A collection of resources for those interested in coding, building, and/or playing MUDs, MUSHes, MOOs, etc. Additions and corrections welcome. [Submit A Resource]
Playing
Guides
- What is a MUD?
- Introduction to MUD styles and player types
- Beginner’s guide to roleplaying
- Immersive Roleplay 101
- Text-based gaming glossary
Ask Questions
- Discord: MUD Community
- reddit: r/MUD
- 🆕 subreddit for RP-focused games: r/RP_MUDS
- Slack: MUD Coder’s Guild
- Forums: Brand MU Day
Lists & Stats
Find a game to play, or get your own game listed:
- AresCentral Games Directory
- Iberia’s Mudstats List
- IGDB (MUD category)
- IPTIA BBS/MUD Server List
- Evennia Game Index at games.evennia.com [HTTP only]
- GameScry
- Grapevine (good for beginners)
- LociTerm
- MOOList
- MudBytes
- MUDhalla Mud List & MSSP Crawler
- MudListings
- MUD MSSP Stats hosted by Iberia
- MUDseek
- MUDStats
- MUDVault
- Read the interview with Asmodeus
- MudVerse
- MUSHCode.com MUSH/MUX List
- The MUD Connector
- Top MUD Sites (archive)
MUD Clients
Downloadable:
- Atlantis – macOS client with a Discord community
- AxMUD – Includes a screen reader version/config
- Mudlet – Fast, highly configurable client for Linux, macOS, and Windows
- Read about Mudlet’s new accessibility features
- MUSHclient – Popular client for Windows users
- Potato – Client for Windows, macOS, and Linux
- Savitar – macOS client
- TinTin++ – For an old-school VT100 experience
- ZMud – Unavailable on Zuggsoft
Browser-based:
- DuckClient at duckclient.com [HTTP only]
- Mudslinger
- LociTerm – Read about it in RahjIII’s interview!
Mobile apps:
- Blowtorch (
Google Play) – No longer on app store - Fado (Google Play) – Android client in development
- MUDRammer (
Apple Store) – No longer on app store as of 3/18/25 but the code is still available on Github - Mukluk MUD Client (Google Play)
Available on GitHub:
Open Source MUD Projects
A collection of other games/projects that are open source or allow contributions from the community:
Building & Marketing
Tools & Resources
- The Art of Building [HTTP only] – Older resource on building rooms and areas
- The Builder Academy – Learn how to build your own world with tbaMUD
- Bartle’s taxonomy of player types – Balance your game and playerbase
- Bartle’s MUD Writings Archive – Collection of academic and popular articles
- Downloadable ftp.game.org Archive – Collection of MUD files and software submitted by internet users around the world in the late 1980s
- Imaginary Realities Archive – Tharsis Gate [HTTP only] – Thought leadership about MUDs, published between 1998-2001
- Grim Wheel’s Imaginary Realities Archive – Additional resources and context about Imaginary Realities e-magazine
- Grim Wheel’s Buildcraft section – Impressive repository of articles and advice on MUD building
- Last Outpost protocol archive – Resource for MUD devs looking to implement protocols for their game
- MUD Colorizer Tool – Easily add color to text strings; supports several popular color code styles, including {x, @x, and $x
- MUDs.Fandom.com – A vast collection of game listings, articles, and other resources
- MUDhalla protocol documentation – Info on GMCP, MSSP, and other protocols used by MUD engines
- MUD Institute – Academically inclined repository of preserved codebases and curated articles
- Mudstandards.org – Collection of MUD protocols and documentation for coders
- StockMUD+ at stockmud.com/plus.html [HTTP only] – Read about it in Hades_Kane’s interview!
- Orcs.biz [HTTP only] – Collection of text-based game and resource archives from the co-founders of muds.wikia.com (now muds.fandom.com)
- The Sourcery – An older collection of MUD developer articles
- Titans of Text – Podcast interviewing creators and legends from the text-based game community, including Richard Bartle
Andruid’s tips & advice:
- Marketing your game
- Retaining players
- Writing room descriptions
- Improving help systems
- Rewarding players for reporting typos
Accessibility advice:
- Tips from Niamh (Alter Epoch)
- Tips from Klor (Legends of the Jedi)
Recommended reading for RP games:
- Best Practices For Historical Gaming by James Mendez Hodes
Hosting Services
Free/Pay what you can:
- Vineyard.haus
- Learn more about Opie, the sysadmin behind Vineyard, and why he offers free hosting
Paid MUD hosting:
Third Hosting(not offering new services)- PocketMUD
MUD admins have also had success with VM and cloud services such as Vultr, Digital Ocean, Linode, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure. For more ideas, check out this list on Evennia’s website.
Coding
Codebases & Repositories
- AFKMud GitHub – Smaug derivative in C++
- AresMUSH (GitHub) – Ruby
- BasedMUD GitHub – C
- BeastMUD GitHub – C#
- CircleMUD (Unofficial GitHub) – C
- CoffeeMUD (GitHub) – Java
- CoolMUD
- CopperMUD (Merc precursor)
- DikuMUD (GitHub) – C
- DikuMUD3 (GitHub) – C++
- Dworkin’s Game Driver (DGD)
- EnvyMUD
- Evennia (GitHub) – Python
- Example: Mystavaria
- ExVenture (GitHub) – Elixir
- FluffOS (GitHub) – C++
- GodWars
- GoMud GitHub – Go
- LambdaMOO (GitHub) – C
- LDMud (GitHub) – C
- Magma GitHub – C, C++
- Merc (Merc 2.1 GitHub) – C
- ModernMUD GitHub – C#
- MUD1 (GitHub)
- MudOS
- NakedMud – C, Python
- NakedMud 4 Github
- NekkidMud Github – C, HTML
- NiMUD (GitHub) – C
- PennMUSH (GitHub) – C
- PyMUSH – Python
- Rivers of Mud ROM 2.4b6 QuickMUD GitHub – C
- RanvierMUD (GitHub) – Javascript
- RhostMUSH GitHub – C, Javascript
- RMUD GitHub
- RMUDReboot GitHub – C#
- SillyMUD
- Smaug (SmaugFUSS GitHub) – C
- SMUG
- Stunt (GitHub) – C++, C
- tbaMUD (GitHub) – C
- TinyMUD
- TinyMUX (GitHub) – C++
- ToastStunt GitHub – C++
- UberMUD
- UnterMUD
- UriMUD
- Prool’s collection of compiled servers for use with Windows, including MERC, ROM, DikuMUD, and more
Areas
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is a MUD, MUSH, or MOO?
- Where can I find a MUD to play?
- What’s the best MUD client for beginners?
- Can I play MUDs on my phone?
- What are some resources for learning to code or build MUDs?
- How do I market my MUD to attract players?
- What if I need help with accessibility in my game?
- Are there free hosting options for my MUD?
- Can I contribute to open-source MUD projects?
- How do I stay connected with the MUD community?
What is a MUD, MUSH, or MOO?
A MUD (Multi-User Dungeon), MUSH (Multi-User Shared Hallucination), and MOO (MUD, Object-Oriented) are types of text-based multiplayer online games. MUDs typically focus on combat and exploration, while MUSHes and MOOs emphasize collaborative storytelling and roleplay. Each has its own community and gameplay style.
Where can I find a MUD to play?
There are many directories and listings on this MUD Resources page, such as AresCentral, MudListings, and MUDBytes. Grapevine is also a great starting point for beginners.
What’s the best MUD client for beginners?
Mudlet is a highly configurable client for Linux, macOS, and Windows, and is beginner-friendly with strong accessibility features. For macOS users, Atlantis is another good option with an active community. MUSHClient is also quite popular and has an easy-to-use built-in mapper.
Can I play MUDs on my phone?
Yes, though there are fewer mobile clients available, these days. Mudlet does install on mobile devices, however, and clients like LociTerm can be run from any browser.
What are some resources for learning to code or build MUDs?
If you’re interested in coding, check out the open-source MUD projects in the Coding section, such as Evennia (Python-based) and AresMUSH (Ruby-based). You can also explore The Builder Academy to learn how to build your own MUD world.
How do I market my MUD to attract players?
Andruid’s tips on marketing your game, retaining players, and improving your help systems are valuable resources. These strategies can help you grow a sustainable and active player community.
What if I need help with accessibility in my game?
There are accessibility tips from experienced MUD creators like Niamh and Klor in the Accessibility Advice section, which can guide you in making your game more inclusive for all players.
Are there free hosting options for my MUD?
Yes, Vineyard.haus offers free or pay-what-you-can hosting services. For more robust options, you can explore paid hosting services or cloud services like Digital Ocean and Linode.
Can I contribute to open-source MUD projects?
Absolutely! Many open-source MUD projects, like ArchaicQuest and AwakeMUD, welcome community contributions. You can check out their GitHub repositories for ways to get involved. Or, if the idea of a bounty intrigues you, Mudlet (the popular MUD client) often has opportunities available.
How do I stay connected with the MUD community?
You can join discussions in the MUD Coder’s Guild on Slack, the MUD Community Discord, or follow conversations on r/MUD.