------------------------------------------------------------------------------- .. .. .||. ||.. ... || || || ||.|| `|.. || || `|.. ..|'''.| '|| || '|| '|' ' .... . .... ..||.. ... ..., || .... || '' .|| || || || || .| ' || .|...|| '|. | .|' || || || || || || || || ''|...'| '|..'|' ||. ||. '|..' .||. '|..| ||. '|...' ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 10.0 7 Icemonth, 562 1 Coin --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Welcome, faithful readers, to a new issue of the Canticle. Meg, our splendid interviewer, has been travelling around the realm finding out what goes on in various people's heads. We saw three of her interviews in the previous paper, and three more in this one. Yet more are waiting to be published. In this issue, we also find out more about Drake, who is one of the original creators of Ancient Anguish. In the previous paper, we published a set of survey results which offended some. The article was based on a questionnaire and did not even claim to represent the opinions of anyone but the majority of the answerers, but obviously what was meant for amusement was not equally fun for everyone. I would like to apologise to all who were bothered. Rowan asks me to clarify that the Rowan who is responsible for the bunny decorating our puzzle page is not the Rowan here, as she loathes bunnies. I would like to thank Meg, Claire, Adaron, Bleys, Paldin, Drake, Eubulides, Shinrikyo, the story contest judges and all our advertisers for their help with getting material for this issue. My attention was elsewhere for a while and when I got back, the paper had practically written itself! If you wish to write for the Canticle, just contact the editors listed on the index ('read index') of this paper. -- Fir Assistant Editor The Canticle --------------------------------------------------------------------------- <*> CANTICLE INDEX <*> -------------------------------------+------------------------------------- The Story Contest Results..........2 Mortal Council News...............18 Drake's Story......................3 Advice On Life....................18 News In Brief......................5 Claire's Puzzle Page..............19 Interview with Adaron..............6 Haiku Time........................19 Interview with Bleys..............10 Classifieds.......................20 Interview with Paldin.............13 Puzzle Answers....................20 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 10.0 7 Icemonth, 562 Page 2 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE ANCIENT ANGUISH 10th ANNIVERSARY SHORT STORY CONTEST RESULTS You suddenly notice a strange silence, as if something was just about to happen. The birds fall silent, and the usual chatter of the crowds in the towns stops. Everyone is obviously waiting for something... But what? Gaius shouts: Pardon me, but I have an announcement to make, so be quiet. Making this announcement gives me great personal pleasure. Alton shouts: Just get it over with! Gaius shouts: As you know, we have been searching for the greatest writer in the world. And it came as no surprise to me who won the competition. Zarkan shouts: Favouritism! Gaius shouts: The winning entry in the competition is the story "Duel in the Desert". And the winner is.... ...the top explorer of the world.... BLEYS! Boki shouts: YEAH. MY MAN!!! Furdz shouts: Yea! Tell Bleys he is the greatest! . . o o O o o . . Here are the final results of the story contest: 53 stories were submitted. Of those, 8 were rejected, for being badly written, having too many errors, being out-of-theme or for getting "historical" facts all wrong. The remaining 45 stories will all be made available on the AA web and/or as books in the Mud itself. Winning story: Bleys Duel in the Desert The "second prize" winners: Krq Hare and Fuzzy Bunny Delaney Finding Home Celyia Strength in Numbers Bleys Fall of the Truehearts Fendalis A Murder of Ravens --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 10.0 7 Icemonth, 562 Page 3 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- DRAKE'S STORY, as told to Meg Recently, I was fortunate enough to be on AA when Drake logged on. After having played AA for nearly 8 years, this was only the second time that I had seen him online. Spotting an opportunity, I sent him a few tells and we set up an interview via email. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- MUDs like AA are derived from the text adventures of old (anybody remember the Zork trilogy, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, or even the original Adventure?) These games were quite popular in the early days of PCs (up to about 10 years ago). MUDs took concepts from these adventure games and added RPG elements and multiplayer features to create exciting worlds. AA is based on the LPmud code from Lars Pensjö. This gave us the basic infrastructure, with support for managing telnet connections, all sorts of predefined commands, a programming language for room descriptions, etc. On top of that we added features that were specific to AA, e.g. the map and the class system, and I am sure that many more features were added over the years. At that time, a MUD with 100+ players would easily use up all the resources of a typical workstation. As a result, the game would be slow and frequent reboots would be necessary to keep the process size small. This is probably much less of a problem nowadays, but back then this was a major reason for people opening up new MUDs. In my case, I was trying to develop a castle on some MUD (don't even remember which one) and found it more convenient to create my own in order to test the rooms. At first I had no intention to make this generally available. However, Zor somehow (don't remember how) found out about it and about the fact that I was also in Zurich. After some chats on the MUD we met face to face and decided to start AA. Being the sysadmin for our Lab's Sun workstations I was able to give AA a stable home. Zor had some ideas and contacts with other players. In particular, Biko played an important role in the early days. We decided that Zor and I would co-manage the MUD. As the owner of the infrastructure I felt I had to take responsibility for what was happening in AA. Zor, on the other hand, challenged me to also contribute to the MUD itself. Drake's Story continued on page 4 ... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 10.0 7 Icemonth, 562 Page 4 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Drake's Story, continued from page 3 ... I contributed to several aspects of AA, but I think my biggest contribution was the Map system. I wanted to add a true notion of geography and go beyond the seemingly random maze of rooms that other MUDs were. However, I don't know how important this feature is nowadays, and whether its full potential was ever achieved. Another important challenge was when I left ETH and AA had to find a new home. We managed to collect enough money to buy a machine dedicated to the MUD. I think I was the one who donated the most money, and maybe this encouraged others to do the same. At the time, having players donate enough money to buy a real workstation was a significant achievement. I think Zor and others spread the word about AA through MUD bulletin boards and word of mouth (talking to players on other MUDs, and probably also talking to friends and colleagues). There were also lists of active MUDs that were pointing prospective players to AA and other sites (you could find these lists on well-known servers, together with other MUD-related tools). From the beginning we had a group of wizards who were trying hard to make AA a special place, better than the competing MUDs. The team spirit was fairly good, and by the time AA officially opened we had accomplished a lot. However, there were also personality conflicts and sometimes lack of communication. Pulling together a team from all over the world, essentially a large open-source project, can be a real challenge. Obviously, the AA leadership did well overall, otherwise the MUD would no longer be around. I think the main reason I stopped logging in was that I became a Christian. In case you wonder what I am saying here, this means I realized that God really exists and that what the Bible says is true. This changed my view of things quite a bit and I realized that MUDs were propagating concepts (magic, strange deities, violence) I no longer agreed with. I started focusing on other things, started spending time with real people instead of computer games and in many ways "got a life". I don't regret any of these changes, even though this meant that I could no longer find the time or even justify playing on AA. ---Drake --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 10.0 7 Icemonth, 562 Page 5 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- NEWS IN BRIEF _________________________________________________________________________ | After one pair of burned eyebrows | Word has it that the battle between too many, a quiet niche has been | the monks of the monastery and opened in the Mage Tower, allowing | the chaotic forces has recently arcane studies to take place | gotten a bit more complicated. without disturbance. |____________________________________ ____________________________________| | Notorious shapeshifters can just Brawls may now take place at a | feel the rocks rolling now - Lady moment's notice - city guards | Nocturne informs us that several report that people walk around more | changes have taken place (besides prepared for a fight than before. | the usual ones), and getting your ____________________________________| training at the Shantih river | delta has gotten all the more The establishment of new trade | interesting. routes has revived stock sales. | ____________________________________|____________________________________ ---------------------------------------------------------------- | ___ __ __ | | / __|\ \/ / The | | | <__ > < Commodities W A N T S Y O U ! | | \___|/_/\_\ Exchange | | | | Are you an orphan between the ages 15 and 20 (humans), | | 24 and 30 (half-elves), 75 and 145 (elves), 12 and 18 | | (orcs) or 35 and 50 (dwarves)? Do you crave adventure? | | Excitement? A daily chance of death? | | | | If so, you can be one of our couriers! You can deliver | | packages in your spare time and earn up to 300 gold | | coins an hour! You can have your own choice of Dangerous, | | Hazardous, Deadly, Fatal or **NEW** Definitely Lethal | | delivery routes! | | | | We are located just west of the south harbour in | | Tantallon - ask for Lou, he'll fill you in on all the | | details and give you a copy of our release form... | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 10.0 7 Icemonth, 562 Page 6 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- This interview is with Adaron, a cleric who is known for having the pretitle of "The Favoured," as well as offering free purges, etc. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- MeG: Hi, Adaron. Thanks for doing this interview with me. Let me start by asking you how long you've played AA? Adaron: (puffs on his pipe) It's my pleasure to do this interview, first of all. I've been in Ancient Anguish for the last ... I'd say, 5 years. MeG: And you're a cleric who's known to give out free cleric services, is that right? Adaron: I am, though through no effort of my own. All clerics should offer their services at no charge. MeG: (agrees wholeheartedly) Adaron: I merely... let people know about my services. MeG: You were once 'The Favoured Adaron', an unusual title. How did you come to get that? Adaron: Well, about 2 years ago if memory serves, I did nothing but serve out my time within the walls of the Church. For an entire year I would enter Ancient Anguish, sit in the Church Hall, and cure those who came to me. As a cleric, I have a duty to the populace of Ancient Anguish. MeG: Who took notice of that so that you were given the title of Favoured? Adaron: I would tell you if I could remember. I really wish I did, but unfortunately I cannot. I can't tell you, either, who took the title away from me. MeG: (nods solemnly) When was the title taken away? Adaron: Sometime last year? My memory is fragmented. Once I re-entered adventuring, I think I endured too many jarring hits to the head. I remember one other thing I'd like to add to your previous question... Part of the reason I was given the title was not merely for my service, for no one should get special rewards for acting in the line of duty. I was given the title because for a long span of time I did what many don't in this world... That is, acting as I should act... as a cleric in the world of Ancient Anguish. Speaking as one should speak, acting as one should act, and not identifying with Mundania. MeG: (nods solemnly) Adaron: Roleplaying to the extreme, basically put. MeG: Apparently it was enough to capture someone's attention :) Interview with Adaron, continued on page 7 ... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 10.0 7 Icemonth, 562 Page 7 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Interview with Adaron, continued from page 6 ... Adaron: Aye. I was always in contact with the Wizards and Archwizards, offering suggestions where I could and asking questions whenever I had them... MeG: I've heard talk, rumour, etc. that you once did something big for the mud. Any truth to that? Adaron: Did something big for the Mud? Hm. They may be just rumors. I was known for suggesting, ad nauseum, new ideas to Archwizards and Wizards. I've seen a couple be implemented... one of the reasons I went back to adventuring was because there was no experience in healing - though I believe there is now, if I'm not mistaken, albeit very little. I would only believe the rumors if they came from the Wizards. The populace may say I did great things by the nature of my actions. Which again, was all in the course of duty. I'm glad so many people were made happy by them. MeG: (smiles) What do you think is the best feature of this game, the thing that keeps bringing you back? Adaron: The best feature of this game? Keeps bringing me back? Let me think... For starters, the populace is large and varied... much more so than in other lands. They're tolerant, often interesting, and they have a pretty good understanding of what they're doing. While they need to realize where they are a bit more, I think they're all having fun - rarely at the expense of others. As far as the world itself... I can see lots of improvements that could be made. Of course, they are beyond the means right now of the Wizards, and many would disagree that they would be good to implement. But there are dozens upon dozens of great things about the game. I couldn't pinpoint just one. The areas, the sights, the things to do. There are so many, and they are fairly accessible. I think that's one of the things I like best. MeG: Do you feel there are any major drawbacks? Adaron: (thinks carefully) Major drawbacks? Well, not particularly. If they had to make the game all over again, it would have been nice to see saved equipment, with Quality Control built around that. Currently, saved equipment wouldn't work because there would be way too much imbalance. Wouldn't work. Also, I'm waiting for a day when people can grow more powerful. MeG: More powerful how? Interview with Adaron continued on page 8 ... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 10.0 7 Icemonth, 562 Page 8 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Interview with Adaron, continued from page 7 ... Adaron: It seems the older characters reach a certain level of strength, and then grow stagnant. I'm much less interested in adventuring now that I've hit my ceiling than I was when I was aspiring to the Bishophood. MeG: What would you like to see available to those players? Adaron: I am given the opportunity to help out new adventurers more... but that alone isn't going to pique my interest. Allow them to grow more powerful - whether it be through acquisition of skills, equipment, estates... it's a shame that their adventures should end when they've achieved their goal. MeG: Well, there will be houses available soon. Does that qualify for your definition of more powerful? Adaron: They might. I think it's a great idea. I used to suggest that... (smiles warmly and refills and lights his pipe) Are the houses going to remain in one's possession after Armaggeddon comes? MeG: (nods) Adaron: (gives an 'ah' of comprehension) Excellent! MeG: What kind of advice would you give to someone who is brand new to the game? Adaron: A new adventurer should never be afraid to ask for help. Trite but true. For more practical advice - I recommend they start their days learning the world. Work at the Commodities Exchange for a night or two. You can't fight evil if you don't know where it is... MeG: Do you have any advice for older players? Adaron: Never stop complaining, first of all! You are the ones who made the game what it is, and you can continue to form it for future generations! Remember this: If you don't remember to watch yourself, Lars will remind you. MeG: Wise words. :) Ok, one last question.. Adaron: (nods) MeG: Why is it that a person such as yourself, willing to help, etc, is guildless? Interview with Adaron continued on page 9 ... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 10.0 7 Icemonth, 562 Page 9 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Interview with Adaron, continued from page 8 ... Adaron: Ah, excellent question... I've always seen guilds as a crutch. There's a much more puristic feel to doing what you do when you do it alone. I could see being part of a guild as joining an organization to work towards a common goal... such as the Knights keeping peace, the Monks keeping the lands clean, and the Bears protecting our wildlife, however... I don't think enough people work towards this common good for it to be worthwhile. It seems to me that they use the guild to their own ends and not in the Guild's interest. MeG: And so, you choose to be guildless and work on your own common goal? Adaron: Correct. Plus, I despise guild titles. MeG: Do you help on the newbie line too? Adaron: Actually I don't. I really should, but my presence here has become sporadic and I often forget. I have in the past, but currently it's fairly rare. MeG: I think if you take the carving once, it remains in your inventory until you choose to get rid of it. Adaron: (nods) MeG: Well, Adaron, thanks a lot for letting me ask you these questions. I think AA will have an understanding of what helping characters are all about now :) Adaron: I hope so. It's been a pleasure. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - . . The Golden Ducat . |__._.| Eat, drink and be merry, fellow travellers! |. .|\ | . . | | We cater to the thirsty adventurer. Just finished |. . | | a hard battle? Need to kick back and relax with a | .. .|/ mug of your favourite beverage? Come to the Golden \___/ Ducat pub and satisfy your liquid desire! Good drinks and good friends are sure to be found at the Ducat. And how about a game of Draughts between drinks? Come on down and give us a look! You'll find us in the north end of Scholar's Way. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 10.0 7 Icemonth, 562 Page 10 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- In this next interview, I talk to Bleys -- a rogue, and a member of the Scythe guild. Bleys is the top explorer on AA, and still seems to always have a friendly word for people. I was hoping to find out some tidbits that might help new players: -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Meg: Hi, Bleys! Thanks for doing this interview. Let me start by asking you how long you've played AA? Bleys: I've been playing AA since Dec. 1995. MeG: Have you played pretty regularly since then? Bleys: Off and on... there have been 2 or 3 stretches where I've stopped cold, the longest nearly a two year streak of not playing. MeG: When you came back, had much changed? Bleys: (nods solemnly) MeG: What kinds of things? Bleys: Yeah the first time, new combat was in for one thing, and also rivers and then thieves became rogues. MeG: What was the difference between the two anyway? Bleys: Rogues to me were a definite upgrade. Many more abilities added like stalking and palming/planting, plus we could now trip opponents. Stealth was evened out better, also. I think all races benefited on that one. MeG: Thieves just stole and that was it? Bleys: Basically yes, and only elves and h-elves were the best at that, humans and orcs a bit far behind. MeG: How did the class take the changes -- were they in favor or against at first? Bleys: I wasn't here right when they came in, I remember being apprehensive at first but for the most part it went over well. I am not sure if tripping came in right then or not either. I still have my thieves' cant though. :) MeG: What is thieves' cant? Bleys: Ah sorry, it's the old thief language, cityspeak has replaced it. New rogues don't get thieves' cant now. MeG: What did you think of the new combat when you first saw it? Bleys: I totally love it. At first I was confused, especially by the 'choose' command but it's really revamped the game and made it a lot more fun for all classes I think. MeG: Ok. What other types of changes have you seen besides those? Bleys: (thinks carefully) The various class balances, like necromancers a couple times, Scythe changes within guild (sheal weakened, Boki sneakable). And the Hall of Heroes of course. Interview with Bleys continued on page 11... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 10.0 7 Icemonth, 562 Page 11 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Interview with Bleys, continued from page 10 ... MeG: Yes, The HoH, of which you're a part, right? Bleys: Yep :) MeG: How many lists are you on? Bleys: (thinks carefully) 6 for now I think. MeG: Is the statue of the top player in your likeness? Bleys: No, it was for over a year but it's now Berek. MeG nods. MeG: So, Bleys, what kept you away from the game for two years? Bleys: I just fell out of the habit of playing regularly, got into other things, and before I knew it a lot of time had passed. I knew I could not stay away for good though. It was no one specific decision to stop playing. MeG: What brought you back? Bleys: I logged in, saw a few old friends who had missed me and vice versa, and I saw the new combat and new quests, and decided I really missed it here. :) MeG: What type of quests had been added? Bleys: Gremlin Village, Assist Moosah and, oh man, some big one... um. (tries to look thoughtful but fails) Embarassing, I can't recall, there were 3. :) MeG: I think I'll take another tact, and ask you about friendships. Have you made good friends on this game whom you've met irl? Bleys: (shakes his head) MeG: No? Bleys: No, I've only met one person on here irl so far, but I've got several of what I'd call good friends. As long as I've been here that is unusual, I guess. MeG: So, even if you haven't met people from this game, do you think that real friendships can be made here? Bleys: Oh yes indeed. :) MeG: (agrees wholeheartedly) On to a different subject... if you had to choose one or two or even three things that you think make AA shine head and shoulders above all other muds, what would you say those things are? Bleys: I've only had limited experience with other muds, mainly one back when I started here, but from what I've seen, the combat and hit point system are very good especially with skills. The overall theme and history of Ancient Anguish are very interesting, and the ability to rise as an individual player on something like the Hall of Heroes. Interview with Bleys continued on page 12 ... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 10.0 7 Icemonth, 562 Page 12 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Interview with Bleys, continued from page 11 ... MeG: (nods solemnly) What would you say are its main detractions? Bleys: (thinks carefully) Oh, one more plus before I forget. MeG: Ok. :) Bleys: You can pk on here in certain situations, like bounties, but it's not a 'pk' mud all the time, and we also have SK... ok, onto detractions... Oh wait, one more big plus: the testmud! MeG: Ok! Gotcha! Bleys: Ok, detractions. It seems to take too long for wizzes to get their stuff into the game but then again I realize this is all voluntary work on a lot of people's parts. But the detractions are nothing major at all. This place is too good in my opinion, and it's evident by how much I'm on here, I can't stay away! MeG: If you had a piece of advice to offer a brand new player, what would it be? Bleys: Hmmm. Great question. Let me think. I would say really read the help files and investigate all the classes, and check out some of the books in the Tantallon library. Try and get familiar with how this mud operates and what there is out there for them. Also of course pick up a newbie help line carving, and don't get discouraged by some of the attitudes on here. When I began I thought at first AA was a really stuck up place, but that's not true at all. MeG: The attitude in the shouts doesn't necessarily correspond with the attitude of the people who play this game, would you agree? Bleys: (agrees wholeheartedly) Yeah and I think that's one of the first things that put me off a bit, but i didn't let it faze me too much. MeG: Any last words you'd like to leave our readers? Any pearls of wisdom? Bleys: (thinks carefully) Well try not to do what I've done, and that is just play one alt all the time. There are a lot of great classes with neat features, especially rangers now. Lots of ways to experience this game. MeG: Well, thanks, Bleys. This was fun. And I know that I learned some new things. :) Bleys: Thanks for the interview, I appreciate it! It turned out after the interview that Bleys won the Ancient Anguish short story contest - congratulations! --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 10.0 7 Icemonth, 562 Page 13 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here is an interview with the much maligned, often mysterious, Arch of Balance, Paldin. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- MeG: Hi, Paldin. Thanks for doing this interview. I guess I'll start out by asking you how long you've been playing AA? Paldin: Since March 92. MeG: It opened in January of that year? Paldin: February, I believe. MeG: Ah, well, what was it like when you started? Paldin: Small. MeG: Ok, can you define small? Paldin: Well, there were very few areas, and the forest was the best place to kill in. The edges of the map were pretty much Nepeth at the top and the farmyard at the bottom. MeG: What was the biggest kill or the kill that people did the most often back then? Paldin: Well, the areas were Nepeth, Ravel, Fortress, Windmill, Evil Temple, Farmyard.... and that's about it. Nepeth was just the inner castle, so not the town as well. The biggest kill was Drin. :) Drin/Alisha were the original 'tough' pair in Nepeth which got eventually replaced by Zarkan and Gilbert. MeG: How did the original coders get together? Did they all know each other in real life or something? Paldin: I'm not exactly sure how all the originals got together. They were pretty much all from Europe as AA started in Switzerland. MeG: So you've been here as the mud not only grew, but as the server went from location to location as well? Paldin: In most cases. During some of the moves it was a while between logins :) MeG: So when did you become a wizard? Paldin: April 92. MeG: It took you a month or so to wiz? Whoa. Paldin: You have to remember that when I started the highest level player was level 7. So there was no high level eq out there to get. There were no newbie areas.. if you think about the ones mentioned.. so you had to run around the forest hoping for like a room of wasps. :) MeG: Did you have to have 1 mil exp to wiz then? Paldin: Yes. 1 mill xp and the 3 quests. You also had to do the 2 mini quests to make level 4 and level 7 so you got level locked till you did those. Interview with Paldin continued on page 14 ... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 10.0 7 Icemonth, 562 Page 14 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Interview with Paldin, continued from page 13 ... MeG: Which mini quests were those? Paldin: Umm, I can only remember one of them... the one with the rat in the farm just south of Tantallon. MeG: What did you do when you made wiz? Paldin: Coded an area :) MeG: Did you start coding immediately? Paldin: Yep, I coded the dwarven mines and put them at the edge of the map. :) Used to be to find them you would run all north then all west.. was really easy to find. MeG: Was the approval process anything like it is now? Paldin: No. It wasn't as strict but also not as decisive. MeG: Less wizards too, like LOTS less? Paldin: (nods solemnly) Well, looking at the logs.... I was the 28th wizard of AA. :) MeG: How about the Senate? Did it exist then? Paldin: No, Zor and Drake were the gods. MeG: Everything went through them? Paldin: No, Midian was QC arch back then. I can't remember who the Balance arch was back then. MeG: When did that change to the current Senate system? Paldin: It changed in ... errr... 93 or 94 when AA moved.. and Zor stepped down as god.... musta been 94 I think. MeG: Were there many problems with law then? Paldin: Define problems ;) MeG: Was there a need for an entire law dept? Paldin: Well, considering there were only 10-15 people logged in at a time.. not really. There was a law arch but we were also pretty well behaved for the most part. MeG: Could people pk then and not have to worry about the consequences? Paldin: No, the only PK I saw was the one I did, but I got attacked first, so there was no punishment for it. I killed Profezzorn ... he didn't like me because I was killing Shanni and he couldn't play without buying potions. MeG: Who was the law arch then? Paldin: I think Ged was.. but I could be wrong.. my memory from back then is pretty sketchy. Interview with Paldin continued on page 15 ... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 10.0 7 Icemonth, 562 Page 15 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Interview with Paldin, continued from page 14 ... MeG: How did you become Arch of Balance? Paldin: Well, I made the dwarf mines .. then made some wiz tools and eventually joined balance at the end of 92 because I was good at it. I used to play a lot of muds so I had an idea of where other muds made mistakes to make them easy to abuse. MeG: So you started out doing balance work, and eventually they needed a replacement arch? Paldin: Yeah, mid 93 I became balance arch. MeG: Did things change then? Paldin: Yeah I made .. a few changes. :) I changed player stats and a lot of the base NPC values and changed some of the guidelines etc. Then I stepped down as balance arch around march 94 due to RL work getting in the way. They went through a lot of balance arches after that till I took it back. :) MeG: When did you take it back? Paldin: Umm, near the start of 97. MeG: Wow, that really was a long time. Did you play during that time? Paldin: A bit. Did a lot of law coding and map stuff in the middle there. MeG: What do you think are some of the things people don't understand about your job as Balance Arch? Paldin: How long do you have for the list? :) MeG: Well, tell me the things that seem to really be misunderstood, as you see it. What about the charge that you only want to downgrade things, and ruin the mud in the process? Paldin: It's not really true. Areas, items etc all add to the mud and these things change how it affects the different classes as well. Balance is really the fine line between keeping it a challenge so not everyone can do it, and keeping it fun where everyone can achieve something. If it's too easy it gets boring and old fast. If it's too hard people get too easily discouraged. MeG: So you don't want to downgrade everything? Paldin: Well, most people only ever see the 'downgrade' side of any change. They rarely see what else might have been changed or they just accept the bonuses as part of what should be there or always was there. MeG: Do you ever get discouraged when you realize that people misunderstand your motives? Interview with Paldin continued on page 16 ... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 10.0 7 Icemonth, 562 Page 16 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Interview with Paldin, continued from page 15 ... Paldin: Sometimes, but most people also show their lack of the understanding of the whole picture and show their limited view, which makes it a bit easier. MeG: What do you think is the biggest misconception that people have about balance? Paldin: (ponders) That's a hard one as there are so many misconceptions. :) MeG: Are there one or two that really bug you? Paldin: None that really bug me. Mostly when people bring it up it's easy to ignore because the person so obviously doesn't understand. MeG: Well, speaking of that.. do you think it would be better to make the balance process and its guidelines more available to the players, letting them learn more about balance so they don't have those misconceptions? Paldin: The problem with that is a lot of the guidelines involve actual numbers like "this NPC can do 10 damage a hit" or something, which isn't really 'public' knowledge. The other problem is that some things just don't fit into guidelines in an exact way. Balance is then a grey area which is usually more a way of how it feels than anything else. MeG: Do you think, though, that that might be part of the problem with people not seeming to understand? If people don't understand something, they usually come up with their own theories of how it must be, and pretty soon it becomes the truth to them. Paldin: True. But it depends what aspects you look at it with. Most people look at it from their method of play or their comparison to other things. MeG: And you look at it from the entire mud point of view? Paldin: I try to. Ideally all classes should have their good and bad points. They should also all have their own unique features. If they didn't, they would all be the same thing with just another name or text version of it. MeG: If you could change one thing about the perception people have of Balance, would you? And if so, what would it be? Paldin: Well, as you said everyone only sees Balance 'downgrading' things. But people rarely look at what else may have changed or been added or what might be the cause of the change and what else has been affected. While Balance isn't perfect, we dont just try to ruin everyone's 'fun'. Interview with Paldin continued on page 17 ... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 10.0 7 Icemonth, 562 Page 17 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Interview with Paldin, continued from page 16 ... MeG: So you'd change the fact that people are unable to see, or choose not to see the other things that go into what they consider a downgrade? Paldin: Yes. More just for them to keep a little bit more of an open mind. Most of the time we don't make drastic changes. They are usually small changes to make sure we don't go overboard. MeG: How about advice for people who are new to the mud? Do you have any? Paldin: My advice would be to explore around. The mud is full of special little treasures and activities that add to the whole experience of mudding. Killing is one aspect of mudding but there are many others many other fun things they can do as well. Each class also offers different opportunities and depending on the person, there is almost certainly one that suits them. MeG: Before the interview ends, would you like to say anything else, anything at all? Paldin: (nods) There are many people who have claimed that Balance has 'ruined' the mud or it has been overbalanced. But something to consider is to ask yourself "Why do you like AA?" and "Why do you keep coming back to AA?". As I have said before combat and killing things are only a part of the mud. The rest is in the social interaction, the competitions, the challenge against another player whether it be in SK or Chess or Geo claims. But overall it's the entire community of AA that makes it what it is. MeG: (agrees wholeheartedly) Well-said, and very true. Anyway, thanks for doing this interview. Perhaps we can do a 'sequel' later. :) :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :: :: :: Do you have a message that you want to get out to other adventurers :: :: or wizards? Maybe you have an item that may interest others, or want :: :: to send a message to that special someone? You need to search no :: :: more! Through the classified ad section you can post your special :: :: notes, or notes of interest. Ask for an ad form from Erin at the :: :: Canticle offices or contact any of the editorial staff. (Prepare for :: :: possible delay before the next paper comes out, though.) :: :: :: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 10.0 7 Icemonth, 562 Page 18 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- M O R T A L C O U N C I L N E W S A new Mortal Council was elected on Nethory 561, and looks like this: Mage: Sinius, Callandor, Wittigo Rogue: Bleys, Lunarcee, Chibitrunks Fighter: Frostbite, Sunkist, Maelmord Necromancer: Lunger, Utb, Dreadnought Cleric: Meg, Tanar, Mendebar Paladin: Druenarrii, Thurin, Tarlach Ranger: Riona, Mordygan, Dameinii Shapeshifter: Darvinia, Vamp, Sharn The Mortal Council held a meeting on Okdyetenn, 562. A round-up of things brought up will appear in the next Canticle. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Advice on Life 1: When planning to visit Alton to see what he is all about, stop planning. 2: Distilled flowers do not taste good. 3: If you ask a random distraught-looking person if there is anything you can do to help, they are unlikely to politely decline, no, they will send you to fight some dragon and save the world. 4: Do not kiss a frog. Even More Advice 1: Honesty is the best policy, but insanity is a better defense. 2: When all else fails, follow instructions. 3: In case of doubt, make it sound convincing. 4: Friends come and go, but enemies accumulate. 5: Anything that kills you makes you... well, dead. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 10.0 7 Icemonth, 562 Page 19 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- C L A I R E ' S **** * * ***** ***** * ***** * * * * * * * * **** * * * * * *** * * * * * * * * *** ***** ***** ***** ***** P A G E Hidden in the grid below are 10 newbie areas. Look forward, backward, horizontally, vertically, and diagonally to see how many you can find! See the next page for a list of the areas included. ;) /| __ U E H W A B W L O E W N S A L E / | ,-~ / P I H S D E T N U A H E K W P E Y :| // / J K C E F O L P L A U K G E Q R | jj /( .^ G P F A E R I E R I N G U P A O >-"~"-v" J E O L W B V E K W U S A O M N / Y I E R P W A Q X E L S E F C D A jo o | K S P O R C L K K L B N H J L M ( ~T~ j C R H I S S I P Q L H I A E P D >._-' _./ B B A N A I C G L C M M P S R E / "~" | A A N T I P A L A D I N K J S T Y _, | Q C A N R I L E O K O E U Q Q N /| ;-"~ _ l A Z G F N Y B J F H I V K Y Z U / l/ ,-"~ \ Z D E O H N E G T S I R B E A A \//\/ .- \ Z Q P O I S M A L L P A R K N H Y / Y J O M F A T I N Z P U W C L A P l I ! I L F A N G H S Z H Y D T H L Q ]\ _\ /"\ P U E O H W K T A E W I F A K L (" ~----( ~ Y. ) P B M U T Y H A N R L E M L G O '''''''''''''''''''''' (Bunny by Rowan.) *************************************************************************** * Haiku Time, by Eubulides: * * * * Annoying a tank Lag strikes all players. * * Is avoided by wise men. If you don't set your wimpy * * Don't rescue the orc. Sing along with Lars. * * * *************************************************************************** --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 10.0 7 Icemonth, 562 Page 20 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- __________________________________________________________________________ | ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ___ ____ | | The Canticle / / // / / / / / / | / | | / / /___//____ /____ / /__ / /__ / //____ | | / / / / / / / / / / / / / | | / / / / / / / / / / / / / | | /___ /___ / / ____/ ____/__/_ / __/_ /___ /____/ ____/ | |__________________________________________________________________________| | | | MARITAL BUSINESS: Lucidity and Eddiebrook are now *** *** | | married, congratulations! * ** * | | * * | | Also, Krq and Lejana wish to announce that they still * * | | keep forgetting to get divorced. ** | |__________________________________________________________________________| |  | | | Lost newbie. All alone in this | Have you seen my piggy? Me want | | world. Please help. - Yahnda | back! You find piggy, you give back | |___________________________________| to Calvin!!! *grunt* | | |______________________________________| | Tired of learning what works or | | | doesn't work the hard way? Tired | This space could have your ad in it! | | of those costly "whoopses"? | That is, assuming it does not go old | | Well, your prayers have been | before the paper comes out... ;) | | answered! Go to Kulgar's Arena |______________________________________| | (finger Umbawumba for directions) | | | to learn all those little secrets | Feeling sad from your loot | | you always wanted to know!  | disappearing? Get in contact with | |___________________________________| Raven & Co. and turn that frown | | | upside down today! | | USRT wanted! Inquire at PSR. Ask |______________________________________| | for Happy. Big hair a plus. Bring | | | your own sausage. | Wanted: DONATIONS! Give me all your | | | money please. - Pocket | |___________________________________|______________________________________| |  | | The newbie areas hidden in the search-a-word grid on page 19 are: | | Antipaladin, Dwarven Mines, Faerie Ring, Haunted manor, Haunted ship, | | Orphanage, Puffin Beach, Ravel, Seal Point and Small Park. | |__________________________________________________________________________|