Multi Chars

[Maggs]

In recent months I have come to re-evaluate my opinons about playing with multi-chars. As we know, it is
the norm within Nanny, and guild hoppers are looked on by many (including me in the past), as somehow
strange - as they were constantly gaining and losing like the proverbial rolling stone.

For my part, I think I came to these conclusions because my MUD experience has been gained  mainly through
Nanny, but I have played another MUD, midnight-sun, over the years. When playing there recently I noticed
that it was a banishable offence to have more then one char (in most circumstances). It was considered there
that multi char play spoilt role play.

There is some merit in this. How often do we get lecturered by RTs about not kill stealing et al, just to see
them log their Vamps on and steal all before them? Well, it happens - and I'm sure some PKs have some tales to tell
in these regards.

I suppose I've come to believe that multi-char play does compromise role play, especially when a persons char set
becomes known, and those people don't behave the same way with each char.

[Carrion]

Interesting, Maggs... I have more or less "looked down" on guild hopping, most likely because I tend to start a new character for every new guild I want to try out. There is something special being level 1, without any powers or money. "Only" your knowledge. This way I haven't got any "luggage" meaning a past and what I might have done earlier.

On the other hand, it HAS been almost traumatic to see just what you described. Some assmunch vampire stealing kills, and suddenly you realize it was an RT second that was laughing in your face

In the past I have tried to keep all my chars separate, not telling anyone about who my seconds were. I even tried to avoid registering my chars years ago, but that almost ended up in disaster...

Recently I have been less cautious, which I think is somewhat sad. I'll stick to the multi-char playing style though (mostly concentrating on one or two characters).

[Maggs]

I agree that multi char play is the best way to play Nanny because of the direction that its gone over
the years. When we started, there was no real need to have lots of chars because if you got bored
with a guild, you could just leave and join another with maximum guild powers by virtue of the fact that you
were level 19.

Clearly, things needed to get tougher to make the game more of a challenge, and a guild based points
system ensued. In the other MuD I mentioned, however, they just made level 19 extremely hard to
get to, and used a more extensive stats system, using 6 stats instead of 4 - which you focussed on
the guild you were in.

I prefer Nannys direction personally, the only down side being the role playing aspects.

For my part, I also focus on a few chars, though mainly Vic - which I try to advance between extensive Nanny
holidays. I don't know about everyone else, but I have a tendency to over-play sometimes, which
means that the game takes up a big part of my time, and therefore assumes an over inflated importance.
If I find this happening, and the game is taking over, I try and take a break 

[draculea]

That sounds just like me

[Opus]

I basically stick with one character and when I am tired of a guild, I leave and join another one. So far Opus has been a vampire (a complete failure), a druid (managed to become one of the few old-school paragons in that guild), took a one year long break before I heard there was a Lovecraft inspired guild and I returned to join the Cult. After several years of playing in the Cult I reached a point where I could not advance higher within the guild without quitting my dayjob. At that point I also managed to solve all quests and as that was my main interest, I got bored of the game and stayed inactive for several years.

One and a half year ago I got interested in the game again and I returned to leave the Cult and join the Chefs. This was a very hard decision as I had spent so much time in the Cult, but it was a huge improvement to my Nanny experience, to keep my name and my "achievements", but to be able to start from scratch. The Chefs was a very interesting and challenging guild, but the drawbacks and the bugs in combination of an inactive guildhead killed my interest as the guild is contraproductive to exploring (the penalty for death is ridiculous) and/or being in a party (Chefs are the worst partymembers due to drawbacks and bugs).

To leave the Chefs was much easier than to leave the Cult and now I am a newbie viking. As I am still struggling with the lower levels I am not going to judge the guild (yet), but it seems to have a great potential to please me.

I prefer to play with one char. Those times I create a second (for various reasons), I always miss my main character. And I prefer to know my friends as one character and not an ensamble of characters.

(Note: I am not jumping between guilds because I want to "solve" each and every guild, but because I get bored with the guild itself. And instead of creating a character I just change guild)

[Carrion]

Very good note Opus. I see your point, but I just feel I have too much time invested in most guilds, it would be a HUGE step for me to let a Whisperer leave darks, a 5-o leave the cult or an elder leave vikings... Almost unimaginable actually! I remember my surprise when you had left the cult, that really was a jaw-dropper

[Maggs]

I agree that the game encourages multi-char play, but at the same time ensures that you can only play one char
at a time. If can now (but haven't always) understand why people with limited time to Mud would play a main
char in many guilds rather than build up an anonymous list.

I can also understand why a high cultist with limited time to play might look elsewhere in the game. Its quite
easy to find youself going backwards on the plaques in those circumstances - which has got to be discouraging.

If Opus were to re-join at some time in the future, I'm sure he could re gain his status. I've re-gained much of mine.

My experience of the cult tells me that its a lot of work to gain a DI spell, much more to gain all 5. If one wants
to go much beyond that then one needs to re-assess what a huge step is. There has been some mighty big geeks
at the top of that guild!

[Maggs]

As a point of note I believe that the Vikings has had a few Legend chars in its time, but I believe
only two people have owned them, Kadagar and Loreley.

Fingers crossed, Opus you will be no 3. (I thought you once played a char called Oomph?)

[Opus]

Fingers crossed, Opus you will be no 3. (I thought you once played a char called Oomph?)

I am trying to learn Chinese in my spare time (beside trying to finish a PhD) so my time will be limited. No Legend for me, but I enjoy Vikings as, even if I log on for only 45 minutes, there is always something to do.

Actually, Oomph was two seconds to me. First he was a khone _many_ years ago (I don't even remember if Opus was yet created at those days), but I stopped playing and he got wiped. Later I brought him back as a druid (*). I created him as cultists are a little bit restricted if you want to explore. I was fighting with Amis for #1 in the guild, a fight we both gave up as Polar entered the scene

(*) ...and detected a bug: Your mudmail was not wiped with your char so if you started a new char with an old name, you could read that player's mudmail. I am pretty sure this has been fixed since then.

If Opus were to re-join at some time in the future, I'm sure he could re gain his status. I've re-gained much of mine.

Didn't you post the internal toplist a couple of days ago and didn't I still have a position on top 10?

[draculea]

Very nice discussion.
How do you feel now that not only multi chars is allowed but also playing them at the same time?