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Title: The NannyMUD Times issue 2000 June. Post by: Polar on September 07, 2006, 09:11:09 AM ---------------------- The NannyMUD Times --------------------- page 1 ---
(1) - Index This is it. (2) - Announcements Announcements including marriages in May. (3) - Commercial A word from a sponsor (You thought we worked for free?). (4) - Player Question A new month, a new player question. (5) - PK log <blank> (6) - Top 10 A few suggestions on what to do with a MUD newspaper. (7) - The Grammar Column Once again Narya is here to help you with English grammar. (8) - The Grammar Column Continued Yes, we know. A lousy trick to make the paper look huge. (9) - Horoscope Your horoscope for the sunny month of June. (10) - Pub Review Another pub gets its assortment scrutinized by Reznor. (11) - Madame's Corner The mysterious Madame takes a look at emote rooms. (12) - Player Facts Page A great chance for you to get famous. (13) - The Scrolls of Deep Time Check out this way old script of the creation of NannyMUD. (14) - Classified Ads You didn't find a new buddy in May? Try again this month. (15) - The World Outside Unsuspecting tourist slain in NYC park. (16) - Quiz Solutions Solutions to Hrodlauf's Quiz for the month of May. (17) - Hrodlauf's Quiz Hrodlauf's new quiz. (18) - Puzzle Solutions Solutions to last month's puzzles. (19) - Puzzles Another chance for you to earn some easy money. (20) - Editor's Comments Avoid it. For God's sake, avoid it! Got any complaints, ideas, praises or other things you want The NannyMUD Times to know about? Mail Dunstan! ---------------------- The NannyMUD Times --------------------- page 2 --- Announcements from the month of May. Boyd, Altus and Lorenzo all had new areas opened. The Telgar Restaurant was opened by Readis and Firelight. The desert somewhere west of green disappeared. Rumour has it that the great desert had been spotted somewhere on Antharis. Find the gateway to the Tree of Life and you may well have solved Barbarella's new quest 'Discover Ouroboros'. The Club of Archers opened and can be found in a dark and cold forest somewhere in Kvarnen's area. Applejack crossed the line one time too many and found himself banished forever. Vicotnic and Casca got banished for multiplaying and harassment. Mengor demoted two weeks for abusing the echo command. ...And the marriages. Roscoe was married to Grothus by Spiral Wed May 3 08:11:10 2000 Landril was married to Brightfire by Lys Thu May 4 06:33:56 2000 Dagoth was married to Mourn by Dagoth Thu May 4 23:07:41 2000 Bube was married to Ennoia by Sheena Sat May 6 20:23:55 2000 Sagrario was married to Preoteasa by Adso Tue May 9 16:14:49 2000 Sharky was married to Dulcineea by Benyamin Wed May 17 17:34:37 2000 Maehdros was married to Regina by Barbarella Sun May 21 03:33:22 2000 Vrajitoru was married to Mota by Mota Wed May 24 13:32:57 2000 Tasoth was married to Asarnil by Tasoth Sat May 27 03:42:17 2000 Aylith was married to Jay by Jay Sun May 28 03:28:07 2000 Jacqualine was married to Preist by Reece Sun May 28 04:21:43 2000 Gold was married to Esmirelda by Reece Mon May 29 02:03:01 2000 Talisha was married to Surbo by Gangrene Tue May 30 05:31:58 2000 Title: Re: The NannyMUD Times issue 2000 June. Post by: Polar on September 07, 2006, 09:11:27 AM ---------------------- The NannyMUD Times --------------------- page 3 ---
We know it is that time of year where your guild colleague takes off with his wife and twelve kids to enjoy a month of relaxation on the Isle of Lost Empires. Have you noticed the wicked grin on his face when he boards the ship and leaves you behind to some boring slaying of the same old monsters? -- Not to forget the boring old puzzles and quests you are stuck with. Well, my friend, you don't have to worry about that any more. We have got just the right place for you, when you are in need of making your friends jealous. Yep! Come visit the lovely continent of Antharis. We are easy to reach -- Either by sea or by air, we are not overrun by dumb tourists, and we have got plenty of attractions for you -- including areas by Avis, Nasigoreng, Mortis, Balin, Drechbrel, and Lorenzo. Oh, and be sure to take note that we also have some great taverns and restaurants (among these a Chefs roadhouse), lots of guild halls for your safety should e.g. Xhruel, Lars forbid it, decide to send his minions towards Camelot, we have a herb garden for you healing monks and last, but not least, we have a lovely club, where you and your friends can make your own little team of killers and compete against a lot of other teams. If all this isn't enough for you, don't forget the puzzles we have that, once solved, will leave your friends' heads green of envy. To sum it all up, we have all you will ever need, and if that includes fresh air, we can insure you that we dont have an ugly, foul-smelling village dump that tries to do you in every time you get near it. So, run down to the south coast, walk a little east and south, board the ship (or if you prefer the luxury of our high-speed airship, go up and pay the ridiculously cheap fare of only 100 coins), and you are well on your way to Antharis. Hurry, though, news of our little paradise will spread quickly, so get your ticket today. We promise you won't regret it! The Antharis Board of Commerce. ---------------------- The NannyMUD Times --------------------- page 4 --- Lectral tells you: Hi! I'm doing a poll for the NannyMUD Times. What should be changed about, or added to, Antharis to make you want to visit there? [Explorers] Rapscallion tells you: Nekkid girls? <-Assembly-> Valas tells you: never heard about it Riva replies to you: what?? Taim tells you: Not a clue. [Khorne] Dannoc tells you: I have no idea how to get there :) <-Assembly-> Small tells you: let me think. Rupey tells you: A statue of me in all my glory.. er :) Abhoth tells you: some new quests perhaps :) Stalker replies to you: a vampire safehouse [Simyarin] Alexus tells you: dont know never been there <-Assembly-> Reddragon tells you: pizza Cogliostro replies to you: dunno... Valdor tells you: Hmm, ok, let me think on some points. I'll get right back to you. Fey tells you: I dont think I've visited Antharis <-Assembly-> Calis tells you: dont know where it is ? Hiro replies to you: I feel no need to waste much mp in telling you that I have never been to Antharis and hardly know what it is. [Khorne] Mishra tells you: No comment, since I don't play mortal :). Mortis tells you: my new area ;) coding atm ... well not right now ofc :) Cogliostro replies to you: i don't really read the NannyMUD Times... [Khorne] Claws tells you: hmm...I don't really know what's there now <-Assembly-> Small tells you: more areas perhaps, I can't think of anything in particular Avis tells you: a quest where everyone in Nanny has to kill Armageddon (who secretly lives on Antharis) or the game will reboot. [Khorne] Mishra tells you: But, if you'd allow wizards to hack and slash there, I'd want to visit it... [Khorne] Dannoc tells you: and you are not nallowed to use my name in the paper ;) Ilyrion tells you: More puzzles, maybe quests and another healing place or two. Oak tells you: It should have a new name -- Antharis sounds like a disease brought on by old age. Rowen tells you: this is one of the auto replies that will be shown in the Paper as replies?? and, how do you have this time for this?? [Khorne] Asarnil tells you: naked women would be nice :) Groo tells you: Groo has been to Antharis and there was nothing there to do or see! Everything was far away from the docks and then there were few monsters or men to slay. Groo looked and looked in every room, too, but there was never anything there to find, no matter how complicated the room was! Groo has better things to do with his time. Oak tells you: "I went to Antharis and got this horrible RASH! It won't go away, and I can't get a date anymore! Oh no! It's spreading!" Opus tells you: I dont like all the long road between the areas. I dont use a speedwalk client so I actually have to type east, east, east, southeast, east, east, east, east, east, east, east, east, north, north, north blah blah blah to find that monster I want to kill. But if I dont think about that: The continent is better than the old one. Small tells you: more info about antharis would be nice to, I tend to forget about it. Balin replies to you: Make an easy way to get there like the Mirrormaze or perhaps a teleporting mage (with a fee). Allow guilds to set login locatation to either continent guild hall. Someone tells you: more quests and puzzles! Kelli tells you: ummmm... quicker way to get there and more interesting stuff. It's almost bare there. =) Puzzles and quests would be fun too. Reece tells you: Giant statues of me. Think of it, the easter island, but with Reece statues instead of those annoying heads! They should me made of gold and marble, preferrably. The two could alternate each other for some variation. Mortals who wanted to enter Antharis should also be forced to pray to Reece. Groo tells you: Can Lectral tell Groo where to find cheese dip on Antharis? Spiral replies to you: Hmmm .. some players? Kelli tells you: But I visit there anyway, so does my answer really matter? ;) <-Assembly-> Giltas tells you: I think it's still not high enough in the 'public eye'. More areas etc. are always going to be nice but the whole vicious circle of 'people don't go there, so wizzes don't code there' needs to be broken first. Some temporary way of getting mortals there instantly, or some great incentive to go there for a while, maybe. Spiral replies to you: To put it this way, I find that Antharis has way to little attractions for the player. Thus, players don't go there, thus wizards don't open areas there, thus there are little and little attractions, thus. Spiral replies to you: thus... even. [Simyarin] Rahljin tells you: I'm already one a devoted Antharis fan. I guess those who aren't there very often either don't know of it enough, think the way there is too long or perhaps they are the sort of mudders who only like to hack and slash for xp and hence see no reason to go the little extra way there since it would perhaps lower their ratio. Those who like to explore and visit well written areas though, should thrive there. Gorion tells you: i dont know what antharis is! Gorion tells you: some more commercial Valdor tells you: 1. I've actually been there a few times. The first time I stepped into a wrongly loaded room though, so that got me a slightly irritated. But ofc, that can happen.... Valdor tells you: 2. Something else that I noticed is the quietness. Of course, the lack of players coming there creates this, but I haven't seen any NPC's as well. Why not let a few villagers walk around? It tends to become very boring if you walk around 50 new rooms without seeing a single someone walking around. Valdor tells you: 3. The journey time of course, I won't go there if I think an attack is near. Although I heared something about a portal, haven't checked it out though. Valdor tells you: 4. Maybe a few easy to find killing zones could be added? (Maybe my quick exploring missed them) If players know where to get the xp, they will return. Valdor tells you: I don't think these points are unknown, but I hope it helped a bit. Lectral shouts: Thanks to all who answered! Barbarella tells you: Hmm, too late? I'd personally like to see more belly-dancing mummies. Could you arrange that? --- Title: Re: The NannyMUD Times issue 2000 June. Post by: Polar on September 07, 2006, 09:11:49 AM ---------------------- The NannyMUD Times --------------------- page 5 ---
This month's issue doesn't feature a PK-log, because: 1) Noone suffered a PK-death within the last month, or... 2) Noone contributed a PK-log. > > > > > > read page 6 You read page 6 in your newspaper. ---------------------- The NannyMUD Times --------------------- page 6 --- _/_/_/ _/_/_/_/ _/_/_/_/ _/_/_/_/_/_/ _/_/ _/_/ _/_/ _/_/ _/_/ _/_/ _/_/ _/_/ _/_/ _/_/ _/_/ _/_/ _/_/ _/_/_/_/_/_/ _/_/ _/_/_/_/ ...stupid things to do with a MUD newspaper. 1. Put it by the toilet in case you run out of toilet paper. 2. Take it with you on a fishing trip. 3. Make confetti of it. 4. Cut out the Top 10 list, so you can show it to friends at school. 5. Whack your annoying little brother over the head with it. 6. Quickly grab it out of desperation and then pretend to read it when your inlaws show up uninvited. 7. Fold it a couple of times to make a pirate's hat. 8. Throw it in the fireplace to build the fire. 9. Put it by the toilet to read. 10. Print it out. ---------------------- The NannyMUD Times --------------------- page 7 --- The grammar column! This month, at the request of several people, we'll be discussing the difference between "who" and "whom." Basically, the differences between the two are very simple: if you know when to use "she" or "he" instead of "her" or "him," you can learn to use "who" and "whom." As you might have guessed from the above, they're parallel: "who" is to "whom" as "he" is to "him." You use "he" and "she" only when you're talking about someone doing something-- 1) _He_ hit the ball. --and "him" and "her" when talking about someone who's having or had something done to him or her-- 2) The IRS sued _her_ for every penny. In 1), "he" is in what you might have learned as the "subjective" case, or possibly the "nominative." It's the case used when the person referred to is actually performing the action, in this case hitting the ball. In 2), "her" is in the "objective" case. Something is being done to the woman or girl in question, namely that the IRS is suing her. You luck out with English in one small way: anything that's not in the subjective case is in the objective (anyone who's studied Latin is laughing bitterly now). So sentences in which a word follows a preposition also fall into the objective case, as in 2): 3) We gave the ice cream to _her_. Any time you don't have a sentence like 1), where the pronoun refers to the subject of the sentence, you use the other set of pronouns--"him," "her," "them," "us", "me"--and "you," which unhelpfully looks just like the subjective form. Anything that directly follows a preposition, for instance (i.e., "to," "from," "with," etc.) takes "him"/ "her"/"them"/"us"/"me"/"you." As I said above, the difference between "who" and "whom" is just like that: "who" is subjective, "whom" is everything else. Easy, hah? Not as much so as you might hope, alas. So we'll cover it in two big cases. I) THE OBVIOUS CASE The obvious case is easy. This is when you're not looking at the "who"/"whom" problem with reference to any sort of dependent or subordinate clause. (Dependent/subordinate clauses are the larger set of relative clauses, which I talked about last month. I'll describe them under II), since they are a little harder to describe.) So, what's the easy case involve? It involves simple cases like this: 4) Who took the car last night? and 5) To whom do you want me to give this? In 4), the "who" refers to the subject of a sentence--a person taking the car--so you use "who." In 5), it's the object of the preposition "to," so it takes the objective and is "whom." There's a very easy test for this: if you're in doubt, answer the question with a pronoun and see which you use. If you use "he"/"she"/"I"/"we"/"they," then you should use "who" in the original; if you use "him"/"her"/"me"/"us"/ "them," well, then you use "whom." For example: 4') Who took the car last night? --He took the car last night. 5') To whom do you want me to give this? --Give it to them. See? E-Z. Now, I will mention that one thing in the simple case that appears to trip people up is when a "whom" is far removed from a preposition. 5) sounds OK to native English speakers, but so does this: 5'') *Who do you want me to give this to? (The * at the beginning of the sentence indicates it's wrong, by the way.) All I've done is move the "to" to the end of the sentence, and so it's wrong. It should be 5''') Whom do you want me to give this to? This can be easily enough checked by the little test above. The answer's the same-- 5'''') Whom do you want me to give this to? --Give it to them. --you still answer with "them," so you still use "whom." Still, many native English speakers recognize that you shouldn't say "to who" or "for who" or "from who" but don't recognize that they should still be using "whom" if the preposition is moved a few words away. So, a couple more examples: 6) Whom did you get this from? (The same, basically, as "From whom did you get this?" It can be answered with "I got this from her" and NOT by "I got this from she.") 7) Whom did he go to the store with? (The same, more or less, as "With whom did he go to the store?" It can be answered with "He went with me" and not by "He went with I.") OK. This wouldn't be English if there weren't exceptions, so I'm going to handle ONE case from the "simple" category in a special subsection at the end. This is 8) Who's there? Now, by the above rule, since 98 English speakers out of 100 will answer that with "It's me!" or "It's her!" or "It's them!", you might think the right way of asking that question is 8') *Whom's there? But you'd be wrong. (I will explain at the end--let's just say for now that 8) is right and 8') is wrong, wrong, wrong. If you don't want to read the section at the end, just remember: "WHO'S there?", which you would probably have used anyway.) Read the next page to find out more about "who" and "whom!" Title: Re: The NannyMUD Times issue 2000 June. Post by: Polar on September 07, 2006, 09:12:09 AM ---------------------- The NannyMUD Times --------------------- page 8 ---
The grammar column! Continued! II) THE INOBVIOUS CASE The inobvious case is when you're using "who" or "whom" in a dependent or subordinate clause. Dependent or subordinate clauses are phrases--they have subjects and predicates--but they can't stand alone (as the words "subordinate" and "dependent" suggest). The underlined phrases in the three sentences following are subordinate or dependent clauses: 9) We talked to the crowd _that had gathered below the window_. 10) The people _who had brought soda_ shared it with everyone. 11) The signs _that had been put up_ got ruined in the rain. The relative clauses that I mentioned last month are a kind of dependent/subordinate clause. And as you've probably guessed, yes, this is the "inobvious" case. The rule is simple: In a dependent clause, consider ONLY the clause and NOT the rest of the sentence. In practice, a lot of people have no idea of what this means, however. So, let's look at some examples. 12) The fans _who waited outside_ never did get an autograph. Just look at "who waited outside" and not the rest of the sentence. You look at these clauses as starting with "who(m)" or "who(m)ever" and include any verb phrase. In this case, you then see that the "who" is subjective--i.e., the "who" refers to the people who are performing the action of waiting--and passes the little test given above: "Who waited outside?" You'd answer "They waited outside," not "them waited outside." Ergo, "who." 13) The man _whom we gave our money to_ turned out to be a thief. OK, "whom we gave our money to"--note that there's a preposition there, and that if we restate it as a question ("Whom did we give our money to?") you get "We gave our money to him." Therefore, "whom." 14) _Whoever's going to the store_ should buy milk. "Who's buying milk?" "I am." So, "who." (Or, as in this case, "whoever.") 15) I'll give money to the woman _whom Dr. Hopper suggested._ "Whom did Dr. Hopper suggest?" "He suggested her." So, "whom." OK! This is looking easy, right? Good! There's only one little problem: some sentences are a little more baffling. Usually these occur when there's a preposition followed by a dependent clause: 16) I'll give the book to _whoever answers this question._ A lot of people would say no, that's wrong, it's 16') *I'll give the book to _whomever answers this question._ But the same rule applies: ONLY look at the clause itself, subject and predicate (i.e., "who(m)/ever" + verb phrase). The urge here is to see the "to" and then assume that the word immediately following it is its object--and hence to use "whomever." But that's not the case: The "to" in this case is not part of the dependent clause, since it's not part of the verb phrase "answers the question." Instead, it's attached to the "give" of the main sentence (since "give X to Y" is the phrase we see in the main clause). So the "to" doesn't affect what's going on in the dependent clause "whoever answers this question." A little trick I sometimes use to clarify this in my own head is this: look at the sentence this way-- 16'') I'll give the book to (((whoever answers this question))). I sort of "box up" the clause, starting with the "who(m)" or "who(m)ever," which is really just standing in for a noun or pronoun--"I'll give the book to X," where X is an unknown quantity that satisfies whatever's in the box. The clause is off doing its own thing, like an evaluated statement in a computer program or a mathematical expression that has to balance within the parentheses. Then, since I can answer the implied question in that box--"who answers this question?"-- with "s/he answers this question" I use "who" and not "whom." A few more examples: 17) Bill offered to drive whoever didn't have a car. Again, think of it this way: 17') Bill offered to drive (((whoever didn't have a car))). As in 16), the important part is that whole clause--"whoever didn't have a car." Turning it into a question helps, again--"Who didn't have a car?" "We didn't have a car," not "Us didn't have a car." So, "whoever." 18) ToxiCorp offered large settlements to whomever it had poisoned. or 18') ToxiCorp offered large settlements to (((whomever it had poisoned))). The relevant part is "whomever it had poisoned." If you think of it, again, as an implicit question, you might ask "whom did it poison?" "It poisoned us," you might answer, or "him" or "her," but not "It poisoned we" or "he" or "she." Since you used "him," "her," or "us," you use "whom" here. If you want more practice, try these: 19) The teacher shushed (whoever/whomever) made any noise. 20) The teacher shushed (whoever/whomever) she heard talking. 21) We offered ice cream to (whoever/whomever) showed up. 22) We'll flunk anyone (who/whom) we think was cheating. 23) No one knew (who/whom) the party would nominate. 24) The police arrested (whoever/whomever) was at the scene. The answers are at the end. I) CONTINUED: "WHO'S THERE?"; ALSO, A FINAL NOTE OK. This is a rather esoteric bit. Coming back to the "Who's there?" question: While most native speakers of English would answer "It's me!", this is a case where usage and tradition weigh in more heavily than any formal grammatical rules. You could answer this question one of two ways: First, you could answer it rather stodgily and say "I am here" or "He's there" or what have you. In that case, it's obvious that you should use "who" and not "whom" in the question. However, few people would say it like this. So, second, if you're like most people, you'd answer it "It's me!" or "It's him!" or another such phrase. In this case, as I mentioned above, it might seem like you should use "Whom's there?" But it's still the case that you shouldn't. So is it wrong to say "It's me?" Should you instead say "It is I?" The problem is that most people find saying "It is I!" hopelessly antiquated, like something out of a bad pirate movie from the '30s. What's the deal? The deal is this: If English behaved more like Latin, we would say "It is I" or "It is he." But this is one of those places where English has long since deviated from Latin, as have other languages (i.e., "L'etat, c'est moi"): Shakespeare and other of his contemporaries use sentences of the "It's me"/"It's her" variety. Note that this is in informal usage. Most people writing in a formal style would probably not write "It is she" but would rather avoid the whole issue altogether by writing something like "She is at the door" or some other weaselly way of avoiding the problem of which pronoun comes after the "it's" or "it is." Technically, to be consistent with the rules of English grammar, you probably should use "it is I" or "it is he," but it sounds so odd that, even in formal use, you should probably find a way around it by restating it. And remember: "Who's there?" Finally, one last note: a lot of American native speakers, certainly, are dropping "whom," and even some radical grammarians are saying the "who"/"whom" problem is a dead issue and "whom" has lost. So, while I hate to say this: If you're really not sure which to use, use "who." While most well-educated people will overlook the absence of a "whom" where it's supposed to be, nothing grates like a misplaced "whom." One of my favorite quotes illustrating this is: "'Whom are you?' said he, for he had been to night school."--George Ade Some people seem to think "whom" is the hidden, magical, universally correct form of "who," and will plop it into sentences willy-nilly, and that's the surest sign that they really don't know what they're doing. If you don't know which to use in a given case, it's safer to use "who." Oh, and practice question answers: To 19): "whoever"--"Who made noise?" "He did." To 20): "whomever"--"Whom did she hear talking?" "She heard me." To 21): "whoever"--"Who showed up?" "We showed up." To 22): "who"--"Who did we think was cheating?" "We thought she was cheating." To 23): "whom"--"Whom did they nominate?" "They nominated us." To 24): "whoever"--"Who was at the scene?" "They were at the scene." -- Got a grammar question? Send mud-mail to Narya! Title: Re: The NannyMUD Times issue 2000 June. Post by: Polar on September 07, 2006, 09:12:26 AM ---------------------- The NannyMUD Times --------------------- page 9 ---
Nanny horoscope for June 2000 ----------------------------------------------------------- Sign: Executioner Month: Darkness This is an unsettling few months for the Executioner. The Year of Sacrifice is associated not only with your month of Darkness but also a bad month for you, Fertility. So while you'll be riding the wave generally, even through Fertility and Plant, keep an eye out for that chaos you so distrust-- and try to think of it as an opportunity. ----------------------------------------------------------- Sign: Judge Month: Truth Not a lot happens for the Judge in these months to come. Your distant friend the Scholar will experience some ups and downs, and no thoughtful philosopher can pass through the Year of Sacrifice without pause, so take a little time out to reflect on the nature of justice, truth, and loss. ----------------------------------------------------------- Sign: Traveller Month: Wind Well, Traveller, the weighty Year of Sacrifice is a little too weighty for you. Still, no sign is specifically against you, and your nodding acquaintance the Witch is doing, overall, well. Rest easy, but seek no unnecessary trouble. ----------------------------------------------------------- Sign: Witch Month: Water The Witch will find this a bumpy ride: you start in your own month of Water, have a bit of a down-turn, then emerge victorious again. The Year of Sacrifice, too, is not really distasteful to the watery Witch, with her connections, with its echoes of blood and darkness, so take a few risks--I predict you'll have luck on your side. ----------------------------------------------------------- Sign: Scholar Month: Spirit Poor Scholar. While the Witch is not your exact opposite, still, your experience will be much the opposite of hers. These months will be rough for you and made more uneasy by the dark, corporeal reality of the Year of Sacrifice. Expect no great windfalls and avoid risks. ----------------------------------------------------------- Sign: Smith Month: Fertility Good news, Smith: it's not only your year but also your months, and there's no signs of trouble. Whatever it is you've been meaning to do--go for it. ----------------------------------------------------------- Sign: Apprentice Month: Plant The Apprentice, like the Smith, will find these good months. Still, the year isn't the best, since the Year of Sacrifice emphasizes the sharp end before the beginning rather than the continual (if haphazard) growth you often prefer. Complete your pet projects but keep an eye half-cocked. ----------------------------------------------------------- Sign: Mountain Month: Earth Things start out pretty bad for you in this period, Mountain, but then get better. The Year of Sacrifice isn't your worst, though it's not your best. As we pull into your month of Earth, take a few cautious chances. ----------------------------------------------------------- Sign: Storyteller Month: Harmony Ah, Storyteller, we're coming up on your month. And what stories will you tell? As you can see by the other horoscopes, these are years and months of uneasiness and change. My advice: Remember that the best stories need not be of great deeds alone. ----------------------------------------------------------- Sign: Lamplighter Month: Fire On the whole, this isn't a good period for you, except for the month of Spirit. Still, sacrifice often brings new beginnings, so I suggest you look for ways to turn any difficulties into new excuses for creation. ----------------------------------------------------------- Sign: Trickster Month: Illusion Not much is going on for you now, Trickster, but you see find these elemental months hard for you, perhaps in sympathy for your distant friend the Dragon. Further, the Year of Sacrifice involves a little too much harsh reality. I suggest you blend into the background and observe the world to gather more materials for your future illusions. ----------------------------------------------------------- Sign: Gatekeeper Month: Law The Gatekeeper will find that these fertile months of growing are, though not inimical to his nature, at least foreign to it. Take a page from your distantly-affiliated sign, the Executioner, and play it cool. Also remember that while the Executioner finds some joy in these months and in this year that you'll find little. ----------------------------------------------------------- Sign: Dragon Month: Demons Bad months ahead, Dragon--they're all a little too earthy, too involved in creation and growth. Stay low and let the pleasure of the dark side of sacrifice see you through the coming hard months. ---------------------- The NannyMUD Times --------------------- page 10 -- Reznor has the word for this month's Pub review... Today I am reviewing Groda's tavern. Though a bit hard to find if you are not familiar with the area (like I was), they have reasonable prices and fair healing, with a different atmosphere. To find Groda's tavern, travel west of green to the road going towards the Skullcap mountain, then south to an eagle which will help you to the island. Once at the island, go west, north some, then west some more until you reach a mountain blocking the trail. Climb and enter the clouds, then jump through the clouds and you'll land outside the tavern. The tavern seems poor and run-down, with an odd owner and even more odd menu, consisting of everything frog. Though not a place you would probably want to stay in, it is good for a quick heal, if you don't mind the distance. A wonderful place for froglovers, and frogs to find companionship, I suppose. Now, the menu: /-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\ / \ < Drinks .. . . . . . . .. Solids > \ / > 1 Frogjuice 50 4 Froglegs 50 < / 2 Frogblood 120 5 Frogbutts 120 \ < 3 Frogmix 320 6 Frogmeal 320 > \ / \-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/ Quick and cheap: Bottled Frogjuice and a plate Froglegs. Despite the first one not sounding appetizing, they are both nice heals at 10 HP & SP, for 50 coins, each. Medium: 120 coins gets you the 20 HP & SP healing items, a glass of Frogblood for the vampire in you, and surprisingly edible Frogbutts platter. Large, expensive heals: Slightly pricey, 320 gold for the 40 HP & SP meals, a Frogmix drink that, though you may not want to know what makes a 'frogmix', is quite good, and a tastey Frogmeal. Though I wish this place had the more useful HP and SP specific heals, it's healing is overall pretty good, and if you love visiting the dump and hanging around with and devouring swamp creatures, it's perfect for you. Title: Re: The NannyMUD Times issue 2000 June. Post by: Polar on September 07, 2006, 09:12:48 AM ---------------------- The NannyMUD Times --------------------- page 11 --
Starting this month we are doing a new series of reviews. Emote room reviews. Yep, the mysterious and anonymous Madame will review those often talked about emote rooms residing in the world of NannyMUD. First though, a little explanation of the concept of emoting. Among the many marvels in the world of NannyMUD exist special rooms where one can explore more interesting ways of communicating. Often politely referred to as emote rooms, one can create one's own actions and "feelings" with a simple command: emote. For example, typing: emote pauses to demonstrate an emote. You are amazed! will produce the following in one of these rooms: Madame pauses to demonstrate an emote. You are amazed! Long believed to be only available in lecherous wizards workrooms, there are actually many accessable to the common mortal. But then you already knew that. Don't act so innocent! My very favourite emote room was long ago removed. It was a lovely hot tub where one could relax with friends, enjoy cheese nibbles, sip fine wine and feel very happy. Ah, it was the perfect place to unwind! Of the remaining, some have wonderful atmosphere, while others are rather bland. Many are well-known, while others are more secluded. The Honeymoon Suite is possibly the best known example. One simply has to take one's sweetheart to the "Little Chapel O' Love", just west of the church and find a nice Paragon or Wizard to wed them. For those comfirmed bachelors, the bridal suite looks like this: This is the bedroom of a sumptuous bridal suite. The center piece of this room is a large four-poster bed. Light floods into the room from the open french windows at the end of the room. A large dressing table stands against one wall. On the table is a small important looking book. Standing next to the book is a silver bucket containing a bottle of champagne. There is a deep cream carpet on the floor. The walls are covered in a peach coloured rose motif. There is a glimmering portal against one wall. There are two obvious exits: out and church. The ambience is very romantic. There is even champagne with which to toast your new spouse. The decor is exquisite, colours, lighting all designed to enhance the newly married experience. The biggest drawback to the room is that one must get married to gain entry. This can be a problem, since former spouses become aware of your infidelity upon login, when they discover you've divorced them. Since it is so well known, it often gets plenty of use. All too often that champagne bottle is already empty, leaving one to wonder about the cleanliness of the room. The cleaning staff is either negligent or the use of the room so heavy that they are unable to keep up. Thoughts like these can destroy the mood for the more discerning couple. But with a bit of creativity and imagination one can still enjoy themselves. For those more squeamish about commitment, I'll review two less restricted rooms in the next edition. ---------------------- The NannyMUD Times --------------------- page 12 -- Hidely ho, mortaleenie! Looking for your 15 minutes of fame? Well, here's your chance. We at the Times realize that it's not just wizards who put lots of effort into their characters, so starting next month we'll be publishing player profiles each issue. If you'd like to see your name in lights (assuming a monitor screen counts as "lights"), then cut, paste, and fill out this form and mail it to the mudmail account "times." Get to know your fellow players! (Standard disclaimers: if we get lots of responses, we may not be able to publish yours for a little while. Please initially send us only ONE profile (i.e., if you have 43 characters, pick your favorite for now, 'K?). Keep the responses reasonably short and free of expletives; we will edit lightly for grammar and length. Finally, we will try to pick and choose among the profiles for balance between guilds, gender, geographical distribution, etc., but will initially probably publish profiles of better-established characters.) --- PLAYER FACTS! What's your character's name? How long have you played Nanny, and how old is your character in RL time? What's your character's MUD description? (Age, height, weight, appearance, whatever you think appropropriate.) What's your story, in brief? (How did you arrive at your character's name, what sort of history does your character have, either in real life or in fantasy, what are his/her/your goals, etc.) What's your character's personality like? Are you grumpy or sweet? Do you give coins to newbies? Do you kill-steal? Are you a PKer? What, in short, are you like? What are your hobbies and/or playing style? Do you like to chat or to fight? Are you playing up your character or taking it easy? Are you an explorer or do you stick to the tried-and-true? How did you come to be in the guild you're in now? Did you pick it right off, have you bounced around ... ? What's your favorite area and why? What's your favorite pub or healing place and why? What would you tell a new player? Anything else we've missed? Tell us about it. --- Remember! Cut! Paste! Fill out! Mud-mail to "times!" Title: Re: The NannyMUD Times issue 2000 June. Post by: Polar on September 07, 2006, 09:13:09 AM ---------------------- The NannyMUD Times --------------------- page 13 --
EDITOR'S NOTE: The wizard Narya has taken recently to exploring the great void surrounding the world of Nanny, hoping to find debris or artefacts of the beginnings of the universe. Recently she discovered many old scrolls. Upon translation, much to her amazement and delight they turned out to be documents covering the most ancient history of Nanny. The NannyMUD Times has gotten the exclusive rights to publish the history revealed therein. So take a few minutes and read over these ancient stories: The Scrolls of Deep Time. --- At first the world was without form and void. We know little about these times. We do know that there were gods then, but of those gods we now know only Lars. Of those other gods, most are dead or have fled to other places. Of this we shall speak later. Now, the world began when the gods grew bored and begin shaping the chaos into discrete things. Among the things they made were people, men and women, to whom Mats is our only link. We know little about the world's first people, for all that was then has been wiped clean from the world's floating disc (as we know it must be shaped from great travellers' maps). The world then was not like it is today. All parts of that first world were separate from one another, small islands of order in the midst of an ocean of chaos. But in time the men and women of this first world learned to ply the chaos between islands of order as if it were water, and indeed today water retains something of that nature--it is the stuff of which life is made, necessary to it, and yet formless and unpredictable, just as that ocean of disorder was. That sea of chaos was not travelled by people alone, for the gods, bored with making only islands of order, created also demons who travelled over that ocean, imposing a different kind of order that was inimitable to human life. Were the gods then evil? Did they intend only to harm the world's first inhabitants? No, "evil" is not the right word, for later events showed they were merciful; the wisest among us think that perhaps they thought their demons would regulate human life and manage it for us, and that people would learn to live with these demons as their guardians. But this was not to be: wherever the demons came into contact with the men and women of the first world, there was always destruction. No sooner would one people rise up and begin to write their stories down than those stories would come to an end, erased from the disc of the world by a capricious imp. And yet our lost ancestors made a life for themselves, always unsure of the morrow. They persevered to the point that they developed a trade language among various tribes and places that allowed them to build the first true civilizations. To signify its role in unifying peoples across the ocean, they called it the Language of the Sea, or sometimes just the Sea-Language. And herein is the miracle: those were different times, and the real stuff of the world was closer to the surface than now. Our ancestors, through trial and error and sheer necessity, stumbled bit by bit upon the true language of the world. The most skilful speakers of the Sea-Language found that, through words alone, they could control the chaos around them. In this way magic was born, and in this way too our future was assured. Praise be to our ancestors' cleverness! No one today retains such clarity of thought and will, and even our mightiest wizards speak only a degenerate form of the Language of the Sea. Some even say the true bones of the world are now buried so deep that the finest orators in that arcane tongue could no longer control events while standing in this world, that such power now lies beyond all who walk only in this world. --- To be continued... ---------------------- The NannyMUD Times --------------------- page 14 -- Classified Ads To respond to these ads, send mud-mail to "times" with the "Respond to:" phrase in the subject line. Your mail will be forwarded to the appropriate party. You get ONE anonymous mail to the ad-holder if you request, but then the two of you must exchange mud-mail addresses. ------------------------------------------------------------ Hot, sexy babe finds her electricity bills too high. If only I could find a cheap source of electricity! I could probably be talked into anything if you could provide it for me. Respond to: Online chick ------------------------------------------------------------ Banished wizard seeking friendly admin to resurrect char. Get me back on the game and I promise I will behave, as well as provide you with some needed extra work. Respond to: "...but I didn't know it was against the rules" ------------------------------------------------------------ Khorne looking for helpful monk. I will provide you with tons of XP and Gold. In return you will drag me around to monsters all worthy of my rank and, of course, do the occasional healing. Respond to: Rocket scientist ------------------------------------------------------------ Young, female, Knights' Pub staff member looking for new employer. Tired of harassment from certain RT knightess. Will accept any job offered. Respond to: Damsel in distress ---------------------- The NannyMUD Times --------------------- page 15 -- DANISH YOUTH EVISCERATED BY SQUIRRELS Irritable pedestrians kick twitching form out of way, witnesses say. NEW YORK CITY--An unnamed young Danish tourist was killed and his viscera devoured by switchblade-wielding squirrels this morning in Central Park, police say. The incident, called "unfortunate" by the New York State Tourism Board, failed to shock residents, however. "He had just bought a bag of peanuts from a vendor," one of the youth's two dazed travelling companions said. "He was just leaning over to feed the squirrels, which were all sitting in a group. We thought it would make a good picture." The victim's other companion added, "We told him not to get too close. We had heard squirrels carried rabies and the plague. We did not think they carried weapons, though." The squirrels then worked in unison to pull the man to the ground, whereupon they not only took his wallet but proceeded to kill him. "What really shocked us, though, was the pedestrians," said one of the two remaining tourists. "They just rolled him out of the way with their feet." Residents were unsympathetic. "What did they think would happen? This is the US, this is New York City," said a police officer who asked to remain unidentified. "Did they think those [squirrels] carry nuts in their cheek pouches? Get real." When asked why they had not been on their guards, the tourists responded that they did not think small mammals carried weapons, even in the US. "We thought that was a wild exaggeration," one of the two men said. "We did not think squirrels, who don't even have opposable thumbs, could wield weapons! We did not even know you could make a switchblade that small or that sharp!" The surviving Danes went on to explain that in Denmark, squirrels do not prey upon passersby. A zoologist at the New York City Zoo confirmed this story. "Squirrels in most of the rest of the world are relatively harmless," Dr. Eric Thompson said. "While they have long since been driven from the US by hardier varieties, you can see them in older movies, such as _Snow White_ and other cartoons. They're pretty much like that still in Europe--small, fluffy, and shy." Dr. Thompson hastened to add that squirrels do not really sing, however, at least not in English. The victim's companions remain in New York as witnesses for the prosecution. The squirrels' lawyer was unavailable for comment. Title: Re: The NannyMUD Times issue 2000 June. Post by: Polar on September 07, 2006, 09:13:30 AM ---------------------- The NannyMUD Times --------------------- page 16 --
Here you have them; The solutions for Hrodlauf's Quiz number two. 1..In what area can you get your ears cut off if you are mean to a certain monster? A) Dref's B) Orpheus' C) In the druid guildhall, now play nicely with your owl! Correct answer: B. 2..What highly useful command are given to those that wed in nanny? A) Beep partner, this is the reason why so many married players have red well-beeped noses. B) Toggle mudsex, this forbids the use of some of the dirtier feelings on anyone but your partner. C) Be someone, as someone, the wedded people gets to shout their love to the world in a more discrete way. Correct answer: A. Additional point: Divorce, so you can correct your mistake. Dest that ball and chain! (Jenayle) 3..Among other things, what doesn't Harry like? A) He doesn't like small dogs that sound and look like cats. B) He doesn't like wizards without an open area. C) He doesn't like snow. Correct answer: C. Additional point: His lifespan, since it is in average 20 seconds. (Olav) 4..What goes for all the items in Catwoman's shop? A) They are wacky and wild. B) They wear fur and yellow feathers and does great duck impersonations. All of them has also featured in several of nannymud's talkshows and done very well. C) Anyone who touches them gets the plague, finally you know what those shouts are about. Correct answer: A. 5..Does Armageddon have any family? A) Yes, Little Geddon, Armageddon's younger brother. B) No, he had a wife for a while but Armageddons way of proclaiming that the end, from time to time, was near killed off the romance and she ran away with the shop- keeper from the main village. C) No, although he has been seen in company with the whiterobed priest. Correct answer: A. 6..What is the name of the machine nanny is run on? A) Pandora, don't try to open it. B) Triffie. C) Olga, great baby name by the way. Correct answer: B. 7..What does adp usually mean in nanny? A) Apprentice Daemon Prince. B) Assasins Dagger Please, often heard on the knightline. C) Advanced Desillusional Points, given mostly to old wizzes. Correct answer: A. 8..Who was toastmaster during the NannyMuds 10th anniversary dinner? A) Mats. B) Gurk. C) Taren. Correct answer: C. 9..What colour is the Dark Guild homepage? A) O my god, now your screen is broken! B) Black, now there is a surprise. C) Purple background with neon green text and photos of pink crocodiles and ducks. Correct answer: B. 10..What is the name of the pub in Blanka's newbie area? A) Tavern Of The Wasted Wizard, couldd I chave anothther Dwichbar pleasch? B) The Newbiepub, we need to start filling them early. C) The Stonepub, can I get this drink on the rocks please. Ahem, I mixed up the newbie areas here, sorry about that. You all got points for this one. Thanks to Oriole and Olav for pointing this out to me. The winner, and the first person to get all 10 answers right is... Oriole! Congratulations to the winner and thanks to all who participated. ---------------------- The NannyMUD Times --------------------- page 17 -- If you are tired of working hard for a few bucks, here is your chance to earn some real cash, fast. Yep, here it is, Hrodlauf's Quiz! Solutions on the previous Quiz, number two, can be found in Hrodlauf's area and on the previous page of this issue. Furthermore, a toplist can be found in Hrodlauf's area. Solutions on Quiz number three will also be presented in Hrodlauf's Quiz in his area and in The NannyMUD Times, when Quiz number four comes out. Updated rules for the Quiz: For each correct answer 1 point will be given, so 10 points can be given to any player. Maximum points will be 10, instead of the earlier rules which was a bit unclear. The one that provides the first solution with 10 correct answers will be awarded a cash prize worth 5000 coins. Mail your solutions to Hrodlauf. Good luck. ----- Quiz number three ----- 1..What sound does the french fries make in Whimpy's burger bar when the chef puts them on the stove? A) PFFFFFFFT... B) FSHHHHHHH... C) FIIISSSSK! 2..Whose area features a Viking zombie? A) Boyd's. B) Mortis', along with the evil vegetables! C) The knights area, when they are attacked by Vikings. 3..What gender is the Knight's falcon? A) It is male. B) The poor thing has been made genderless to better focus on the hunting. C) Only a female can attack that furiously. 4..How much do you have to pay to get to travel with the fast airship to Antharis? A) You pay with your life (no wonder that few ever visits). B) 100 coins, cheap for some speed that. C) 1000 coins. 5..Who was guildmaster in the Kittens guild? A) Catwoman. B) Kat. C) Lysander. 6..What guild, except Knights can use bandages? A) Lepers Guild, they are trying to impersonate mummies and are envious of the vampires that are allowed to be undeads. B) Retired High Wizards Guild, who knows what evil rites they perform. C) Cult of Cthulhu, to help them trance and stand still for hours and hours they need some body support. 7..What does the Bailiff do with the donations that he collects from inhabitants of nanny? A) He distributes it to newbies. B) The money helps to fight organised crime in nanny. C) The money goes to unspecified charity-work, namely the Bailiff himself. 8..Who stands statue in Gore's park? A) A filthy-looking man. B) Jolena. C) Lan. 9..Whose area does one enter through an ear? A) Valhall's. B) Balin's. C) Lorenzo's. 10..What method was used to enter Valhalla before the present way, the climbing of a rainbow? A) Mount the horse Sleipner. B) Climb a rope leading into the skies. C) Call Odin. Title: Re: The NannyMUD Times issue 2000 June. Post by: Polar on September 07, 2006, 09:13:53 AM ---------------------- The NannyMUD Times --------------------- page 18 --
Solutions to last month's puzzles along with those who provided correct answers (Ok, I admit it, these puzzles were pretty easy). - 1 - The beginning of eternity The end of time and space The beginning of every end, And the end of every place. What am I? The letter 'E'. Winner: Exxelsior Runners up: Mami, Yavathol, Nos, Khorn, Nirvana. - 2 - Dagoth had a party at his house yesterday. Everybody shook hands with everybody once. The total number of handshakes that were made were 136. How many people attended the party? 17 people. Winner: Gabe. Runners up: Nos, Nirvana. - 3 - In the shop I found an item that costs 1 coin for five, 2 coins for twenty, and 3 coins for six hundred. What is it? House numbers. You pay by the digit. Winner: Nos. Runners up: Nirvana. - 4- A rider comes into Greenwich, England at noon on Monday. He stays for exactly 72 hours, and leaves again at noon on Friday. How is this possible? The rider's horse is named Friday. Winner: Mami. Runners up: Ameno, Nothel, Khorn. - 5 - Roomhunt: Over the pile of broken bottles on the counter the snotty bartender is busy serving watered out beer. As you lean on the drool and beer-stained counter you wonder why someone has bothered putting up the spitoon beside you. The decomposing carcass of a dog competes with the spitoon for the attention of the flies. A handpainted brown sign can be seen on the wall. There are four obvious exits: east, north, south and southeast. The room is located in Nasigoreng's area on Antharis and the right solution to the puzzle is: 10s, e, s, board ship, travel basalt keep, out, e, 29s, 5w, 5nw, 3w, 2n, nw. However, for those familiar with Nasigoreng's area there is an alternative solution, namely: 10s, e, s, board ship, travel basalt keep, out, e, 29s, 5w, 5nw, w, tell gjejt escape. We've bend the rules a tiny bit and allowed the second solution as correct too. In any case, the first person to give a correct solution to the puzzle earning the grand prize of 5000 shiny new coins is Oriole. Our congratulations to the experienced knightess. ---------------------- The NannyMUD Times --------------------- page 19 -- Here is another round of puzzles for your entertainment. Mail your solutions to Dunstan and make sure the header of the mail refers to the puzzle solved. - 1 - There was a green house. Inside the green house there was a white house Inside the white house there was a red house. Inside the red house there were lots of babies. What am I? Cash Prize: 500 coins. - 2 - Three Khornes walk into the shop and buy a rusty dagger. The shopkeeper says the price is 30 coins, so they each pay 10 coins. Before they leave, though, the shopkeeper notices that the price is really 25 coins. Since 5 coins does not split 3 ways evenly, the shopkeeper gives each buyer 1 coin back, and pockets the remaining 2 coins. Each Khorne paid 9 coins, totaling 27 coins, and the shopkeeper got 2 coins, making 29 coins altogether. What happened to the other 1 coin? Cash Prize: 500 coins. - 3 - If it takes a clock 15 seconds to strike 6 o'clock, how long does it take to strike 12 o'clock? Cash Prize: 1000 coins. - 4 - Room hunt. Once again we have got a room for you money hungry explorers. The rules are simple. Find the shortest route, measured in rooms travelled, from church to the room shown below. Solutions that include teleport spells or any other spells casted by players that enhance movement are not valid. You are standing in an dank cave. The floor is hardened by frequent use. The strong odor of human habitation assails your senses. The combination of foul body odors mixed with smoke and rotting garbage nauseates you. Flickering torches on the west wall cast a dim light. To the north you hear the sound of voices. There are two obvious exits: out and north. Cash Prize: 5000 coins. Happy hunting! ---------------------- The NannyMUD Times --------------------- page 20 -- Here we are again. Another month has passed and the paper seems to still exist, although released a little late -- My apologies for that. The summer is here (for most of us), which means a lot of you people will hopefully be out in the sun doing other things than mudding. As for The NannyMUD Times, the Editor will be going on a longer vacation to/in RL, so you will probably not see the Summer edition of the paper out before around August 1. Other than that there is not much to say. Thanks again to the people who contributed ideas, material and encouragement to the paper, and thanks for the compliments we received, when the previous issue was released. It warmed our hearts! One last reminder before I am off. Read page 5 again, please. Contributions will make this paper even better, so keep'em coming -- We exist for you. Moreover, if you think we are missing something, let us know. We do get ideas, but we might not get the idea YOU just thought about. No more wise words from here. Enjoy the summer while it's still here. Till next time... /Dunstan. > > > > read page 21 But there are less pages than that! |