Trials and Tribulations on Starting a New MUSH

Greetings to the MUSH community. I just added Dissendium: A Harry Potter MUSH to the MUSH list some time ago. I started this project sometime back in March of 2007. It's been a year and then some, but we're finally close to the end. There were times I really thought we weren't going to make it, times when pulling the plug seemed a finer idea than pulling through. It was hard, but the end result has been more than satisfying. Here's a few tips if you're considering a game of your own.

Are You Even Ready?
Before anything, consider whether you have the time. As a college student I didn't forsee having much in the way of a steady connection and plenty of boredom, but I disappeared from the project from time to time due to RL obligations and finals. Your collaborators will have RLs, too. Even when time isn't a factor, RL will always find something more interesting than a potential online game to distract you. So make sure you have the dedication as well. Be prepared for month-long lulls in the project where nothing is done. Don't be afraid, even if you aren't head of the project, to post a note asking if there's still interest. (It's happened to me more than once.) Sometimes all it takes is one nudge from one person to get the ball rolling again.

Having a Vision
Decide on what you want before writing down the concrete details. A good way to do this is to discuss with your collaborators on what you want, then present them with a rough outline of details, and go from there. An idea will flounder without a direction, so this is probably the most important thing to keep in mind. What's the theme? Will the game allow FCs or OCs? Consent, no consent, or limited consent? Stats or no stats? Open chargen or no? All of this needs to be decided before you worry about policies, a chargen system, and combat system details.

Current Collaborators, Future Staffers
Asking collaborators to join your project is a balance between finding people who want to help and people who are competent. These people will eventually make your staff, so don't be afraid to be choosy. You want your co-wiz figure (if you're looking for one) to share your vision for the game. You want the rest of your staff to share that vision to some degree and to have experience along with enthusiasm. You all need to be able to communicate with each other without it spiralling into some epeen contest of 'I know better than you.' At the same time, you don't want to surround yourself with yes-men who can't propose a novel idea to save their lives. Which brings me to my next point.

You're Wrong, There's a Better Way
Almost everyone who wants to make a new MUSH thinks they're making a better MUSH than the ones they played on. Inevitably, some elements of your vision are going to utterly suck due to lack of experience or insight. The MU* kingdom is filled with veterans, players and staff alike, so put their experience to use. Ask and read around. Invite your staffers, coders, builders, and beta testers to contribute ideas, even if you didn't seek them out for it in the first place. Open and public debate is healthy for a developing MUSH. There are also plenty of essays and advice out there for MUSH Admins. I recommend OGR, Electrip Soup, and WORA (although the latter bites, sometimes that's what you need.) If you already troll WORA regularly you should have skipped this section. If not, you will be surprised to find how little you actually know, even if you are one the veterans. Just because you're naive does not mean you don't know how to seek advice.

The Freebies Are Out There
I made a nice website, found a host, and opened my game for beta players all without spending a cent. You can do this, too. There are plenty of people out there who are willing to host for free. Don't ask me why these kind souls exist, but don't be afraid to ask for them. Google is the king of all free software out there. When my collaborators and I were first throwing ideas around, we used Google Groups to create a discussion forum that sent our discussions right to our emails. We would be instantly notified when someone added a comment. You can create word documents in Google Docs which can then be shared or collaborated on by others: the perfect way to write policies and newsfiles for easy group editing. Google Code even has some free MUSH code for the taking, and that is how I got my hands on Anomaly. Making a website is now easier than ever. A wikicontent site like PBWiki is free and works perfectly. Google Sites is now open to the public, and you can create a snazzy-looking game website in seconds. You can put everything from newsfiles and combat house rules on it. Your players will appreciate it and it looks nice, too.

Rushing Is Suicide
Value quality. Value the way new players will perceive your game. Don't open a game where nothing functions, nothing is decided, and nothing is going on. Players will lose interest immediately. If you just can't wait to throw your game out there, have a beta phase. Invite some friends to play and help test things out--this improves the quality of the game once it opens and gives it a word-of-mouth boost when your game finally does open. Ask your beta-players for feedback as well, as you're much better off dealing with it in a contained environment rather than with newbies.