Once in the game, you have two immediate options:

• stand and watch
• participate

Everyone will stand and watch at some time early in their career, since things can be happening so quickly that it's all the inexperienced player can do to keep up with events, let alone do anything themselves! However, sooner or later you'll have to get to grips with what MUD is really all about, participation.

Listed here are some of the basic commands you'll need in order to take your first steps in The Land. Around 50% of the commands actually issued by players are directions, and as with most commands they can be shortened. The main directions (with minimum abbreviation in upper case) are

• North
• NorthEast
• East
• SouthEast
• South
• SouthWest
• West
• NorthWest
• IN
• Out
• Up
• Down
• SWAMP

In the following table of other useful commands, things written in angly brackets mean 'an object of this type', eg. <creature> means 'any player or monster'. Communication and fighting are dealt with later.

command

example

what the example does

DRop <object>

dr all

Drop everything that you're holding.

FOLLOW <creature>

follow nancy

Until your next movement command, you go where Nancy goes.

Get <object>

g t

Pick up all the treasure in this room.

GIve <object> TO <creature>

gi straw to alf

Transfer the straw from you to Alf.

Help

h

Give a (hopefully) useful help message.

Inventory

i

List all that you are carrying.

Look

l

Describe your room in full, plus its contents.

Look <container>

l box

Describe what objects can be seen inside the box.

Look <creature>

l mouse

Describes the mouse in detail, giving some indication of how injured it is.

PUT <object> INto <container>

put stick in box

Insert the stick in the box.

QUIT

quit

Leave the game.

REMove <object> From <container>

rem tin f box

Takes out any tin there is in the box.

SCore

sc

Gives a run-down on your persona. For less detail, use QuickScore.

SLEEP

sleep

Gradually recover lost stamina.

STeal <object> From <creature>

st ruby f tom

Transfer possession of the ruby from Tom to you.

WHO

who

List all (visible) players currently in the game. For a shorter version, use QuickWho.