Star Wars MUSH (often referred to as SW1) is a MUSH operating on PennMUSH, running version 1.8.0 patchlevel 13 as of December 6th, 2007. As the first Star Wars-based MUSH, Star Wars MUSH offered its players the opportunity to pick up where George Lucas left off and, through roleplay, continue the Star Wars saga after the events of Return of the Jedi. The game's scenario management system is loosely based on West End Games' Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game, a discontinued tabletop role-playing game. (note: Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game should not be confused with Star Wars d20 by Wizards of the Coast.) One of the most successful MUSHes on the Net, Star Wars MUSH is in its sixteenth year of activity, and accordingly, its timeline is placed sixteen years after the Battle of Yavin.
To connect to the MUSH, a MUSH or Telnet client is required. The host address is www.starwarsmush.com, port 4402.
Game history[]
Star Wars MUSH opened in May 1991. On April 15, 1994, the game's database was accidentally destroyed, resulting in a split, wherein Star Wars MUSH was divided into three games; SW1 remained as it was, and two other games formed: A New Threat (later known as From the Ashes) and Minos Cluster (later known as Unsung Heroes). The latter are commonly referred to as SW2 (A New Threat) and SW3 (Minos Cluster). Of the three, only SW1 remains—although a later spin-off, Star Wars: Brak Sector, opened in 1996 and remains open today.
After the database crash, Star Wars MUSH was re-opened to the public on May 21, 1994. On August 21, 1996, the players voted approval for a new server with a clean database, effectively starting over, though most prior, major events were brought over for a historical basis.
In-game history[]
Since SW1 was created well before a majority of the EU work was established, its timeline differs from the one featured in the novels and comics. Several things have been included, while whole other tracts of material have been omitted. Wherever it can, within reason, canon material is used—but original creativity and embellishment is encouraged. A chief example of this is the Empire's reorganization under new leadership and its successful drive to bring the New Republic back to Rebellion-state. The game is in the midst of 16 ABY and the Empire has reclaimed over two-thirds of the galaxy.
A few original entities call SW1 home, and have become integral parts of that storyline. Among them are the Caspian Democratic Union and Griffon Alliance. Some material from these entities has found its way into other fanon, with the rare occurrence of it either inspiring or being used by video game developers.
Major deviations from canon:
- The Empire is reorganized in 8 ABY under Bacharan Valak.
- Grand Admiral Thrawn does not launch any major offensive, and does not die. He breaks away from the Empire with his fleet during the Imperial power struggle.
- Luke Skywalker's Jedi Academy is destroyed on Yavin 4 during the Third Jedi Purge.
Feature characters and the Force[]
The game features several of the prominent characters in the Star Wars universe, including Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa-Solo, Han Solo, Lando Calrissian, Chewbacca, and Talon Karrde. Grand Admiral Thrawn, General Maximilian Veers, Mara Jade, Wedge Antilles, Admiral Ackbar, and Mon Mothma were playable in the game's past but have since been closed, although they still exist within the game's story.
Force spots are also available for established and experienced players who submit an application when a slot is available.
Historical significance[]
SW1 created or popularized several major concepts within the MU* community. Not the least of these was the MUSH's Judge system, a board of players trained and authorized to respond on-call to roleplay disputes. Another good example is DarrienSpace, possibly the first functional starship and space system for MU*s that didn't require any use of the C programming language to install or maintain. DarrienSpace lent traits to several later engines.
Several of SW1's other coded systems and certain features of its appearance have also become standards within the global MU* community. An unusual example of this is an elevator designed for the game—the extremely short snippet of code has been adapted for several purposes across MU*space, from trains to conveyor belts.
External links[]
- Star Wars MUSH Homepage - Material Out Of Date
- Open Source for DarrienSpace
- A Wiki created exclusively for SW1