4. On-line Simulations of Pern

Some people have gone to the extent of attempting to duplicate Pern with a multi-user program designed to allow people to assume the roles of dragonriders, harpers, holders, etc. While one of the most frequently discussed is PernMUSH, it is by no means the only one.

Just about all of the on-line Pern simulations are based on derivatives of a program called 'TinyMUD'. These programs (TinyMUSH, TinyMUSE, etc.) are collectively referred to as MU*s.

Note: Now that Grolier Interactive has the rights to Pern Computer games, there is a moritorium on any additional online games obtaining permission from Ms. McCaffrey to operate.

There are also a small handfull of MU*s based on the _Crystal Singer_ books: They are listed at the end of section 4c.

4a. Accessing Pern-type MU*s

The quick way of doing it is to use the 'telnet' program to connect to the appropriate machine specifying the port listed -- e.g. 'telnet ' for most Unix systems. (And I have provided links to the telnet URLs in the list in section 4c. below.) If the name doesn't work, try the numeric (IP) address. However, most addicts tend to make use of client programs such as tinyfugue. As I am primarily a Unix shell junkie, those looking for clients for other platforms would be better advised to look in the rec.games.mud.* FAQs than bugging me.

For more info, look at the rec.games.mud.* newsgroups. (rec.games.mud.tiny, rec.games.mud.misc and rec.games.mud.annoucne primarily.)

Note: MU*s require direct access to the Internet. BBS systems with only email/Usenet cannot take part; at the very minimum, you must be able to use 'telnet'. I have no information (nor do I especially wish to receive any) about the availability of telnet connections from any given online service. Readers who are curious about such things would be best served asking their specific tech-support people.

4b. (Insert your favorite MU* here) is down!!!

Due to various factors (Murphy's Law, preventative maintanance, etc.), either some network links or the MU*'s host machine may be non-functional from time to time.

Because of propagation delays involved in Usenet posts, the odds are that any network/machine difficulty you encounter will probably be corrected by the time most people read your message. Unless the MU* in question has been unreachable for at least 48 hours, don't bother asking about it either here, or anywhere else on Usenet.

4c. List of Pern-type MU*s

NOTE: This information is accurate so far as the author is aware. If there is a change, it won't be reflected here unless I'm informed of it; messages to alt.fan.pern or rec.games.mud.announce should be sufficient for notification purposes.

Also, indications of permission to exist on the part of Ms. McCaffrey (the [AOK] marks) are based on either personal insepction of the MU* for such proof, or a wizard-type contacting me personally with a copy of the approval letter with indication that it would be included in the on-line doccumentation in the near future. In one or two cases, I have been unable to confirm the status of a particular MU* in my latest (29 Sep 96) on-line inspection and am indicating provisional permission, based on past inclusion in the 'permission list'.

[If the administration staff of a given MU* obtains AOK status, all that is required is that a copy of the approval note be made available on the MU* itself and that I be informed of where to find it; sending me copies of the approval notice is not necessary. -Quirk]

Addresses are now listed in standard "telnet://address:port" URL format; note that port number (required for acccess) appears after the colon following the host machine name.

There are also a small number of MU*s based on McCaffrey's Crystal Singer series: