit the character.
Hit points in RetroMUD are handled similarly to Dungeons & Dragons, with hit point increases accumulated as the character increases in level. Spell points are treated in the same fashion and are required to cast spells. Finally, endurance points handle movement and actions, including running and skill use. All three points regenerate at a certain rate according to the character’s “heartbeat” as determined by its race. Trolls, for example, regenerate hit points faster than other races (a nod to the Dungeons & Dragons troll, which was in turn inspired by Poul Anderson’s Three Hearts and Three Lions).
Perhaps the greatest opportunities for customization are the numerous race