First Impressions

[Khommie]

Good (*insert time of day here*)! 

I'm a newb in Armageddon terms.  I've been playing for a day-and-a-half and I'm stunned so far.  I've spent several hours just sitting in one of the spawn taverns, and the talk is amazing.  I'm dazzled by the depth and complexity that people can put into their characters.  Frankly, this game is amazing and I look forward to getting deeper into the game.  As I'm a fickler for good, hearty political roleplay, I'm really curious to see the amount of intensity that such a game can bring out.  The game world is amazing, creative , and extremely well though-out.  Like another newbine has also said, I enjoy the description that has been put into the room descriptions and the communication system.  Personally, I think that if any game would be the chosen as the most realistic and complex, it'd be Armageddon. 

[Fredd]

Good (*insert time of day here*)! 

I'm a newb in Armageddon terms.  I've been playing for a day-and-a-half and I'm stunned so far.  I've spent several hours just sitting in one of the spawn taverns, and the talk is amazing.  I'm dazzled by the depth and complexity that people can put into their characters.  Frankly, this game is amazing and I look forward to getting deeper into the game.  As I'm a fickler for good, hearty political roleplay, I'm really curious to see the amount of intensity that such a game can bring out.  The game world is amazing, creative , and extremely well though-out.  Like another newbine has also said, I enjoy the description that has been put into the room descriptions and the communication system.  Personally, I think that if any game would be the chosen as the most realistic and complex, it'd be Armageddon. 

Best political RP of any game I have ever played. Period. Permadeath adds a real consequence to screwing up at the game of politics as well. I highly recomend you find yourself a noble, and see if you can't get some training as an Aide, if politics is your thing.

[musashi]

The political RP is awesome ... because lying and betraying is actively encouraged 

[rpgguy2000]

The political RP is awesome ... because lying and betraying is actively encouraged 

First thing I see when I go on the website before applying to play last week:

Main Page --> Intro --> What You Know

Anyone in any position of power is almost certainly corrupt and everyone knows it.

<3

[musashi]

[Barzalene]

Welcome. Bring your copy of The Prince and settle in.

[Khommie]

Welcome. Bring your copy of The Prince and settle in.

Yes, I'll have to refresh my Machiavelli.

[Fredd]

Welcome. Bring your copy of The Prince and settle in.

Yes, I'll have to refresh my Machiavelli.

Ahhh... Machiavelli. The worlds first troll. And richest.

[LauraMars]

So many posts from new players lately! I love seeing this.

[Khommie]

Yep.  I've been having a blast.  It's a bit worrisome finding a job in the taverns lately, but I guess that's to be expected. 

[Barsook]

So many posts from new players lately! I love seeing this.

Yeah.  It seems to be a new thing.

That aside: Welcome to ArmMUD!

[chrisdcoulombe]

[Delirium]

Welcome. Bring your copy of The Prince and settle in.

Yes, I'll have to refresh my Machiavelli.

I like this newbie.

[Khommie]

A problem with the game for new players has to be finding a job.  For example, I'm trying to join the army, and the recruiters never appear to be in-game.  I personally think that you should be able to pay NPCs to pass on messages, i.e. 

message tall player "Hello"
the tall, fat man says, "Sure, I'll pass on a message for a coin."
give tall coin

the NPC would tell the person who the message is for the message the next time he interacts with the player.  It would be optimal to use barkeeps for this. 

[musashi]

That kind of system has been brought up before but I believe there were a few draw backs to it, such as people not being able to intercept, bribe, overhear, or coarse the information out of said NPC messenger.

But here are some tips for what you can do!

• Ask around. The clan you're interested in may have more than one recruiting PC in it. People might also be able to tell you what the recruiters' play times typically are as well.
• Leave a message on the tavern board (check the rules for posting messages there first though, it's in its own help file) to let people know you're trying to meet up with someone from that clan. They might start looking for you as well.
• Contact staff and ask them when the best time to find a recruiter for that clan would be. They can for sure help you make contact with your intended mark.

[Barzalene]

Consider clans whose recruiters you -can- find. You don't want to end up in a clan where you never meet up with your superiors, unless you're definitely running into other players whose pc are in that clan and you like interacting with. (Sorry. That was a disaster of grammar.)

[Refugee]

Consider clans whose recruiters you -can- find. You don't want to end up in a clan where you never meet up with your superiors, unless you're definitely running into other players whose pc are in that clan and you like interacting with. (Sorry. That was a disaster of grammar.)

This is important.  I've been in a clan where the majority of my play time was outside that of the other members.  If you're a combat class (sounds like you are), you might find yourself stuck with little to do except bang on a sparring dummy all the time. 

[musashi]

Honestly, the best way to make sure you avoid that happening to you is to get a buddy IG who already shares your play times and join the clan together.

[Marauder Moe]

Getting a job truly is one of the most daunting things for new players.

The #1 most important advice is to be patient.  Even for veterans, it can take a whole real-life week or longer to arrange employment.

The advice about play hours is also very important.  Don't join a clan when you're not playing during your usual hours.  You want to make sure that your leader and clan mates also have a similar real life schedule to you.  Clans are more or less useless if you're not on at the same time as your peers.

Lastly, don't design a character with a specific clan in mind.  Clan employment is not guaranteed in Armageddon.  Your character might not be accepted, or they might be full, or, as above, player hours might not line up well.  Also, you never know what other opportunities might present themselves which you never even considered.

[Khommie]

Thanks for the help guys.  One question: what is the GDB?

[Patuk]

Thanks for the help guys.  One question: what is the GDB?

General Discussion Board. The soul-sucking entity you just posted on, if you will.

[ShaLeah]

Thanks for the help guys.  One question: what is the GDB?

Oh this one's got jokes. Can we keep it? Huh, huh pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeease!

[Khommie]

Fail.   

[Lutagar]

I want to describe armageddonmud like this: it waits until you're having fun, then all of a sudden it will kick your fucking nuts out through your nose, and instead of quitting, you get up and whimper... "More."

Edit: You might pretend to quit for a time. But you'll be back. Remember. You're here for life.

[Fujikoma]

I was always more fond of "The Discourses" than "The Prince"... Though it's a bit more difficult to read.

Like someone may or may not have implied, "The Prince" is quite likely the ancient version of a long-winded modern troll post. The audience "The Prince" was written for weren't exactly very high on Machiavelli's list of cool people.

That said, "The Discourses" gets pretty ruthless itself, in part when it comes to strategies for eliminating douchebags who took "The Prince" far too seriously.

I need to get that book back and read it yet again.

[Morrolan]

Machiavelli, or even Clausewitz, are too heavy-handed for Arm. Basic works on strategy and tactics will do you just fine.

For the connoisseur, I'd suggest Keegan's A History of Warfare and Musashi's Book of Five Rings. For fancy stuff, there's always Art of War.

[Fredd]

Machiavelli, or even Clausewitz, are too heavy-handed for Arm. Basic works on strategy and tactics will do you just fine.

For the connoisseur, I'd suggest Keegan's A History of Warfare and Musashi's Book of Five Rings. For fancy stuff, there's always Art of War.

Romance of the three kingdoms.

[Khommie]

For politics, it is always interesting to read up on various sides.  For example, I've read a tiny bit of Locke, Montesquieu, and other humanists.  I've also read Marx's The Communist Manifesto.

[Morrolan]

Romance of the three kingdoms.

Good choice. Available online in translation. For free. (I can't remember where. Google books?)

[racurtne]

Romance of the three kingdoms.

Good choice. Available online in translation. For free. (I can't remember where. Google books?)

http://www.threekingdoms.com/

It is not a short read. It is so, so, good though.

The other must reads of Chinese literature, while I'm at it:

水浒传- Water Margin (Most common, there are many different translations)-About a group of outlaws during the Song Dynasty
红楼梦- Dreams of the Red Chamber- A love story set within a broader story of the fall of a noble house from grace during the Qing Dynasty, I believe. (considered the peak of Classical Chinese literature)
西游记- Journey to the West- Talking animals and Buddhism (often read to children and often fodder for children's stories)

Notes: I have not read all of Water Margin or any of Journey to the West.

Water Margin and Dreams of the Red Chamber could have some appropriate bits.

[lordcooper]

And that's my reading list for the next month or so sorted

[Fujikoma]

You would consider The Book of Five Rings and The Art of War lighter than Machiavelli? True, I may have encountered them first, but every time I read them, they are too vague at points (but I did catch some of it). I think I found the Tao Teh Ching or The Blue Cliff Record more helpful and understandable than those on some matters. At points, yes, the advice is very clear. Still, I get the unmistakable feeling something is there in them, I just can't quite figure it out.

I need to read them again, if I can find a good translation.

I've heard Journey to the West is an excellent story. A friend once called me and told me all about it, I still need to read it.

I still have yet to read any Clausewitz or Keegan... Suppose I should fix that.

[boog]

Machiavelli, or even Clausewitz, are too heavy-handed for Arm. Basic works on strategy and tactics will do you just fine.

For the connoisseur, I'd suggest Keegan's A History of Warfare and Musashi's Book of Five Rings. For fancy stuff, there's always Art of War.

Romance of the three kingdoms.

I read this, unabridged, to manboog every night one summer. I was hoarse. But it's a great book!

[Khommie]

Damn it.  I just got hired for a position and he didn't show up for the interview.  God, rage. 

[RogueGunslinger]

Damn it.  I just got hired for a position and he didn't show up for the interview.  God, rage.  

Man that's messed up.


Err, I thought this was a real life post, in the OOC board... Ignore me, lol.

Sometimes people can't always be there for you, this is a game, after all.

[Barzalene]

Sometimes people get sidetracked either by real life or in game crisis. You know when you have someone dying or plans falling through or what have you, sometimes the interview gets pushed aside.

[Khommie]

I know the RL comes first.  Sometimes, however, one still feels the rage nevertheless.