New Blood

[Mook]

Nothing to see here.

[creeper386]

Considering the North sucks. I think not.

Considering the fact that I think most people coming to Arm for the harsh desert landscape would be turned off by the north, I'd say no.

Considering Allanak is still better, I still say no.

Also, there is more support in Allanak for newer players. Maybe less players but alot more support.

[FiveDisgruntledMonkeysWit]

Considering the North sucks. I think not.

Agreed. And what's worse is how you Northern barbarians keep pushing it on us like crack. Don't you know that a gathering of twinks and n00bs in Tuluk is the first sign of the Zalanthan apocolypse?

What's the second sign? You guessed it; AC making a Kadian merchant character. (Hint: Think hand-crafted baobab dildos and ginka-flavored lube, and you'll get the picture).

Also, there is more support in Allanak for newer players. Maybe less players but alot more support.

All jokes aside, this would have to be the real reason. First of all, the core of the T'zai Byn is there, which is the unofficial newbie training school (although I understand there is some desire for it to not be so anymore, on both an IC and OOC level). More than that, however, would be the obvious titling of rooms. 'The Main Bazaar', 'Commoner's Way', 'Warrior's Way', and 'Tradesman Street' all give a newbie a fairly good idea of where they are, and what's going on around them. Just my opinion.

[EvilRoeSlade]

There is also another clan set up to aid newbies seperate from the Byn and unavailable in Allanak.

I'd say more, but in matters such as these I prefer to let my signature to speak for me.

[Armaddict]

Bah!  Tuluk isn't for new armers!  It's for new northerners!

"-REAL- armaddicts choose 'nak!"

[Delirium]

You know, I'm getting kind of tired of this Tuluk-bashing. (Yeah, yeah, but if I don't say it, who will?)

First of all, it's a new area in the game, relatively speaking, and thus it is understandably going through growing pains. I like the direction that it is taking and think that after a while, people will begin to see that it is not bunny-hugging paradise and begin to roleplay accordingly.

Templars are still deadly, they're just more efficient about it than the blood-flinging, brutal infidels in the south that oppress people to make up for their own personal shortcomings and dare to call themselves... er, well. *cough* But you know what I'm getting at.

Nobles and Templars already know they're better than those commoners, so they don't need to be bowed and scraped to, to prove it. The people are tools. Some are more useful than others. They shouldn't be wasted unless they are causing problems that are best resolved by making them disappear. That is a different attitude than the basic southern "kill'em all and let Tek sort'em out" method, yes, but it isn't necessarily a 'softer' attitude.

The area is not lush by a long shot,  though it is less of a complete wasteland than the south is. It's got plenty of dangers, it just hasn't been totally raped of its sustenance. People complain that there are too many deadly NPCs, but then turn around and complain that the northern hunting grounds are too 'soft'. (Which eh, they're not, it's very easy to die.) Make up your minds!

Yes, there are areas, RP-wise and code-wise, where it could probably use improvement to make it more 'Armageddon flavored', but it is still a developing area. Be patient. I have recently seen a drastic improvement in the way people act and react, and hopefully Tuluk will eventually turn into what it was meant to be.

If you want brutal, senseless violence and oppressive harshness, go to Allanak.
If you want efficient deadliness and lots of behind-the-scenes political action, go to Tuluk.

Yeah, it IS different from Allanak. What's your point? The reason for making a second city shouldn't be to make it a clone of the first. Different cultures and styles allow for varied play.

And no, I don't hate Allanak. I enjoy playing there, but I also enjoy playing in Tuluk.

And uh.. now, back to your regularly scheduled thread.

Edited to add: Just because politics are behind the scenes doesn't mean that everyone should have to be nice to each other. Far from it. But I would expect to see a lot more barbed words, more insinuated meanings, more subtle competitions to see who can insult the other in the most artistic fashion, a lot more silent glaring and whispering behind people's backs.

In contrast to, say, jumping up and starting a bar brawl, or bawling in 'Storm-speak about what a gith and their mamma did and how they're going to be cut open from chin to crotch if they don't back off.

[Rindan]

That is an easy to argument to nullify Delirium.  I retort everything you said with these two simple and true facts.  The North sucks.  The South rules.  I fail to see the confusion.

As to the idea of changing the documentation, as much as I would like to see Tuluk turned into a nice sandy waste courteously of his Holiness, The One True God King, The Great Dragon Who Saved Us All, The Mighty And High Protector Of The Known World, it might not hurt to change it.  I would not suggest changing it to point people just to the North.  Allanak rules and should not be abandoned because everyone likes hugs and snuggles.  However, it might not be a bad idea to suggest that either Tuluk or Allanak make acceptable starting positions.  Both can support a new player easily.  Allanak is still a good place to start.  It just so happens that the care bears in Tuluk also can love and nurture a newbie with warm and gentle loving hands, regardless of his race, into a happy and adorable member of society who can receive hugs and sweet kisses at a moments notice.  Both places make find starting points in my opinion.

I hope I don't need to point out that most of the above was humor.

[Delirium]

And here I was hoping to have a creative debate with the great Rindan, drawing upon all of my resources in a futile attempt to combat his worldly knowledge.

Damn, that just sucked. C'mon old boy, you can do better than that.

Meh, to get back on topic: you southern bastards can keep your newbies. To be honest, while Tuluk might be "easier to survive in", Allanak does have more support for newer players. It has organizations that help a new player to learn the ropes, and opportunities for survival that don't necessarily require a certain guild or particular skill.

[Marauder Moe]

I think (hope) most of the Tuluk vs. Allanak comments are IC feelings turned OOC humor.  The Imms haven't given us an active war recently so we have to vent IC frustrations in other ways.  :wink:

[Warlord]

"Bah! Ya whinin' 'Nakki fecks, got yer panties in a feckin' twist 'cause ya lost the war! Too busy feckin' yer kanks ya were, no brains behind yer fight...just jumped in swingin' like a drunken sot!" says the one-eyed, grizzled veteran as he urinates upon the head of a human soldier of Tektolnes.
"Maybe we'll just head down and clean the place up fer ya kank-feckers, the Sun King willing." he mutters quietly with a look to the sky as he relieves himself.

[Angela Christine]

Meh, to get back on topic: you southern bastards can keep your newbies.

Oh no you don't.  This is like that "duck season, rabbit season" bit in the loony toons cartoons, isn't it?  Well it isn't going to work, YOU take the krath-damned newbies!  Wait . . . that isn't right.  Err.

Anyway, I think it could be changed to recomend either large city.  The north is a little easier on people who want to learn on thier own and run out the gates to start killing vestrics on day one, while the south is slightly easier on people who want to join a newbie-friendly organization right away so they have IC help from day one.  The north is a little easier on newbie outdoorsmen, while the south is a little easier on newbie city dwellers.  Have you ever tried to map Tuluk?  Tek's Tits that is difficult!  It doesn't fit on one sheet of graph paper, it doesn't even fit on two sheets of graph paper.  I haven't actually tried to combine my "neighbourhood" maps, but I suspect I would need to tape together at least 4 sheets!  How am I supposed to fit that bad boy in a binder?

AC

[CindyLou]

I have it on one page, AC. Except for the insides of places, and one certain area that I have on its own separate page, and isn't fleshed out because I haven't been through the whole thing yet. And I ain't sharin. Nya.

But it -can- be done, so don't give up hope!

As for the topic at hand, a message to Newbies:

Please try to understand that a lot of the diatribe here is made in jest. People who love playing the south get a kick out of poking fun of the north, and vice versa. It's just an ongoing thing, and shouldn't be taken too seriously.

I've played both north and south. Love them both, for different reasons. At the present time, it -seems- as though the north has more player characters. It could just be that they hang out together more though.

I'm still fairly new to the game - just over a year, with only half a dozen characters so far. The Byn is an excellent way to get started with a combat-oriented character, and at the moment they're only available in the south. The Atrium, from what I understand, is also an excellent way to get started with a non-combat-oriented character, and they are also only available in the south.

On the other hand, the north has the Sun Legion, which has its training for combat-oriented characters, and a special school (I don't know if it has an official name) that you can seek out IC, for people who don't want to join the Sun Legion.

It also has very active nobles and templars, if you want to get into group participation without being a mercenary right away.

Luir's is also another possible starting point for newbies, because the Kurac clan is extremely active and present there. Kurac allows you to learn a myriad of things, from their military operations to their merchant operations, yet lacks the "fear me or die" aspect of the southern templarate, or the "they're all out to get me" paranoia of the more subtle north.

So honestly, pick whichever you like, and base it on how exactly you'd like to approach the game with your style of RP.

[Malifaxis]

Luir's is also another possible starting point for newbies, because the Kurac clan is extremely active and present there. Kurac allows you to learn a myriad of things, from their military operations to their merchant operations, yet lacks the "fear me or die" aspect of the southern templarate, or the "they're all out to get me" paranoia of the more subtle north.

Yes, the Outpost definitely has a different attitude.  A "lets get all baked and drunk and laugh at the idiots to either side of us because they think they're tough and we're fucking unstoppable" kind of attitude.

[witchman]

Is it just me or would anyone else also like to see the North disolve back into a collection of barbarian strong holds with no real civilization?  Add a sprinkling of one or two villages and boom there you have it.

[Anonymous]

Is it just me or would anyone else also like to see the North disolve back into a collection of barbarian strong holds with no real civilization?  Add a sprinkling of one or two villages and boom there you have it.

Sorta.

I'd really like to see northern nobility be closed down.  They seem redundant to the nobility in the south but without the recent history.

[crymerci]

I would actually go the other direction and say I'd like to see more Northern nobility.  Just the two houses is fine, but more nobles per house.  As it stands, a northern noble with only one counterpart pretty much has to either get along with them or have no one to interact with on an equal basis. More nobles will allow for more complex and varied webs of alliances within the houses and between them. I.e. say you're playing a Tenneshi noble, and you have a firm friendship and alliance with one of the Winrothols, but you want to have another one of the Winrothols killed.  Makes for interesting tea parties.

I guess that's fairly off-topic, sorry.

[Anonymous]

I would actually go the other direction and say I'd like to see more Northern nobility.  Just the two houses is fine, but more nobles per house.  As it stands, a northern noble with only one counterpart pretty much has to either get along with them or have no one to interact with on an equal basis. More nobles will allow for more complex and varied webs of alliances within the houses and between them. I.e. say you're playing a Tenneshi noble, and you have a firm friendship and alliance with one of the Winrothols, but you want to have another one of the Winrothols killed.  Makes for interesting tea parties.

I guess that's fairly off-topic, sorry.

And its what already exists in Allanak but with 3 noble houses and a senate.  I'd be a little bummed to see it, but if nobility in Tuluk is to remain a playable option, then maybe the Allanak nobility should be closed.

Try starting up a human PC and NOT getting a job in either city.  Its too easy and sets the wrong precendent for new players who might not have any idea just how hard it is to get 300 sid a month.

My first human PC was begging for jobs in Allanak left and right and Kadius, Salarr, Borsail and Oash all turned him away because they had plenty of PCs.

[Cuusardo]

Flame much?

Some people prefer the Northlands, and others prefer the Southlands.  Opinions are like assholes, people.  Everyone's got one and they all stink.  

[The7DeadlyVenomz]

My first human PC was begging for jobs in Allanak left and right and Kadius, Salarr, Borsail and Oash all turned him away because they had plenty of PCs.

But I thought that there were no players down south anymore. Isn't that what you folks keep saying, you stupid slaves to Tek down there? I must be missing something, but if the Houses have enough PCs not to hire anyone, then I am going to go on and assume that there are plenty of players on this mud, and that you just don't think so because they are not sitting at the bar in the Gaj with you.

It would not hurt to see more, of course, but still...

[Anonymous]

My first human PC was begging for jobs in Allanak left and right and Kadius, Salarr, Borsail and Oash all turned him away because they had plenty of PCs.

But I thought that there were no players down south anymore. Isn't that what you folks keep saying, you stupid slaves to Tek down there? I must be missing something, but if the Houses have enough PCs not to hire anyone, then I am going to go on and assume that there are plenty of players on this mud, and that you just don't think so because they are not sitting at the bar in the Gaj with you.

It would not hurt to see more, of course, but still...

Please argue that point with someone who is trying to make it.

[The7DeadlyVenomz]

That wasn't directed at you. It was directed at whomever said that there were no PC's in 'Nak. I should have been clearer.

[Anonymous]

That wasn't directed at you. It was directed at whomever said that there were no PC's in 'Nak. I should have been clearer.

I can see that now.  The way you kept on saying 'you' and quoted me had me confuzzled.  Thanks.

[naatok]

Anyone who honestly believes the northlands to be 'fluffy bunny land' is somehow missing the entire point.

The point is that compared to Allanaki culture, Tuluki culture is refined.

If Allanak is the New York of Zalanthas (meaning the economic giant), Tuluk is the Paris (center of artistry).

It irks me that people honestly believe Tuluk isn't a harsh place to be.
I mean, c'mon, people...scratch just a wee bit below the surface before you flame the northlands, will ya?

Tulukis prefer finesse over success.  To give a for instance, a Templar of Tuluk has just as much political authority to walk into a tavern and have half-wit guards grab a hapless fool and drag 'im off to the arena, or the Templar's district for 'questioning' as any 'naki Templar.  In Tuluk, such a bald display of brute force is acceptable only in the most extreme cases of criminal activity.  Even then, it would probably be frowned upon as 'unrefined'.

There are other ways to deal with miscreants.  Quiet ways.  Unseen ways.
That's the Tuluki spirit.  No reason to spoil the facade that Tuluk is a nice happy place.  It ISN'T, but why be brutishly obvious about it like the blood-thirsty vermin under the bootheel of the Jade Cross?  Oh, it just isn't -done- that way here.  Life imitates art in Tuluki society.  If you don't see the undercurrents of terror in the machinations of the nobility and the templarate of the northlands, then chances are good it is because the players of those pcs are playing EXTREMELY well.  If you don't think that bad things happen to good people in Tuluk, then you're either extremely fortunate or extremely blind to the less than obvious.

Just because you don't see bodies in the streets and don't feel the backhand of Tuluki justice, doesn't mean that people aren't getting dead...or worse there on a regular basis.  After all, body dumping, like any other activity, is an art form in Tuluk.

Authorities in Allanak make huge scenes when they deal with problems.  In Tuluk if no one sees a problem, it doesn't exist and the more quietly you eliminate problems, the less likely it is for someone to 'see' the problem before it is gone.

There are many totalitarian states throughout terrestrial history that have built the success and happiness of the empire on just such ways and means.

Most people would be happily unaware of the jack-boot hanging over their heads.  Well and good.  Out of sight is out of mind for most.  
Most people don't cause problems.  It is that element of society that has the audacity to 'think for themselves' that upsets a tyrant's rule.  Those people are well aware that there is an unseen current of maintaining order in Tuluk, and most of them are scared shitless, just waiting for that inevitable day when they, or someone they know, disappears without a word or trace.

Enough of the political differences...

So there's a forest and game and food aplenty in the northlands.  Uh...not.
Having played a few pcs in each area of Zalanthas, the average person of Allanak has a much better chance at a long life than the average person in Tuluk.  Most of this is based upon assumption of danger.  People assume life in Allanak is more dangerous and thus they plan better in an attempt to avoid the dirt nap.
I've seen people in Tuluk, drunk with the initial success of acquiring and selling good amounts of supplies, wind up as rotting carcasses in the wilds because they assumed Tuluk was a nice place to live.

Sorry folks.  Tuluk is a nice place to VISIT, but you sure as hell won't live there for long if you think it's just a Nice Place.

[Rindan]

Staying unemployed is a challenge in Allanak.  You have to go out of your way and try to keep from being gobbled up by a noble or merchant house.  You just walk down the street, a noble realizes you are a PC, and before you can move they have throw a pile of silk at you and have two body guards trying to stuff you into it.  The problem with Allanak is not that it lacks players.  The player base is actually fairly solid.  My complaint is the type of characters.  Everyone and their gortok is dressed up in noble house colors.  It is like a continual tea party.  There is just not enough scum these days.  Elves are rare, seedy gemmed are rarer, and the gritty dishonest folk of Allanak really are just in poor supply.  The poor militia must piss themselves when they hear of a pick pocket in a ravenous attempt to find the guy just for something to do.

The magik of Allank is its seedy underside if you ask me.  Silks are fine as they make wonderful victims / shady employers and reinforce the divide between the two societies, but it is just depressing when silks are all there is.  I am not saying that the seedy element is not in existence, just that it is depressingly small these days.  The thing that always draws me to Allanak is its dark underside, not the fluffy nobles, advisors, and servants talking about who slept with who or what Templar so-and-so is doing.  Allanak's dark underbelly can never be too big if you ask me.  

All you people playing your damned desert elves need to go jump in front of a rampaging mek and get a real elf in good old Allanak.  The hidden mages need to stop wussing out and avoiding the scorn they deserve and make gemmed.  Finally, we need northerners to get their fluffy, snuggles loving, elf hugging, peacenik asses to Allanak and play proper victims.

[Anonymous]

GO Naatok!
I think those that think the north is bunny-hugging fluffy shit, haven't actually delved into it, expect all dangers to be seen and out in the open,(like 'nak) and get up there going...what's going on where's the conflict?where the danger?
Living in the wilds in the north is a bit easier than in the south, not easy, but easier than in the south. Almost impossible down south.
I don't know how many southerners have gone into the wilds up north and got themselves killed being foolish because they think they know what the north is.
Crap, lately I think more southerners have been dying up north than northerners.
I know of an entire clan killed off by others up there and most people, other than those involved don't know what ever happened to them all.

Just because you don't see or hear about it, doesn't mean it isn't there.

[Anonymous]

Just because you don't see or hear about it, doesn't mean it isn't there.

You know I hear this statement all the time, and I don't really doubt its veracity.

What I doubt is how healthy or fitting it is for a game which sports a playerbase which rarely climbs above 50, is spread over multiple locations and has very few PCs who live long enough to take part in or add to such a plot.

That's one of my problems with the northlands.  If the conflict there is so subtle and so 'refined' that only a few people get in on the action, what good is it to the playerbase as a whole?

[X-D]

Anyone who honestly believes the northlands to be 'fluffy bunny land' is somehow missing the entire point.

Naatok...ssshhhhh...some of us make a living from people thinking that.

The long-haired leather clad man smiles in a friendly manner and says is northern accented sirihish, "Um, he's crazy, we are all friendly up here, really, we are, um, tell your friends, Oh, and the little guys in the forest, yes well, harmless as tregils."

The long-haired leather clad man looks pointedly at Naatok for a moment then walks away.

[The7DeadlyVenomz]

This is just a subtle reminder.

If more folks would stay completely IC with their character's actions, and stop pushing themselves to the limt and trying to find out what that is and this and how much luck they have, there would be far more long-lived characters, and the world would develop a great deal more PC conflict.

PC conflict, as I define it, is not a newbie PC being killed by the arrows shot by a 30 day ranger elf, or the beatdown by a 40 day old warrior. PC conflict, as I define it, is those long, drawling, lingering hatreds and dislikes that boil for a while, that esculate and draw others in, either into the conflict or as spectators, and these can only be achieved by long-lived, ICly played characters.

Conflict is Armageddon.

Conflict is Key.

Armageddon is Heaven in megabytes.

[Hoodwink]

Anonymous wrote:
Just because you don't see or hear about it, doesn't mean it isn't there.

You know I hear this statement all the time, and I don't really doubt its veracity.

What I doubt is how healthy or fitting it is for a game which sports a playerbase which rarely climbs above 50, is spread over multiple locations and has very few PCs who live long enough to take part in or add to such a plot.

That's one of my problems with the northlands. If the conflict there is so subtle and so 'refined' that only a few people get in on the action, what good is it to the playerbase as a whole?

That's exactly how I've felt for the longest time.  Arm can only thrive so much on "what you don't know".  For me it's not hard to see from where the misconceptions of Tuluk derive, and that's not to say I dislike the place (though the Labyrinth is held highest in my heart).  I suspect at some point someone made the statement "You don't know everything..." and in that instance it made perfect sense, then suddenly the phrase became overused and has since lost its meaning.  It's too easy an argument to just say "You don't know everything", especially since whomever is making that statement, of their own volition, doesn't either.  I just think there are a lot more concrete ways to retort than using this phrase.

I've seen a whole lot of PC's get taken out by the templarate up north. Or nobles. Or they get someone else to do it. *shrug* LOTS.

[Rindan]

Geez, I think people paid too close attention to this thread.  Allanak is absolutely packed tonight.  Sitting in the tavern is like listening Byners on a stealth mission... nothing but line after line of spamming loud conversation.  Not only that, but the numbers look decent.  Even a few elves are mixed in with the bunch.  Score for 'nak.

[Angela Christine]

I have it on one page, AC. Except for the insides of places, and one certain area that I have on its own separate page, and isn't fleshed out because I haven't been through the whole thing yet. And I ain't sharin. Nya.

But it -can- be done, so don't give up hope!

No way, dude.  My mapping skills suck, but from the south wall (specifically the gate by the vineyard) to the north wall (in the eclectic garden) is around 50 spaces (although more than that to walk since you can't walk straight through the city.  My graph paper is only 42 spaces vertically, by 30 spaces horazontally.  I can't possibly fit the whole thing on one page, I will either lose Maar Road and part of the warrens, or the gardens and half of Friel's Rest.

The east-west axis is even worse, although I don't know exactly how bad because all my attempts at east-west mapping suck even more than my north-south ones.  Even if you ignore the part that is inside the scaien but not really part of the city, the city is still pretty damned wide.  Based on what I can see, everything from the west wall (as marked by the west gate, the west wall is a little wobbly) to the gate just past poet's circle doesn't look like it would fit on one sheet.  Niether does the west wall to the gaur-pandu road south gate (past the noble's district) look likely to fit.

Maybe you have bigger pages or smaller squares.  I'm using standard 8 1/2" by 11" binder sheets with 1/4" squares.  I find that with smaller squares I can't draw in little pictures of trees, buildings, plants, and other things that I like to use as landmarks (I don't like to count spaces, especially since my maps are wildly inaccurate, so landmarks and terrain features are important).

AC  (Awful Cartographer)

[Boggis]

Use Excel... with 65,536 spaces vertically by 230 spaces horizontally mapping space isn't an issue. Also, you can colour code it, easily label landmarks, add comments about places, etc. It's maybe not so cool if you're outside the city walls and need to make your map quickly before that mek in heat tramples you. Although maybe you like the feel of a nice hand-drawn map complete with various cryptic scribblings

[Angela Christine]

Although maybe you like the feel of a nice hand-drawn map complete with various cryptic scribblings

I really, really do.  The same way I like a paper book better than a long electronic file.  And a paper map comes out looking like . . . a map.  As you colour in the squares the faint blue gridlines become hard to see.  You can kind of smooth things out so the roads and terrain changes don't look so blocky, and more real.  

It isn't perfect.  Having the entire map in red, brown and grey looks dull and makes it hard to see terrain changes, so I've had to use less likely colours: on my map the dusty plains are peach, the windy plains are pink, and the silt sea is purple.  :roll:  But I still like it better than any electronic alternative I've seen.

AC

[zanthalandreams]

I'm an incurable map junkie.  I have sheafs of graph paper that I go through showing all the places I've been.  I wonder sometimes if there's a note on my account that says something like, "Tends to wander around in seemingly aimless circles for no apparent reason" because, well, I do.  It helps me to visualize an area better.  

I map everything.  It is a sickness.  

I got Tuluk onto one sheet, but I am a big nerd and use great big desk-calandar size sheets of graph paper.

[CindyLou]

Instead of graph paper, try a ledger pad. That way, you can insert notes on the far left - and the far right..and sometimes, the notes fit in the box! Get the ledger pad that folds out, you can buy them in stationary stores.

[Jenred not logged in]

Seems the post got off track a bit, so here are my opinions:
Having played in the North and South, I think that the North is infact more inclined to new players. (Road names excluded as someone mentioned). For new hunters there is a modest amount of 'easy' game, in a variety of areas. For newbie merchants there are many ways of self-sufficiency in Tuluk and its surroundings. Wheather you prefer logging, mining, clay-working, or any of a number of crafts that are widely supported through cheap and widespread materials.

There is an underbelly that is more tolerable and 'refined' I guess the word was that someone used earlier, that makes playing a thief raised in Tuluk easier, because they are by nature less cutthroat, and actually register themselves with the Templarate should they take themselves seriously.

Then there is just the variety of nuances that add to the newbie-friendly, bunny-hugging, fluffy-land feel. A large swath of grass and trees where people sit in the shade and listen to poetry and songs, free water, cheap food, cleanliness,etc.

If I was new to the MUD, and played a character in both Tuluk and Allanak, I would probably return to Tuluk if I was looking for ease. Tuluk has like elements of the harsh-desert (a scary scrub outside), while maintaining elements of a strong civilization inside.

Even Allanak has begun to pretty up, which is saddening. I saw a tree in Allanak! They have it growing in the shade, but still... with 50+ mph winds some evenings that thing would be in tatters you'd think. But pretty is in I guess.

Anyways, for Allanak. I love Allanak, and sometimes think its getting the short-end of the immortal stick. With noticeable improvements and additions to Tuluk overshadowing the relatively few and far between cosmetic changes of Allanak. Just recently I discovered a number of systems and "Special" things I guess they could be called in Tuluk, that just don't have an equal in Allanak. I would say "unfair", but the response would probably be "damn straight" or something.

So while Tuluk seems to change and grow weekly, Allanak has stayed relatively same the entire time I've played. Everything is BASICALLY the same, except for a few cosmetic things, (echoes, room things when looking in directions, etc.)  But it looks like that might be changing... anyways.

Allanak is Armageddon. Its the brutal dictatorship city in the middle of a vast and endless (to some people) desert. You either take your pick of the sorceror-king and his templars, or the desert. Making it a tough, but logical choice between immediate death or prolonged suffering. It inspires an RP not seen in many places. Almost every MUD has a 'fluffy'esque city like Tuluk, where people gather and are happy together, where kindness is always in supply, and death is as rare as unfriendliness-

But few, if any, other places have an Allanak. Its by far the most original, and awe-inspiring creation of text in any MUD I've played. There is just nothing like it. The sense of despair and misery implied through simple phrases in text, echoes, and other players. With also a chance for success and minor, short-lived glory through hard-work against the current.

So yes, it might be harder to play in Allanak, if you like to leave the city. But inside many opprotunities are available for long term survival. More then the North at least.

With a few innovations, I think Allanak could be as 'neat' as Tuluk.... but eitherway I'll play in Allanak and wait

[FiveDisgruntledMonkeysWit]

I saw a tree in Allanak!

Kill it! Burn it! It's not a 'tree', it's an evil defiler tower, don't you see? No, I'm not crazy... It's going to kill us all. Get off me! Where are you throwing me...?!?

*Five disgruntled monkeys are thrown into the dungeons of Allanak, one after the other, by a group of sweaty-looking half-giants sporting t-shirts that read 'Allanak Beautification Commitee' on the front.

[creeper386]

Yeah, I REALLY find those damn trees in Allanak unnerving. It just throws me off OOCily... Never really stopped to see what they look like, but TREES! Bah!

Anyways, my whole thing at the begining has nothing to do with how easy it is in Tuluk. If you think it isn't easy you have serious problems. Nor any of the behind the scenes work. It has to do with the fact that everyone seems to get along, and it's not really just that, but you can't even play a character up North that openly dislikes people. I had a character that disliked the south, and when he turned down joining the Byn on several occassions people acted like he was crazy, like they don't see how that would be possible.

Tuluk may be more "refined" but there are still ignorant commoners. There is still lots of hatred. The South occupied the North for how long, fairly recently, and yet someone can't have hate for 'Nakkies without being nuts. You can't play an unintelligent commoner without getting killed. There isn't really any common joes in Tuluk. It's impossible. It's not an easy role to play in Allanak either, and ignorant, unintelligent people are looked at odd even there, but at least it's possible. I still think if you flipped out over someone being a magicker YOU'D be the one getting killed as that sort of thing just isn't done.

The dislike of Tuluk has little to do with how things are being played out, but the restrictions on anything out of what is the current norm. At least thats they main reason I see. And it's tend times more the frustration that I have in Allanak when someone goes all crazy over some rude talk or some very slight insult. These are for the most part stupid, ignorant commoners. They aren't going to be all well taught, well spoken, cleaned up people, and those that are, are going to be used to crude people, no matter their rank. Most likely Nobles are going to be fairly used to ignorant people. Come on people.

[The7DeadlyVenomz]

Having taken a glance at the 'trees' in Allanak, I think they are put out for several reasons. The first, of course, is that they do pretty up the place. The second, however, I discovered when I looked at it.

Have you noticed what color the bricks surrounding the trees are?

If that was the intended concept by the staff, I must say, very ingenious.

[Newbie]

I'm on my second character, so bear that in mind, but...

Tuluk is insanely easier than the South.

My first character came from Red Storm. Whooooooa. Talk about difficultly harsh. Without getting too deep into the IC bits, I haven't had to deal with a number of the difficulties my first char faced in Red Storm up here in Tuluk with my second character by a long shot. Weather, local fauna, Village practices...

Both are or were ranger types, and in the South I couldn't forage anything for the life of the poor guy until I went all the way out to the Salt Flats and successfully managed to find salt once. In Tuluk, my first forage attempt yielded results.

The only reason my first char survived as long as he did down there (20+ hrs) was from scavenging off other clueless newbies as they died when they stepped outside the Village. I looked forward to seeing the other occassional newbies in the area because I knew it meant I could spend the 'sid they didn't spend before challenging the desert on water for my own char.

I would just about argue Red Storm should be a karma-dependant start location with the added benefit of more starting 'sid.

In any case, I would HIGHLY recommend Tuluk as a start location if you want an outdoorsy character.