Torn vs Urban Dead
Torn
Torn is a browser-based text-based MMORPG (now available on Android!) that is among the earliest crime-themed text-based MMOs on the internet. It has inspired multiple equally-popular games, including Zynga's Mafia Wars and David Maestri's Mob Wars, though the former isn't as lasting as Torn.In this game, you play as an up-and-coming mobster in a vast fictional city that is just ripe for you to do your misdeeds in. The types of crimes you can commit, albeit virtually, in this game in astounding, and this is more so if you take into consideration that levels of depth and intricacies that Torn goes to make the game as immersive as it could. Of course, if you "failed" a crime attempt, you can risk going to jail for quite some time, from minutes to hours to even several days. You can battle other mobsters as well, both individually and in a clan.
There are plenty of other stuff to do aside from diving into a life of crime or dueling others. You can take up legitimate jobs or set up a business of your own; you can hit the gym to level up your stats; you can enroll in an educational course; or you can even craft items and sell them to others by posting ads.
Torn is one of the longest-running, mafia-themed, and text-based MMO game out there, and those aforementioned are just some of the reasons why it managed to stick around for so long. If you enjoy text-based mafia games, you'll want to give this game a try!
Urban Dead
Urban Dead is a mainly text-based MMO game set in a post-apocalyptic city that you can play straight from your browser. Assume the role as an urban survivor trapped in a quarantined city just trying to get by. However, unlike most games, Urban Dead is an MMO and as such, you'll encounter other players as you wander from place to place hoping to scavenge something - anything - that might help you. These players can be friendly or hostile (though, it's more often the case the latter).You can even set up a center of operations, so to speak, by clearing a place out and lock the place down. Other players might try to break into your base though, so it might be best to recruit a few trustworthy players to help you maintain your base and keep it as well as everything you hoard in it safe from any looters. Of course, there are also zombies that will attack your base and you, if you are unlucky enough to bump into one or an entire horde.
Urban Dead is a quite different text-based game admittedly, but it is still very addictive to play. It might be best to play with friends though due to how its base building feature is structured and well, there is always safety in numbers.