I am told by Imms and fellow players to look things up alot and not told where to. I am told that something is not a newbie question or not good roleplaying when I ask certain things but being new to mudding I need a little help. Everything I have ever asked has been a good newbie question and everything I have ever done(in my mind) has been in character unless I have been forced ooc by fellow players or imms by their comments. Imms must should not bite off the head of a newbie verbally for asking for guidance...I thought that guidance was their job. Players are outright rude and unhelpful alot of the time. I meet very few nice ones. The nice ones I do meet keep me in this game.

I dont know strategies of playing this game or what item is better and I cant get answers on where to look them up. I wish I knew how not to die so much. Recall after fleeing is tiresome and potions of return are too expensive. How does one get the mounds of cash one needs? How do you die alot when you are superbly armored, bigger than your opponent and it looks like an easy kill half the time? How do you get magic resistances? Where do I find quests? Why are shrines hidden? Why cant a person recall to their gods shrine when under level 10? There are alot more questions I have but they go unanswered all the time?

Amaprius has spoken....watch thy back, ye may be judged by me someday

>I wish I knew how not to die so much.

Everyone dies, if they intend to get anywhere. You learn to deal with it and compensate.

>Recall after fleeing is tiresome and potions of return are too expensive.

Recall, by whatever means you do it, is not the only option, but it's often the safest.

>How does one get the mounds of cash one needs?

You're supposed to find your own cash sources, but since my favorite method for quick cash is long gone, I couldn't tell you a truly good way if I wanted to.

>How do you die alot when you are superbly armored, bigger than your
>opponent and it looks like an easy kill half the time?

Stats and skills do come into play. I prefer having relatively high dex and strength if I want to avoid damage and hit hard, and having much below 70 to start out in a skill isn't much fun. So, take a little time rolling when you make the character, and always practice your main weapon as soon as possible.

>How do you get magic resistances?

If you mean the saves that show up in 'score', you get that through items mostly, and a few abilities boost the save versus spell.

>Where do I find quests?

You're supposed to discover them in character, which basically means you won't have a clue where most of them are until you've been around for a while. I expect there's still quite a few I've never seen.

>Why are shrines hidden?

Because finding the shrines is in certain ways the unwritten 'first step' in getting a tattoo. You have to prove to your god that you're dedicated, among other things, and tracking down the shrine can be an indicator of that.

>Why cant a person recall to their gods shrine when under level 10?

Because the shrines to specific gods aren't for the casual follower, they're for the dedicated ones.

>There are alot more questions I have but they go unanswered all the time?

You're either asking the wrong person, or in the wrong way, or in the wrong place. Usually most questions are answered if you ask someone in a position to give you an answer.

At the end of the day, you are probably being told that:

(a) what you are asking are not questions for the newbie channel. They are questions to ask in character, using tell. To spell it out... if you want to know where to get copper, ask IN character. Your character would have to, so you should do so too.

(b) what you are asking isn't something essential. So you should learn about it over your mudding career, rather than have it handed to you on a plate at the start, living you little room to progress and learn.

The underlying philosophy behind pushing people towards gathering information IC is simple- we want characters to interact, and we want players to learn skills rather than factoids. Character-character interaction is why we have cabals, why we award an experience bonus to groups, why we have an Inn, why we allow PK, etc. Discovering information In Character is a good way to sharpen your roleplay skills and make new allies (or enemies).

As for skills vs. factoids, this is also why we answer so many newbie questions by pointing people to helpfiles. It's not because we don't know. It's not because we're horrible typists and can't get the words out. It's because there's an enormous (and growing) library of information right at your fingertips, and it's better for both the questioner and the answerer if everyone learns to access it. If someone answers on the newbie channel, you're probably getting a 1-2 line answer. If you look up the right helpfile, you're probably getting a paragraph or two, and being pointed to other topics of further interest.

The same concept applies to character activities like gathering copper or finding stuff to wear. We could give you one place to look. But then what do you do when that area is changed, or when someone else is haunting the same spot, or when you're higher level and need a lot more? Or we can tell you to use the areas command and your maps to find places appropriate to your level, especially those places which have sentient occupants, and also to keep an eye for shopkeepers who might purchase goods. That answer is always right no matter what character you're playing.

valguarnera@carrionfields.com