Let’s all travel back in time to a point when MMORPGs weren’t graphics-based but were all text-based affairs played out in the theater of the mind, aka MUDs. We don’t often highlight these charming bits of neo retro, but there are certainly plenty of them out there, especially ones based in the universe of Star Wars. One of them is Legends of the Jedi, which offers players “a blend of competitive gameplay and storytelling” and lets them fill out the roles of heroes or villains, smugglers or bounty hunters.
We bring this particular MUD up because it has recently kicked off its first era, known as Hero of the Republic. Here’s some of the scene setting:
“After 100 years of a costly war against the Sith army, the descendants of the Jedi banished centuries ago, THE GALACTIC REPUBLIC finds itself in unfamiliar territory: reconstruction. With billions of lives lost and scores of worlds left devastated from the war, the Republic now looks to regain lost lands and reclaim their position as the top government in the galaxy as new challengers arise.”
Not only does this new era deal with the aftermath of a century of war, it also offers some origin for the Trade Federation as it works to preserve peace in the Outer Rim, makes the Jedi Order ponder its place between battle generals and advisory roles, and sees two major corporations — Hoersch-Kessel Driveworks and the Corellian Engineering Corporation — survive the aftermath of other companies’ rises and falls. It’s an interesting time period with plenty of character potential, so those who want a taste of yesteryear may wish to take a peek.
