Hmm. Where do I begin?
I've played text-based adventure games since 1983. I was introduced to Zork I, and almost instantly I was hooked. I went on to play the rest of Infocom's works. Even after Infocom met its corporate FOD in 1989, I never lost my love for text adventures, and have never understood why they 'went out of fashion' when we still have books in the age of television and motion pictures.
Then, in 1993, I made my way to NVN. There, in September of that year, I discovered MUD2 for the first time. The idea of a multi-player adventure game intrigued me, and I had already checked out a few others, but MUD2 was the one that hooked me. A text-based virtual reality, in which you can not only slay monsters and collect treasures, but also help (or hinder) other players in their quests. Among the first people I met were Viktor (then Gandalf) and Pasht. I ran into them on my first log-in, and they helped to show me the ropes.
As Laura (and one or two others) on NVN, I had several triumphs and tragedies. Some time after making sorceress for the first time, I died to sk1 (skeleton1). A very traumatic loss, but I soon recovered. It was actually three months before I met my first killer and had my first player fight. I had to flee the first time, but soon after, I gave Letusprey her comeuppance.
Mostly, however, I enjoyed the teamwork and comraderie. I owe much thanks to Pasht, whose cheerful demeanour always managed to lift my spirits, and to Grimm, who warned me about some of the nastier elements of the game and helped me to stay focused. There are all sorts of stories I could tell, but I have to keep this bio short. :)
When NVN disappeared in June of 1994, I was heartbroken. I was suddenly banished from The Land, into a world where no one had even heard of the place. However, I did manage to find Viktor's E-mail address, and he sent along updates on MUD2's later incarnations.
I was hesitant about returning to MUD2, especially due to the corporate FOD of NVN. So I did not appear on either the Iplay or Kesmai sites, which is just as well, as they ended up going much the same way. But finally, along came MUD2.COM. Here was a site run by people who loved the game as much as (if not more than) I did, one that wouldn't have its plug pulled without warning. I guested in October of 1997, and after a cheerful greeting from Pasht, I decided I was ready to return.
I'm not sure just what appeals to me most about MUD2. I suppose it's the need to escape from the dull, everyday world into a world of adventure and magic, where just about anything can (and often does) happen. And of course, computer adventuring can often be a lonely experience, and even the best NPCs can only provide so much company. In some ways, MUD2 is more of a real adventure than even the
best commercially-available adventure games, for here, you are not alone. You have plenty of kindred spirits to help you (or hinder you, if they prefer). And of course, there's the fact that no two resets of MUD2 are exactly alike; each one is a new experience, a new adventure.
All in all, I have been enjoying once again adventuring in The Land with friends old and new, and demonstrating to them my skills and quirky sense of humor (oops, humour--this IS a British game, after all!). NVN shut down before I could make it to mage, and I still haven't made it there here at this writing, but who knows how far I may go by the time you read this? (:
In any case, thanks to all the wizzes for granting me recognition as November's Player of the Month, and to the mortals I've encountered for their many and varied roles in helping me get there...(:
See you in The Land!
