[MUD-Dev] Scenarios

[Chris Lloyd]

I have read what has been said, and if I may comment...

Players expect to be given a 'fighting chance'. Anyone who has run a number
of tabletop roleplay games will understand what I mean. If a party of
characters wanders into a situation they cannot control, they should
withdraw gracefully, and there is no honour lost - come back next time when
you are stronger. If a character gets killed, then the character is removed.
The player can re-roll a new one (who will met up and join the old party) if
he or she chooses, but the old character is DEAD.

Sadly, when players realise that when you die, you can be born again and
carry on, the game lacks this sense of self-preservation. Some of the Star
Wars muds have attempted to follow this - allowing one 'clone' of the
character to be made (At a HIGH cost). Hence, players avoid unknown dangers
and do not die often.

The other thing about the 'you only live' once method, is that players spend
time cherishing and nurturing their characters - losing the character is a
fatal blow to the gameplay.

The key, as I see it, is to provide obvious clues to what goes on. For a
start, the nasty areas are more inaccessible. Once areas are explored, they
get a reputation for their difficulty. If a newbie DOEs wander into such an
area, hopefully he/she will have the sense to either run or get killed only
once. Later, with a bit more exp, they will certainly return to get
vengeance on the Papa Smurf that killed them.

In answer to the 'newbie walking into a scrap' situation, remember that many
newbies have played a MUD before, and whilst they are lost in a new land,
may still thing to duck occasionally. If one of the gangs accidentally kills
poor Johnny Newbie, then he should be reminded to check who he is
decapitating before doing so.

Chris Lloyd




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