Step Two: What's This MU* Thing You Speak Of?

MU* is the blanket term applied to any text-based roleplaying game--the varieties are endless. MUSHes (Multi-User Shared Hallucination), MUCKs (Multi User Chat Kingdom), MUDs (Multi-User Dungeon or Domain) and MOOs (MUD Object Oriented) all fall into this category, as well as a number of sub-genres of each. Any MU* uses telnet, a basic program which connects one computer to another (or several others), as a base of operation. The feel is similar to that of a jazzed-up chatroom, enhanced with all sorts of gizmos and gadgets put their specifically for the purpose of making roleplay easier. Learning all the commands and finding your way through the system can be a bit daunting--there's a bit of a learning curve, a curve that seems to stretch on quite a ways... but that's what this guide is here for. Read on to the next section to learn about connecting, telnet, and your first steps into the world of Chiaroscuro.

Return to Chiaroscuro: The Walkthrough

<-- Step One: What is Roleplaying, Anyway? --  Step Three: Connecting and Information -->