Allanak and Tuluk

[IAmJacksOpinion]

... and Noble Houses with more than two syllables in their name... Allanak was just easier to read up on.

I've been playing since 2005ish, and I can only name Winrothal. I think there's one that's really involved with plants too...

I've played a few Tulukis, and I personally dislike the city. When I do play there, I usually spend most of my time outdoors being rangery so I can avoid the quasi-clan of tavern sycophants and bards. Mer. Dont get me wrong, it's great for people who enjoy the social-political aspect of the game. Me, I'm here to hit people with bone swords.

To stop being butt-hurt and answer the question, I would say "yes/no." Resource-wise, Tuluk is way easier. Water is like 1/5 of the price. Food is both cheaper and easier to forage. There is an abundance of wildlife to not only harvest materials from, but to skill up against. (Allanak has precisely nothing that a 1 day player of any guild can safely hunt solo.) There may be fewer players, but the city unity means that it will be easy for someone who isn't completely obnoxious to make contacts and/or land a job, where-as in Allanak you essentially have to bring something to the table before anyone's going to want to team up with you, or trust you to go out hunting scrabs.

The "No" part of my answer comes from the personal feeling that... I wouldn't have stuck around with this game if Tuluk was my first experience. Lets face it, the Dark Sun atmosphere is what intrigues people about this game, and Allanak does a better job of conveying that. I read the Armageddon docs about how it's this harsh desert world, and then I roll up a character who lives in grasslands on the edge of a forest? I'd feel cheated. I think Allanak does a better job of drawing them in. And if straight Allanak ain't enough for you, you've also got the Rinth to kick it up a notch.

TLDR; Allanak to draw them in, Tuluk to get them their first 10+ day character.

[The7DeadlyVenomz]

The world of Dark Sun is not all lifeless desert - honestly, there is more barren stretch on Zalanthas than there is on Athas. In that, I don't feel Tuluk violates the feeling at all. I do agree, however, that the Southlands are stupidly dangerous. It never ceases to amaze me that scrab are the bottom of the food chain. That's just scary.

[BadSkeelz]

They're actually mid-level, right above grebber and runner.

[The7DeadlyVenomz]

Well ... but I meant monster wise in the southlands.

Unless you hunt grebbers and runners. Then, yeh.

[BleakOne]

Both cities are good.

Allanak is more to my personal tastes, but I like Tuluk existing as a rival.

[slvrmoontiger]

They're actually mid-level, right above grebber and runner.

This made me laugh.

[FantasyWriter]

The world of Dark Sun is not all lifeless desert - honestly, there is more barren stretch on Zalanthas than there is on Athas. In that, I don't feel Tuluk violates the feeling at all. I do agree, however, that the Southlands are stupidly dangerous. It never ceases to amaze me that scrab are the bottom of the food chain. That's just scary.

This was looked at and some changes made a few years ago (and I'm grateful for this), but I still fill that the food chain links below scrab are too few and far in between. I really wish that something were added for PCs without skill_scan to experience, and I've only witnessed "food chain in action" once or twice since the change was made.  In the area of the game where the virtual eco-system has been long-running, I have seldom been there and not seen one mob trying to feed on another at least once.

[Fujikoma]

The world of Dark Sun is not all lifeless desert - honestly, there is more barren stretch on Zalanthas than there is on Athas. In that, I don't feel Tuluk violates the feeling at all. I do agree, however, that the Southlands are stupidly dangerous. It never ceases to amaze me that scrab are the bottom of the food chain. That's just scary.

This was looked at and some changes made a few years ago (and I'm grateful for this), but I still fill that the food chain links below scrab are too few and far in between. I really wish that something were added for PCs without skill_scan to experience, and I've only witnessed "food chain in action" once or twice since the change was made.  In the area of the game where the virtual eco-system has been long-running, I have seldom been there and not seen one mob trying to feed on another at least once.

I'd tell a story about something I'd seen, but I have to wait a year.

[solera]

My first  (very noob) PC's  were Tuluki's . The physical environment was exactly what I was looking for, a safe place to forage.  The room descriptions of the scrub within the outer city walls blew me away and I was completely happy with foraging and cooking and selling. The hunting environment  (with partners) is much richer too, particularly for "beginners", in my opinion.  As a noob I never really noticed the social or political environment because I was too busy playing with myself. I don't think you have to absorb the full scope of the game the first week, and I do recommend the North for simple rangering and learning to survive.
Playing a life bynner in the south introduced a new amazing level to this game, when I lost control of my PC's story as other PC's and events made their impact.
For a long time though, for me, the difference in cities came down to the smell and the wild life .

[Saellyn]

Scrab are absolutely not the weakest thing you can face down south, and it is possible (with some luck) for day 1's to kill scrab (or even beetles).

You just have to know where to look and what animals -look- safe compared to what animals -don't- look safe.

[Patuk]

Scrab are absolutely not the weakest thing you can face down south, and it is possible (with some luck) for day 1's to kill scrab (or even beetles).

You just have to know where to look and what animals -look- safe compared to what animals -don't- look safe.

I'm not sure what kind of 'roided up gods of war your day 1 warriors are, but the beetles outside of Allanak will murder the soul out of anything fresh in a ten room radius around them.

[Saellyn]

You have to have some luck and the right stats, but it -is- possible for a day 1 newbie to pull it off. I've done it, personally, not saying it wasn't extremely lucky. I never even took a hit from it.

That said, as I've said, there are animals outside of Allanak/Storm that are Day 1 capable, you just need to know where to look (and to avoid packs of them).

[The7DeadlyVenomz]

Uh, I've been playing this game for about 15 years ... there are not really animals outside of Allanak/Storm that are safe for a newb to hunt on the level that there are/were up North. Particularly Storm. And yes, in Allanak the johzal are there, but they can be damned hard to track down for the newb.

[Drayab]

I'm not sure what kind of 'roided up gods of war your day 1 warriors are, but the beetles outside of Allanak will murder the soul out of anything fresh in a ten room radius around them.

Drov beetles, amirite?