Volume Three Issue Three
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............./ / THE LEGENDARY TIMES
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...../ / /./ /./ /./ /.../ /./ /
..../ /_/..\______/./_____/./__/.../__/./_______/ MUD
.../________________/ running on mud.aus.sig.net 9999
199.1.78.16 9999
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http://mud.aus.sig.net/ ftp://mud.aus.sig.net/pub
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VOLUME THREE, ISSUE THREE February 5, 1996
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SPECIAL (HUMUNGOUS) SURVEY RESULTS EDITION
...:/:[ CONTENTS ]:\:...
SURVEY RESULTS
CODE UPDATE
ARTICLES
-Did You Know?-
-See Mika Web!-
-Trivia Update-
SOCIAL EVENTS
-The Farnsworth Saga-
-Genn's Transformation-
-Hermetic Guard Changes!-
-The Return of Kendrik-
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Please send your responses to articles to the Legendary Times address
at [email protected]. Letters to the editor are welcomed.
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Here they are, the results of the LegendMUD survey that appeared in
Vol III Issue 1. Some very interesting things emerged from the numbers.
We had around a 9% response rate from the Legendary Times
We've added some editorial notes in, and also left in sections of written-in
responses. Editorial comments are marked off like this: [Ed.: ...]
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1. How did you find out about LegendMUD?
27% a friend told me about it
24% got it from a mud list
24% found it on the World Wide Web
16% post in the mud newsgroups
5% thought it found them?
2% from gopher
0% don't remember
[Ed.: The Web has conquered the world. One player asked us to update the
Gopher entry... unfortunately, we can't, because it is not our gopher.]
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2. How long have you been playing at Legend?
35% under six months
32% under a year
27% under two years
2% less than a month
2% since before the beginning
0% "since it was on the Mac"
0% since the beginning (Feb 14th, 1994)
[Ed.: Obviously a lot of the new players didn't bother to send in surveys.
We do know they are out there.]
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3. How do you find the overall atmosphere?
64% it's rich and detailed and wonderful
35% it's good but could be better
0% it's decent, but all I want to do is kill
0% what the heck does this mean? The people suck,
the areas are lame, and the imms are weenies
Write in Comments:
"Actually, the mud atmosphere rich, detailed, and wonderful--but I don't want to
encourage any laurel-resting, since that can cause a nasty rash. :)"
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4. Rate how friendly the players are to newbies:
45% friendly
32% wonderful, the players go out of their way to help
16% not very welcoming, rather neutral
0% openly hostile, makes me wish I hadn't logged on
"When I first started playing, all the players were friendly and helpful, but
more recently they have not been."
"I looked at several muds, but this seemed to play the best as a beginner."
"Many go out of their way to help. Many don't. Some are jerks."
"Depends, if you whine they ream you, if they know you they level you
to the heavens."
"This is kind of depressing. When I started, the immorts had time for
newbies and all the high level players were willing to help if you kept
your requests reasonable. Recently, I have tried creating new characters
to meet other players who might not be as friendly to my original one. I
have been unsuccessful in generating a single new friend. It seems there
are lots of players but they aren't as friendly as the original group."
"The players go out of their way to help. But the attitude when I first
started out was a little different.. I didn't find to many people willing
to help a newbie."
"Just want to thank all who have added to Legend with their time and patience
for all us long-term newbies.. :)"
"Players are friendly (with notable exceptions...some long-term players are
of the 'see-no-evil' variety and don't want to hear any criticisms)."
[Ed.: Several of the above seem to contradict each other. It was better
then, it is better now... the overall sense is that though some people
are still rude, the mud as whole seems friendly now.]
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5. What about immortal help for newbies?
67% they have been helpful
13% wonderful, they offer every support they can
10% the immortals help newbies? I've never seen one
2% they treat me like slime
"Depends on the immort now doesn't it?"
"The reason I was able to survive at Legend was the immorts. The immorts
are wonderful. I realize that with so many newbie lately it must be
impossible for the immorts to be as helpful as they used to but they
still are doing a reasonable job of it from my experiences with new
characters."
"I have seen some immortals be extremely helpful to newbies, yet I've also
seen a few completely ignore newbies."
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6. How would you rate the behavior of immortals? (Not building ability,
but rather, how they deal with players and the mud.)
70% good--they do a good job
16% medium--what can ya say? they're just immorts.
5% excellent--a model of good administration
2% poor--these guys ought not to speak to people
2% abysmal--they should be put to death
"immorts sometimes take the "keep quests and stats secret" thing a bit too
far, but very open to constructive criticism."
"I can't say excellent. It would sound like I was trying to kiss up or
something. Besides, the immorts have real lives to live you know. I would
hate to make them spend 24 hours a day logged in just to deal with
players so that everyone thought they were wonderful. There always is an
immort around when you need one."
"A few glitches here and there. But overall quite good."
"My biggest bitch with the IMMS is how much policy varies from one to
another."
"Poor--these guys ought not to speak to people for the majority of the old
guard. Good--they do a good job for the new guard, they haven't become jaded
yet."
"I have talked to most immortals and most are quite friendly, though I have
had bad dealings with one in particular."
"They do a good job (generally, but very inconsistent, with some showing
favoritism and hidden agendas outside of policy.)"
[Ed.: The latter four responses point to what appears to be a problem:
the perceived inconsistency between different members of the immortal
staff. It's also worth noting that there were some strongly negative
responses here. Sounds like a good LDL topic!]
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7. Tell us about playerkilling and clanning:
37% I don't have a clanned character at all
21% I am clanned and ALSO in an RP group
13% I am clanned but not in an RP group
13% I don't have a clanned char but I am in an RP group
0% I have more than one clanned character
"I don't understand why two rogue character aren't allowed since there is no
possibility of using clan knowledge."
[Ed.: Because you could use one rogue character to settle the grudges of
another, which is bad roleplaying, bad crossplaying, and plain bad. This is
why you are allowed only one clanned character period.]
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37% I am clanned and my clan is wonderful
10% I am clanned rogue
5% I am clanned and my clan is useless
43% the playerkilling system is fine and the players are broke
2% the playerkilling system is fine and the players are mostly good.
0% the playerkilling system is broke
[Ed.: Lo and behold: basically nobody clanned thinks there are major problems
with the clan system. Quite an upset to conventional wisdom here...]
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-The immortals should:
51% leave the system how it is
24% clan everyone from level
5% one
2% ten
2% other
8% remove immortals from it altogether, let people clan themselves
5% clan everyone without level limits for attacks
5% make people choose whether to clan at char gen
0% do away with clans and make all clanned people rogue
0% remove pkill altogether
Write-ins:
"Leave clan system how it is (with improvements including the banning of
corpse looting, unless all the eq changes are over with.)"
"I don't know of any way to keep some people from being jerks when it comes
to PK. The system in place seems to be pretty effective at allowing
some to PK while allowing others to avoid it."
"My RP character, used to be [clan deleted] but switched to RP because I want
to make friends, not kill players."
"Make pkill more interesting for ALL the players. Pkill would be
interesting for me if it was more an RP thing. I would love a way to fight
real life characters instead of mobs if it was just for fun. I wish there
was a pkill arena open to the public (unclanned) so that we could fight
duels and such without the risk of experience loss. It would make the
world a bit more fun. I'd even consider fighting if there was a minimal
experience loss. The problem is that when losing costs me half my
experience I'll have to remain an RP player. I'm just not good enough to
take the risk."
[Ed.: Death to pkill costs you only 1/4 of your experience, up to a cap
of 1 million. Regular death costs 1/2 or 2 million.]
"I unclanned because a player was threatening to permakill me. I
took the threat seriously. I felt like that is going too far. This is only
a game, but permakilling takes away the fun of it. I do wish I could have
taken my clanned char. all the way to fifty. It would have meant more than
it did as an unclanned char."
[Ed.: Personally, I agree that the casual threat of permakilling is bad
form on the part of the person making the threats. It smells like a bully,
and bullies are not fun people to play with, on a mud or in a schoolyard.]
"I think there could be changes to the clan system, but not one of the ones
suggested."
"Regarding clanning everyone: An outrageous and unworkable proposition,
probably--but it would remove the instant awareness among the pkilling
clans of all new pkill-enabled characters--after all, some people like to
keep secrets. :) My next closest vote is to leave the system as it is and
let people find creative ways to play around it."
"Unclan everyone (but keep them pk enabled) after the tree pk-less is done
and see if we can't improve things by making a fresh start. In retrospect,
i think we added the playerkilling system too early (we did it while
everyone was still a homogenous, friendly group, and got the clans off to a
bad start...just MHO)"
"Clan everyone from level 25-30 but tighten level restrictions for pkill--
only within three to five levels of your own level."
[Ed.: This suggestion comes up periodically, and the usual response is
that there ISN'T anyone within 3 to 5 levels, so there would be no pkilling
at all. Also often mentioned is that it means that if you do get into a
fight, there will be very few people capable of helping you.]
"I'm not exactly an expert on the subject, but I really don't see too many
problems with pkill. Most clanned characters don't complain too much --
and usually only after they're killed. There may be less pkilling on the
MUD, but that's because most folks realize that the risks involved
generally only make it worth doing as a very extreme measure."
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8. Rate the following roleplaying features:
- The Out of Character Lounge:
40% I hang out there occasionally
27% it's wonderful
16% I go there to go AFK, that's about it
10% what is the out of character lounge?
5% useless
2% it's used as a pkill refuge and needs ripped out
"I went there only when there was a weapons test, I don't find it useful now."
"I've never found a use for it, never see anyone but me there."
"I mostly go afk there. I'll also discuss things there. I don't "hang
out" there. I use the ooc if someone wants to talk about something
non-game related."
"People should go there more for non-rp discussions...I'd rather see
immorts get shirty about discussions of "seinfeld" on chat than discussions
of quests or item stats."
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- The War Room Board:
27% what is the war room board?
24% it was nice but the imms need to clear it sometime
21% it's great, finally a way for clanned folks to communicate
5% it's a colossal waste of time, I got no help from it at all
[Ed.: The War Room board is a board for clanned players to communicate
with each other. It has recruitment notices, threats, treaties, and such
on it. It is located in the OOC, and found by going down from the Wild
Boar Tavern.]
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- the moods and eloquence system
29% I love the way speech looks
27% what is it?
27% I wish we could put in our own moods
27% it's OK but I wish it didn't break sentences with i.e. and Mr. up
16% we need more moods
2% I leave MOOD OFF because it's spammy and confusing
"Unfortunately I haven't learned how to use it very well. and only use
it occasionally. It would be nice if the help files and allskills list were
in alphabetical order. It is hard to find what I am looking for with such a
long list."
"I really like it. I think the mood names might need some clearing up
though."
[Ed.: A stunning amount of people don't know what it is, which means they
are taking it for granted. :) This may be a good thing. Remember, the
moods include not only the actual moods, but also how your text is
punctuated and presented.]
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- the player description system
48% I use it all the time
37% I don't have a desc registered
16% I wish everyone had a desc registered
8% I wish I could skip seeing other people's descs
2% I have a desc registered but don't use it
2% I don't care
"I am too dumb to remember who those people are. Recently, I found myself
in a room with a friend and I didn't realize who it was because I had
forgotten her description so I snubbed her. She got mad at me. I would
love descs if they also had the real name of the character in parenthesis
or something for players like me who are dumb."
[Ed.: If we did this, then people would not be able to use them as
disguises, which many of them wish to do.]
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9. Tell us about combat:
- What kind of character do you play?
81% dex fighters
35% con fighters
16% str fighters
2% trying to be ____str_____ but forced to be ___dex___.
[Ed.: Way way way too many dex fighters. Which may be why so many people
say they are doing great. Dexterity being too powerful was the single
biggest issue of the survey.]
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- So what's wrong with it?
35% it all kicks ass, I am doing great
18% dex is too powerful
18% nothing that couldn't be fixed with better str or con weapons
16% herbalists suck
16% stun is too powerful
13% magic is too wimpy
13% str fighters suck
10% con fighters suck
8% magic is too powerful
5% dodge is too powerful
5% fast attacks are too powerful
2% calm is too powerful
2% surgery is too powerful
[Ed.: Add up the various ones complaining about specific aspects, and you
get this: 80% of the mud says you can't live without dexterity. Which just
happens to match the % of dex characters we have. *sigh*]
"Combat needs balance generally, include non-physical, non-magical combat
methods to beat some mobs."
"You left off everyone's favorite "blind is too powerful"; I imagine this
is even more so since the number of blinding weapons has decreased with
the passing of the blinding wormy. I think blinding weapons ought to be
purged and blinding left to the mage's blinding flash. I also think
cookies are made by elves who live in trees."
"I haven't done much with con yet, so can't really comment on it.
My str fighter does well, and I have no complaints, but:
- 100 dex can be obtained easily and at a low level
- my dex fighter armed with a "good" weapon does better than
my str fighter armed with a "great" weapon
It seems to me that a dex fighter with 100 dex and 50 str should do about
as well as a str fighter with 100 str and 50 dex. Currently, I would
guess that a dex fighter with 100 dex and 10 str would do better than
a str fighter with 100 str and 100 dex.
"It is much easier to raise dex than str and con."
"Most of the best weapons are dex weapons."
"+dam bonus is "diluted" by more attacks, +hit isn't."
"Despite what you said in LDL the str weapons rent are too high :P"
"Str fighters suck. They too do too little damage too. Maybe a higher DR
for greater str would help."
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10. Tell us about magic:
29% Finding words is too hard
18% I don't use magic
13% Cause is too much better than create
13% Magic is underpowered
5% Magic is too powerful
0% Create is too much better than cause
Write-ins:
"The only problem I have with the magic system is the extreme spell cost for
some spells."
"Finding words is very difficult without help, but everyone has help."
"Finding words is NOT too hard, but needing 2 practices for some is
ridiculous."
"Mages do great against mobs with low mind, but are nearly helpless against
mobs that bash or trip a lot. This could be used to promote grouping
but I haven't seen it yet."
"It would be real nice if when you can't learn a word the mob would tell
you exactly how far off you are. I have been trying for a month to learn
one specific word and I keep missing it."
"Magic is too Wimpy. Mainly, the Attack Spells seem to do too little
damage. I find myself using my kick in favor of Immolate. Doesn't that sound
strange too you too? All that hell i went thru learning words and I use a
skill learned on the streets of aggrabah. :)"
"I especially wish more of the spells worked."
"Magic is fine just the way it is, although it would be nice if there
were a fighting stat associated with mind (but, then, that's probably
making it too easy)."
[Ed.: the damage done by magic spells correlates directly with mind.]
"The thing with magic is, if you arent gonna be a cause mage how are
you gonna cure blind, and just what the heck else are u gonna be other than a
mage if you are from agrabah or tara guess you can always waste your
practices."
"Magic is too versatile, for the number of pracs spent.
A full 3rd circle cause mage has 90 or so spells. To get these
spells, he or she spent 34? practices. Not all of those spells are
useful, but many are. A non-mage, for 34 practices can general at
best get 34 different effects, less if there are some "useless"
pre-reqs in there. (don't get me wrong, I like eloquence, and play
can be cool, but they don't do much for you in the realm of
effectiveness). Say for example, trueform requires [#] practices ([various
spell words listed]). To be able to repair nonmagical things requires
[smaller number given] ([various skills listed]). But the mage gets a
number of other benefits from those words [various spells listed], as well as
contributions towards other spells."
[Ed.Note: It's hard to discuss these issues without being specific -- I
hope that the above comments made sense despite my er....editing.]
"I don't use magic (but find it dominates much questing and much interaction
with npcs...Needs balance or industrial equivalents)."
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11. What about guns?
64% I don't use guns
16% they are great only if you use the skills
13% they are great
2% they are useless
Write-ins:
"They are useless. That goes double for bows!"
"I wish my characters from ancient could use them!"
"SNIPER is too powerful but thats ok, I'm making one myself."
"I don't use guns but i used to they arent very good because they
don't stun or anything."
"I like the idea but, they are very powerful now, hehe Im gonna make a char
with 500hp and sniper then lets see someone try and kill me."
"Perc requirements for gun skills seem a bit high to me except for
sniper...Mobs with high gun skills are very deadly and need to have
commensurate experience point rewards...Cowhands, for example)."
[Ed.: A fix for sniper's extreme power is planned.]
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12. What's your feeling on skill trees:
54% I can't wait for the new variety in skills
45% I think we need more practices when they go in
18% I am worried that the trees will class me
16% I am scared to death my character will be rendered useless
8% I hope they will fix the balance problems with Dexterity.
2% I hope it ends up a wonderful addition
2% I hope they will fix the balance problems with disparities between
hometowns, need to specialize (resulting in improved role-play).
2% I hope they will fix the balance problems with Londoners sucking.
2% I hope they will fix the balance problems with transforming.
2% I hope they will fix the balance problems with weak strength.
2% have to wait and see
"Since I've never played a mud with skill trees, I don't really know what
effect it will have - I certainly *hope* trees won't class me."
"I hope they will fix the balance problems with transforming, but unlike
some people, I don't think it will. More likely, it will fix problems with
master of all trades by number of practices spent only."
"I think there should be some help files on stats choices to make a
certain kind of char, no wonder we got so many armwrestling newbies running
around."
"A tree description might be nice so that one can plan for a type of char
he/she wants to be."
"It worries me that players won't know the base skills for which tree they
want to progress in."
"I can't think of any reason at this point in time to be a Londoner
rather than a Liman (would that be the right word?)."
"Well, I could always make more characters..., and we don't REALLY need
more practices, but I've been stuck at low levels, so I'm ALWAYS looking
for more practices. I suspect this won't be a problem once I actually have
a high-level character."
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13. Tell us about the areas:
I only play in certain areas:
24% I only play in Kaige's areas (Sherwood, Arabia, etc)
because
0% she has too many mobs
2% cause she is such a sweetie and a cutie :P
2% she's the best builder here
5% she loads lots of the same mob
8% everyone else has too few
13% her mobs are balanced
5% I only play in industrial, doing the XP run
5% I never play in the IND era
5% There are American areas? Really? Where?
0% I only play in the areas the person who levelled me to
20th took me to, and I don't know how to get anywhere
else
You'd have to make me an immort before I set foot in
10% Hell
8% Ireland
5% Beowulf
54% I cover the whole mud with my amazing ability to master
different and new environments!
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I play regularly in the following:
81% London
81% Sherwood
78% Roman Britain (inc. Orkneys and Picts)
75% Ireland
72% Arabia
62% the Abbey
56% French-Indian War
51% Vikings
45% South Seas
45% Seoni Jungle
45% Lima
45% Kleinstadt
37% The Hall of Legends
37% Hell
35% Nazca (stops when you leave the village north!)
32% Savanna
32% Egypt
32% Aztecs (ends at the village southwards!)
29% Tortuga
27% The Alhambra
24% Ancient India
24% World War I (I know, it's new, but have you tried it?)
18% Beowulf
16% San Francisco
"What the hell is The Alhambra?"
[Ed.: Try HELP ALHAMBRA. It's Medieval Spain just after the Spanish have
recovered it from the Moors. It's listed in AREAS...]
"Kleinstadt: dullest town on the mud."
"I would play nazca/aztecs more often but it is too difficult to get
there...I have to go kill the [trans mob] every time, it seems. If you've
gotten there once, you should be able to [perform given time trans action]
and go there from there on. Ditto the return: [perform give time trans
action] and away you go."
"I found all these other areas to boring to mess with: Aztecs, Nazca, Egypt,
Alhambra, Klein, Lima."
"I play [in the Hall of Legends] frequently, but only for the gift shoppe."
[Ed.: I consider this to be a Bad Thing. :( Hopefully we can develop
every area to where it is attractive for more than the equipment sold there.]
"I wish there were more high XP mobs [in Arabia]."
[Ed.: Arabia is of course heavy on newbie mobs, as it is a hometown. But 18%
of the loaded mobs are over lvl 30.]
"Beowulf is great! the whale is one of the best exp mobs and hardly anyone
goes to kill it."
"I do plan on spending time in Beowulf, just haven't had time yet. I
do plan on exploring wwi also. I spend time, but less so in all of the
other areas, except San Francisco ( only go there for colts but won't
anymore) and India and Egypt and Nazca, Tortuga, Aztecs ( I hear there are
some very fun quests here and would like to try them). I would say 90% of
my time is spent in London and Bengal. That is because I socialize mostly
and kill what I can."
"The WWI and Casablanca eras really need better writing, descriptions,
interactivity, etc. Most of the areas are good, but the bad ones--SF, WWI,
Casablanca, Phoenicia, Middle Ages Europe (it's so small) really bug me."
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The best thing about the areas is:
51% the variety
43% the historical feel
35% the interactivity
27% the quests
24% the writing of rooms
24% the cool equipment
21% the mobs to kill
"Quests in sherwood are the best! Ritter quest is also very good."
"Different areas have different best things. I like Alhambra
because of the historical feel. I like being in the castle. I love the
fishing quest in Viking (mostly because it was easy enough for me to figure
out)"
"I love the surprises, like when someone says something when you sit in a
room long enough. I love mobs that interact with characters."
"I like rich detail, moderate mazes (I think the African forest is a
little, not very much so, confusing and illogical), geographical accuracy
and historical/mythical accuracy."
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The worst thing about the areas is:
51% quests are too hard to find
32% too many reboot-only things
29% not enough quests
18% not enough cool equipment
10% not enough variety
8% everything is too hard
8% the spammy talking mobs
5% not enough fantasy
5% not enough to kill
5% the silly long descriptions
2% everything is too easy
2% not enough realism
2% timed equipment
2% too much cool eq
"Quests are too hard to find except for sherwood."
"The only real complaint I have so far ahs to do with the quests...if you're
clever, they're not particularly difficult, and can result in you being
waaay over your head...having just wound up in Casablanca at L3, hiding from
children..."
"Quests, quests, quests: that's the big problem in a
nutshell. That's one of the two big reasons that everyone gets into killing
ruts. I have now solved two more quests in the last week. I was told by
several senior players that i would smack my head and say 'oh' once i
finished a quest, and see how obvious it was. I didn't. Both quests were
frustrating for very different reasons. [Two examples of quests with
inadequate hints given]. So how am I to suspect there's a quest there? This
only scratches the surface: there are *many* (or maybe) quests where clues
take you into the beginning and then leave you utterly baffled -- [more
quests with inadequate hints given]. (I begin to suspect lately that some
of these may involve learning magic words--but then there's got to be a
way of warning you off of those if you aren't a mage.)"
[Ed.: Well, we try. :( Hints for quests emerged as a major theme of the
survey. We'll see what can be done and where.]
[Ed.Note: Again, I ended up doing some editing of specific game
information. It was kind of an iffy call, but I prefer to err on the side
of caution.]
"I think it is hard to find mobs to kill in mid range in most areas but
London and Bengal, I know there are more, but I keep getting burned when I
try them. They all don't *con* the same. A perfect match in London and a
perfect match in Sherwood are not the same. I would like it if the *con*
was more consistent."
"We need a better range of mobs of all alignments for each level. Too many
low lvl mobs are good."
[Ed.: The average alignment for mobs on the mud happens to be 53, which is
pretty darn close to 0. Tracking how well it balances out level by level
is unfortunately a lot harder.]
"Umm.. I don't know. I can't think of anything I've really
disliked... perhaps that there are some mobs which I think should
assist but don't (such as the London bobby)."
"I'd like to see a lot more of the simple quests (like the baby llama
quest or the eagle feather quest."
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- Choose the three qualities from this list that you care about most
in an area:
64% lots of interactivity (talking mobs, etc)
62% range of mobs (levels)
56% quests (number and/or quality)
43% a logical map
43% "good" stat items
35% good writing
29% challenging mobs
16% good "rp" items
2% sense of excitement about what is happening
0% mazes
[Ed.Note: Thanks to all who filled out and sent surveys and to Ptah and
Kaige for tabulating the results!]
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CODE UPDATE
- We've tracked down several of the bugs that whave been causing us to
crash lately, including one with the foul spell and another involving
the wolf pack leader in the Seoni.
- The poison weapons skill has been fixed so that only those who actually
HAVE the skill can use it :)
- Charmed mobs now go *poof* after their masters (and/or mistresses)
leave the game.
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_____
/ _ \ DID YOU KNOW ...there is a peer review process for
/__/ \ \ new areas or major revisions or updates to existing areas?
/ /
/ / In an effort to prevent unbalancing equipment, mobs,
/__/ quests or even unpleasant bugs and oversights from being
__ introduced into the game in the first place, we have
/ \ set up a process in which immortals must have the approval
\__/ of four other immortals to have their area or update put m
into the main mud server.
_____ This is a new process and one that is a lot of work for
/ _ \ everyone involved so please excuse any delays in opening
/__/ \ \ new areas this might cause. We feel it is better to open
/ / only well-done 'finished' areas that are consistent than
/ / to frustrate players with endless small changes or major
/__/ disappointments when an area does not meet their
__ expectations compared to others in the mud already.
/ \
\__/ Areas in the process of review include: Crete (new),
the Paris Opera House (new), and San Francisco (expansion).
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SEE MIKA WEB!
Ever wondered what Mika, the furry terror to shoe laces and chew toys looks
like in RL? Thanks to Kaige, you can now find out! To see Mika and her pal
Gabe, just take your web searcher to http://mud.aus.sig.net/ and go to
Kaige's page (you can get there from the "About the Immortals Section").
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TRIVIA CONTEST UPDATE
Several people have taken home strung items as a result of the trivia
contest! Congrats to them :) In case you don't remember the rules, here
they are:
Answer all the questions correctly to get a strung item coupon.
Answer all questions plus find the secret web page and turn in the code
word and you can win a second strung item.
You can find the questions on Legend's official web page:
http://mud.aus.sig.net/
and also in the last issue of the Legendary Times.
Email your answers to [email protected]. Remember, the trivia runs
until February 14th, the mud anniversary!
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________________________
/ \
o O | Wonder what folks are |
`\|||/ | doing over at LegendMud?|
(o o) \________________________/
ooO_(_)_Ooo_____________________________________________________________
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__|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|___
_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____
The major story of this issue is without doubt the Farnsworth Saga.
Apparently, the itinerant bard has been on a quest for enlightenment for
some time now. For weeks, notes such as the following appeared on various
area boards:
(the Klein board)
Dear brother,
As I sit here in the city of your birth I ponder our many exploits together.
I find that Ours is a good a firm relationship.
We have a closeness no other brothers can match.
Remember always brother that great minds think alike.
I will always be there for you as I know you will always be there for me.
I will continue my search knowing that I am richer for my family than
most men.
This I do have the answers to.
Farnsworth, pilgrim (and still wordy)
[Ed.Note: Farnsworth appears to be referring to "Zorn" when he says
"brother"]
(the Tortuga board)
(5) From: Farnsworth Title: The pilgrimage continues
This place is cold and empty of philosophies.
The pirates and scoundrels who hang around here are without direction.
I can learn nothing here other than despair.
This is not the place I seek.
Farnsworth Kurwa, Pilgrim
After several days, Farnsworth, in the company of his wife Linda and
brother Zorn, began an ascent of Mt. Kilamonjaro, where he hoped to find
ultimate enlightenment.
"As we climb," he remarked, "I find a peace coming over me. I believe I
have done the right thing...I believe I will find the answers." Gasping,
he exclaimed "IT's spiritual!...I am sure now It has all become to obvious."
"Tell us the truth that has been revealed to you Brother," Zorn queried.
"The truth is..," Farnsworth began...
"Tell us dearest," begged his wife.
As Farnsworth stepped backward, he tripped on a small pebble that rolled
loosely underfoot--a pebble he could have sworn was not there merely moments
before...Losing his balance, he fell without a cry over the edge of the
cliff, amid the screams of his loved ones...
>From his far off vantage point, Dominic sighed and said "I was afraid of
this.."
"I reached, but couldn't grasp his hand," Zorn sadly reported.
Amid the general alarm, Farnsworth landed heavily, but was not killed... a
nasty gash at the temple and a disoriented look indicated that some trauma
may have been suffered...
"Zorn," Linda begged, "Please tell me I'm hallucinating or something... it
can't be happening...not now!!!!"
"It is,' sighed Zorn, "I don't know what we can do for him now."
Farnsworth groaned heavily. "Oh my head....."
"We need a doctor in London!!!!," Linda yelled.
"Who are you people?," Farnsworth asked as he looked around in confusion.
Cora answered Linda's desperate request: "I'm near London and know a bit of
the healing arts if someone needs assistance."
"Darnit, who are you people"," Farnsworth continued.
"I am Darby, of Clan MacLaren," Darby answered, "And yourself?"
Farnsworth began his answer: "Why I'm........" He stopped in confusion
and admitted "I don't seem to know." He frowned.
Examining her patient, Cora remarked "It seems you've had quite the fall
there Sir." She dabbed a bit of sab to the nasty gash on Farnsworth's
forehead. Farnsworth winced in pain. Looking up from her work, Cora
gravely addressed Farnsworth friends and family. "It seems," she
explained, "that the blow to his head has caused a severe case of...
AMNESIA!
In the days following, Farnsworth has continued to exhibit those
symptoms, much to the consternation of those close to him. Spencer, a
close friend of the Kurwa family, sent us the following account:
Listen, my friends, as I tell the tale of events that I witnessed a night
not too long ago. The story of a favorite son of Legend; a most noble Bard;
a humble doctor; an honorable man.
Some time ago Farnsworth arrived in London, and shortly thereafter began
his life of exploration. It was an exploration of more than just locale.
Through the many levels of life's experiences he progressed: skills were
learned, lands explored, quests completed, foes fought and friends won. He
gained a wife, the raven-haired waif Linda, strengthened his relationship
with his dynamic brother Zorn, adopted a son named Valad, rose to high rank
within his clan of choice, became a doctor of some note, and gained the
friendship, loyalty and respect of those who came to know him.
Yet, though he might have been considered at the height of his being by
some, Farnsworth Kurwa needed more. He was recently seen traveling the
paths of Legend, searching to find the source of his unrest and talking to
the inhabitants, constantly learning the ways of the different peoples.
Along the way he began to note his thoughts on local boards, sharing
findings and expectations with any reader with interest. He began to divest
himself of all but the most needed to continue - many were offered an item
from his bag, for free or for an up-grade with the replaced item being
returned to the bag for another's possible use. Farnsworth once noted to
this humble chronicler that he was pleasantly surprised at the generosity of
the many persons he encountered. It was obvious that he was pleased with
this knowledge.
If one reads the boards, a story of progress emerges, leading the reader
through the enlightening of a driven man. Driven by a need which may lie
within us all. But, unlike the majority of us, Farnsworth seems to have
come across his final answer.
On a night not long ago, he was seen in the company of his wife and
brother, as well the noble knights Sir Dominic, Sir Somar, and the late
arriving Sir Parneb. He chatted amicably with his fellow Bard, Howard, and
was generally in what might be called a serene mood. He had resigned
himself to the inevitable fact that what could not be found on the land must
be sought above the land - a quest to the highest point on Legend must be
undertaken.
Naturally the loving Linda and devoted Zorn accompanied Farnsworth on his
sojourn. From the docks of Bengal to Zanzibar they journeyed. Across the
Savannah they traveled, and up the slopes of Kilamanjaro. And there, in the
heights as he had suspected, one could see the serenity settle upon him. A
look of fulfillment spread across his face, sending joy and curiosity
through his companions.
Farnsworth began to tell his companions the reasons for his jubilation when
Fate took notice. An unwatched step, a loose pebble, a delayed reaction, a
aborted cry of alarm, seconds seeming like hours. Before the shocked
onlookers, Farnsworth Kurwa tumbled from the pinnacle.
Confusion reigned for some time thereafter as the reality of what had just
occurred registered. Grief-stricken and numb, Linda and Zorn returned to
London, carrying with them the battered body of their beloved husband and
brother. At the hospital, with Farnsworth in the care of an able nurse,
Linda and Zorn sent out a desperate call for a doctor and their pleas were
soon answered by the charming Dr. Cora, who ably ministered to the physical
wounds.
Amidst outbursts by the sometimes hysterical Linda, the solid Zorn stayed
calm, comforting the grieving wife and aiding the working doctor as needed.
But as the doctor announced that the patient would recover, a more somber
bit of information was to come to light as well - Farnsworth had lost his
memory.
The tale does not end here, my friend. Not in the least. As you wander
this world you will see Farnsworth Kurwa. You will see him progress again.
My last information tells me that he has begun to remember - he has learned
that he is a fighter; that a scalpel feels right in his hand. He says
feelings are more familiar to him than events (Tho, I might add. he did say
something about Tad and a parade of bunnies being a real memory). He
travels often in the company of his wife, who now carries the burden of
being mentor as well.
So this story, it seems, has no end at all. Nor does it have the answers
which Farnsworth spent so much time searching for. But I believe we may all
learn something from this man, and I hope each of you has an opportunity to
meet him, talk with him and travel with him.
Your humble servant, Spencer
\|/ \|/ \|/
Several other characters have suffered various traumas in the past few
weeks. Vandal was permanently slain by a leather clad bike goddess;
apparently he got in the way of her turn signal. Agrippa, key player in
the legendary child custody battle with Damara decided to exit since
various players were responding to his rp in an ooc fashion. Apparently,
the Hermetics are raising his son Romulus Xo Daer, while the Knights have
the care of Chelsea. Ely departed these shores last week. In turn, Ely's
fiance Genn seems to have suffered some curious transformation. We received
this communication from her just a few days ago...
29 January,
What a strange set of occurences these past few days! It began yesterday, when
i managed to get my hands on a new dagger. I was thrilled, because it meant i
could finally give my Ely back the beer bottle he had lent me to defend myself
with. I was on my way back to my clan hall to drop the dagger off, when i
blacked out.
I awoke this morning in the Royal Stag, to discover that everything i had was
gone! the new dagger, Ely's bottle, even my nose-ring! But most distressing
of all was that i had lost the thing most near and dear to my heart, the
crystal circle of love that had been given to me by my Ely. This loss i could
not bear and i wandered the streets of london in a deep blue funk, pondering my
predicament. Not only had i lost the ring, but i had lost things i had been
trusted with...how would i ever face Ely again?
During my wanderings, i happened upon a young man with bright, white teeth.
Normally, i would have ignored him, but his eyes were black, like my Ely's, and
it set me to crying all over again. He asked me what was wrong, and i spilled
it all to him. He told me he could help me...he told me of his people,
descendents of Caine. He told me how they were cursed by God with immortality
and a hunger for blood. He was Nosferatu, a vampire. He told me that through
him, i could find the strength and the power to right things that had gone
wrong. At this point, it was my best option, so i asked him what was required
of me...he told me that i must die, in order to be reborn of the blood of
Caine. He closed his lips around my neck and bit down hard. I could feel the
blood flow from my veins, and felt myself getting weaker. Just as i was about
to black out, he stopped, and bit his own wrist. Holding it to my lips, i felt
his heart beating in time with my own, i felt the power in his blood, and i
drank. Soon the pounding of my heart became more intense, until it filled my
head like the noise of a thousand drums. Unable to tolerate it any more, i
broke from him, and ran. As i ran, i heard him say "It is done." I knew what
came next. I returned home and came to my desk, where i began writing these
words. I should be dead by morning, and i will be changed forever. Will it be
for the best? i cannot say, but time will tell.
--Genn
\|/ \|/ \|/
Satsu, beloved leader of the Hermetics, recently announced his retirement
as GM, as well as from Legend. His place was filled by Xo, who has
appointed Toranthaz as the Hermetic Scribe. From what we hear, Xo plans
to continue the policies of Satsu. In the past week, the Hermetics (along
with the Secretives) have been seen duking it out with Magda and
Kretch...more clan wars, perhaps? On a more peaceful note, Mitra (the
clan's shield maiden) and her husband Gerry, announced the birth of their
daughter Vashti. Vashti, it seems, is quite precocious. She's already
getting around Tara and learning the crafts of her parents...
\|/ \|/ \|/
We recently received this flyer. Looks like a new rp clan!
I am glad to present you the goals of the new LegendMUD clan: the
adepts of the Shotokai. Our clan is dedicated to the study of ancient
Japanese martial arts and wisdom. We hope to teach our members how to
salute their brothers and roleplay with Japanese words. Shotokai is a
style of Karate, based on quickness and concentration, perhaps.....
surely, the most powerful fighting style ever created by men. Our clan
is not yet a formal one, but tends to be. We accept all players,
especially dex fighters and cause mages. We couldn't care less than
alignement, our alignement is your own inner peace. ....
Pray with us for the long life of the Shotokai, may the ancient
warlords survive in the realm of LegendMUD
Sayonara!
\|/ \|/ \|/
THE RETURN OF KENDRIK
We received Darby's account of the events just before going to press
today:
It all started right after yet another of my battles with Rhys, in
which I was once again whipped soundly. While resting at the Silver
Branch, I caught a few snippets of conversation about my nephew, Tad.
He was apparently in Hell at the time, with several of his friends (all
women, in this case). This in itself was not a problem; however, I also
heard that one or more of them was trying to teach him things that a
child of the age should NOT be hearing about. So, suspicions raised, I
inquired what was going on. Mitra, Nocturne, and Sabella responded, and
what ensued was a discussion that went something like this (not exact
quotes):
Sabella: He's a bit young, Nocturne.
Mitra: But he's so young!
Nocturne: Yes, but he's also SO cute...
Darby: WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MY NEPHEW?!?
Sabella: That's true, he IS really cute.
Nocturne: Besides, how young is he, really?
Mitra: Way too young for that!
Darby: Sabella, you're the boy's godmother! You're supposed to keep him OUT
of trouble!
Sabella: Well, he's got to learn sometime, doesn't he?
Darby: And you're going to let NOCTURNE, a succubus, teach him?
Nocturne: Wouldn't you rather learn from a professional?
Darby: I'd rather he didn't learn at all, for now...
Sabella: Darby, do you have any idea how many females you're coming very close
to offending?
Darby: Uh, none?
At this point I realized that things were really not going well, as I
rarely become that insulting. (My apologies for that comment for
everyone who was with Tad at the time.) As I cannot bypass the angel and
get into Hell, there was very little I could do. Finally I lamented
"Where in Hell is the boy's mother?" then realized that if she was in Hell at
the time, there wouldn't have been a problem. But finally, another came
to my aid, as in front of me materialized... the ghost of Kendrik! I at
first thought it a hallucination brought about by my wounds, but he
assured me "It is I, brother."
Heated argument between myself, Kendrik, and the women accompanying Tad
continued right up to the point where I ordered Tad to leave them immediately.
No sooner were the words out of my mouth, than did Tad arrive in the Reception.
At that point I witnessed the tearful reunion of Tad and his father. Tad
tried to hug Kendrik, but simply passed right through him.
Tad: "Why can I nae touch ye, Da'?"
Kendrik: "I's dedded."
(I never could quite get my brother to speak well around the boy...*sigh*)
Kendrik: "You must not see Sabella or Nocturne anymore, my son."
Tad: "But Da', they're me friends!"
Darby: "Brother, Sabella has been named the boy's godmother, and she really
has been very good to the boy."
Kendrik: "I wish my son to have no truck with vampires and succubi."
What ensued was more pleading by Tad, more stubborn denial on Kendrik's part,
several other intercessions by me on the part of Sabella, and finally my
brother relented...
Kendrik: "Very well, you may see Sabella, but you must have nothing to do
with that demon Nocturne!"
And, his decision reached, Kendrik had to say his goodbyes and leave
us, as the pull of the spirit world was becoming too strong.
Unfortunately (and understandably) Tad didn't take this at all well, and
with a sob he jumped up and ran off. This prompted me to immediately call
for help, as I knew the boy was about to do something rash. I received a
few responses, including Sabella's "Tell the boy's father to take care of
him." to which I replied "I'd love to, but he up and left again!" In the
end, it was Arturos who arrived to help me.
I followed Art, who tracked Tad to the Dun, where he was taking out his
anger on anything that happened to be in the way.... including, once he
was done with the nearby guards, Arturos! Meanwhile, I was stuck in the
middle, casting cure spells to try and keep both of them from dying.
Eventually, Arturos had to flee; I decided to follow Tad, as he was more
likely to get himself killed, while Arturos tried to find someone else
that could help. But unfortunately, help in the form of Jondalar arrived
just too late, because Tad fell just as he arrived.
When he finally came to, many others had arrived. Arturos had returned,
and Sandra came, concerned for the lad. The demon Nocturne also showed, but
not wishing to distress Tad any further, I decided not to make an issue out
of it. Eventually Sandra asked to speak with Tad in private, which seemed
to do him some good, and the MacLaren family's long night was over. I
shudder to think what my sister Northstar's reaction will be; she has much
the same temper as my brother and nephew. Anyway, I just wish to express
my thanks to Mitra for trying to keep the boy out of trouble in Hell, to
Arturos and Jondalar for trying to prevent this unfortunate occurence, and
to Sandra for doing an excellent job of comforting the boy. And also to
Sabella, for she truly has done a good job as the boy's godmother... And
as for Nocturne... well, I would like to see Kendrik's wishes obeyed, but
this is a matter to be left for the boy's mother. I thank you all for
listening, and hope that matters are going better for you than for me and
my family.
--Darby MacLaren
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Legendary Times is put out by the gods of LegendMUD. Please send all
replies/additions to to our address at [email protected] for
inclusion in the next edition. We, however, reserve the right to moderate
this discussion, and may object to some submissions. If you feel we have
wrongly omitted one of your messages, please talk to Rusalka online or
through EMail and see if she did indeed receive it in the first place.
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