1. "Just what is a MUSH??"

   MUSH loosely stands for Multi-User Shared Hallucination. It is a text-based, multiplayer, virtual environment that lets you communicate and roleplay with other players in real time. A MUSH allows users to read room descriptions and other information that enables them to interact with each other on a more sophisticated level.

2. "Okay. So PernMUSH is...?"

   PernMUSH is a themed MUSH that is based on Anne McCaffrey's world of Pern, as described in her Dragonriders of Pern novels. In this cooperative, consensual and creative roleplaying environment we attempt to recreate, with as much authenticity as possible, the society described in the earlier novels. Set in the 10th Pass, PernMUSH gives you the opportunity to create your own unique character that will interact with other Pernese characters, essentially bringing this fascinating world to life. Just think, you could be a productive cotholder, or a struggling Harper apprentice, or even one day you could Impress a dragon to fight thread as a dragonrider of Pern!

3. "Cool! How can I check this place out?"

   The MUSH runs on pern.mccr.org (IP address 207.170.64.219) on port 4201. What? That means nothing to you? Don't panic, all you have to do to connect to the site is to use telnet or a MUSH client program.

   Telnet users type: telnet pern.mccr.org 4201

   MUSH Clients are available to be downloaded from their homepages. These clients provide a user-friendly interface that replaces telnet (thank goodness). Some popular Windows clients are SimpleMU, Pueblo, and MUSHClient. Unix users might want to download TinyFugue.

4. "I connected to the game. Now what?"

   After connecting to the game you will see a welcome screen. Now you need to create your character. To do this, choose a name and password that you can remember, then type: create (Don't type the , just whatever you want your name and password to be.) Please note: Names of characters from the Pern novels is strictly prohibited. Also, you cannot start out as a rider with an honorific in your name. (F'lar, for example) If you don't wish to create a character at this time (awww, why not?), you can still look around as the guest character. Type 'connect guest guest' and you're on! What? You can't stay and play? Just type 'QUIT', all in caps, and you'll be disconnected. But are you sure you cannot hang around a little longer?

   Upon creating your new character, you will find yourself in a location called the Birthplace, where all players start. Now, you have to set up a few things on your character. First, type '@sex me=male' or '@sex me=female'. (Your character doesn't have to be the same sex as you are, although most people find it easier to play someone closer to themselves.) Next, is '@lock me=me' (don't want anyone picking you up by accident). Finally, a description is needed. This can be changed later on, so don't worry about having it perfect. Type '@desc me = '. Your description should fit the world of Pern, which means no tennis shoes, machine guns or space-helmets! :)

5. "Oops. I made a typo in my character's name upon creating them. Help?"

   Don't worry, this happens quite often. Most people forget to capitalize the character's name, or decide they just don't like it. It is easily fixed by typing: @name me=

6. "Hey! I have a character! Now what?"

   At this point, you should learn the some of the common commands used on a MUSH. For more detailed information on each of these commands, and others, type: help

   LOOK
   The 'look' command shows you a description. Type 'look me' to see what you look like. Type 'look here' to look at the room that you're in. Type 'look object_name' to look at one of the objects in the room with you. In the Birthplace's room description you will see it mentions files that a new character should read before venturing out onto the game. One of these is 'news newbie'. Please read this as soon as possible. It will touch on much more than what could be put into this FAQ.

   WHO
   This command tells you who is currently connected to the game. Just type 'WHO' (all in capital letters) to see a list of online players. After the player's name, connect time, and idle time, you'll see a field on the WHO list called the 'Doing'.

   @DOING
   This command sets the attribute that is displayed with your name in response to the WHO command: @doing You might want something like '@doing I'm new here!' to break the ice and let people know that you're still learning how things work. Frequently, someone seeing that @doing will contact you to see if you need help, usually one of the Staff members. Anyone with the word 'STAFF' in their doing is there voluntarily to assist you with any problems you might have.

   +SWHO
   This command lists the PernMUSH staffers who are currently online and tells their status. Pick one who's available and page him or her if you need help or would like to meet someone friendly.

   PAGE
   Paging sends a private message to players no matter where they are on the game. If you want to send a message, type: page character_name = message
   For example: page Lara=I'm new here. Help?

   SAY
   To talk to everyone in the same room as you, type 'say '.
   For example: say Hi there!
   The room will see: Your_Character_ Name says "Hi there!"

   POSE
   If you wish to indicate that you're performing some kind of action, type 'pose '.
   For example: pose smiles and waves.
   The room will see: Your_Character_Name smiles and waves. (There are typing shortcuts that can be used in place of 'say' and 'pose'. Read about these under 'help :' and 'help "')

   EXITS
   To explore, you'll need to know how to get around. The simplest way is to walk through exits. In each room (type 'look here') you'll see an exit list. Type the exit name to walk through it. Most exits have several names, so you could type 'Great Hall', 'GH', or 'Hall' and still end up in the same place. On PernMUSH, it is standardized that whatever is capitalized in an exit name can be used to pass through it. For example, to go to 'Hatching SAnds', you would type 'HSA'.

7. "I've mastered those commands. Let me out on the game!!"

   Whoa now! As tempting as it is to just rush out there and start having a great time roleplaying, there are a few things you might want to do first.

   Numero uno, as mentioned before, is read all of 'news newbie', especially the 'news character' category under it. After that, how about a little more reading? Nothing better prepares you than research, right? Turn your eyes to '+info newbie'. There's you'll find pointers to a lot of helpful information, one of the most enlightening being '+info newbie rp'.

   Secondly, you need to think about your character's background. While having an in depth background isn't required on PernMUSH, it often helps you to get a better grasp on your character if you put some thought into what has shaped them into the person they are. Things to consider are age, birthplace, parents and siblings, major events in their past, likes/dislikes and personality. Knowing these in advance will keep you from panicking to make something up when another character asks you during roleplay, "Just how old are you and where you are from?"

   Thirdly, having a loose idea what you would like to do with your character might be helpful. Quite often players change their minds from their original intentions, especially after meeting and interacting with other characters, so nothing you decide now is written in stone. Some options are:

   • You can live at a Hold. Lord Holders are always looking for more hardworking residents. Check 'news holds' to see what Holds are open and contact the leaders at whatever Hold interests you. Once out in one of the Hold's rooms, type '+lhelp'. This will access the local help for that area. There you can find out how to apply for residency as well as other local information.
   • You could become a crafter. Masters are always looking for more apprentices to torment. ;) Check 'news crafters' for a list of available crafts, and contact the master of the craft you decide on. Again, visit the area and read their +lhelp for localized information.
   • You could live at a Weyr and maybe become a candidate for the next dragon hatching. After reading through 'news weyrs' and accessing the specific Weyr's local help (+lhelp), find a weyrleader to see about signing up for the next Search. Remember, no one can start out as a dragonrider. They must go through candidacy and Impression ICly (In Character) first.
   • You could be a trader. There are a few established trading clans existing on the game. Read through 'news traders' and try to talk to another trader to see about joining their family.

8. "Did all that. Now, where can I find people to roleplay with?"

   That's an easy one. Type '+where'. This will give a list of locations and what characters are at them.

9. "Fine. But how do I /get/ to where they are?"

   PernMUSH has a great way of teleporting between popular public rooms. First, type '+watchlist' to view a list of possible locations to go to. Pick one out. Then type '+go '. Next thing you know, you are there. For example, '+go Harper-CY' will teleport you to the Harper Hall Courtyard. You might want to have in mind a good IC excuse for your sudden arrival at the place, such as visiting a friend or delivering an item.

   Please note: Private rooms are off limits to enter unless you have the owner's permission first.

10. "Ooooo, I saw a firelizard. I want one!"

    Yes, they are pretty cool and they come in handy at times. Technically, they are called 'puppets', that are controlled by their owners and relay information back to them. While you don't start out owning a firelizard, they are usually easy enough to acquire. Firelizard hatchings are common on that game, and it is there that you can ICly impress yourself one. There is a bulletin board dedicated to firelizards, so type '+bbscan/firelizard' and you'll get a list of all the posts to that +bb. '+bbread/firelizard displays the posting. Read through the '+help bb' to learn more information on +bbs.

11. "What if I still have some other questions before checking PernMUSH out?"

    You can send email to 'nc-wiz@pern.mccr.org'. One of the game's wizards will reply to you shortly.

12. "Don't you have a webpage?"

    Why, yes. Yes, we do. The URL for the Official PernMUSH website is: http://www.pern.org

We look forward to meeting you soon!