Armageddon, frequently abbreviated Arm, was a fantasy MUD set in a desert world called Zalanthas.

Armageddon's setting began with a heavy influence from Dark Sun, Dune, and other fantasy and science fiction sources, such as The Morgaine Stories by C. J. Cherryh, and Robert Asprin's Thieves' World, but had since grown and evolved.

[citation needed] While some of these elements were still part of the campaign, development was not focused on maintaining a commitment to those influences due to a prior conflict with Wizards of the Coast over source material.

Some conflicting material, such as the existence of kanks, a creature considered intellectual property by Wizards of the Coast, was removed as a result.

Public displays of torture, violent and bloody arena matches, and tremendous indulgences of depravity were typical of Allanak, with the templars exercising power with near impunity.

Tuluk was ruled with silent oppression, with people who broke the law simply disappearing, fostering a secretive and distrustful atmosphere.

These communities provided sanctuary from the dangers of the wastes and from the deadly politics and tyranny of Allanak and Tuluk, but typically had harsh and unforgiving local law enforcement.

Nomadic tribes had a precarious existence in the wastes, working to survive while fending off beasts, raiders and magickers.

Tuluk banned them, while Allanak subjugated their elementalists with gemmed collars; sorcerers were killed mercilessly by either city-state.

However, these classes were changed into subclasses, allowing players to play characters with primarily non-magical skills as well as spells.

[8] In a departure from genre convention, there were no levels to be gained in Armageddon; a player character's fighting prowess, like their ability at woodcrafting or bartering, was measured by skills which rose through use—a player's skill level was only communicated to them through broad tiers such as the following, from lowest to highest: novice, apprentice, journeyman, advanced, master.

"Perma-death" was another major game element; when a player character died in Armageddon, it was a one-time, permanent matter.

These factors were intended to help players focus on roleplaying realistically through giving them a true fear of death and a greater concern for their character's interaction with the world than with a numerical skill percentage.

In a departure from how, in many aspects, Armageddon worked to have the game heavily model characters and their interactions rather than relying on human interpretation, descriptions are "flat" text and "their effects are not regulated algorithmically".[8][relevant?]

On 24 February 2023, a former player posted details of sexual harassment conducted in-game and out-of-game[18] and pointed out that Shalooonsh, an administrator of Armageddon, was responsible.

On that day, the staff announced the game's permanent closure and the community rules changed to allow open discussion of in-character information.

[23] The MUD's staff took pride in having a mission statement that describes administrators' accountability and priorities, which included stability, game balance, consistency, and a "Gee-Whiz Factor".

[24] A major contributor to, and evangelist for, Armageddon has been science fiction and fantasy writer Cat "Sanvean" Rambo.