Built by volunteers. Writers, builders and players have shaped Icesus for over 30 years, and it is still updated every week.
The Valley of Icesus
Outside the mountains, the planet Aegic lies under ice. People still live in the valley inside them.
Three volcanoes warm the valley, and a magical forcefield holds the heat in and keeps the glaciers out.
Frozen lakes and rivers run between forests, kingdoms and old roads. Winters are hard and summers are short.
Read about the world Open the interactive atlasWhat you do in Icesus
Party combat
Parties of up to 15 fight in a three-row formation, and whoever stands in front takes the melee attacks aimed at the people behind.
Races and guilds
Choose from 27 races and 17 guilds, among them priests of four gods, mages, templars, rangers and shadowdancers. Specialisations and secondary studies vary each build.
The world
Over 65,000 rooms on a planet locked in ice, with quests to solve and hidden places to find.
Crafting and trade
Forge equipment, cook meals and carry provisions between villages. Village councils buy what their settlements lack.
Provinces
Claim a province, govern it with other players and prepare it for winter. Run a village, or build a house or tower in one.
Reincarnation
Rebuild your race, guilds and stats as you learn the game, without starting over from zero.
Player-run villages
Players run the council, supply the workshops and carry food between settlements. You can cook for the hall, help stock the winter stores or build a house in the village.
Mines, fields and forges
Dig the mines, work the fields, forge and haul. Councils post orders on a board and pay for what you deliver.
Houses and towers
Describe your rooms, fit a vault or stable, invite friends and turn a blessed latchkey to come home.
Cooking for the hall
Practise dishes, sell servings from the hall’s shelf and help stock food for the winter.
What playing Icesus looks like
Icesus is a text-based RPG: the game describes where you are and you type what you do.
Play in your browserlook- Look around
east- Go east
say hello- Speak to everyone in the room
i- See the items you carry
score- Check your character
help- Find help with commands
Exploring the plains near Vaerlon
A coloured map of the area sits beside the room description. Below are the exits and who is here, including Coloth, who trains the Wilders.
Fighting a grey wolf
Each attack and reply is a line of text, and the bars below track your health and the wolf’s condition.
What to expect
A hard game
Many monsters can kill a new character. Use consider to size one up before you attack, and bring a party for the fights you cannot win alone.
Nothing is for sale
There is no store and no pay-to-win. Gear, levels and reputation all come from playing.
The beginner’s guide and the Player’s Handbook on the wiki cover the basics, and new characters can ask questions on the newbie channel.
Start playing
Create a character in your browser. The tutorial teaches the first commands.
Already use Mudlet or another client? Connection details
Frequently asked questions
Read the beginner’s guideIs Icesus really free?
Yes. There is no store, no credits and no pay-to-win, and the game never asks you for money. Icesus is run by Jää ry, a registered Finnish non-profit. Players who want to support it can join the society, whose members pay for the servers and meet at the annual MudCon.
Can I play Icesus in my browser?
Yes. Choose Play in Browser to create your character visually, with nothing to install; if you already have a character, you log in on the same screen. When you want a full desktop setup later, there is an official Mudlet package with a ready-made HUD and mapper.
Do I need to know MUD commands?
Not to start. You choose your race, profession and background in the visual builder. The game itself is played with text commands, and the tutorial teaches the first ones.
Can I explore before signing up?
Yes. Explore your character choices before the final account step. Playing requires an account and you must be at least 16 years old.
Can I continue later?
Yes. The builder saves your unfinished character in this browser. Choose Continue your character when you return. Anonymous drafts stay on this device and browser; clearing browser data removes them. If saving is unavailable, the builder tells you.
Can I change my race or guilds later?
Yes, through reincarnation. It rebuilds your race, guilds and stats without abandoning your character, and the reincarnation planner lets you plan the result in advance.
Latest news
Visit the forumIdles: New content on our website, check out Neralath at https://icesus.org/combat/ and read more about https://icesus.org/guilds/ -- comments and feedback welcome!
Myst: In great appreciation of my boss Idles and all the amazing work he has done: free impulse, learning, and momentum karmas for the next 48-ish hours!
Idles: Together with Belannaer we worked an intro page & story to the original world of Icesus. https://icesus.org/world/ -- please give it a read. As usual, comments are very welcome!
Year — · The Living Chronicle
Each game year, the Saga scores players across six pillars of play, and the five highest-ranked are that year’s Legends.
- Standings and past years are in the Hall of Legends.
Join the community
Report bugs
In the game, type bug report, bug typo or bug idea followed by a description, or open an issue on GitHub.
Become a creator
Creators write the rooms, characters and quests that players find. Icesus Creator is the web editor they use, with a visual area map, writing tools and playtesting.
Reach player level 25, bring good writing skills and a creative mind, and meet us in #creator on Discord. You are welcome to say hello while you learn the game.
How to become a creator
Who runs Icesus
Icesus is run by Jää ry, a Finnish non-profit association that helps people read, write and tell stories together in English. It keeps the game running and free, publishes player guides and supports the volunteers who build areas and quests.
Connect with a MUD client
Mudlet players: install our official Icesus package for a drop-in HUD with vitals, casting, cooldowns, an enemy panel, and channels. We also have setup guides for Mudlet, Blightmud, TinTin++, and TinyFugue. Or point any MUD client at:
icesus.org port 4000
Clients that support TLS can connect securely on port 4443.