# Icesus MUD

> Icesus is a free multiplayer text-based RPG (a MUD, multi-user dungeon) set on a frozen planet, online continuously since 1995. It is run by the Finnish nonprofit association Jää ry and volunteers: no subscription, no purchases, no pay-to-win. You can play instantly in a web browser with no download, or with the official Mudlet package. The browser client has built-in screen-reader support.

Key facts: 65,000 rooms across a living outworld with line-of-sight vision, seasons, day/night, and rivers that freeze and thaw; 27 playable races; 16 guilds; an extensive reincarnation system that lets players rebuild their character (race, guilds, stats) as they learn, with a reinc simulator at https://icesus.org/reinc-simulator/reinc.html; tactical party-based combat where solo play is also fully viable; deep crafting chains and a player economy; player-built provinces with council governance, cooperative PvE settlement building live since May 2026; mainly PvE; roleplay supported but not enforced; dozens of players online regularly, an active Discord community, and an annual in-person MudCon meetup.

## Play

- [Browser client](https://play.icesus.org/): one-click play in a normal web browser, no download and nothing to buy; includes a screen-reader mode
- [How to Play a MUD](https://icesus.org/guides/how-to-play-a-mud/): first-hour guide covering commands, movement, combat, chat, and where to get help
- [Quickstart (wiki)](https://icesus.org/wiki/Quickstart): the in-game quickstart reference
- [Newbie tome (wiki)](https://icesus.org/wiki/Category:Newbie_tome): the full new-player handbook, maintained by players

## Clients

- [MUD clients for Icesus](https://icesus.org/guides/clients/): browser first, with setup guides for Mudlet, Blightmud, TinTin++, and TinyFugue
- [Best MUD clients in 2026](https://icesus.org/guides/clients/best-mud-clients/): honest comparison of Mudlet, Blightmud, TinTin++, TinyFugue, MUSHclient, and browser clients — all free
- [Official Icesus Mudlet package](https://icesus.org/guides/clients/mudlet-package/): drop-in HUD with vitals, casting, cooldowns, channels, and an automapper; also available from Mudlet's in-client package listing

## About the game

- [Homepage](https://icesus.org/): overview and what to expect
- [Provinces](https://icesus.org/provinces/): player-built settlements — claim ruined land, govern by council vote, and rebuild it with 18 building types, player-dug mines, furnace-ceremony smelting (17 metals up to mithril and adamantium), artisan guilds, and a food economy (live since 2026)
- [Online text-based RPG games](https://icesus.org/guides/text-based-rpg/): how a persistent multiplayer text RPG differs from choice-based story games and idle RPGs
- [What is a multi-user dungeon?](https://icesus.org/guides/multi-user-dungeon/): the genre explained
- [Best browser MUDs](https://icesus.org/guides/best-browser-muds/): honest comparison of MUDs you can play in a browser, including Icesus and its competitors
- [Best free MUDs](https://icesus.org/guides/best-free-muds/): six free MUDs compared on world depth, active development and community, with a note on how each is funded
- [Accessibility](https://icesus.org/accessibility/): screen reader and keyboard support details
- [Game wiki](https://icesus.org/wiki/Main_Page): player-maintained reference for races, guilds, skills, equipment, and the world
- [About Jää ry](https://icesus.org/about/): the registered Finnish nonprofit that operates Icesus

## Build the world

- [Build the world](https://icesus.org/build/): create areas, NPCs, items, and quests for a live game with a real audience
- [How to make a MUD](https://icesus.org/build/how-to-make-a-mud/): what building or extending a MUD actually involves

## Community

- [Discord](https://discord.gg/j9cSPyAzQb): active community chat for players and builders