Players of the Month
Biography

HAWUMPH is one of the most well known highlifes at mud2.com. He's spent the majority of the last 10 months among the top mortal personae, and despite dying DEAD DEAD a few weeks ago is already back with the second highest score in The Land! Surely his quest for immortality will soon be brought to a successful conclusion?

HAWUMPH (POTM, November 1998)

I guess for me it all started way back when, on a system called Online Entertainment. And though like others I was a fan of Zork and the rest of the Infocom games, it was actually a graphical online game that started me off. The system also ran a game called Air Warrior, which had me so hooked I was way up there on the leader table, and a proud member of the Krait squadron (any of you guys still out there?)! Anyway one day  I checked out another menu on the system, something called Mud2. I blundered in, some guy with the weird name of Kyric helped me a bit (so I didn't know at the time did I?) and my on/off affair with the Land began. I talked to people, I was helped by many in lots of little ways, I even managed to get to be a Sorceror in double quick time thanks to one guy and his help.

Of course I loved the little puzzles I managed to solve by myself. Finding a use for the icicle had me almost doing handstands. I tried to remember what I was taught, and when one day shortly after making my coveted target of Sorceror my good friend asked for help, well I was delighted to return the favour. OK so how was I to know he was a killer, and that the cry of "Help PC?" was anything other than an honest desire for my company? First BIG lesson. Trust nobody!

MUD2: The Quest for Immortality is appropriate, but for my Land it was not to be. The system lost many members, the wizzes were not all that active (yeah I know many of us often think of such a situation with longing! Trust me you never want to see it.) and eventually I stumbled my way up the levels... and ... IT CLOSED! Sob! No MUD! And so it remained for over a year. Then a friend rang me and said try this number. Not internet, direct dial. Which in the UK means NOT CHEAP! But I did - and there it was - the Land - I was back. The Dragon system and proud to be amongst the community spirit again. Briefly. This was no quiet and friendly land. This was mayhem on a grand scale. No ambitions now but one - try and stay alive to something like Necro level - a rude lesson in survival techniques. After it closed I eventually tracked down I-Play - and now MUD2.COM. Lets hope my luck doesn't follow me here!

And the amazing thing is that with all these systems old friends keep cropping up, and even old enemies are a welcome sight. Its not unusual to see people chatting for half an hour or more online - especially if they are Mages sitting in that special mage room sipping sustenance! Thats what makes it more than "just a game" for me.

Anyway in all this time I had one nemesis that kept on killing me. I tried so many different persona names, in a vain attempt to beat my own personal nemesis. Until finally I decided - it cannot be escaped - so embrace your demon and get to know it. And so out of despondancy at the futility of trying one task, was born a persona named by the Dragon. She whispered that name to me so many times. And no doubt will try to again. Maybe she whispers to you?

HAWUMPH!

[Not updating persona]