The Binary Forge Limited is proud to announce phase one playtesting of our exciting new text-based online role-playing game, Maiden Desmodus.

Playtesting begins Monday, October 12th and will continue for a period of two weeks, ending on Sunday, October 25th. A purge of all player character pfiles has been performed so all previous playtesters will need to create new accounts and characters for this testing period. A second pwipe will be conducted at the conclusion of this playtesting phase.

To connect, point your MUD Client to host “maidendesmodus.com” port “4002″. Creating an account/character takes only a few minutes and access to the game is immediate. The purpose of this initial playtest is to address the following issues:

1. Introduce future players to the theme, style, and concept of Maiden Desmodus
2. Test and balance our skills, combat systems, and player advancement
3. Test and balance guild structures and overall level of power
4. Discover bugs, typos, et cetera
5. Obtain input on the game design, gameplay, and suggestions for improvement

Playtesting will be conducted in a very small play area on the Kneyan side of the game. Playtesters will have access to the following areas:

1. Kneyan Schooner: Where you can outfit your character via your footlocker, speak to sailors, begin earning gold as a porter
2. Quay of Johannasburg: Get a feel for our style of building, obtain mounts, buy equipment, and explore
3. Beach: Experiment with swimming, diving, and herbalism
4. Sewers: Explore and battle shadowlings, learn to fight, test combat, and develop strategies

For the purposes of playtesting, the following features/commands have been made available:

1. Horse trader will provide free mounts to those who ask for a horse, pony, or mule
2. Freetrader's shop has been fully stocked with weapons, armour, clothing, flasks, rings, and some herbs
3. “Guildjoin” command allows players to instantly switch guild affiliations and guild skillsets
4. Experience and learning rates greatly accelerated for testing purposes and quick skill gain
5. Equipment values set to 1 gold each, so players can afford their choice of goodies
6. Gold can be earned by hauling fish from the ship to the fishmonger on the quay
7. In-character law enforcement is not in effect so feel free to wage brutal combat upon one another
8. Defeated players will respawn within the play area, not the Temple District clinic
9. Our wiki has been updated with FAQ, guild information, basic mechanics overview, and syntax to use skills

Maiden Desmodus Overview:

Set in an original world with a fantasy horror theme and powered by a custom game engine, Maiden Desmodus will offer an intense multiplayer role-playing environment.

When the Kneyan Kingdom was conquered a hundred years ago and the Kneyan people of the mainland exterminated, The Isle became an independent kingdom. With the trade routes decimated by war, the Kneyans of The Isle settled into a peaceful and self-reliant existence. That is, until the arrival of a dark being that came to be known by the islanders as the Maiden Desmodus.

The Maiden Desmodus, described as a witch by some, a vampire or demon by others, began feeding off of the population. Great efforts were made to slay the Maiden, yet all were futile. In time, the Kneyans forged an unspoken truce with “The Crimson Goddess” and blood was soon being offered in worship at temples throughout The Isle.

However, a rebellion against the practices of traditional Desmoduism led to the fracturing of the Kneyan Kingdom, and now the emerging Kingdom of Thiria wages a brutal war with their former brothers to the south.

Key game features will include description driven character interaction, non automated combat, a player driven economy with extensive crafting, mass warfare and conquest, player run factions and political intrigue, hundreds of unique skills to learn, all original areas to explore including instanced adventure zones… and much much more.

Visit the website at http://www.maidendesmodus.com and join the forums for the latest development news including openings for staff and playtesters.