magine a world of magic, where monsters and evil are a constant threat. Your only hope for survival: hone your abilities and team up with powerful friends. This is a world where hundreds of thousands of real people come to experience the power of fantasy and friendship. This is the world of GemStone III.

This game is an example of what MUDs can become if their creators put as much time into them as Simutronics put into GemStone III. I've been playing for over three years now (although I'm not exactly a Legend yet), and this game is fantastic! Although, I must warn you: it is NOT for people without imagination. The game is text-based. Everything you see is text. Everything you do requires a typed command (in text). The following is an example of what you will see. The blue is what you will be required to type (if you ever play, which I hope you will, cuz it's a great game....), the rest is what you will see:

(I shall include some of the funnies, because the game's full of them)

(P.S. To those of you who actually play GS: These are mishmashed parts of the game all put together because my regular scripts are so messed up and boring. This is actually Minter, my other character, and Sennymay combined.)

(Starring: Sennymay the Rogue, the Infamous Kobolds, an unfortunate lesser orc, and a disgruntled hill troll.)

------------------------------

[Upper Trollfang]

A shallow cave has been carved in the side of this cliff overlooking the Bay. Small animal bones lay strewn about a cold fire pit. The cave's low ceiling provides some shelter from cloudbursts but the cold breezes echo around you. You also see a cudgel.
Obvious exits: southeast.

>look Sennymay

You see Sennymay Megecan the Half-Elf Footpad.
She appears to be in her 40's, has short, braided dark brown hair, multihued eyes, and tanned skin.
She has a small lockpick tattoo on her neck, and a twining ivy tattoo on her thigh.
She is in good shape.
She is wearing a silvery lockpick case, a twisting cobra earcuff, a silver-eyed black cat pendant, a pallid pentagram pendant, a mithril juggernaut pin, a twilight grey flower, a black velvet sack, a jewelled engagement ring, some thigh-high black leather boots, a folding lockpick pouch, a sleek black leather back sheath, a pair of black leather half-gloves, some shadowy black stalking leathers, a shadowy black stalking cloak, a pearly white anklet, a pair of buckled leather bracers, a large gold earring, a pair of buckled leather thighguards, a jet black glaes spider charm, and a pure white vultite shield.

A kobold just arrived!
>
A kobold just arrived!
>
A kobold swings a cudgel at a kobold!
AS: +8 vs DS: +12 with AvD: +20 + d100 roll: +69 = +85
A clean miss.
Cudgel clashes with cudgel!
[STR/DU: 8/130 vs. 8/130, d100(Open)= 61, d100(Open)= 56]
The kobold says, "Blargh! I'se soooo sawry!"
The kobold points at you and says, "I'se aiming for her!"
>
A kobold bites your right kneecap! Ewwww, it drooled on you!
> 'Eew!
>You exclaim, "Eew!"

A lesser orc just arrived.
>attack orc
You swing a dark mithril broadsword at a lesser orc!
AS: +112 vs DS: +10 with AvD: +36 + d100 roll: +90 = +228
... and hit for 98 points of damage!
Awesome shot skewers skull! The lesser orc blinks once and falls quite dead!
The lesser orc falls to the ground and dies.
Roundtime: 5 seconds.

>grin
You grin.
>
A kobold looks a little dubious about its situation.
A kobold pokes another kobold in the eye!
>roll laugh
You fall to the ground, laughing hysterically.
> stand
You stand up.

A hill troll just arrived!
A hill troll growls, "Sr'nobr rir'ght no tra'mri 'mriragr 'vrargh sr'vr'r'rawd!"
>stare
You stare at nothing in particular.
>
Lord Kifka just arrived.
>
Kifka waves to you.

Kifka exclaims, "Hey, Senny!"

>'Hi.
You say, "Hi."

>wave kifka
You wave to Kifka.

A hill troll mutters, "Trar'rt trast ar karm larlorirw slorlurarbr our'r."
A kobold swings a closed fist at itself!
AS: -10 vs DS: +10 with AvD: +25 + d100 roll: +3 = +8
A clean miss.
The kobold blushes furiously!
>attack hill troll
You swing a white vultite broadsword at a hill troll!
AS: +126 vs DS: +42 with AvD: +32 + d100 roll: +29 = +145
... and hit for 16 points of damage!
Well aimed shot almost removes an eye!
The hill troll is stunned!
Round time: 5 sec.

A hill troll hollers, "Dn'rirfflar' 'Ird! 'Ird! 'Ird!"
-------------------
And that concludes our example.

Now, I have a couple of characters in GemStone. Three, to be exact. One is Sennymay Megecan, my oldest character. She is a Half-Elf Rogue. My other character is Minter Alianus, named after my mentour, Mintera (he was a guy, but a great one). She is a Giantman Warrior. And the newest addition to the family is Lileu Angelfeather, a young (very young) Elven Bardess.

Name: Minter Alianus
Race: Giant Profession: Warrior
Gender: female Age: 28 Level: 7 (not a constant)
Maximum Mana Points: 21 Health Points: 164 (not a constant)
Hair: short, straight, black. Eyes: multihued
Complexion: tanned
Alianus family fame: 161044 points.(not a constant)

---------------

Name: Sennymay Megecan
Race: Half-Elf  Profession: Rogue
Gender: female  Age: 44  Level: 15 (not a constant)
Maximum Mana Points: 4  Health Points: 154 (not a constant)
Hair: short, braided, dark brown.  Eyes: multihued
Complexion: tanned
Megecan Family Fame: over two million

---------------

Name: Lileu Angelfeather
Race: Elf Profession: Bard
Gender: female  Age: 22  Level: not even high enough to mentioning
Maximum Mana Points: 4  Health Points: 48 (not a constant)
Hair: very long, golden-blonde Eyes: multihued
Complexion: lilly-white
Angelfeather Family Fame: not even worth mentioning

I guess that's all on my part here. I know it's not much, but it's an introduction to GemStone III! I hope you will give it a try if you haven't already. You get a free month of playing, no long term commitment or anything. It's great! At least try it! And the GemStone III Wizard Front End looks great, too!