What testers can do now that they could not in April
Magic and the astral — This was the biggest hole. Magicians are no longer “sheet only.”
Spellcasting (+cast) with opposed tests, drain, Edge, area, Health, and ally counterspelling.
Summoning, binding, banishing; spirits actually show up in the room.
Rituals: assistants/teamwork, lodges, reagents, Spotter, Material Links, Curse, wards.
Foci you can bond and activate (Power, Spell, Spirit, Sustaining, Qi, Binding, Banishing).
Initiation and metamagic (Centering, Quickening, Masking / Extended Masking, Spell Shaping, Power Point, Flexible Signature). Adept’s Way is a quality, not a fake metamagic.
Mentor spirits that actually pay out bonuses.
Astral perception and projection (+astral) for who the book allows.
Matrix and Resonance — The April Matrix loop is still there. The new work is depth: PAN and slaved gear, skillsofts, agents, hardline, drone/vehicle direct-connect, offline hosts, Industry Host bypass, wireless bonuses on chrome, noise flavor when the grid is ugly. Technomancers: compile / thread / sprites, streams, submersion, and Resonance state that cleans up when you jack out.
Meatspace play — Advisory combat is still pose-first (nothing freezes the room). Added: Surprise tests, physical security (keypads, maglocks, cameras, guest lists), lockpicking with a required pose (+breakin), unofficial routes that street skills can notice, and some SIN checkpoints you can slip if the book would let you. Riggers: drone mods, jump-in, repair and scavenge. Languages: you always type English; listeners hear what their skill allows (+language).
Jobs and the street — Work does not come off a public job board. Living Contacts live on the comm (+comm): Gossip, Work, rumors, introductions, staff jobs, and small odd jobs when the city is quiet. After a week away, a shared contact with something to say can call you. Loud runs can leave Facts / bruises; combat and logs can bleed to neighboring rooms. Hotspots show on +where; rooms with people actually playing can pay out. Staff/Certified GMs can scene-lock mechanical downtime (train/heal/buy) without stopping RP.
Character Creation and the sheet — Still in-game priority/spend, still staff approval. Since April: qualities and a lot of chrome actually hit pools via the effects engine; mentor/adept/technomancer paths match RAW more tightly (including mystic adept Power Points bought with karma); foci at creation; starting nuyen from the lifestyle roll; catalogs filled so Resources menus are not empty (vehicles, RCCs, electronics, grades). Staff review of a packet is faster and more honest about what is wrong.
Clients and finding the city — Web client still recommended (https://dsmush.com/play/). OOC channels and pages have a dedicated OOC Chat pane so Main stays IC. Mudlet (telnet dsmush.com:4000, GMCP on) installs the official package: AR / Matrix HUD, vitals, OOC chat, GEO. +map opens CONNEXUS GEO for Las Vegas (districts / neighborhoods / pins), also on the website at /map/las-vegas/. In-game DSDA holograms cover MUSH basics, theme, PvP, Matrix, magic, and so on. Player handbook is on the wiki.
Still in place from April (and still the spine): Character Creation through approval, Matrix grids/hosts, gear and augments, lifestyles and housing, SINs/personas/credsticks, +advance, events/logs/forums (+events, +log, Paxboards), +nsheet, transit, time/weather.
What this is not
We are not open. Recurring lifestyle billing is still settling. Some edges are unfinished (wards vs astral travel, a few focus types, Matrix Foundation, other cities as playable grids). Expect bugs, waves, and the occasional reset. If a number is on your sheet or in a catalog, trust that over memory.
Who we still want
Same as April, with a sharper ask now that magicians, deckers, riggers, and faces have real verbs:
People who will build awkward archetypes and try to break Character Creation and live play.
Bug reports with repro steps.
Feedback that treats SR5 as the baseline.
Patience with waves and policy.
Solid SR5 knowledge is still strongly recommended.
How access works
Still gradual. Staff still grant tester access; finishing Character Creation still goes through a queue.
If you raised a hand on the April post—or any older thread—ping again so you are on the current list. Old interest does not automatically carry forward.
Discord: https://discord.gg/SG6pcq4v6F
Play / connect: https://dsmush.com/play/ <---- Can’t stress this enough as the recommended way to connect.
Site / wiki / forums: https://dsmush.com/
Telnet / Mudlet: dsmush.com port 4000
