Amante’s Guide to PKill; RoD 101 – Leading a Run; Interview: Tiki
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Cry of Despair Issue 59, 05/02
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|
.JNNNN` .JNNNNNL NNNNNN. | In this month's issue:
JNNNNN) JNNNNNNNNL (NNNNNNN. | * Amante is here to help you
JNN` JNN` NNN (NN. (NN)| with your PK inadequacy
(NN` (NN` NNF (NN` (NN`| in his new guide.
(NN. (NN. JNN` NNF JNN) | * Carlie comes to the
(NNNNNN (NNNNNNNNN' (NNNNNNNF | astrological rescue in her
4NNNN` "NNNNNN` NNNNNNF | new horoscope column.
| * Ilsensine's Sickening
The Cry of Despair! | Goodness Awards are here,
=================== | as well as the usual News,
* * * | Funny Bones, RoD 101,
* | Myra + Ilsensine, and
* * * | Words.
* | * PLUS a new CoD PK League.
* |
* * |
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Editor: Khaimran Immortal Sponsor: Elisabet
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Staff: Juliana, Kellandra, Carlie, Amante, Silverwind, Zishum,
Begaria, Shingo, Ilsensine, Myra, Vladith.
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Contents CoD, Issue 59
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Desk of the Editor
Amante's Guide to PKill
News from around the Realms
RoD 101 - Leading a Run
Carlie's RoD Horoscopes
Dear Myra + Ilsensine...
Funny Bones!
Ilsensine's Sickening Goodness Awards
Tinani interviews Tiki Sneaki
Poems, Haikus... Just Words
Are you too addicted to RoD?
Quest Central.. Two new quests for May
Advert: The Cry of Despair PKill League
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Desk of the Editor - by Khaimran Editor
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Another month, another Cry? Well, yes, but its all change at the
Cry of Despair offices. We've had major staff changes, with
Kuah, Naithalia, Tinani, Mauro, Maray and Kyrstal all leaving us
over the past few months. We bid them all a fond farewell and I
hope that they find success in their mudlives. However! The more
astute amongst you will have noticed we've also been busy hiring
new members. Please welcome Kellandra, Carlie, Amante and
Zishum to the staff. They appear to have started as they mean to
continue, with great new articles.
In addittion to our regular slots, we have an expanded news
section, a guide to the Deadly life, a new monthly horoscope,
_and_ an introduction to the new Cry of Despair PK League.
We're constantly trying to change the CoD to suit the readers,
but as always, you know best as to what you want to read. So
yes, here's my regular monthly plea for feedback. Want to see
something in the Cry? Is there an article you can't stand? Do
you have something you've written yourself to submit? Mudmail me
or send me a tell anytime, to speak to me directly, or use the
Cry of Despair public board, located 2s, w, 2s of DH [] and also
north of the CoD offices in the Town Hall.
- Khaimran
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Amante's Guide to PKill - by Amante? PK Guide
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Amante's Guide to PKill.
After countless hours of leveling, adepting, and exploring you
reached the level of Avatar. For many more hours you worked
hard to get the equipment you now wear. You are quite proud of
your accomplishments and this makes you happy, however, there is
a part of you which seems empty. A voice in the back of your
mind telling you there is more to this world, a world which you
see all the time but never take part in. A world where death is
prized higher than life. Where blood is consumed as if it were
sweet wine. This world is that of the deadlies. You can ignore
the nagging in the back of your head but sooner or later you
need to succumb to it; You must try being a deadly, you must
see what it is all about.
You start out making your deadly character. You ask yourself,
"What kind of character would be feared by everyone, and would
provide no mercy?" The answer is simple, a mighty Warrior.
Then comes the race selection. Again you ask yourself, "What
race would this feared deadly be?" Again the answer is simple,
a Human. Humans have the best heroes and villains. Who ever
heard of Super troll anyway?
You begin to level your deadly character which you have
conveniently named after one of your real life friends. You
read "laws pkill," so you know everything there is to know about
being a deadly. It is simple, is it not? Level, kill people,
and then loot their equipment. Two hours later you reach level
5. Not ten minutes has passed and someone appears out of
nowhere. They look at you, snicker and attack! In three quick
seconds you are sitting with Sonoria, having your wounds
bandaged. You scroll up your screen to find out who has done
this. The name makes no sense! You type "who deadly" to see if
they are on there. They are not! He disappeared as quickly as
he appeared.
You gather yourself up and begin the hunt for your body. You
remember doing this a long time ago in your first few weeks.
Once you locate your body you gather the equipment from it,
however, something does not seem right. You look at yourself
and notice something is missing. Your boots are gone! You
worked hard for those boots so very long ago. And now they are
gone. Gone forever. Wiping away a tear you decide there are many
pairs of boots out there and you begin leveling again. You gain
two more levels and are now level 7. You decide it is time to
hunt for new equipment. Packing up your gear you are about to
leave when someone appears out of nowhere and kills you again!
Frustrated and confused you try to figure out who has done this.
Again their name has disappeared and you are left at Sonoria.
--
Many newbies start their lives like this. Getting killed is
frustrating to new players, especially when they get killed by
deadlies. In the following pages, I hope to be able to educate
you about how the deadly world works, hopefully giving you a
head start.
--
Many people wonder what it is to be a deadly. Basically being a
deadly means you can kill other people and they can kill you.
That is, however, quite a vague description of what it is really
about. You will not be able to kill very many people when you
start. In fact it will be quite the opposite. You will find
yourself killed, killed again, then killed some more. It will
take quite a while before you get your first kill. When you do
the excitement will be short-lived as you will no doubt die
again within three minutes.
There are many things you need to know in order to survive in
our world. The first thing you want to read is "laws pkill."
This is the most important help file for someone new to deadly.
It goes over the rules all deadlies must follow. Break these
rules; the immortals will break you.
Character Creation...
Learn the classes and races and which stats they need. For a
warrior you should not settle for less than 18 strength. Also
get as much dexterity as you possibly can. Thieves and Vampires
need very high dexterity and should not settle for less than 16.
It would also be wise to make sure you have at least 16 strength.
While Humans and Elves may look appealing the better races tend
to be the trolls, ogres, dwarves, and gith.
Start As A Lowbie...
I am sure you want to loot Lifebanes and loot plenty of them but
that will not happen without a firm grasp of pkill first. The
best way to gain that grasp is to use a lowbie pkiller. The best
level to do this at is level 24. Level 24 pk has high damage
and cheap equipment. So if you get looted, it is not hard to
replace what you lose (most of the time you will not be looted
anyway). The best race/class for L24 pk is a Gith Warrior. Gith
have the ability to see invisible and they are quite easy to get
nice stats on. If you find it difficult to obtain nice stats
look at other level 24 warriors and use their name pattern.
Switch a few letters around and you will probably get a nice
character.
Spells...
There are many spells which protect you in battle. Sanctuary is
the most important of them all. It halves all damage dealt to
you from any source. It is important that you have sanc at all
times when you are not in a safe room. The second most important
spell is Eldrich Sphere. It gives you temporary resistance to
magic and nonmagic (about 25% damage resist) which temporary
resistance to magic and nonmagic (about 25% damage resist) which
can make quite the difference. As you get higher in the levels
spells like Demonskin and Dragonskin also become important
(resist slash and pierce). For more information on these spells
read their corresponding help files.
Aliases + Macros...
There is no need to type out the full word murder to attack
someone. If you use a mud client, such as zMUD, you can use
aliases and macros to do most of the work for you. Aliases and
macros make you faster and make it easier on your fingers
(typing too much hurts and there is a lot of typing during
pkill). zMUD has excellent help files on making aliases and
can be downloaded at http://www.zuggsoft.com
Styles...
Styles are just as important in lowbie pk as they are in AV pk.
Standard is your basic stance and is the one most people use.
Evasive makes you take less damage but you deal less as well.
Aggressive style makes you do more damage and take more damage.
You also cannot flee while in aggressive, so be careful of that.
The most powerful style is berserk style. In berserk style you
lose the ability to use most of your commands in exchange for
the most damage. Be careful though, in berserk you can quaff
potions but cannot talk, look, flee, drink, or re-wield a
weapon. Defensive style is rarely used in pk, as it is quite
useless (in my opinion).
Equipment...
If you do not have the equipment to do damage you probably will
not be getting any kills. Shargate has composed equipment
lists on a website which everyone should take a look at. You
can find the site at: http://home.mmcable.com/iliana/frames.htm
.. Also on the web site is a more detailed description of styles
as well as a list of useful spells and skills to use.
--
Avatar PK...
So now you have mastered level 24, and you decide to move on to
Avatar pkill. Av pkill has a lot more to it than lowbie. Stats
play a much more vital role as does base hp. You also need to
worry about a lot more equipment, alignment, and sometimes
clans.
Classes...
An Avatar Vampire needs to max most of his stats. Strength for
max damage roll, the ability to carry heals, shoving/dragging
people, and picking up disarmed weapons. Intelligence for the
vampire's most powerful attack, Suspiric grasp (higher
intelligence means more damage). Dexterity for the ability to
dodge, carrying items in your inventory, armor class, evading
bash/gouge, and not dropping potions. People argue that
constitution is not as important as the others but for people
who are new to AV pk I think it is very important. The higher
your constitution is the less time you are blinded by gouge.
It also helps your save vs poison, if you are not resistant to
poison.
Luck is also an important stat. It aids in pretty much
everything. High luck means you deal more damage, take less
damage, miss less circles/backstabs/pounces, as well as many
other unnoticed things. Ideal luck for an Avatar is 20. It will
not be easy to max it as a beginner, but once you get some nice
equipment it will happen.
The other main fighting classes (thieves and warriors) need to
max the same stats, with the exception of intelligence. Rangers
are even more tricky, as they need to max every stat.
Intelligence and Wisdom aid in the casting of spells, as well
as the success rate of some.
Avatar Equipment...
There are many options for equipment at the Avatar level. You
can equip yourself "ghetto," which is between 80-100 damage roll
and about 1400-1500 hp. This is good for beginners, as you do
not really have anything worth looting, and you can get a feel
for av pk. There is also the option of equipping yourself well.
Basically the best equipment which is not super rare. This puts
you up to about 120 damage roll, 1600 hp (assuming you are
neutral. Devouts have a little less damage roll and hp in the
best equipment). The third option is completely decked out in
good equipment as well as clan equipment. A full set of clan
equipment mixed with good equipment puts you at 130-135 damage
roll and about 1800 hp (again, a little lower damage roll/hp
for devouts).
Alignment...
Most people do not play evil characters because of the
protection spell (25% less damage from evil characters). The
majority of pkillers are neutral with some warriors and thieves
being devout. Neutral alignment has the highest damage roll/hp
and does not get resisted by protection. The equipment is
considerably more expensive than the equipment a devout would
wear, however.
Clans...
Once you have your Avatar, and he has some equipment on him, it
comes time to look at joining a clan. At the moment the four
clans are Nominis Umbra, Scorn, Ophanim, and Surreptus. Each
clan has a help file which will explain more about them. People
can be identified as members of a clan by the tag next to their
name (called a badge). You can see the badge when they are in
the same room as you, on where, or on "who deadly". Read the
help files, watch how the people from each clan act and try to
join the clan which interests you most. When trying to join a
clan do not ask to join on wartalk or any other public channel.
There are tells for a reason. Use them. Since you are basically
asking for a favour, do not beg. Begging will probably get you
killed.
--
At this point you are on your own. I have given all the
information I can give on how pkill works and what you should
know. Read the help files, read the pkill web site:
http://home.mmcable.com/iliana/frames.htm .. Then make your
deadly. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.
I wish you luck.
- Amante
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Guild + Order News - by Kellandra News
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This month's news from the Guilds and Orders of the Realms...
(that submitted things).
The Guild of Clerics:
The GoC would like to welcome Woztore, Tracoally, Shalako,
Iaanaise, Phlinx, Lys, Chalamar, Quiche, Caus, Pondil,
Niveliorien and Karsiq to the guild! Also welcome back
Gatersade, we've missed you! Lys also became a full guild member
and will be getting his dirty carrot in the mail soon.
The GoC PK ladder has taken off to a great start with Aremilur
shooting straight for the top, but with several others
scrambling fast after to catch up, so keep up the great PKs!
To everyone else, take some time to enjoy your kumquats. :)
- Kellandra LifeBringer
The Guild of Mages:
After a rather lengthy, unnanounced vacation spent lounging
on the sunny beaches of Coral Depths, the Guild of Mages'
website has returned! It can currently be found at
guildofmages.bravepages.com, and is still undergoing serious
renovations. To ensure that it doesn't escape on another
unplanned excursion, a team of caretakers has been assembled
within the guild, in the guise of a new webpage council, with
Xanthian and Sapetalus at the head.
- Meade LifeBringer
The Guild of Rangers:
During the month of April, Aromiss, Paigoon, Ganymede, Rixie,
and Erante joined our ranks. Welcome to the Guild, and we hope
you find your new home comfortable. Gwillam, Perdita, Raza, and
Urix have all passed their Pledge Reviews, we congratulate them
on a job well done.
Namsar has stepped down as Guild First. We are sorry to see
you leaving the leaders' ranks. Although the members may not
realize it, the work you did was always outstanding Nammy, it
was always a pleasure working with you, even when the tasks were
not so pleasant (thanks for keeping me grinning).
Good Hunting, Racin Atal.
The Guild of Thieves:
The GoT is always busy with runs and people working on their
leading/tanking skills for the Assassin's Run Council. The past
couple of months have had many move up in the ranks as they
fullfill the requirements for each level of the council.
Congratulations go to Chyort, Frashmir and Tupi for reaching
the next level.
I would also like to take a moment to welcome all the new
thieves to the guild. They are too numerous to list here. Also,
I'd like to give a big welcome to those who have passed their
one month review. Valhtorin, Balg, Nenya, Kerian.
Yours in thievery, Angelea Endymion
The Guild of Vampires:
The GoV has a new guild second, Kendron.
Inter-Guild Quest Council:
Due to circumstances outside of the IGQC's control, the April
quest had to be changed last minute to a free-for-all PK, with
nice gold rewards for the top 5 places. All the guilds present
there had representatives. After a hard-fought battle, the top 5
places went to: 1. Nebka (GoC), 2. Aremilur (GoC), 3. Trantos
(GoC), 4. Taochilko (GoT) and 5. Lexelet (GoT).
Thanks to everyone for being understanding with the sudden
changes. GoM will be hosting May's IGQ so watch your guild
boards for information.
Inter-Order Quest Council:
MaidenStone will be hosting the next Inter-Order Quest on May
5th. Check your order boards for more information.
-= The Symposium =-
Passed:
* Colour change for corpses
* Repost mudsigned notes to show original author
* Note Coding Change to Remove (addressed to all)
* Naked/Looted corpse change
* Notes - Show votes once note is taken
* Guildmaster/Orderleader prefix
* Change Request for Fletch
* WEAPONS help file
* Promoting Helpfiles
Denied:
* Monks
* Alchemy
* More title space
* Make the mob Malsangre pacifist
* Allow pixies to turn off their innate fly
* Focus (Druid/Auggie Trance)
* Druid Shapeshifting
* Druid Charm
* Extra room for guilds/orders to be rented
* AFK prompt token
* Swap Skill (change target mobs when fighting multiple)
* Herb/Tobacco Shop
* Failure Message for spinkick
* Dunhill level change to the monastry
* Remove 'who 5'
* Notify command
* Enable colorize
* Refresh kill buffer command
* RP channel
* Config +/-tells
On Hold:
* Epoch Proposal (time measurement)
* Area Help File Update
* Changes for 'roster' command
-= Visionary Consortium=-
Implemented:
* Level 51+ helpfiles that are readable by mortals
& Note List (name)
Passed, to be Implemented:
* Killsteal laws and helpfile
* New social, calm
* Notes to all being able to be taken by author
Denied:
* Changes to Fletch
* Changes to weapon helpfile
* Buying ranks with glory
* Detect hidden for mages
* Adding colour to renames
Passed to the CoE for consideration:
* Changes to ventriloquate
* New use for charisma
* Law alternation regarding selling eq for real life cash
* Laws Mobassist
- Myra Fyremusik
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Realms of Despair 101 - by Juliana RoD 101
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Leading a Run.
Runs are one of the most thrilling things to participate in on
RoD - one of the more unique facets of such a big mud. It gives
people the visceral joy of doing something they cannot do alone,
defeating a great opponent in a united team.
On many other muds, killing mobs is strictly a solo affair, or
at most a group of 2-4 people, limited in characters by no
multiplaying allowed. On RoD, runs may consist of groups of
2-10+ people, sporting their contigents of killing characters
and supporting mage/cleric for spells.
As can be imagined, running on RoD has evolved its own set of
customs and unofficial rules to deal with the potential problems
of such a large group, namely: Organizing People and Logistics.
The mass of people must get together in the first place, and log
on at the same time. An army of characters must get to the mob
without individual people straying or getting lost. The mob has
to be killed in a decent amount of time (ie. once per repop) so
that there will be enough loot for everyone at the end.
Individuals shouldn't break off from the group to handle their
own stuff like repairs and alignment and restocking at any time
they feel like it. The group mustn't splinter into squabbles
over equipment at the end of the run.
The solution? The run leader.
Simply put, the run leader is the boss of that particular run.
He is the authority, his word goes. He can be as unfair as he
likes, he can be inept and kill the entire group in a running
attempt - it doesn't make him any less of a run leader, it
simply makes him a BAD run leader.
This article thus aims to give tips on how to be a -good- run
leader: how to be fair, how to maintain dignity and =sanity= in
the face of major spam, how to be responsible for your group
and keep them coming back to run with you.
Understand the Function of a Run Leader:
Contrary to some common runs, a run leader is not the guy who
tanks. It may not even be the guy who drags people to the mob.
The run leader is the person whom the rest of the group has
agreed (out loud or subconsciously accepted) is leading them.
His role is to keep the run members working as a group together
for the duration of the run. Without a run leader, you have a
bunch of fragmented individuals who may actually work together
well if they know each other's style, but no central
organization.
Adjunct to this role of keeping people working in a team, the
run leader usually takes on the trickiest tasks of the run. He
leads people there, he tells them what to expect from the mob.
He tends to tank the mob because he has the most experience. He
calls the shots, he says when to kill and when to flee. And at
the end of the run, he divides the collected loot.
Here, we delve into the realm of the extremely subjective.
There are as many different styles of leading a run as there
are run leaders. The only real criteria of success is if you
managed to keep your group together (they didn't scream and walk
off on you) and if they are happy at the end of the run or are
at least content with the way the run was led (if you are
concerned with ever running with them again).
Still, I'd like to share my personal favorite tips for leading
a run well.
-= Before The Run =-
+ Know The Mob You're Killing. If Not, Tell People That!
I can't stress this enough. When you take people on a "run" as a
run leader, there is the implied understanding that you already
know how to get to the mob and how to kill. Polite run members
will shut up and listen to you. Since you essentially have an
army of players following your orders on trust, it is your
responsibility to make sure they do not get into trouble.
Know how to get to the mob, the DTs around the route, how to
handle any aggressive mobs along the way and so on. Know how to
CR people in the event that they die. Know the tactics for
killing the mob effectively. If you don't know anything, say so.
Your friends won't blame you for being ignorant. They will,
however, blame you if you leave them ignorant of the fact that
you're ignorant. :P
If they know anything, they'll speak up, share their information
and help you along. If they don't know anything either, at least
all of you then understand it'll be a trial run, to explore and
discover this information.
+ Establish Goals and The Rules of Your Run Beforehand.
Tying in to the above point, make sure all the members of the
run share the same expectations you have. If you're going to
kill a mob whose pop rate is abyssal (like 1 in 20), make sure
the people following you do not expect to gohome with a pop in
hand in 2 hours' time.
Stress what you want to accomplish in the run. "I just want to
-kill- it, and prove it can be killed." Or "I only have time to
get one set of loot for each player before I end the run" and
so on.
Be clear on how you're going to divide the loot at the end of
the run. If there are pops, who takes them? First to call dibs?
The person who KB'ed? A draw for the pop? Or will you hold on to
it until there are enough for everyone? Or use some kind of run
manager to award points? Some methods are more fair than others,
the best way to dividing loot can be subjective. But it is only
civil to make sure your run members accept how you plan to split
the loot -before- they join you on the run.
+ All Rules of Being a Good Run Member Also Apply to Run Leaders
Remember last month's article? Yes, just because you're a run
leader does not mean you are exempt from behaving in a civil
manner. Run member etiquette also applies to you, you are part
of the group as well. That means being personally prepared for
the run with heals, spells, etc.
-= During the Run =-
+ Get the Group to the Staging Ground. Make Sure They Know How
to CR.
The staging ground is usually in the room of the mob itself (if
it isn't aggro) or a room away from the mob (if it'll be mean to
you the moment you enter). It's where nearly every run group
camps and looks intimidating in a big purple splotch of "is
hovering here."
I like to take the group to the mob to talk, since then the
only people listening will be the run members. Not to mention,
they are more inclined to listen a few steps away from killing
the mob than rushing around prepping heals and stuff. :)
The first thing I tend to establish is the CR ground rules. One
of my pet peeves is having people die, then stand and look
helpless at recall or Sonoria and send desperate (or worse,
aimless) tells to the run leader, while she's trying to keep
the rest of the group from dying also.
For mobs that are easily accessible and easily CR'ed from, I
make sure everyone knows how to get to the mob before we even
start killing. The understanding is then they take care of their
own CR if they die. Preferably as fast as possible so they can
rejoin the ongoing battle.
For mobs that are practically impossible to get to before the
corpse rots, there is supplicate corpse. Make sure everyone has
enough favor to supp corpse before they start killing and dying.
+ Give the Group "Juliana's Infamous Lecture" aka "Everything
You Ever Wanted to Know About this Mob and Then Some."
This is definitely just a personal trademark. I'm a paranoid
kind of person, and I like to repeat the obvious. Belabor it,
even. I just believe that my run members do better if they know
what to expect from the mob and aren't taken by surprise and
thus panicked in any way.
So I tell them from start to finish what the mob is likely to
do, and how I plan to kill it. What they are supposed to do,
what is ideally supposed to happen and emergency plans if things
don't go well.
It's not necessary to go into tedious detail, of course, but the
basic point is to let your run members know precisely what they
are expected to do.
+ While Killing, Keep an Eye on the Mob and the Other on the
Group
This is where running experience and repeated practice come in.
It's always worth celebrating when no one dies and the mob is
steadily being hurt, and thus eventually killed. Any beginning
run leader can handle a simple run like this. Problems arise
when a few people start dying.
At the very minimum, know at what numbers you want to run away
(or if you can even run away at all.) The moment you lose the
necessary mass to kill the mob, be it not enough hitters,
tankers, whatever, issue the recall order and have the
survivors flee and regroup. :)
No point fighting a losing battle, wasting heals only to die
inevitably. On the other hand, if your dead teammates can CR or
log other characters to join in asap, it might be worth
sticking it out and keeping the mob hurt. Telling the two
scenarios apart is a knack only improved by lots of firsthand
experience.
+ Keep Morale High. Lead by Example, Supported by Clear
Instructions.
Imo, the runaway order should -only- be given by the run leader.
Run members can and should ask, or state their equipment
condition or how many heals they have left, but they should
always be throwing themselves at the mob until it dies or
they've run out of characters. The decision to flee and regroup
is not a decision made by committee. The more people debate
while fighting if they should flee, the more morale drops, the
more self-fulfilling the prophecy of "we can't kill this"
becomes.
Keep at the mob, keep your runmates going. Give consistent
orders and have your actions exemplify what you just said. If
you scream "Attack!" and then hang back, no one is going to fall
for that a second time. Make sure you're leading the charge. :)
Don't be fickle. If you've made the decision to flee, ensure
everyone runs away fast.
Raise morale in other ways, depending on your style. Tell a
story, crack jokes, keep people talking in between repops, make
sure people are enjoying themselves and not super-stressing out.
+ Try Not to Get Uptight. Maintain Control of Your Own Temper
and Ego.
You can't be a good spokesperson if you're unreasonable or not
civil to other groups. Compromise when possible, be firm but
not rude or abusive when compromise isn't possible. Call an imm
in the ultimate worse case scenario, but know about "laws
stake". The custom is to trade repops when two groups want to
kill the same mob at the same time. It is usually easier to
kill another time when the area is uncontested.
Even with no other groups around, try to relax and enjoy
yourself. The bigger the run, the more stressful organizing
everyone becomes. But the more uptight you get, the more it
shows in your behavior, and group morale plummets as a result.
Take the time between repops to take a breather, or sort out
logistics.
-= After The Run =-
+ Thank People For Coming.
They didn't -have- to run with you if they didn't want to,
y'know.
+ Divide Loot Fairly, As Agreed Before The Run Began.
That said, my personal preference is to keep the run going until
all remaining players have an equal set of loot. If a player
quits before the run ends, he either gets nothing, or some
leftover/not so valuable eq.
For pops, I tend to draw lots for a one-shot run. Write pop on
one note, and toss some blank notes into a container. Let
everyone pick a note out of it, and you take the last note
remaining (since you know the order you put it in.)
For runs that will continue week after week (regular guild/
order runs), I prefer to use the Run Manager (a program which
used to be available on the Dragonslayer website) that awards
points to the people present for the kill.
The formula was developed by a number of old (now retired)
runners I respect very highly and is the most fair I've found
so far: After every pop, 1/(number of people present) is
awarded as each person's point share. The players with the
highest points after subsequent runs receives a pop, and has 1
point subtracted to reflect that.
Another pet peeve of mine: Never never take more loot as a run
leader than your members (regardless of whether you tanked or
not). I find that taking advantage of people who figuratively
"flocked under your banner." If you need eq, there is nothing
stopping you from leading runs ad nauseam, and awarding everyone
equal shares.
-= Conclusions =-
The whole issue of run leading is more subjective than most,
because it doesn't deal with smaug code in which there are
limited numbers of efficient, effective ways. Rather it deals
with the myriad interactions between people. Some people have
very high tolerances. Others harbor specific preferences for
some kind of behavior or may blow a fuse exceedingly quickly.
A run leader need not do all of the above to have a successful
run. Part of it, adapted to the situation's needs may be all
that is required. For example, there is absolutely nothing
wrong with a bunch of independent individuals who can work well,
cooperatively together. They get to the mob by themselves,
already understand the appropriate times to repair and fix
alignment, etc. Such a group may only need a run leader in the
form of a person to hold the loot until the end of the run.
In fact, I hope you'll develop your own rules and guidelines,
based on your own preferences. Use my suggestions as a guide of
what you like and don't like, something I said make your skin
crawl? Don't do it my way then, do it yours.
- Juliana Shadowfyre
----------------------------------------------------------------
RoD Horoscopes - by Carlie Zodiacs
----------------------------------------------------------------
Hello there everyone! :)
I'd just like to talk to you briefly before you go on to read
the horoscopes. As a new member to the CoD staff it's kind of
hard to come up with ideas for monthly sections the readers
will enjoy. So! To make your opinion over my (bad) writing
heard, please mudmail me and let me know what you think of the
horoscopes, and if I should continue writing them for each CoD
issue! :) Thanks for taking a little time and reading this, I'll
stop talking now.
Guenevere - April 20 to May 20
Uncomfortable trying new things, future choices may /\
seem too much for you to handle. As for the stability__//\\__
of the people around you, you're allowed to depend __\\//__
on others once in a while yourself. Ask friends for \/
advice, they won't let you down.
Grand Mistress - May 21 to June 20
____ The flirt in you has been dying to break loose and
,-/ /)))have a full-fledged fling. Maybe finding and
\_\ ( .( changing the fling into a long-term relationship
\/' _/ should take a higher priority. If you keep tossing
_/ (_ aside hearts, sooner or later someone will win,
then toss aside your heart too.
Froghemoth - June 21 to July 22
Prone to brooding, many of your friends consider you
secretive and withdrawn. Try to get over your fear (.)(.)
of confiding in others and open your shell to let (\ -- /)
in those you care about. Everyone get hurt, but if * * * *
you risk some pain can be well worth it when you
finally open yourself up to someone special.
Bahamut - July 23 to August 22
Never one to spend time alone, you will always be an incurable
/\_/\ romantic. In love with love, you show your affection
< o o > by showering the object of your desire with as many
) ( gifts as their arms can hold. When the oppurtunity
(. .) arises, don't be afraid to allow yourself to
appreciate the same treatment.
Sonoria - August 23 to September 22
Stuck in a rut, very much the creature of habit, you ____
live to please. However, your possessive jealousy and((\ \
thoughtless ability to critisize can outweigh the )o\ /
good you do for others. You can quickly patch up \_ \ \_
these hurt feelings, but it would be wise to work on _) \_/
keeping your tongue under tight rein.
Justice - September 23 to October 22
o---o "Overworked and underpaid." Maybe it's just
/ | \ the time of year, but recently you've been
(__) | (__) taken for granted far too often. It's time
to take a break from helping others solve their feuds. Let
them work out their problems for themselves while you take
a well-deserved rest.
Black Rose - October 23-November 21
Certainly one of the most possessive characters, there
... is a serious, yet fiery, passion in everything you
{ | } do. While some appreciate your unwavering devotion,
{--O--}others can find it smothering. Weighing options and
{ | } considering all the decisions is not your strong
`-' point, but you will need those skills to build
long-lasting relationships.
Cernunnos - November 22 to December 21
Unconventional and drawn to the unusual, yours is the life on
the wild side. Walking the thin line between exotic and
dangerous, you must keep enough sense in your head to avoid
slipping and falling into trouble too deep for you to climb out
of. One thing is certain, no one will ever call you dull.
|
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<|XX0
|
Vortex - December 22 to January 19
//,,//Stubborn and hard-headed. People use those words to
\\,,\\describe you often, but it's never really bothered you
//,,//before. However, you'll find that your stubbornness
\\,// will create a rift between you and someone you care
\v/ about. It's time to put aside your pride and apologize
becase even your "Justice" friends can't help with this one.
Thoth - January 20 to February 18
\ | / The mundane, everyday life just doesn't
/'''\ interest you much. You have a bad memory for
__ / \ __ names and birthdays, which can slowly alienate
\ / you from others. You may believe you want to
\.../ be alone, and do not mind alienation, but
/ | \ before you push everyone away, think about it.
Zeus - February 19 to March 20 .. ..
There are times in life when you simply cannot .' ' ''..
feel your way through a situation, no matter `.., '.
how hard you try. You may not enjoy using your '......'
brain, unless it is to let your mind wander to //
daydreams, but you should at least give it a shot. \\
For you, too, possess a dazzling, if dusty, //
intelligence |/
Blackmote - March 21 to April 19
,, ,,,, Always bursting with energy, sometimes you find
,'..'....'',, it'll just go to waste. Find a new focus in
`,,,.........',life, make a change. Now is your time in the
`,,,'',,,' spotlight so extend yourself to your fullest.
Celebrate your individuality! But don't forget one little rule:
Always look before you leap.
- Carlie Coolbeans
----------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Myra and Ilsensine - by Myra + Ilsensine M+I
----------------------------------------------------------------
Loverboy!
Dear Myra & Ilsensine,
I have a situation where I like two different people. Some of
my friends think that's wrong and tell me that I need to decide
which one I like the most and only like them. What do you
think?
- Loverboy
Dear Loverboy,
There's nothing wrong with having feelings for two different
people at the same time. Is either one aware of your true
feelings? Or are they both aware and neither is interested?
Regardless, let the love flow and be there when they need you.
I see nothing wrong with lavishing your affections on more than
one person.
- Myra
Dear Loverboy,
Two different people at once, you say? Well now... time to
find out whether you can juggle like a jester... or whether
you're impotent when it comes to balls. If you think you're up
to the task, by all means play the game and have them both.
However, it would be wise to remember that whilst some cats get
the cream, a fat cat will catch no mice when that dish is
empty.
- Ilsensine
Impy?
Dear Myra & Ilsensine,
I've noticed that as I age more in the game, my personal
'equipment' doesn't seem to function as well. Could this be
because I'm human? What advice can you give me?
- Impy
Dear Impy,
It sounds to me like you need to either find some mojo or
explore the Realms for a few natural aids. I hear there's a
Nations HT with a vendor that sells oysters and we even have an
Ointment of Aphrodisia in the game. Try some of those to get
your 'equipment' working again.
- Myra
Dear Impy,
Just cut it off.
- Ilsensine
----------------------------------------------------------------
Titles - collected by CoD Funny Bones
----------------------------------------------------------------
Time for our weekly collection of titles from accross RoD. Some,
more, or less, could be funny.
Jarax hears all, sees all, knows uhm... nothing
Cytan: You're not paranoid. I AM out to get you.
Mari Fyremusik gives you erotic nightmares... Mood:hmm.
Maray says 'Three cheers for apathy! Hip hip... whatever.
Blaserin Coolbeans will drop his pants for cheese
Traxxis is Sir Spankalot, Knight of the Round Paddle.
Ienna: Master Debater: Good with Mouth and Hands [BOT].
Sapetalus tried to daydream but his mind wandered. (IT-Ldr)
Zadkiel wants puppies... but can't seem to get pregnant.
Trantos BelaMorte says '..-. ..- -.-. -.- -.-- --- ..-'.
Klinon Watyrmusik Montabella Treeves StarProphet.
who nc (... of DOOM?)
Ilsensine the Neon Pink Gaydar Bot... of DOOM!!! [NC:MA-ON].
Zistrosk the Goody Two-Shoes... of MOOD! er... [NC:OFF].
Vladith Whitefang turns over a new leaf...of DOOM!!![NC:ON.
Muiren Lendicol is eating the sub... OF DOOM!!! [NC:ON].
Laurel Gemstone is Snow White .....of DOOM [NC-MA:ON].
Khoara Bare, Half-Troll Porn Star... of DOOM!!! [NC:OFF].
Alysira, Clueless chick of DOOM!![NC:OFF][IT|QC|Worthy].
Goomra is waiting for Angelea..OF DOOM! [NC:ON].
Stoneheft Gemstone hides atop the mountain... OF DOOM!.
Tiki Sneaki, werepixie... of DOOM!... is such a conformist..
who goc (Guild of Carrots?)
Aengil has carrots in her title. *carrot* /\ *shift6*.
Kellandra LifeBringer is no pineapple (she's a carrot).
Aremilur Coolbeans, carrot coveter. [AA|CoC|CWB].
Caseria has too many carrots to fit in her title.
Blaserin Coolbeans thinks carrots are yummy .
Carlie Carrot Coolbeans. Triple C goodness :) [CoC|ASG].
Elmeri hangs out with carrots. Go carrots!.
Marin was corrupted by a group of carrots.
Coryn Carrot Coolbeans is queen ant of the GoC..
Nishad Coolbeans: Carrots are for life, not just for sex.
Amy-Elizabeth, just another carrot in the patch :).
Shealkire asks, "Why waste carrots hanging yourself?".
----------------------------------------------------------------
Sickening Goodness Award - by Ilsensine SGA
----------------------------------------------------------------
Well yell huzzah and beat my arse with a stick... If it isn't
the first ever, yes, first EVER! Ilsensine's Sickening
Goodness Award time!
Dear dead dogs in the sky, I could almost expire from the
excitement.
Fortunately, I will control myself and save the festival of
Death for after I finish this splendidly pointless, yet
cuttingly witty article that stands so proudly as a post-modern
ironic critique on modern society within the Realms. *cough*
Yes... now where was I? Flaming dead dogs! The Award!
(Yes, you'll have to turn the page.)
It is my great honour, and distinct diabolical pleasure to
annouce that the greatest exponent of nauseatingly pious
Goodness in all the Realms is...
****************************************************************
***** Kellandra LifeBringer *****
****************************************************************
Faked comiserations to all those who just weren't Sickenngly
Good enough.
Do you know someone who is too nice? Are they sweet,
considerate and generally unbearable? If one or more people are
percolating in to your head... read on.
Thanks to yours truly... and a complex concoction of hatred,
bitter malignance and boredom, there is now a solution to these
fiends!
Nominate them for the Award described by one media pundit as,
'truly a cruel, cruel instrument of torture'............
The Sickening Goodness Award.
Mudmail your nominations for abominations to yours truly
(Ilsensine) along with some good reasons why the person you have
nominated deserves this ugly damnation. Who will be the hapless
victim for June? One thing is for sure... it won't be me.
- Ilsensine
-----------------------------------------------------------
Tiki Interview - by Tinani Tiki Interview
-----------------------------------------------------------
This month, Tinani our roving reporter tracked through the
jungles of the Realms in search for the rare and illusive
Immortal Pixies. After falling into quicksand and being
rescued by the Divine Tiki he was able to ask these very
important political and personal questions about the
beloved pixie.
Tinani> As a Sneaki Tiki Perdy Pixie Queen type person
how would you repsond to those in the Half Troll community
that would eat the wings of your people?
Tiki blinks her eyes in surprise. 'Are they threatening
that again?'
Tinani> They are, I'm afraid :(
Tiki grumbles, mostly to herself, 'I've heard that
half-troll soup isn't so bad a meal...'
Tinani> Does that go with red wine or white?
Tiki thinks a moment. 'I would say a sweet bubbly white.
With white chocolate for dessert.'
Tinani> I will have to join you sometime.
Tiki smiles at you.
Tiki says 'I'm sure it is no real threat. They like to toy
with us.'
Tiki whispers to you 'But we are much smarter!'
Tinani> How do you respond to the decreasing pixie
population in Darkhaven, and how do you explain this
phenomenon?
Tiki says 'Well, for us pixies, spring is breed... er...
frolicking season. Tiki blushes slightly, and stammers
'And we are very busy with it!'
Tiki stares at the sky.
Tinani shoes away the 'Pixies Caught on Tape' camera team
and continues.
Tiki grins at you.
Tinani> Any response to the pixie person pepper
picklers strike that is currently taking place in your home
town?
Tiki sniffs a little haughtily. 'There wasn't much market
for them anyway, as they only worked with dills, and
everyone knows that REAL pixies eat only sweet pickles.'
Tinani> How do you think the pixie hockey team, 'The
maple Pixie Leafs' will do with their goalie Courtise
Jos-pixie back from his injury?
Tiki swoons in ecstasy.
Tiki says 'I really think the Pixie Maple Leafs will take
the Candy Cup this year. I'm terribly excited to see Pixie
Roberts back too.
Tiki wiggles her bottom.
Tinani grumbles to himself thinking of previous years where
the Trollish rangers took the cup too many times.
Tinani> Any truth to the rumors to you roasting the
butterfly catchers who accidentally crushed the wings of
some of your subjects?
Tiki winces. Ouch!
Tiki says 'I wouldn't do that! I'm a lover, not a roaster.
Tiki grumbles a little.
Tinani> Hypothetical situation... you come home from a long
day of Imming and turning people's Lifebanes into
lollypops, and you find Herne prints all through your
big flower, what do you do?
Tiki says 'I'd say "You're home early dear, is supper on?"'
Tiki stares at the sky.
Tinani hears a whip crack and Herne cry out.
Tinani snickers softly.
Tiki giggles.
Tinani> Why are pixies the best?
Tiki gives you a puzzled smile. 'It is not my place to
question why the Gods of old made us the best. It is just
the way of things.'
Tinani> Who is your favorite pixie person?
Tiki says 'Every last one of them. :)'
Tinani> Thank you very much for your time.
Tiki says 'Anytime.'
As Tinani made his way out of the pixie jungle, he was
caught in three more sets of quicksand and a rabid monkey.
But luckily he got back to the Cry Offices in good shape.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Haiku - by submissions Words
-----------------------------------------------------------
Below are a collection of Haikus that were submitted to the
Cry of Despair public board. However, due to an unfortunate
error (read: I messed up), we lost the name of the person
who wrote the Haikus. If you would wrote them, and would
like recognition, please mudmail me about it. Apologies for
the error. ;) - Ed.
Haiku: A form of poetry that uses 3 lines, with a 5 7 5
syllable count.
Hungry, armor needs
Repair. Sleep in Square, never more.
Damn the thief. Damn them.
Half-Ogre, Most Feared
And respected in all the
Realms. Smells like dead dog.
Oh humble Druid,
Protecter of natural.
Wears tie-dye undies.
Up, down, all around,
Pixie flies into the ground. No
More ale for you, Pixie.
Beautiful Tiki,
Floats on breeze. Peek under skirt,
Slap burns- thousand hells.
Black Xynz
submitted by Rahil
Dream on, nightmare child.
Paint your sleeping world in black.
Darkness calss in death's soft whispers.
Dream on, dream on, you can't come back.
Blood river flows on jagged stone,
Muted screams of souls lon lost.
Dying, cracking, twisted bones.
Nightmare child, lay down your cross.
Nightmare child, lay on your cross.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Are You Too Addicted to RoD? - by Kellandra Addiction
----------------------------------------------------------------
Are you too addicted to the mud? Has RoD invaded your sleeping
hours as well as your waking ones? Ever dream in TEXT?
If you've had any type of Realms of Despair dream before, we'd
love to hear about it! It has happened to all good mud addicts,
don't be shy ;)
Did you single-handedly solo Seth with a feather duster? Find a
DFB in Shattered Refuge that no one claimed? Get to balzhur your
least favorite Immortal/Deadly/Trafficker? Whatever it was that
happened, we want to know!! Maybe you are the most dreamed
about person in the mud...
Please mudmail Kellandra with your favorite dream about
Realms. :)
- Kellandra LifeBringer
----------------------------------------------------------------
May Quest! - by Elisabet + Vladith Quest Central
----------------------------------------------------------------
It's that time again! No, not time for the dreaded pwipe...
It's time for a special Cry of Despair Quest!
(Pause for applause).
That's right, tis a quest that is upon is. And a fun one, at
that. Think of your favourite (or not so favourite) immortals.
They all have their own 'images'. Thorpe is a wannabe pimp.
Kali is darkand mysterious and powerful. Darrek is drunk. And
Thalasian.. Well, Thalasian is just a big cow. But that doesn't
matter anymore! Ever wanted to see Darrek act like a Boy Scout?
Or maybe have Tiki be an abusive, hate-filled slayer of all
things frolicky? Now you can!
It is now your job, as a loyal reader of the Cry of Despair, to
act as talent agent for the immortals of the Realms of Despair!
Your job (and you better accept it) is to rethink a new 'image'
for one or more immortals. Submissions should be mudmailed to
Elisabet and include the immortal's name and as much detail as
your little brain can muster about their new identity. And who
knows, maybe the best submissions will find themselves
deserving of a reward of some sort! Entries MUST be in by
midnight on May 22nd.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Mindgames! - by Elisabet + Zishum Quest Central
----------------------------------------------------------------
Aren't you lucky? We've got a second quest lined up for you...
This one contains two parts. Both parts must be answered
correctly for you to stand a chance of getting prizes.
1)
A state uses a sequence of three letters followed by a sequence
of three digits as their license-plate pattern. If each three-
leter three-digit arrangement is equally likely, what is the
probability that such a license plate will contain at least one
palindrome?
2)
You can make the following into grammatically correct English
merely by adding punctuation. You may not change the word order,
nor add or subtract any words...
John while Jim had had had had had had had had had had
Once again, answers must be mudmailed to Elisabet by midnight
on May 22nd.
----------------------------------------------------------------
The Cry of Despair, PK League! - by Khaimran Ad
----------------------------------------------------------------
Bored of endless running? Want to pk, but have trouble finding
worthy opponents? Despair not.. help is at hand..
Introducing...
The Cry of Despair PK League
============================
Currently, the idea is in its conceptual stages, but for it to
proceed any further we need your help. For the curious, here's
the information we have so far..
* All avatars may take part, deadly or peaceful.
* It will be team pk, with 5 people per team, though only
3 people from each team will be allowed to take part in a
given pk batle.
* There will be a DR cap, which will be higher for peacefuls
than deadlies, to compensate for inherent deadly traits.
* A point system will operate, bearing 2 points for a win,
* 1 for a tie, 0 for a loss. (Any team which does not turn up
would register a loss)
* A nominal entry fee would be taken from each team, to
supply prize money. This will most likely be in the range of
5 to 10 mil.
* All ties will be immortal overseen.
* A team captain for each team will sort out any internal
disputes.. i.e. which 3 of the 5 team members take part in
a match,
* The League will run for a set period of time, which will be
decided at some point.
* No player may have characters in more than one team.
If you wish to take part, mudmail Khaimran with information on
your team: Team name, team members, and team captain.
For more information, contact Khaimran or Amante, and watch the
Archives for updates. Ideas, suggestions and constructive
criticism would also be welcomed.
With any luck, and interest from the Realms populace (that's
you) we can get this off the ground. Once we have an idea of how
many participants there will be, we can formulate some complete
rules.
- Khaimran
----------------------------------------------------------------
