How do I find out who else is playing?

The WHO command gives a list of current players, including yourself. Most people user a shorter version, QW (or "quick who"), which cuts out most of the padding. There's a SQW ("super-quick who") that reduces the output even more, but it tends to be TOO slimmed-down for most people.

It may be that you do a WHO and the only name you see on the list is your own! Since MUD is supposed to be a multi-user game, that may surprise you. There are three explanations:

1. There may be some people missing from the list because they're invisible at the time. If you receive a message from the game at any time referring to 'someone', it means you can't see them.
2. There will usually be wizards and witches who are in the game, but they aren't on the list because they don't choose to be. If you receive a message from the game referring to 'someone powerful', it's a wiz ('someone very powerful' is an arch-wiz!).
3. Yours may be the only name on the list because you are the only person actually playing! This can happen because of the time of day (eg. the middle of the night when everyone is in bed, or the middle of the morning when everyone is at work and phone calls are at their most expensive) or because there's some major attraction elsewhere that's drawing people away (the FA cup final, a royal wedding, an atomic power station meltdown) or because as soon as everyone saw you coming they left (change your deodorant). Another possibility is that the game hasn't been advertised enough, and that you're the only person who knows about it. Still, that's nothing that the investment of a few hundred million pounds won't fix!