PernMUSH

Last updated
PernMUSH
Developer(s) Project community
Engine MUSH
Platform(s) Platform independent
Genre(s) Fantasy MUD
Mode(s) Multiplayer

PernMUSH (also called NorCon or NC, for "North Continent") was an online role-playing game, established in 1991, [1] which was based on Anne McCaffrey's world of Pern. [2] PernMUSH was a text-based multiplayer virtual world, based on a MUSH engine, in which players role-played as characters in the quasi-medieval setting described in McCaffrey's novels.

Contents

History

During its active lifespan, PernMUSH was one of the oldest Pern MU* style games in existence. [3] [4] [5] It was based on the TinyMUSH codebase. PernMUSH was started in the early-1990s, beginning in the 9th interval, only a few in-character turns before the 10th pass. Originally the game began with just Fort Weyr and a few Holds, but expansion shortly followed, filling out the game to five Weyrs, with Benden in place of Telgar.

In 1993, McCaffrey reached an agreement with the community operators of PernMUSH that set out terms for copyright notification and for the degree of creative license allowed to players in the Pern setting. [6]

In 1997, a disagreement arose over the scope of the setting. Anne McCaffrey believed that PernMUSH had always known it was not permitted to have a PC Benden Weyr or Ruatha Hold (which was at the time the "rule" for all Pern-based games). The wizards, on the other hand, were under the impression that Anne had indeed given PernMUSH the privilege of those two locales. Eventually it was decided that Benden Weyr and Ruatha Hold were to become NPC locations, and the inhabitants were moved to Telgar Weyr and Fort Hold, respectively.

In August 2004, PernMUSH officially ended the 10th Pass with an All Weyr Threadfall. This also ended the decade-long sisterhood with SouCon, a Pern MUSH based entirely on the Southern Continent. [7]

PernMUSH closed permanently in 2014. [8]

Adaptation of the Pern setting

Set in the 10th Interval (immediately following the 10th Pass of the Red Star), PernMUSH did not incorporate many of the more recent Pern books and had a strict policy against "rediscovering" lost technology. The strictures against women were greatly eased, and women could be Lady Holders, CraftMasters, and so forth, and could ride any color except bronze. PernMUSH took place solely on the Northern Continent of Pern.

There were five active Weyrs: Fort, [9] High Reaches, [10] Igen, Ista, and Telgar. The Weyrs followed a rotational hatching cycle, so that no two Weyrs were actively searching for candidates at the same time. PernMUSH permitted each area to be independently governed, so often different Weyrs and Holds had very different atmospheres, permitting each player to find the location they best fit.

Character creation was open to anyone who wished to log in. To join an area (such as to have a character live at a specific PC Hall, Hold, or Weyr), application to the area's leadership was required. Generally places would accept any player as a resident with a decent grasp of how to roleplay, and a fair understanding of the world of Pern. Apprentice characters for the PC crafts were permitted, though often a very short application was required to verify the player understood what the craft is about.

Dragonrider characters were applied for during a Weyr's Search Cycle, and information was posted to the common bulletin boards when this was available. Each Weyr ran their own search, and procedures varied from Weyr to Weyr.

Academic significance

PernMUSH became a frequently-cited example of text-based online community formation in academic writing. [11] Writers commented on the social attractiveness of these online virtual communities, writing that "not the adventure but the socialization that would bring them back". [12]

The dispute with Anne McCaffrey over creative control of the Pern setting was described as a precedent-setting example of the incorporation of copyright ownership concepts into the terms of service of community-authored online environments. [13] [14]

Related Research Articles

<i>Dragonflight</i> Novel by Anne McCaffrey

Dragonflight is a science fiction novel by the American-Irish author Anne McCaffrey. It is the first book in the Dragonriders of Pern series. Dragonflight was first published by Ballantine Books in July 1968. It is a fix-up of novellas, including two which made McCaffrey the first woman writer to win a Hugo and Nebula Award.

Dragonriders of Pern is a science fantasy series written primarily by American-Irish author Anne McCaffrey, who initiated it in 1967. Beginning in 2003, her middle child Todd McCaffrey has written Pern novels, both solo and jointly with Anne. The series comprises 23 novels and several short stories. Most of the short fiction has been collected in two volumes or incorporated in one of the novels, so Dragonriders of Pern is sometimes identified with the 24 books. Two of the novellas included in the first novel, Dragonflight, made McCaffrey the first woman to win a Hugo or Nebula Award.

<i>Dragonsong</i>

Dragonsong is a science fantasy novel by the American-Irish author Anne McCaffrey. Released by Atheneum Books in March 1976, it was the third to appear set on the world Pern of the Dragonriders of Pern. In its time, however, Dragonsong brought the fictional planet Pern to a new publisher, editor, and target audience of young adults, and soon became the first book in the Harper Hall of Pern trilogy. The original Dragonriders of Pern trilogy with Ballantine Books was not completed until after the publication of Dragonsong and its sequel.

The Dragons of Pern are a fictional race created by Anne McCaffrey as an integral part of the science fiction world depicted in her Dragonriders of Pern novels.

<i>The White Dragon</i> (novel)

The White Dragon is a science fantasy novel by American-Irish author Anne McCaffrey. It completes the original Dragonriders trilogy in the Dragonriders of Pern series, seven years after the second book. It was first published by Del Rey Books in June 1978, one year before the young adult Harper Hall trilogy.

<i>Dragonsblood</i>

Dragonsblood is a science fiction novel by Todd McCaffrey in the Dragonriders of Pern series that his mother Anne McCaffrey initiated in 1967. Published in 2005, this was the first with Todd as sole author and the nineteenth in the series.

<i>The Dolphins of Pern</i>

The Dolphins of Pern is a science fiction novel by the American-Irish author Anne McCaffrey. It was the thirteenth book published in the Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne or her son Todd McCaffrey.

<i>Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern</i>

Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern is a science fiction novel by the American-Irish author Anne McCaffrey. It was the seventh book published in the Dragonriders of Pern series.

<i>The Renegades of Pern</i>

The Renegades of Pern is a science fiction novel by the American-Irish author Anne McCaffrey. It was the tenth book published in the Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne or her son Todd McCaffrey. It was first published in 1989.

<i>The Chronicles of Pern: First Fall</i>

The Chronicles of Pern: First Fall is a 1993 collection of short fiction by the American-Irish author Anne McCaffrey. All five stories are set on the fictional planet Pern; First Fall is one of two collections in the science fiction series Dragonriders of Pern.

<i>Dragonseye</i>

Red Star Rising or Dragonseye is a science fiction novel by the American-Irish author Anne McCaffrey. It was the fourteenth book published in the Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne or her son Todd McCaffrey.

<i>Dragon Harper</i>

Dragon Harper is a science fiction novel by the American-Irish author Anne McCaffrey and her son Todd McCaffrey, part of the Dragonriders of Pern series that she initiated in 1967. Published forty years later, it was the twenty-first in the series.

<i>A Gift of Dragons</i> 2002 collection of short fiction by Anne McCaffrey

A Gift Of Dragons is a 2002 collection of short fiction by the American-Irish author Anne McCaffrey. All four stories are set on the fictional planet Pern; the book is one of two collections in the science fiction series Dragonriders of Pern by Anne and her son Todd McCaffrey.

<i>Dragonheart</i> (novel)

Dragonheart is a science fiction novel by Todd McCaffrey in the Dragonriders of Pern series that his mother Anne McCaffrey initiated in 1967. Published by Del Rey Books in 2008, it was the second for Todd as sole author and the twenty-second in the series. Written after his first book, Dragonsblood, it is a concurrent-time book as opposed to a prequel or sequel.

<i>Dragons Time</i>

Dragon's Time is a science fiction novel by the American-Irish author Anne McCaffrey and her son Todd McCaffrey in the Dragonriders of Pern series that she initiated in 1967. Published by Del Rey Books and released June 2011, Dragon's Time is their fourth collaboration in the series and is the sequel to Dragongirl by Todd McCaffrey.

<i>Dragongirl</i> 2010 novel by Todd McCaffrey

Dragongirl is a science fiction novel by Todd McCaffrey in the Dragonriders of Pern series that his mother Anne McCaffrey initiated in 1967. Published in 2010, it is the sequel to Dragonheart and third with Todd as sole author.

<i>Dragonriders of Pern</i> (video game) 1983 video game

Dragonriders of Pern is a 1983 video game published by Epyx that is based on Anne McCaffrey's book series of the same name. The game was released for the Atari 8-bit family and Commodore 64.

<i>Sky Dragons</i>

Sky Dragons is a science fiction novel by the American-Irish author Anne McCaffrey and her son Todd McCaffrey in the Dragonriders of Pern series that she initiated in 1967. Published by Del Rey Ballantine and released July 2012, Sky Dragons is the sequel to Dragon's Time.

References

  1. ↑ "PernMUSH". mudconnect.com. Archived from the original on September 22, 2017. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
  2. ↑ Carton, Sean (1995). Internet Virtual Worlds Quick Tour. Ventana Press. pp. 158–159. ISBN   1-56604-222-4. If you've ever wondered what it would be like to leap on the back of a dragon and take to the skies of Pern, or just have a hankerin' to engage in some complex and satisfying role play, then PernMUSH may be for you. PernMUSH is a virtual world based on Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern series where characters play the parts of dragonriders—brave souls who fly on the backs of dragons, the dominant life form of the planet Pern.
  3. ↑ "Cauldron MUX - What is a MUX?". Archived from the original on October 23, 2004. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
  4. ↑ Godwin, Mike; Ludlow, Peter (1996). High Noon on the Electronic Frontier: Conceptual Issues in Cyberspace. The MIT Press. p. 357. ISBN   0-262-62103-7.
  5. ↑ Cherny, Lynn (1999). Conversation and Community: Discourse in a Social MUD. Center for the Study of Language and Information. p. 65. ISBN   1-57586-154-2.
  6. ↑ McCaffrey, Anne. "A post-ATWOP Pern MUSH". Archived from the original on October 14, 1997. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
  7. ↑ "Soucon MUSH". mudstats.org. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
  8. ↑ "PernMUSH". mudstats.org. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
  9. ↑ "Fort".
  10. ↑ "High Reaches". Archived from the original on March 8, 2016. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
  11. ↑ Curtis, Pavel (1996). High Noon on the Electronic Frontier: Conceptual Issues in Cyberspace. MIT Press. p. 357. ISBN   978-0262621038.
  12. ↑ Santoro, Gerald M. (March 2008). "Blurring The Lines – The Virtuality of Human Reality" (doc). Retrieved September 14, 2019.
  13. ↑ White, Mel (March 28, 2007). "Law and Disorder in Cyberspace: How Systems of Justice Developed in Online Text-Based Virtual Communities". The Players' Realm: Studies on the Culture of Video Games and Gaming. p. 74. ISBN   9780786428328.
  14. ↑ Lastowka, F. Gregory; Hunter, Dan (2004). "The laws of the virtual worlds". California Law Review. 92 (1): 1–73. doi:10.2307/3481444. JSTOR   3481444.
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