New Player Guide

What is Mush?

Mush is a game played on the long-term. Ships usually last from 5-10 days, with the really exceptional ships lasting beyond 15 days.
90% of the gameplay happens in the chat. Roleplay is encouraged but not required.
You’ll be expected to log in at least once a day, with different characters requiring different levels of activity.
Every ship is different. You might get on a dead-silent ship where no one is talking, the hull is at 10 , and death is imminent. But when you die, you can jump into a new ship to try again right away.
Communication is the number one most important thing in this game! On your first ship, you will probably be too intimidated to take part in the discussions, but read all the messages and don’t be afraid to ask for help! If you don’t know what to say, just say something along the lines of, “I’m a new player. What should I be doing?” Hopefully an experienced player will assist you.

Cycles and AP

The entire game is based around cycles. Each cycle lasts 3 hours, and there are 8 cycles in a day. Players use the days and cycles to talk about time. (Ex: “I’ll take out the hunters next cycle.” “D3C8, plants are all good to go for the next day.”)
Beds are significant because lying in one doubles the amount of one can gain. There are three beds in Alpha Dorm and Bravo Dorm, and one in Medlab. People also usually build the Swedish Sofa on the Bridge, which is basically a bed that you can build from a blueprint (but can’t be moved once built).
If there is a bed available, take it! Every bed that isn’t taken is one free AP per cycle that isn’t being claimed. But if a tech or pilot asks for the bed, you should give it to them.
Eating food will also give 4 . But food is a limited resource. You should only eat food if you are starving (in which case, you will lose 1 HP per cycle until you eat something) or if there is an important task that needs to be done such as advancing critical research or taking down hunters.
Pilots and Paola are generally given unlimited access to eat to their heart’s content, as their jobs require a lot of and they need all the energy they can get.
This goes without saying, but talking doesn’t cost ! The /cycle system may be off-putting to some because they dislike being only able to do things as long as they have energy points, but since this game is a teamplay/communication game, it’s not a worry.

Dirtiness

(Main article: http://www.mushpedia.com/wiki/Dirty)

Dirty Dirtiness is a core mechanic in this game. Being dirty will prohibit you from accessing the research and NERON project terminals (as well as some other things), but most importantly, being dirty will make you suspicious of being Mush. You want to avoid suspicion no matter what. (Note: before selection, there are no mush yet and being dirty isn’t a concern.) If you get dirty, report it in the ship’s dirty thread right away and try to take a shower. If you can’t shower immediately, say when you can shower. (Ex: “Got dirty relaying research, forgot to pick up the apron. Out of AP, will shower next cycle.”)

Resources

The following two scripts are highly recommended. Most players in Mush use them, and they will greatly enhance your playing experience. They're not necessary for your first ship, but once you get the hang of things, get them.

Astropad allows you to catalogue items on the ship and synchronize the information between crewmembers.
Ctrl+W allows you to refresh the game without actually refreshing the page—VERY helpful for the super-active players who want to refresh constantly so they can stay up-to-date on the ship discussion.

How to get them: if using Chrome, install Greasemonkey or Tampermonkey in the Chrome Web Store and go to http://www.mushpedia.com/wiki/Tools to install the scripts.

To add

More on how to avoid suspicion
More info on "What is Mush"
Images

WIP: Which character to pick on the first ship

For your first ship, you will be given a selection of 4 characters to choose from. If your selection has fewer than 4 characters, then that means your ship is almost full! This can be a very good thing, because the pre-selection period is often a boring “waiting period” for the game to really start. What if you are forced to pick a character on the no-pick list? Don’t worry! Just say you are new and be receptive of advice.

NOTE: The following list was written with the first ship in mind. That is, a player has no idea what they are doing and they are working with a bronze level one character.

Don't Pick

Characters that would be very difficult for a bronze, level 1 first-timer to play.

Chao and Eleesha

Level 1 skills: Shooter and Tracker
Chao and Eleesha's primary jobs lie in the mush hunt, which requires advanced game knowledge of what the mush's skills are, what makes suspicious of being mush, as well as typical rampaging tactics used by the mush.
Chao's first skill is shooter, which isn't ideal for him as he'd really like to be a Torturer in order to interrogate suspicious crewmembers and get the mush to spill their secrets. Eleesha's first skill is tracker, which is exactly what she wants.
If you have to pick either of them, reconsider. If you wait a bit (maybe a day), the character selection will change and you will be able to pick someone else. But if you're impatient... your goal is to not be suspicious and just help out wherever is needed. Don't bother entering BD to attempt to investigate, even though Chao and Eleesha are usually expected to enter BD for investigation purposes. Help with research or the Nexus maybe, and let the ship know that you're new so they know to take the investigation into their own hands.

Terrence

Level 1 skill: Robotics Expert
He's not a very good bronze character, and a bronze Robotics Expert isn't too useful. His Disabled trait can also be pretty limiting for a player who wants to move around a lot.
If you have to pick him, reconsider.

Roland

Level 1 skill: Sprinter
As a bronze level 1, he is given sprinter, which is awful for him to have as his only skill. His main role is supposed to be piloting.
If you have to pick him, reconsider.

Pick IF

Characters that can be picked, but have some prerequisites such as activity requirements or pre-reading to do.

Jin Su

Level 1 skill: Leader
Pick IF you can be active and talk a lot.
The captain of the Daedalus. He is usually expected to coordinate and motivate the crew, although he isn't necessarily required to do this. He is also expected to make major decisions for the ship such as which planets to go to, and which problems need attending to first. His role as commander means he must be more active than most other characters in order to move the ship when needed. A less-active-than-required Jin Su will often be killed in order to pass the commander title onto someone more worthy.
Stay active on the radio and be ready when your crew needs you to move the ship. Read the article on Navigation and remember to turn the ship in the correct direction before advancing. The first and most important time you'll have to move the ship shortly after D5C2 because this is when forced selection happens and when the oxygen starts to run low. Once the ship gets more oxygen, you'll be free to relax for a bit. When people ask for some speeches, you'll have to use your Leader skill to boost their . Other than that, ask where help is needed most.

Chun

Level 1 skill: Mankind's only hope
Pick IF you aren't afraid of being in the spotlight and being given information you have no idea what to do with.
Chun’s role as the only confirmed human from the beginning means she will be guaranteed immunity from being mush, EVER, and being mush is quite the scary position to be in as a first-time player. It will also land her a spot in those coveted investigation chats. Provides a very good introduction to the game if the mush hunters are active! But the mush may want to kill you. And you are supposed to be the decision-maker on whether to kill someone, but that won’t be possible if you have no idea what is going on. On the other hand, Chun's secondary job in the research lab is quite simple. She can be a good and fun beginning character after the first ship to get a peek at the behind-the-scenes of the mush hunt, but may not be a good choice as the first-ship character. I'd say it's definitely worth a shot if you really want to dive into the heart of the game.
Your job is in the Laboratory. Remember to pick up and drop the apron when pushing research, and report the progress percentages in the research thread. (Ex. "CS 15%" - CS stands for Constipaspore Serum.) And if you're lucky, you'll get a front-row seat on the mush investigation! Sit back and enjoy the ride.

Paola

Level 1 skill: Radio Expert
Pick IF you aren't afraid to learn the ins-and-outs of your job as Communications Officer. There is a lot of reading to do. And you should probably ask a lot of questions. But it is simple enough.
Her level 1 skill is not ideal; she really wants to have Logistics Expert at level 2 so she can help out her best friend, Frieda. She is considered an easy character overall, but her role as Comms Officer means she must know which Comms areas to pursue first and at what times. Learning to do Comms may be intimidating for a first-timer.
Congratulations, your -costly job means you have a permanent bed and unlimited access to all the food. Read up on Communications. You live on the Bridge. Your job doesn't start once selection begins, but once it does, your top priority is to finish the Day 3, 5, 6, and 7 rebel bases when they are available, and to funnel your excess AP into Xylophs. Upgrading the NERON version once or twice may also be worthwhile. If you are unsure what to do, ask before spending all your AP. Log in once a day to spend all the AP you'll be getting from the Swedish Sofa (AKA your throne).

Hua

Level 1 skill: Pilot
Pick IF you are prepared to spend all your on Piloting and do that over and over the entire game, which may be quite the boring life. But it is very lucrative, Glory-wise!
Read up on Piloting. It's probably the easiest job in the game. Your job is to go to a bed in one of the dorms, wake up to go shoot hunters when they appear, and go back to sleep. Feel free to take the food if you need it for some extra shots, and the coffee if Gioele isn't a Unknown skill And do that over and over and over. Sometimes you will be needed to launch the Icarus for an expedition, in which case you should report to Icarus Bay. After the expo, you'll go back to the dorm and resume your monotonous life.
While your job may be boring, your job is necessary. You must defend the Daedalus and keep it from exploding. And 90% of the gameplay is in the chat, so stay active on the radio to keep yourself entertained.

Ian

Level 1 skill: Botanist
Pick IF you can be bothered to read about Gardening and can be expected to be online at C8 of every day. (This will usually be around 4:00-7:00 PM EST. Convert to your time zone.)
If you meet the two above requirements, Ian is a great character to start with. He's very easy to play and has a simple job to do. You live in the Laboratory. Log in at C8 to check your plants for diseases and water the adults every day, the young ones every other day. Use your extra AP for researching.

Raluca

Level 1 skill: Physicist
Pick IF you are fine with being alone most of the time. Just keep the radio by your side and you won't feel so lonely. Raluca is meant to be an anti-social character ... maybe a newbie picking her won't get the full experience?

Frieda

Level 1 skill: Astrophysicist
Pick IF you can read about Astrophysics. If you can, this character is really easy and simple.

Pick these

Very easy characters that don't demand much.

Finola

Level 1 skill: Biologist
Finola's level 1 skill is Biologist, but a bronze Finola really wants Medic instead to get the additional healing bonus. Researching is a very simple job and is quite beginner-friendly. Stay active for relays. Do Constipaspore Serum first. You can sleep in the Medlab and pop into the Laboratory whenever you want to do research.
Finola will benefit a lot from being active enough to relay with other people as they are online, but it isn't super necessary.