Avalon-RPG.com

Okay, my first post will pay homage to the oldest functioning MUD that is still alive and well. I speak of none other than Avalon:The Legend Lives.

The history of Avalon is pretty nifty. Yehuda Simmons, Genesis in the game, developed Avalon in the early 1990's. He and a friend of his set up his own programming language called Hourglass, created an in-depth virtual world and hosted it with a small server from his home. Many times these servers crashed and the hardware was fried, but he kept at it. Now, it is one of the most legendary text-based games on the internet, many others basing their games after his, including Iron Realms Entertainment.

In Avalon everything is run by the players alone, with minimal "god" involvement. The players even stimulate the entire economy on their own, with shops that they own, stock, and price. They plant fields in the spring, harvest crops in the fall, turn these crops into commodities such as rope, food, and reagents for abilities and do with them what they will.

Avalon is a Player-Kill based game. What does this mean? Player Kill, or PK, is player versus player involvement. Players may attack ANYONE they desire (there are consequences for your actions of course). This results in "jumping", or killing a player who was not expecting it, and many duels to the death. Many nights are spent in Avalon defending your city from the citizens of the other 3 cities, ending in epic battles and ultimately in victory for one city. Not to say that you cannot go out and kill Computer Controlled Characters, or CCC's, but Avalon shines best when you're up against an enemy player.

The fighting system is like none I've ever seen before. There are no character statistics, so no need to worry about how much AGILITY you need until you can do 20% damage to your enemy in one hit or anything such as that. Avalon utilizes an equilibrium and balance-based fighting system where each ability you use will give all your other abilities a cool-down for a differing amount of time. There is no auto-attack or auto-retreat options. You must fight and run left to your own input.

Also to note: Avalon has implemented a warfare system that allows the actual destruction of cities as seen in the Great Thakrian Invasion of Springdale, where Springdale was actually DESTROYED in it's entirety never to be seen again. Warfare plays a large role in Avalon's functionality.

Avalon allows the use of triggers, aliases, and advanced coding, making it a great MUD for experienced MUD-programmers. Not to say that novice-coders will not do well, there are many helpful players within Avalon that offer advice and tips and tricks.

My experience in Avalon was great. I was a staff-guide on Avalon for over a year before I left it due to personal reasons. I enjoyed the PK most of the time, the times I did not, I was being jumped by more than 2 players at a time and that is no easy feat to defend against (though I've seen it done!). I played it for over a year as a Druid, healing people and teaching the new players the basics.

There are a few issues with Avalon however. The billing system USED to hold on to credit card information allowing player's information to be hacked or stolen. If you subscribe to Avalon, I would suggest using a pre-paid Visa debit card for ultimate security. The other downside about playing is the "divine-interference". The "gods" in the game love to meddle in the mortal affairs, which is great if you're in their good graces, but terrible if you are not. Be wary when dealing with the gods.

Avalon requires a payment of $15.00 USD each month to play. The first three months players receive an introductory pricing option of $7.50 USD per month for 3 months. Within game you are able to procure many things that will help your character to progress quickly, USE WITH CAUTION, as progressing too fast makes you a target to experienced players.

See more at http://www.avalon-rpg.com