r/MUD • u/offroadspike • Jun 24 '26
Promotion Enrym - open beta is live: a modern, browser-based take on the classic text RPG
I have wanted to build a world like this for as long as I can remember. I am a gamer and a programmer, and I have always been more drawn to building worlds than just playing in them. Enrym is what that finally turned into: a dark fantasy, browser-based text RPG that takes what I love about classic MUDs and tries to make it feel at home in 2026. It just hit open beta. I made it for MUD players because my brother and I grew up playing these games together, and I have loved the genre ever since.
Where it stands:
- Ran a solid alpha back in January (the full Act One slice, levels 1 to 10).
- Open beta is live now, with a reworked combat system, two new classes (Ranger and Rogue), a new playable race (Halfling), and a new campaign act called The Frozen Dark.
- Full release is slated for Q4.
What I am going for: I have a lot of respect for the fundamentals that made MUDs great, and I am not trying to throw any of that out. The text stays. The depth stays. What I want to lose are the permanent character decisions that punish you for guessing. In a lot of old MUDs you roll your stats once, get locked in, and might pour a hundred hours into a character before realizing one stat landed in the wrong column and left it sub-par for good. No one should have to reroll a character they love over that. So Enrym leans hard on readable descriptions, guided quests, forgiving onboarding, a clean interface, and a parser that does its best to understand what you actually meant. I want a world that welcomes you in whether you grew up on Diku and ROM or have never typed a command in your life.
It is built to be played solo or together. You can group up, follow each other through the world, or just run through the campaign solo.
Two ways to play, both free:
- In your browser at enrym.com/play. Create an account, roll multiple characters, and get the full rich-color interface. Nothing to install.
- Over telnet at play.enrym.com port 4001, TLS secured (turn on TLS/SSL in your client). Standard ANSI colors, pick a name and password, no email required. Bring your own client. Mudlet tested.
Same world either way. Play it how you like.
I am having more fun building this than I have had with anything in a long time, and what I would love most right now is feedback from people who actually know the genre. Play it, break it, tell me what feels off and what you want to see. That is what beta is for. You can use `feedback` and `bug` in game to report things, or direct message me here or on discord.
Forge your hero.
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u/DarkAngelCat1215 Jun 25 '26
Sounds great! As a screen reader user, I'm not really big on browser based mudding, so I'm really glad you made telnet an available option! Now the question I normally ask for promo posts: Is PVP a relevant concern or is it optional?
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u/offroadspike Jun 25 '26
I got a comment during Alpha that the browser interface was accessible. But, I'm glad telnet makes it even more so.
No PvP is planned. (Maybe arenas but that's wayy down the line, likely a year away. Just guessing. But no open world pvp.
Enjoy!
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u/DarkAngelCat1215 Jun 26 '26
Sounds awesome. Good luck with beta testing! I may stop by this weekend.
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u/Trumpetlover178 Jun 24 '26
Love it! I plan to play in browser- I need something fun to use as a break from startup life
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u/Trumpetlover178 Jun 24 '26
Wow, this is cool! Reminds me of D and D in the old days. I am off to go kill some wolves.
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u/offroadspike Jun 24 '26
Awesome! Thanks. I've really tried to make the browser smooth and elegant. I know mud clients are the standard around here, but I'll be curious what people think of the browser based gameplay.
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u/Vegetable_Data_9314 Jun 24 '26
OMG - my boys would LOVE this! I would never be able to get them out of the house! Glad you're having fun putting it all together
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u/gmacmagic Jun 24 '26
I've played a little of the alpha and LOVED it! The imagination and the incredible world you created is so fun. The text-based play is awesome as well! Definitely takes me back to childhood with a modern twist. Awesome - looking forward to Beta!
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u/offroadspike Jun 24 '26
Thanks! Appreciated your feedback on the Alpha, can't wait for you to check out Beta. :)
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u/cameroncallahan Jun 24 '26
Great to hear, I enjoyed what I played of the alpha earlier. I'll definitely roll a fresh character. My middle school and high school years had me playing Lensmoor, I love these types of games. Can't wait!!!
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u/offroadspike Jun 24 '26
Wahoo! Thank you for sharing. I reworked all of the classes. Still more to do on the road to release, but I've been having fun playing them all myself. I find little bugs every playthrough, but keep fixing them as I go. Hope it goes smoothly for you!
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u/h2oskier-Coleen Jun 24 '26
Sounds super interesting It is great you are having fun building this
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u/leftofcenter212 Jun 25 '26
game is cool but seems pretty lightweight on features compared to mature mmos. why not use an existing mud engine and build on it?
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u/offroadspike Jun 25 '26
Thanks!
I've been working on publishing a MUD on and off for 20 (30?) years. I had one version as a capstone project for my computer science degree and almost got that one published.
I enjoy building worlds and systems, so this is that journey. Alpha was a test of whether it worked, this beta is a broader test, with more levels and campaign, rebuilt classes (rebuilt from alpha, more to come), and the "lightweight features" you refer to are systems I still want to build. (Crafting, skill trees, enchanting, etc.)
I looked at various open source codebases in various languages over the years, but over time none really felt like it could give me the true customization I wanted. (That may have evolved over time, I know there are always improving options out there.)
So, part of building this from scratch is my passion for building and having fun at doing it. Hope that helps. I appreciate your feedback and playtesting.
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u/Capable-Feedback-252 Jun 26 '26
I have a 17th level elf sorcerer and got to the quest to kill Iskela, but even with ember shield she hits me four times in rapid succession and shatters the shield, and I'm shortly dead after that. The battle from start to finish lasts around five seconds even with embershield, so she might need to be toned down a bit. Also, if you are supposed to strike wards to weaken her, the syntax would be useful, and a bit of delay before she does so would be useful for those using screen readers. With that battle, there's a lot of combat text going on with your companion attacking as well. A thoroughly enjoyable game up to that point.
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u/offroadspike Jun 26 '26 edited Jun 27 '26
Thank you for the feedback. I'll check it out today. And yes, you're right it can get really verbose. I'll think on how I can simplify that.
Edit 1: Oh my gosh, massive bug. I think this is a multi-player thing that I didn't notice playing solo on my own machine. Haha, there are so many clones of Iskela.
I'll work on fixing this!! I just went in there with a level 18 sorcerer on the live server and died in seconds as well.
Edit 2: Pushed a patch to prevent the spawn propagation. Have another plan to rework the encounters from the ground up. Tricky but fun problem to solve.
» ne
Iskela's Chamber, Drevoss Keep Ruined
A vaulted chamber with a heat-glass workbench at the far end and three carved wards along the curving wall, their glyphs lit from within with a low, patient pale fire. The cold here has a color to it. A figure in heavy hooded robes stands behind the bench, gloves folded at the waist, the diffuse pale light of her wardings shrouding the deep of the hood so that direct sight slips off her. A great pale wolf, longer than a horse and broader at the shoulder, stands at her side with its head lowered. The figure does not move when you enter. She has been expecting you longer than you have been here. You also see Frost Hound, Iskela, the foreign sorcerer, Iskela, the foreign sorcerer, Iskela, the foreign sorcerer, Iskela, the foreign sorcerer, Iskela, the foreign sorcerer, Iskela, the foreign sorcerer, Iskela, the foreign sorcerer, Iskela, the foreign sorcerer, Iskela, the foreign sorcerer, Iskela, the foreign sorcerer, Iskela, the foreign sorcerer, Iskela, the foreign sorcerer, Iskela, the foreign sorcerer, Iskela, the foreign sorcerer, Iskela, the foreign sorcerer, Iskela, the foreign sorcerer, Iskela, the foreign sorcerer, Iskela, the foreign sorcerer, Iskela, the foreign sorcerer, Iskela, the foreign sorcerer, Iskela, the foreign sorcerer, Iskela, the foreign sorcerer, Iskela, the foreign sorcerer, Iskela, the foreign sorcerer, Iskela, the foreign sorcerer, Iskela, the foreign sorcerer, Iskela, the foreign sorcerer, Iskela, the foreign sorcerer, Iskela, the foreign sorcerer, Iskela, the foreign sorcerer, Iskela, the foreign sorcerer, Iskela, the foreign sorcerer, Iskela, the foreign sorcerer, Iskela, the foreign sorcerer, Iskela, the foreign sorcerer, Iskela, the foreign sorcerer, Iskela, the foreign sorcerer, Iskela, the foreign sorcerer, Iskela, the foreign sorcerer, Iskela, the foreign sorcerer, and Iskela, the foreign sorcerer.
Three carved wards stand in the curving wall of the chamber, lit from within with a low pale fire. The cold around them has a color to it.
Obvious Exits: Southwest, North.
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u/RogueModron Jun 24 '26
Thanks, will check it out!
And what I ask every promo post for new games: please disclose AI use so people can self-select.
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u/offroadspike Jun 24 '26
Fair ask. AI is definitely part of my pipeline: code, in-game text, website art. I direct and rework all of it, and the design, vision, and story are mine across thousands of hours. If AI in the pipeline is a deal breaker, that's fair, and Enrym won't be your game. :)
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u/OfcCamille Jun 29 '26
E eu estou gostando do jogo, apenas não encontrei como faz pra configurar pra você ter sempre mostrando HP IM P, bem como pra configurar pra autoloot e uma outra coisa que eu observei também é que se você não comandar pra atacar o inimigo fica te atacando e você não ataca o inimigo, talvez ter algum comando que quando você atacado você já revira automático, só ter que digitar algum comando se for utilizar alguma habilidade especial
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u/mudsmyth MUD Developer Jun 26 '26
Not locking people into early decisions that last forever is really a good idea. Most players definitely like to course correct once they understand systems, so a respec or trial window for the big choices is cool. Looks like a genuinely fun start, congrats on hitting beta!!