------------------------------------------------------------------------------- .. .. .||. ||.. ... || || || ||.|| `|.. || || `|.. ..|'''.| '|| || '|| '|' ' .... . .... ..||.. ... ..., || .... || '' .|| || || || || .| ' || .|...|| '|. | .|' || || || || || || || || ''|...'| '|..'|' ||. ||. '|..' .||. '|..| ||. '|...' ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 15.0 27 Stormmonth, 570 1 Coin --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Welcome, good readers, to a new issue of the Canticle. We tried to keep a natural amount of aeons between papers, but alas, we could not keep from publishing this material for longer. The thanks for this goes to Meg and her interviewees, who have been quite productive - there are four more interviews coming up in the next issues already. There has been quite a bit of discussion on the Senate and Adventurer boards about the decline in the number of players online. Some interpret this as a sign of the MUD dying or being on the verge of dying. Many have reacted with a call for ways to both bring in new players and to keep the new and the old players here more successfully. A good summary of the quite verbose discussion can be found on the Senate board, by Dracul in Sep 26th 2003. The discussion continues - if you feel that you have something to add to it, please either take a visit to the upstairs Town Hall of Tantallon or mail me. In the meanwhile, enjoy the issue! I would like to thank Meg, Lunger, Tiyowan, Dale, Krq, Undeadguy, Alisyia, Kaltes, Dracul and Bytre for their help with getting material for this issue. Fir Acting Editor The Canticle --------------------------------------------------------------------------- <*> CANTICLE INDEX <*> -------------------------------------+------------------------------------- Fishing............................2 From The Adventurer Board.........16 The Ancient Anguish Hunting Song...3 Interview With Krq and Undeadguy..17 The AA Fantasy Football League.....4 From The Poet Board...............26 Interview With Calvin..............5 Mortal Council News...............27 Dale Retires From The Senate......11 My View Of The Mortal Council.....27 Interview With Dale...............12 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 15.0 27 Stormmonth, 570 Page 2 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- F I S H I N G by MappyR Now I am not the realm's best fisherman. My fishing skill is just 65 but I am working on it. Nevertheless I enjoy fishing. It may not be exciting as taking on a powerful NPC solo but it has its rewards. First off it is a great time to help Newbies. While fishing I will respond to all newbie questions they might pose on the Newbie line. I will respond whether I am fishing or not but when you're in combat sometimes you get a little preoccupied. I take a proactive stance while fishing. I will find out who is on the Newbie line and send a tell to the Newbies - Ask how they are doing and if they need any assistance. The trick is to make them feel welcome without getting spammy. Of course, not all Newbies are real newbies just people trying out alternative characters, but I have found the people new to this Mud or mudding appreciate someone taking an interest in them. Sometimes you have to postpone your fishing to go to the Newbie so they won't burn up their spell points but you develop friendships. Another thing I do while fishing is surf over to the AA home page and see who is online. I prefer to do this from the home page rather than just using the who-command because I get a graphical indication who has a web page. I check out people who have a web site against my list. If I haven't seen their web page, I'll surf over there and check it out. I will then add them to my list on my web page to the appropriate section. Remember if you surf to some place else while you fish, do a thistory-command to see is anyone was trying to send you anything. Using the guild lines for some just plain socializing, is still another good thing to do while fishing. If you don't feel like socializing, write an article for The Canticle. Don't let me paint the picture that fishing is boring because it can be quite exciting at time. I once pulled in a Giant Squid in my seine just in front of the Haunted Manor. I couldn't kill it so I ran into the Manor. I warned all Newbies to stay clear of the Manor until the problem was rectified. I then shouted for help in getting rid of it. I kept peering out of the Manor to make sure no Newbie accidentally wandered into the area as I was prepared to rescue them if needed. Fortunately I didn't have to rescue anyone and nobody got killed. If someone did get killed I might have been the only person in this realm bountied for fishing. Fishing continued on page 3 ... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 15.0 27 Stormmonth, 570 Page 3 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fishing, continued from page 2 ... If you haven't tried fishing, buy your equipment from Salty's or ask a ranger to make it for you. This ranger might even go fishing with you if you ask him. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Ancient Anguish Hunting Song by Kaltes (This is a spoof of Tom Lehrer's The Hunting Song... So, I hope you enjoy!) I always will remember, 'Twas a year ago November, I went out to hunt some bunny On a mornin' bright and sunny. I went and crushed the maximum the game laws would allow, Two wizards, seven Scythers, and a cow. I was in no mood to laugh, I took down my trusty staff And went out to stalk my prey. What a haul I made that day. I put them into my pack, and I consecrated them somehow, Two wizards, seven Scythers, and a cow. The law was filled with anger Took away my player, The worst punishment I ever endured. It turned out there was a reason, Scythers were out of season, And one of the wizards wasn't insured. People ask me how I do it, And I say, "There's nothin' to it, You just stand there and mill, And when something moves, you kill!" And there's ten stuffed heads in chaos vaults right now, Two wizards, seven Scythers, and a bony-looking black and white splotched cow. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 15.0 27 Stormmonth, 570 Page 4 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Ancient Anguish Fantasy Football League A few weeks ago, several very powerful wizards found a rift to another world. The inhabitants of this world were enthralled by a game called 'football', very similar to a gladiatorial contest. Two teams of eleven fought tooth and nail to dominate and overcome the other team. After observing several observers of the game writing down the statistics of their favourite players, the wizards were intrigued. They did some research, and it led to a game based on this mysterious football, and you did not even have to strap on armour to play! They immediately formed a league amongst themselves and made teams of their own. Several coached their own teams, while others hired knowledgable mortals to do their bidding. Last week's scores follow. Team Name (Coach) and Standings after week 5: Paldin's Playmakers (Lunger): 94 The Dawg Pound (Katarina): 75 Amante's Arses (Pillarthree): 76 Florin's Friendly Shifters* (Machine): 109 Bytre's Beaches (Sudian): 62 Malire's Manginas (Backstreet): 40 Scarecrazy's Marbles (Tarr): 87 Frosty Flint's Fokkers (Calvin): 71 Jerusulum's Jesters (Mert): 58 Florin's Elitists* (Frostbite): 59 *) Once again contradicting its independent and self-reliant theme, the Scythe guild needed two Florin's to accomplish anything. Standings are as follows: Note: Total points are used to determine placement in tied records. 1. Florin's Friendly Shifters 2. Scarecrazy's Marbles 3. Florin's Elitists 4. The Dawg Pound _______________________________ 5. Amante's Arses | 6. Paldin's Playmakers | Weekly Updates are posted 7. Jerusulum's Jesters | every Tuesday on the 8. Bytre's Beaches | Adventurer's board. Ask me 9. Malire's Manginas | (Lunger) should you have 10. Frosty Flint's Fokkers | any questions. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 15.0 27 Stormmonth, 570 Page 5 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- An interview with Calvin MeG: Hi Calvin. Thanks for doing this interview. I'll start by asking how long you've played AA... CalviN: Well, I started Calvin in March of 1993, but had one alt that I ran CX with and talked to Ricochet with before him. MeG: Have you seen a lot of changes over that time? CalviN: Yep, tons. MeG: What sorts of changes? CalviN: New combat, rivers, millions of new areas, a lot more players, new guilds, classes... the entire mud's changed a lot in the time I've been here. MeG: So it was smaller and more intimate when you first came here? CalviN: Oh, yeah, very much so. MeG: What was it like when you logged a character on for the first time? CalviN: Well, I didn't have a clue what was going on when I first started. I just logged in to be able to talk to Ricochet without running up huge phone bills. MeG: You know Ricochet in real life? CalviN nods solemnly. CalviN: We grew up together. MeG: That's how you heard about the mud? CalviN nods solemnly. MeG: Now you're a ... fighter? CalviN grins evilly. CalviN: Just a bit... or one hell of a good skilling rogue. CalviN grins evilly. CalviN vigorously wiggles his 1675 skills horizontally. MeG: So now you're a fighter or maybe a rogue who shouts Piggy! a lot. :) CalviN grins mischievously. CalviN: Hehe... something like that. CalviN: You mean what's with the whole piggy thing? CalviN grins evilly. MeG: Yes, I wanted to ask for the benefit of those who don't know, why DO you shout piggy? CalviN peers at the sky. MeG grins. CalviN: A long, long time ago, Lunarcee, Emond, and I were bashing for Bleys... I wanted cblade... Bleys kept forgetting. MeG laughs. Interview with Calvin continued on page 6 ... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 15.0 27 Stormmonth, 570 Page 6 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Interview with Calvin, continued from page 5 ... CalviN: So I'd say "piggy" on the partyline but he forgot again. I said it on the pline, and Lunarcee said it on the Scythe line, then shouted piggy! MeG: See? Everything has a cool story to it. :) CalviN: So from then on, I made a nick to say piggy! about 20 times, and shouted it as a joke whenever we went there. So it's all really Lunarcee's fault. CalviN winks suggestively. MeG: And now you have 1675 skill points out of a possible... what? CalviN: 1700. CalviN peers at the sky. MeG: What do you have two weapon to? CalviN: That new two weapon skill is sloooooow. MeG nods. CalviN: 75... I was the second person to hit 1600, and haven't died since... MeG whistles.. Calvin knocks on wood... CalviN acks! CalviN: I take that back... got a skill this morning so it's actually 76... MeG: How much experience do you have? CalviN: Uh, 66 million and change. MeG: You're on a number of HoH (Hall of Heroes) lists I take it? CalviN nods solemnly. CalviN: A few... MeG: Which ones? Calvin: Um... somewhere around 12-15 on the overall plaque... MeG: Damn. Calvin: 3rd on top exp/hr run... 1st on fighter exp/hr, was tied for first on weaponsmasters... MeG: Cool! CalviN ponders the situation. Meg: So Calvin... can you tell the readers some of the secrets to your success? CalviN thinks carefully. CalviN: Um, play AA for 10 years, and play with good tanks and bashers, and learn from em? CalviN throws his head back and cackles with glee! MeG giggles. Interview with Calvin continued on page 7 ... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 15.0 27 Stormmonth, 570 Page 7 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Interview with Calvin, continued from page 6 ... CalviN: That and explore a lot. CalviN grins evilly. MeG: What kinds of things do you think you've learned from those people? CalviN ponders the situation. CalviN: A lot...how to bash, how to tank, which npcs to kill in which order, which heals to use... tons of stuff. MeG: Ok, so if you had to give someone a few tips on being an efficient player, what would those tips be? CalviN ponders the situation. CalviN: Depends on the class... but basically, make aliases to do anything that takes more then one word commands, or things that you do often, make your kill routes make sense... close areas, do one right after [another]... CalviN ponders the situation. CalviN: Tanks, make sure you rescue your bashers... and don't get killed in Drak! [Drakhiya; editor's note] CalviN grins evilly. MeG agrees. MeG: What do you mean by making your kill routes make sense - just that they're close together? CalviN nods solemnly. CalviN: Yeah. MeG: So no time is wasted? CalviN nods solemnly. CalviN: Like Drak, Monolith, lizards... hit things close to each other. MeG: What about brand new players? What would you advise them to do? CalviN: Join Knights. CalviN grins evilly. CalviN: Honestly. That's where I learned the basics. MeG: You think that's the most helpful guild? CalviN: Definitely. That, and maybe Bears, though I don't have any Bear alts, never really got into that guild... no offense to its members, of course. MeG: Would you agree with those who say the mud is dying? CalviN raises his eyebrow. CalviN: Hell no... I think the population is down... MeG nods. CalviN: But dying? Nah. It'll live as long as we have enough donations to keep it up and running. Interview with Calvin continued on page 8 ... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 15.0 27 Stormmonth, 570 Page 8 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Interview with Calvin, continued from page 7 ... MeG: Why do you think the population is down? CalviN: Lotsa reasons... (go read my posts on the Senate board! ;) ) Summer in the northern hemisphere... lotsa camping, vacations, things to do outside while it's nice out... and kids playing pretty shiny games like PS2, Xbox, etc.. and online rpgs, like Everquest, Star Wars Galaxies... players aging, having real lives, kids, jobs, etc... and also some of the negative changes the head wizzies in charge have made... pissing players off, or making their PS2 look better than dealing with being annoyed on AA... they all play a small part... MeG: Do you have any ideas on how to attract more people? CalviN: Well, I like a lot of the ideas that have been posted on the Senate board... ads in college papers, putting links to AA on home pages, or ICQ, MSN, IRC and AOL IM profiles... Topmuds... CalviN ponders the situation. MeG nods. CalviN: And word of mouth. MeG: If you could change just one thing about AA, what would it be? CalviN grins evilly. CalviN: Put me in charge. CalviN throws his head back and cackles with glee! MeG giggles. CalviN: One thing, and only one thing... MeG: Yes. CalviN: Honestly, I'd like the players to have some actual impact on the decisions made regarding changes in the mud... actual gameplay changes... like upgrades, downgrades, balances, etc. New combat... new 2weap skill change... rivers... stuff like that that effects everyone. I've been saying that for years. I spend just as much time on AA actually -playing- as most wizards do coding. I've got over 40 alts, with over 30 of them at lvl 19 with a mill exp or higher.... well over 120 million exp combined... and I have absolutely no say in what happens to this game. Zero. Ziltch. I think the players should have more impact than being able to bitch to the wizards. MC was a step in the right direction... CalviN shrugs helplessly. CalviN: But it didn't go far enough. MeG: So do you want to have a say before the changes go in effect or when they're being coded? CalviN ponders the situation. Interview with Calvin continued on page 9 ... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 15.0 27 Stormmonth, 570 Page 9 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Interview with Calvin, continued from page 8 ... CalviN: Damn fine question. MeG thanks CalviN. CalviN says: Yes, the approval process... World docs... Balance... CalviN: Kinda hard to say but, that's the wizards' job!!! CalviN ponders the situation. CalviN gasps in astonishment! MeG: But don't you think that if players had a say, it would make the approval process even that much longer? CalviN: Probably but it wouldn't have to. CalviN grins evilly. MeG: Why wouldn't it? CalviN: Well, depends on how you do it. If the mortal council had a quick meeting, or vote, on any new ideas... then boom, we have impact. MeG: Instead of just testing what's there. CalviN nods solemnly. CalviN: Yeah, testing and suggesting on ideas that have already been coded, hard work put into, QCed, balanced. By then, there's no way we can veto them, the coder would flip. If they hit the testmud, it's too late for the most part, anyways. MeG: But then MC'ers would be administrators in a way. CalviN shrugs helplessly. CalviN: What's so wrong with that? Think about it. If I could have that kind of power, or ability to direct the game I love, whatever you want to call it, do you think I wouldn't go for it? Who better to make decisions about the game, than the people that play it? CalviN goes 'duh'. CalviN mumbles something about common sense. MeG: But what if you grew to not love the mud so much after a while? CalviN ponders the situation. MeG: Should you still have the ability to direct which way it goes? CalviN: Then I suppose I wouldn't be here... but that ain't happened yet. Well... that's what we have the Senate for. CalviN grins evilly. MeG: Okay, moving on. What is your most favorite area on the mud? CalviN: Tossup. Zhammar, and Drakhiya... CalviN grins evilly. MeG: What keeps you coming back to AA? CalviN ponders the situation. Interview with Calvin continued on page 10 ... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 15.0 27 Stormmonth, 570 Page 10 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Interview with Calvin, continued from page 9 ... CalviN: I love it. CalviN shrugs helplessly. MeG laughs. MeG: Simply put, folks, HE LOVES IT! CalviN throws his head back and cackles with glee! MeG: No sense in beating around the bush! CalviN: Hehehe. I could give the standard answer... "Oh, well, it's the people... and the new areas... and the old areas... and the piggys... and the combat skillages... and killing stuffs, and mad-fast high exp/hr parties... Pillar constantly hitting on me..." *grin* MeG laughs. CalviN peers at the sky. MeG: Its all that and more? CalviN: Seriously... people I play with... I don't solo -that- much... MeG nods. CalviN: Machine, Lunger, Pillar, and most of the rest of the Scythers... and 1 or 2 Bears and Knigglets... CalviN ducks! MeG grins. MeG: I'm not a bear or knigglet so you don't gotta duck! CalviN: Well, quite a few of them can read, from what I understand... so if that makes it into the paper... I'm ducking in advance. MeG: It will, I'll make sure of that :) CalviN winks suggestively. CalviN throws his head back and cackles with glee! MeG: Can you sum up the advice you'd give new players? CalviN ponders the situation. CalviN: Join knigglets... ask questions... use the newbie line, and don't, please, do NOT join Scythe until you've at least hit lvl 19 with one alt, been in a few parties that made more than 200k/hr exp, and know the answers to what most people consider "newbie questions"... *grin* Calvin shamelessly sticks in that blatant anti-newbie Scyther statement... CalviN: Keep the newbies comin'... CalviN: But keep 'em outta Scythe. CalviN grins evilly. Interview with Calvin continued on page 11 ... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 15.0 27 Stormmonth, 570 Page 11 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Interview with Calvin, continued from page 10 ... MeG: Any other helpful or sage advice before the interview ends? :) CalviN ponders the situation. CalviN: Yeah... stay the heck away from my piggy, darnit... I had to wait 3 resets to get this!!! CalviN vigorously wiggles his crystal blade horizontally. CalviN shouts: piggy! piggy! piggy! piggy! piggy! piggy! piggy! piggy! piggy! piggy! piggy! piggy! piggy! piggy! piggy! piggy! piggy! piggy! MeG: And THAT, folks, is what it's all about! CalviN grins mischievously. MeG: Awesome, Calvin. :) Thanks so much for doing this interview! CalviN nods solemnly. CalviN: Been my pleasure. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- DALE RETIRES FROM THE SENATE One of our senators, the honourable Dale, has retired from the Senate. The Senate congratulates Dale on the many contributions he has made to Ancient Anguish. As one of the early wizards, Dale created much of the original town of Nepeth, as well as creating the Knights guild and serving as its Guildmaster for many years. Dale was an original member of the Senate when it was established in early 1994, and served longer than any other Senator thus far. He was valued for his independent perspective on many issues the Senate faced. ________________________________________________________ |\'-._( / | | \ .'-._\ Unhappy about your looks ? , ,| |-.\' .-; All those scars detracting from '\`-' | | \ .' ( your attractiveness ? _.' \ | |.--.\' _) ;-; \._| | ` _\(_)/_ Visit The Body Shop ! \ `'-,_,-'\ | |______ /(O)\ _______________________________/____)_`-._\| --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 15.0 27 Stormmonth, 570 Page 12 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Recently I saw that Dale was logged on AA. In seven years, almost eight, of playing AA I can only remember seeing him one other time. I knew that I had to ask for an interview since I had no idea if or when I would see him logged on again. This is that interview - the story of Dale, Dale's father, Bardoz, and the person who plays Dale, Thomas. - Meg --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dale: Hi, there. Uhm... so you want to know about the old days, huh? Those were the days. Ancient Anguish seemed so much more real back then. I was born and raised in Nepeth, you know. A rather shielded childhood, until I reached the age of 14. Then my dad, Bardoz, threw me out. Said I'd have to fend for myself. He's a bit of an old sod, my dad. Hardly ever says a word to me these days. It's all magic with him. I, on the other hand, chose a military career. A grey old man, with a wild growing beard and even wilder eyes appears out of thin air. He doubles over coughing violently before straightening up, glaring at Dale. Bardoz screams: What's that, boy? Military? Bah! A good spell will save the day any day... any day now... yes, yes... magic. Dale: Where've you been then? And why pop up now? I'm busy, you know. Bardoz: Been? To be? Have I? I'm not sure... Sometimes I am, then I'm not, but try as I may I cannot get away from you! Dale: What?! Can't get away? I never see you! Just sit down and shut up, I'm trying to tell this young lady about my life and this realm. Bardoz: Hah! What do you know? I was here when the world was born. Zor himself brought me to life. He could be a bit rough on the edges, but a very nice fellow, that Zor. Bardoz sits down, and immediately dozes off. Dale mutters to himself. (Dale's alter ego, Thomas, takes over now.) Interview with Dale continued on page 13 ... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 15.0 27 Stormmonth, 570 Page 13 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Interview with Dale, continued from page 12 ... Thomas: I've always loved adventure games, and have played them ever since I got my C-64 back in '83. In 1984, in the September issue of Micro Adventurer, I first read about MUDs. It featured the article "MUD, MUD, Glorius MUD...", and I just knew this was something I'd have to try someday. In late 1990, I think it was, while attending the university, I heard of Genesis, the first LPMud by Lars Pensjo [o-umlaut]. One week after my first login I made wizard, and two weeks later my first castle was ready for the players of Genesis. Then at the beginning of January 1992, Zor came by and invited me to check out a new mud he'd just set up. January 11 1992 I logged onto AA for the first time. Later that week Zor and I came up with the name Ancient Anguish together. Actually he wanted 'Ancient', and I came up with 'Anguish'. I named my character Bardoz, as I had on Genesis, and started working on a castle right away. A few weeks later, in time for AA's grand opening, I had the castle of Drin and Aisha coded. Some time later that year I made the rest of Nepeth. Other more talented wizards have contributed to, and expanded on, Nepeth since then of course. My two other main contributions to the game have to be the Knights' guild and the cuddly pink elephant. I also made a potion system, but I've no idea if that's still in use. I've never been much of a coder, and many wizards have helped me with these creations. In particular Biko, Florin, Zor, Greyson, Paldin, Dawg, Bytre and Ged were helpful codewise. I always liked the creative part best, and I spent quite some time coming up with the story and background of the castle, the town, and the guild. I wanted it to have sort of life of it's own, and I guess a good basis for this is to have a consistent, well founded story with enough loose ends to make it interesting. :-) Interview with Dale continued on page 14 ... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 15.0 27 Stormmonth, 570 Page 14 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Interview with Dale, continued from page 13 ... I had many friends on AA back then. The ones I remember most fondly from my active years are Flint, Biko, Zor, Devlin, Savannah, Amante, Scarecrazy and Florin. I've almost certainly forgotten some names now, but that's the way it goes. I really miss Flint! He was truly a great friend. There were times back in the mid 90s when there was a lot of 'politics' here on AA. A few hotheads made a big fuss, or many fusses. I always tried to stay out of these matters. I've always believed the primary concern of wizards is to make AA an enjoyable experience for the players. Egos got in the way of that a couple of times, I think. But then again, a little unrest and bloodshed probably made AA, as a community, stronger and helped keep it alive. :-) Gradually real life took over, and I've hardly logged on since '97. I still pop in every few months to see if my characters still exist though. Dale clears his throat loudly. Dale: Ahem! I was about to tell my story. Right. The military was the perfect place for me, and within a few short years I reached the position of General and High Commander of the Knights. Shortly after this achievement I married Chick, my childhood sweetheart. The ceremony was spectacular, and the party even better. But the marriage didn't last very long. She travelled a lot, had trouble adjusting to the demands my work put on me, and she didn't get along with my friends. So we parted ways as friends. I've been retired for a few years now, but still enjoy the title General and the position of High Commander of the Knights. Drin was kind enough to grant me these privileges for life. The day-to-day business of the Order was left to other competent people long ago. Today Katarina and Edog are handling this superbly. Interview with Dale continued on page 15 ... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 15.0 27 Stormmonth, 570 Page 15 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Interview with Dale, continued from page 14 ... Thomas: Back when I started playing MUDs the Internet was still text only. Apart from the nice GIFs of bikini-clad women that we used as background pictures on our Sun workstations there wasn't much in the way of graphics to be found. MUDs were a direct descendant of text-only adventure games from Spectrum, Amstrad, Orix, Vic-20, Commodore-64 etc. The really fascinating side of it was the real time interaction with other people all over the world. I remember back in '90 IRC (Internet Relay Chat) was starting up and there were at times no more than 10-15 people online worldwide! I spent whole nights chatting with the American and Japanese Ops, and back then that was one person in each country, not thousands or tens of thousands. When I started playing Genesis they had about 15-30 players on at a time. The total player base wasn't that large, but the players all the more fanatic, for lack of a better word. It was an obsession. ;-) Took me about half a year to shake it. That's six months of close to no class attendance. All waking hours spent in front of a workstation. Positive effects were; writing experience (creatively), increased (written) language skills, programming experience, heightened social intelligence, many new friends. Negative effects included; neglecting friends in real life, lowered grades, dealing with an addiction. After those six months I managed to structure my online time more and more, trying to get more positive and less negative. :-) I think I suceeded rather well. The other players were mainly other students of computer science worldwide back in '91. From around the time AA started up the player base slowly started to diversify. First you had students from outside of computer science. Then 'regular' people, young and old, logging on from home or from work. Most of them were from the US, Sweden, Norway or the Netherlands. It's hard to generalize of course. Interview with Dale continued on page 16 ... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 15.0 27 Stormmonth, 570 Page 16 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Interview with Dale, continued from page 15 ... The Internet was a lot more innocent, clean and fresh in the early 90s. It was truly a new frontier. The magic of the 'net, for me, disappeared with the arrival of the first web browser (Mosaic). I still love the _fact_ of the Internet, but it's more an information tool now. It's domesticated and tamed. Sure you have the mp3s and the div-x movies, but it's not the same, you know? I was around, somewhat actively when the Senate came about, but I did not play an active part in the creation of it. The reasoning behind it, as far as I can recall, was: 1) To put an end to the more damaging effects of the 'politics' that had raged for a while, by implementing a ruling council rather than have a sovereign leader. I do not mean to imply that the then sovereign leader was by any means the reason for the trouble. In fact Zor was the one who worked out most of the new governing system, this is after all right up his alley in RL as well. :-) The Senate put the politics into a defined system. All voices were heard (although some voices will always tend to speak up after the fact or in other venues for whatever reasons, but that's the way of human nature :-). ) 2) Economics (donations and agreements with hosting companies), and collective ownership of the server, demanded a more structured and stable governing body of the community that is AA. The senate really made a difference, I think. I have not been an active member for years now, so I cannot tell you how this works these days. But I see many of the same dedicated and hard working people are still members of the Senate and that bodes well. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- From the Adventurer Board: You know you have been mudding too long when you really aren't sure whether or not you said the last three sentences out loud, and check around the lab to see if anyone reacted. - Dracul --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 15.0 27 Stormmonth, 570 Page 17 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- An Interview With Krq and Undeadguy [Editorial note by Fir: I've censored things that directly clash with editorial policy (any ***s are mine), but the text still comes from the "Bad Boys of Eldar". ;) Keep this in mind while reading, and enjoy!] KrQ smiles pleasantly. UndeadGuy says to KrQ: This could be our big break. DON'T SCREW THIS UP FOR ME. MeG: Hello Krq and Undeadguy. I should start this interview asking both of you how long you've been playing AA. KrQ says to UndeadGuy: You're still mad about Nashville. I can't BELIEVE. KrQ points at UndeadGuy. UndeadGuy: RL time, or game time? MeG: Real life. UndeadGuy: I started on May 10th, 1996. MeG: Wow, mind for details eh? UndeadGuy: I like to know things. KrQ: I think I found AA late in '93. Fall sounds right. UndeadGuy: He doesn't seem like he's been here longer than me, so I was pretty surprised when I found that out. MeG grins mischievously at UndeadGuy. KrQ: I still smell new. MeG: Ok. Do you guys still actively play? UndeadGuy: Actively is a state of mind. MeG: How about this... what was the last new place implemented? KrQ: We're not allowed to use help newstuff here? UndeadGuy types help newstuff. MeG giggles. KrQ says to UndeadGuy: Consider yourself owned. UndeadGuy: Uhm. Something with rogues? KrQ: They have new 'smile' commands. I read about that. MeG: People are probably most familiar with you two from your shouts, I think. You have fun with shouting don't you? KrQ: Dude, I swear those are all mislines. MeG: Mm hmm... UndeadGuy: Well, within legal limits. Which sounds ultra lame, now that I mention it. KrQ: Just because I hold the 6 month shout removal trophy. You know, these memories hurt. You ever consider that? MeG: Omg, 6 months, Krq? Interview with Krq and Undeadguy continued on page 18 ... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 15.0 27 Stormmonth, 570 Page 18 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Interview with Krq and Undeadguy, continued from page 17 ... UndeadGuy points at KrQ. KrQ: I know!!! UndeadGuy: Yeah, he's the shout king. MeG: Is that true? UndeadGuy coughs noisily. UndeadGuy: Drunk. UndeadGuy coughs noisily. MeG: What did you shout, KrQ? I can't even imagine. KrQ: Ask Undie. I was way too drunk to recall. MeG laughs.. MeG: Was it pretty bad, Undie? KrQ: I had to ask him the next day why the hell I had no shout. UndeadGuy: I don't even remember. Once he got to boyscouts and rides at Disneyland, I had to turn off my computer. MeG laughs. KrQ: EAGLE scouts. EAGLE scouts. UndeadGuy: Semantics. KrQ: Was there a question on the table? I forget. MeG: So what keeps you guys coming back here? KrQ: Oh, new question! KrQ claps. MeG: So what keeps you coming here, Krq? KrQ: Habit. Uh. Yeah, I guess habit. UndeadGuy: Oh, also it's a nice escape from work. MeG nods. UndeadGuy: Ooh, habit is a good one too. I end up here without even realizing it sometimes. [Editorial censorship (with permission) of an anatomical side remark.] MeG: What do you think about the game in general nowadays? KrQ: Game in general nowadays? MeG: Yes. UndeadGuy: Well, I wouldn't keep coming back here if I didn't like the game. Granted, I'm not making full use of the newest features and areas and stuff like that, but I don't come here because I have nothing better to do. (Seriously.) KrQ: I think it's fine. People get too hypercritical about changes or lack of changes. UndeadGuy: My friends are here, people I enjoy talking to and spending time with, and I enjoy the interaction, as lame as that is. Interview with Krq and Undeadguy continued on page 19 ... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 15.0 27 Stormmonth, 570 Page 19 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Interview with Krq and Undeadguy, continued from page 18 ... MeG: Do you think the interaction is lame or do you say that 'cuz that's what other people think? UndeadGuy: No, me requiring it sometimes is though. MeG nods. KrQ: I enjoy the interaction too. I work with idiots all day. So I like to talk to the idiots here. Less ability to reach out and hit them. UndeadGuy: Ooh, can I change my answer. KrQ: No, you CAN'T. MeG: However, you two are friends in real life, aren't you? KrQ: We met once. Ah, Barcelona. UndeadGuy: Spain is lovely in the summer. MeG: And you guys just attended a wedding that was a result of this game, right? UndeadGuy: Sure did. KrQ: Good ol' TandArgeld. UndeadGuy: Yep. MeG: So good things CAN happen here. MeG cheers. UndeadGuy: Most definitely. I've met good people here. KrQ: And evil. We've met evil. MeG says to KrQ: Sometimes you ARE evil. KrQ looks sad. MeG: Undie, how long would you say it took you to get 100 in all skills? Undeadguy: Ooh, I don't remember exactly. 1.5-2 years, but that's not really a very accurate count, as when the skill package came in from "old combat" I had quite a leg up on a lot of other people due to my experience at the time. MeG nods. MeG: You had a lot of experience at the time? UndeadGuy: I had about 8 mill plus at the time, yeah. MeG: How much experience do you have now? UndeadGuy: Before pk=48mill, now, 32.9. After some tentative partying after two weapon skill came in. MeG: What did you get two weapon to? UndeadGuy snickers. UndeadGuy: A whopping 24. MeG nods. Interview with Krq and Undeadguy continued on page 20 ... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 15.0 27 Stormmonth, 570 Page 20 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Interview with Krq and Undeadguy, continued from page 19 ... MeG: Ok, so Krq, you're a mage, right? UndeadGuy asks KrQ: You are? KrQ: Post-suicide, yes. Was a human fighter before. UndeadGuy: Oh, how cute. KrQ says to UndeadGuy: I'm not going through that fighter hell again. And don't touch me. MeG: (For the readers who don't know, Undie is a fighter too.) MeG: What is your favorite class to play, both of you? UndeadGuy: Love this class, but Rogue has always struck me as being the most fun to play. KrQ: Rogue, absolutely. I rob from the rich. And give it back and say, "Sorry," while looking at my toes. It's my little way of roleplaying. MeG: How cute. UndeadGuy: I sneak around and backstab elks with curved knives. They really hate that. MeG: Rogue is your favorite too, Undie? UndeadGuy: Yes'm. Just for the amount of stuff to do. Granted, I do like being a fighter and pounding healing potions until something dies out of boredom while you stand in front of it and hit it with a table leg or something. UndeadGuy: Aside from the pk'er fighters, my fighter experience was basically outlasting something in a fight or picking up things and carrying them for nice tanks or for rangers on pelt runs. MeG: Wow, fighters sound like a drag. UndeadGuy: Not a drag, it's really fun to be able to kick the c*** out of anything with any kind of weapon you pick up. MeG: For a new player that wanted to create a rogue, what helpful tips would you guys give them? KrQ: Please, no. Don't ask playing tips from me. I'm - uh. I'm not gay and neither is Undie. MeG: Well, which race do you think is best for rogue? UndeadGuy: Orc for killin', Elf for stealin'. KrQ: I prefer human. Mad knife skills. MADNIFFSKLLZZ. MeG giggles. UndeadGuy: That's common knowledge though, and it's basically assumed. MeG: Do you guys have a favorite place to kill? Interview with Krq and Undeadguy continued on page 21 ... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 15.0 27 Stormmonth, 570 Page 21 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Interview with Krq and Undeadguy, continued from page 20 ... UndeadGuy: Thinking. MeG: Okay. you're allowed. UndeadGuy: You say that now. KrQ: I used to go on endless ogre sprees. Then I fell in love with Burnham all over again. A tripping rogue's paradise. UndeadGuy: I loved the Riognach area. KrQ: Riognach? That new? This place is so cool! MeG: Have you guys looked at many of the new areas? UndeadGuy: I tested one or two of them, haven't seen them since they were implemented though. Can I mention that? Will I be killed? KrQ: I dropped by Petite's area somewhere in the southern forest, but this elf guy made it clear I wasn't his type so I left. Stupid elves. MeG: Why are both of you guys in the Eldar? What's special about that guild? KrQ: Oh yes, the Sirens lured us here. UndeadGuy: When I made the change, there was a huge imbalance of people I liked and could stand in Eldar, compared to my current guild, the Knights. Current at the time, that is. MeG: Oh, that's right. I almost forgot you were a Knight. UndeadGuy: Yes, I'm sure lots of people would want to forget that. MeG: And Krq was a Monk. UndeadGuy: Poor bastard. KrQ: I was fine with the Monks, but the ones I was closer to were starting to leave. Then Tandara/Shampoo/Shelbe began their shout campaign to draft me. UndeadGuy: Same here. MeG: So they were the sirens. KrQ: And where are they now? WHERE ARE THEY NOW? KrQ spits on the ground. MeG: You need new sirens! KrQ: Left us. Huddling in each others' arms. Shouting OMFG IM SO COLD. UndeadGuy: Left us with a pile of dishes, and a sick dog, that's what. MeG laughs. MeG: Is this a new country song? UndeadGuy: They're harpies, each of them. KrQ: Filthy tarts. Interview with Krq and Undeadguy continued on page 22 ... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 15.0 27 Stormmonth, 570 Page 22 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Interview with Krq and Undeadguy, continued from page 21 ... MeG: If you could change ONE thing on this mud, what would it be? KrQ: Oh, let me think about that. UndeadGuy: The way exp and death is measured. In regards to wimpies, deaths when you have high experience, and how it's handled for bugs and such. MeG agrees. UndeadGuy: And not just because of what happened to me. I thought about that way before that. MeG: Yeah, but when you're pk'd it seems extremely unfair. UndeadGuy: Well, for most people. MeG nods. KrQ: I'm really okay with AA in general. I don't play much, but when I do there's enough to amuse me. However, I really would enjoy more classes and guilds to play with. A couple more races would be nice ... but I really don't like the MUDs that offer 30 races. It's like, "Unicelfindyre? The hell is that?" UndeadGuy: Yeah, that's good. I don't want to have a "half-troll" race or something, and then have to pick your favorite color or something. MeG: Do you two agree with the current sentiment being bandied about that the mud is dying? UndeadGuy: Actually, I heard that from someone that doesn't play anymore, and it was completely news to me. I hadn't really noticed. They heard it from someone, etc. I thought it was a little weird at the time. KrQ: I'm pretty oblivious to AA dying if it is. I just sit here. UndeadGuy: Same here. MeG laughs. UndeadGuy: Way I think about it is that if people are leaving, they obviously have a good reason. I haven't noticed anything that would require me to leave, or offend me on a game level. KrQ: The one thing you have to realize is that our audience is dying, figuratively. UndeadGuy: Well, with the advent of a computer in every home, I'm sure we'll have throngs of new illiterate teenage fans, shouting incoherent things and ranting about who knows what. Interview with Krq and Undeadguy continued on page 23 ... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 15.0 27 Stormmonth, 570 Page 23 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Interview with Krq and Undeadguy, continued from page 22 ... KrQ: The younger crowd is generally not as inclined to be sucked in by text games. And as the older crowd keeps growing older, the urge to MUD usually fades a little. Unless you have no friends. Or pets that love you. KrQ sniffs coldly. MeG nods sadly to KrQ. UndeadGuy: Damn dog. MeG: Mine died. UndeadGuy: Aww. MeG: Now i have no dog AND no friends! UndeadGuy: Wow, you suck! UndeadGuy: I'll avenge it's death. KrQ: REVENGENCEFUL. UndeadGuy: Look, it all comes down to this. This is a MUD that is run by donations. If for some reason they decide not to do it anymore, ask for donations. People that love this place will help it. MeG: Ok, here's the philosophical question for the evening... KrQ claps. MeG: For a brand spanking new player starting a character here what things do you feel he or she needs to know right off the bat? UndeadGuy: 1. This is the internet, and while it pays to be polite, a lot of the time it's going to get thrown in your face by the ignorant and the bitter. Don't let it get to you, and don't let it change how you treat people. MeG: Do NOT become jaded and cynical if you can keep from it. UndeadGuy: Exactly. KrQ: Hm. I started playing 10 years ago and haven't looked at many other MUDs. I can't even imagine what it's like to start playing here from scratch. KrQ: But. I WOULD like to say: Anything you want to know how to do, you can figure out yourself. That's not to say that you shouldn't ask. Contrary to popular belief, I'll help newbies. So long as their name isn't all gay. But TRY to figure it out yourself. You'll learn much faster that way. UndeadGuy: Agreed. This was my very first MUD ever. I was terrified. KrQ: I'm talking about "CAN SOME1 PLZ TAKE ME FROM DECKERS 2 PAPERBOI???!!?" MeG laughs. Interview with Krq and Undeadguy continued on page 24 ... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 15.0 27 Stormmonth, 570 Page 24 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Interview with Krq and Undeadguy, continued from page 23 ... UndeadGuy: Rather than talk to people, I read every single help file while I was healing after getting spanked by some woodrat. Read your help files, and learn to help yourself before you rely on someone else to get you out of every problem. Respect the people you meet, and thank the ones that help you. Have a sense of humor. For the love of all things holy, have a sense of humor. MeG: Do you think people in general should be nicer to newbies here? KrQ: I don't think people should necessarily be NICER. But maybe some new creative insults. Those 'get harness' jokes? SO last millenium. Overall I think people could be nicer in general. I try to only be mean to people I know. Or people I don't like. Or other people. UndeadGuy: I think it's a case by case basis, personally. There are plenty of newbies out there that DEMAND answers, no matter how poorly spelled the request is. I don't think anyone that asks like that deserves help. I think the ones that have legitimate questions and are polite and properly respectful are treated right. I know I was when I was a newbie. MeG: I agree, Undie! KrQ points at UndeadGuy. KrQ: Oh. I hate the newbs that demand answers. KrQ: I always started with, "Pardon me, may I ask something quickly?" Really puts the person at ease, especially if you don't know them. MeG agrees. UndeadGuy: I thought a lot about trying to help on the newbie line, but it's been so long since I did anything of use. Also, I think I might be a bit too caustic with my humor at times, and people won't get me. MeG: How much do you think the player base has changed over the years? KrQ: In what way... MeG: In any way. KrQ: Hm. UndeadGuy: A lot. When I got here, there were TONS of people older than me, people that had been here since the beginning. Now I find that I'm one of the mid-range age players, and there are maybe a handful that were here when I started. KrQ: I'm one of those 30+ers. I feel kinda creepy. UndeadGuy: I'm not that old, but I get a lot of tells along the lines of "d00d u still play here????" Interview with Krq and Undeadguy continued on page 25 ... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 15.0 27 Stormmonth, 570 Page 25 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Interview with Krq and Undeadguy, continued from page 24 ... KrQ: Are we still talking about me? MeG: Anything else you think is important to this discussion that you'd like to add, either of you? KrQ: Yes. "Your. You're. You'll get further in life if you know why." UndeadGuy: Agreed. KrQ: While you're learning that, kids, stuff this in there: "Dying. Not Dieing." KrQ says to UndeadGuy: It's so cool to be us. UndeadGuy: Grammar, man. I realize that a lot of you reading this (all 8 of you) aren't a native English speaker. So, disregard this. But if you live in America, learn to freaking spell. This isn't frickin' Quake, where you don't need to talk to play. This is a TEXT based mud. Do your teachers some credit and learn to either spell, or type. UndeadGuy: Oh, and let me mention this. If you're not a native English speaker and you still play this? I really really admire this. I wish I could learn a second language enough to play a text based game. MeG: Peavey's one of those. UndeadGuy: I know he is. Peavey's a good guy, and still manages to talk c*** to me in a second language. That's a freaking SKILL right there. MeG agrees. KrQ: I hadn't noticed that English isn't his native. Nice. Mind you, the only thing he ever says to me is, "Freak!" MeG: Anything else either of you want to add? UndeadGuy: Oh, I'd also like to thank all my contemporaries that wizzed without me. Thank you for realizing that I have absolutely no talent or creative urges in me, and not forcing me to wiz. KrQ: I'd love to wiz. I'm not bright enough to do quests. UndeadGuy: I'd just take up memory space, folks. All I'd want to do is to be able to change my title. Hey! Wizards, Senators, and the like. Make it so donators can change their titles, and I'll donate $200. AMERICAN. Yeah, you love it. KrQ: I want a workroom. I figure I may actually wiz before the player houses get put in. Interview with Krq and Undeadguy continued on page 26 ... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 15.0 27 Stormmonth, 570 Page 26 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Interview with Krq and Undeadguy, continued from page 25 ... MeG: Is that it, guys? Nothing else? UndeadGuy: If you're reading this interview, people, think about this place you're typing into. Think about the people behind the characters, and behind the text. They have real lives (myself not included) and they have real feelings. You can make friends that you keep your whole life here. Or you can meet your husband, wife, brother-in-law, pet sitter, whatever. Just because it's the Internet doesn't mean it doesn't have to mean something. MeG cheers UndeadGuy enthusiastically. MeG: Thanks a lot, you guys, for the interview. It's been fun. :) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- From the Poet Board by Alisyia You login late for reboot and the Scythe are insane The only unique you grab is the EbonBane You missed two resets and still no BOG Out of cash again, resort to killing hogs You gotta fight! For your right! To paaaaaaaaaaaaartay! You asked to tag with Lunger, but he said no way That hypocrite prolly just sits around all day Man, being in the Eldar can be such a drag But it's better than Salome when she's on the rag You gotta fight! For your right! To paaaaaaaaaaaaartay! Don't step out of your Scythe room if that's the eq you're gonna wear They'll squelch you on the sline if Machine's alts are there Reaching level 19 is a dream so far away Because the powerplayers just won't let you play! You gotta fight! For your right! To paaaaaaaaaaaaartay! --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 15.0 27 Stormmonth, 570 Page 27 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- M O R T A L C O U N C I L N E W S A new Mortal Council was elected in Moonset 570. There were many former MC members and testmud wizards who did not vote this time, which meant that many nominees did not reach the minimum number of votes to get in. There has been some pondering about what could have caused the low voter outcome. I have asked a current MC member to tell us why he became a MC member and also what this 'questionnaire' which keeps coming up is. If you have a differing career and would like to tell us about it, mail Fir. Former and current MC members: How do you encourage your class members to submit ideas and to initiate discussion? Your current MC representatives are: Mage : Tiyowan, Riko Rogue : Eveon Necromancer : Lunger Shapeshifter : Gyn Fighter : (none) Cleric : Ivanhood Paladin : Lala Ranger : Thorn, Quita, Levek My View Of The Mortal Council by Tiyowan First of all I would like to thank my lady Fir for giving me the opportunity to write this article about the Mortal Council. I will not be going into the particulars of the electoral procedures and the rules and regulations that the Mortal Council has to abide by, as this information can found by going to the voting booth (From Xroads: 5w, n, u, w) or by asking current and former Mortal Councilors. My View Of The Mortal Council continued on page 28 ... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 15.0 27 Stormmonth, 570 Page 28 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- My View Of The Mortal Council, continued from page 27 ... Fir has requested me to illuminate you, our dear readers, about what we do as Mortal Councilors. There are three main duties. Firstly, we have to devote a certain amount of our time to testing out projects on the TestMUD. This is not as difficult as it sounds. We have permission to use three alts and we also have special commands available to us to change our race, experience points, skills and gold coins. Basically, we go through each of the areas that are to be tested, looking for typos and bugs. If we find any, we have commands available to us that allow us to report them. The Wizard who is the creator of that project then logs on and he or she can simply read through all the typo/bug reports. We can also sugge st ideas for existing projects, and if the creator of that project likes our ideas, he/she can re-code his/her project. Submitting ideas is similar to submitting bugs or typos; you just use a command to report ideas. The second duty of the Mortal Councilors is to encourage their classes to come up with ideas and to provoke and initiate discussion among their class members about these ideas. The third duty is related to the second duty. All Mortal Councilors have to attend the [tri]monthly MC meetings. It is at the meetings that the Mortal Councilors can put forward ideas that their class members have suggested, and it is also here that unoccupied Wizards can find ideas to code from them. Why did I become a Mortal Councilor? Well. To put it quite frankly, my primary character is planning on becoming a Wizard quite soon, and I always thought in the back of my mind that I should be on the Mortal Council at least once before becoming a Wizard. Krim and Lahana were also instrumental in encouraging me to run. I am quite happy to tell you that being a Mortal Councilor before becoming a Wizard has several advantages, at least according to my opinion. You really get to know about how the Mortal Councilors will test your projects, how they think, what kind of bugs you should look out for if/when you code your own project etc. I personally think that after my term is finished and if then I become a Wizard, I will be slightly better off than if I become a Wizard without being on the Mortal Council. However, this is a matter of perspective and it simply makes me more comfortable doing it this way. We have had lots of exceptionally talented Wizards on Ancient Anguish who were never on the Mortal Council or the Mortal Council did not exist at all during their time. My View Of The Mortal Council continued on page 29 ... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 15.0 27 Stormmonth, 570 Page 29 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- My View Of The Mortal Council, continued from page 28 ... You may have been wondering about this questionnaire that is sent out via MUDmail to nominees for the Mortal Council. Well, it is usually composed of ten simple questions and is sent by a current Mortal Council member. I would strongly urge all nominees to answer this questionnaire promptly and thoroughly, as your replies get posted on the TestMUD. None of the questions test your intelligence quotient[1]. I hope that this has helped you, dear readers, to gain a better understanding of the Mortal Council. I also hope that this has encouraged some of you to run for the Mortal Council next term. Being on the Mortal Council is very exciting because of the hard work and talent of the Wizards who code projects, extremely satisfying because you are contributing to the MUD and helping out Wizards, and lots of fun as well because you get to live a little bit recklessly. We are always in need of nominees and I wish you the best of luck if you decide to run next term. Do not be discouraged if you do not get elected the first time, try again and eventually you will be elected! Hey, if I can do it, so can you. :-) Sincerely yours, Tiyowan ap Neb. Mage Mortal Councilor. [1] Editor's note: However, they are the only way most voters will be able to have any idea about who you are, why you are running and if you sound like you are serious about the Mortal Council. Let us try to not aim for a "taking the MC out of the MC" no-speech style of getting elected, even if it might seem to work in some far reaches of the world. ### The Castle Shop ### Low prices, top quality, those are the hallmarks that we have prided ourselves upon. For the knights, we are proud to offer a huge variety of weapons and armours with which to smite the foes of our liege. For the adventurers, handy items like torches and compasses can also be found on our shelves. Try us, we have the best prices in the land, and service that's second to none. Visit us at the northwestern corner of the courtyard of King Drin's Castle.