1.1 Concept

Imperian is a massively multiplayer online text world often known simply as a MUD. In it, you take on the role of a man or woman of eighteen years of age, and of one of a wide variety of mortal races, who has recently left home to begin to seek his or her fortune. Through a myriad of experiences, ranging from sojourns into the deepest dungeons to roles of political leadership, you will grow as a character in depth and - if so desired - in fame and glory.

The first thing to understand about Imperian is that it is not a game as you may be used to if you have not played MUDs before. You will find in this game a number of goals to strive for: You may seek, for instance, to become a politician and to lead a city-state or forest council. Or perhaps you will choose to join the ranks of the greatest combatants of all time by honing your reflexes and putting the vast amount of knowledge you must acquire to defeat another opponent in the arena or on the battlefield. Maybe you will decide to become a merchant, opening a chain of shops and selling your own custom-designed items. Or, you may simply desire to gain a reputation as the realm's foremost explorer, a master of history and lore, or a famed hunter of the most dangerous beasts.

After reading the help files that Imperian has written, you will find out enough to get started, and enough to get some glimpses of what may lie ahead of you. By no means, however, is everything in Imperian included in the help files. We choose to try to fully document everything that new players will encounter, but we prefer to leave the things more advanced players may deal with for them to discover. Imperian has an automated introduction for new players that will guide you through some of the most basic commands in the game, so we will not explain them here.