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The Farside Gazette Vol II, No. 4 Feb. 22nd 1995
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The Farside Gazette is published twice a month by AsaMaro in
conjunction with (and full permission of) The Farside Staff
The Gazette is written in 100% pure ASCII to assure maximum
compatibility for all readers using whatever system they use
Subscribe by writing to jderouen@crl.com and including just one
word - Subscribe - in the body of your text
Telnet to Farside at: mud.atinc.com 3000
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Table of Contents
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Line 7 Introduction
Line 19 Table of Contents
Line 46 AsaMaro's Editorial
Line 112 Back Issue Notice
Line 120 Player Bio: Hanz
Line 161 Immortal Bio: Nemisis
Line 204 The Dropoff by Marat
Line 307 Eve of Destruction by Crom
Line 371 Battle for Midgaard by Draeger
Line 460 Cleric's Viewpoint by Balthazar
Line 517 A Warrior's Responsibnility by Arundel
Line 637 A Changed View by Hanz
Line 704 Additions to Farside by AsaMaro
Line 718 Farside Birthdays by Ambrosia
Line 740 Farside News
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*
* Help Wanted *
*
The Farside Gazette is looking for a Mortal Correspondent to help with
news gathering on Farside. This person's responsibilities would include
keeping track of who gained hero status, recording quests, (and who ran
them as well as who won them), and in general helping me to keep up with
mortal happenings on Farside.
The potential candidate should be somewhere between levels 20 and 30, be
dedicated to sticking with the game and the gazette, and have the time
necessary to devote to the job at hand. I'll consider *any* mortal for
the position, however, if she or he presents me with a good enough
reason to do so.
Payment would be one free issue of the Gazette. <G> That, and seeing
your name in electronic print every two weeks. Oh, and lest we forget
my undying thanks. You'd get that, too.
Send all resumes to: jderouen@crl.com
* * *
As you probably noticed, the Gazette now has a table of contents. Why?
Because we have a lot of information in here, because it looks nice, and
because I had a few extra minutes to kill.
Why use line numbers instead of the more standard page numbers? Because
this is electronic text. Most of you probably either view this in your
mailboxes or export it for viewing via a text editor or word processor.
If you want to read Marat's interview for this issue, for example, you
can just scan down to line 204 and read it. If you'd prefer page
numbers instead let me know and we may give that a try next issue.
The Farside Gazette is a continually evolving beast. Let me know what
you want and I'll always try to add it.
* * *
The "Future of Farside" contest is going along great. We've received
about a dozen good entries so far with more promised to come. Deadline
for entries is still February 28th and the results of the contest
(judged by myself, Marat, Mastermind, Xeon, and Ryu) will appear in the
very next issue of the Gazette.
* * *
In the administration, a few changes have been made. Ambrosia was given
the title of Quest Mistress while Reflection was given the duties of
Farside PR person. AsaMaro (that would be me) was given the title of
Farside Editor, and level 60.
* * *
Crom's Nim Vechwill quest went off great, despite a few untimely
crashes. Read Crom and Draeger's recounting of the quest (in two
seperate articles) below.
* * *
Special thanks this issue to Arundel, Balthazar, and Marat for coming
through with excellent last-minute articles!
And thanks to all of you for reading,
--AsaMaro
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Back Issues of The Farside Gazette
Back issues of the Gazette are now available for FTP at atinc.com in
/pub/mud/gazette . While you're scuttling about the internet, check out
Farside's new WWW page at http://zeus.atinc.com/mud.html .
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* Farside Player Bio *
Name: HanZ Age: 45 (RL) 15
Race: Dwarf Class: Martial Artist Current level: 22
Interests in real life:
Hanz lives in New Hope PA, USA, and am currently a full time student :).
When I'm not on the Farside, he enjoys programming, playing football,
working out, and making a fool out of himself. He found the FS in late
September, during one of his programming classes at a local community
college. (His high school sends him there because they can't figure out
what else to do with him.) He was just figuring out how to use the
gopher, not paying attention to the lecture, going through the MUD
listings when he saw a name that stuck out. (He had been on other MUDs,
but none of them were as friendly as the FS) So, Hanz immediately tried
that address. Since then, He haven't been on any other MUD.
Advice to other low level players:
"While the advice on grouping has already been taken, I have another
point of view. If you are having a problem figuring something out, or
don't understand what is going on, just ask. Almost always you will
receive an answer. Besides asking something doesn't harm anybody. Also,
participate in as many quests that you can. Rewards are usually in some
form of equipment."
Farside views and hobbies:
Favorite spell: Medicine and Poison.
Favorite thing done while on: Curing people of plague and poison.
Opinion: Help out if you can. When you see someone sick (plague,
blindness...) try to lend a hand. Also, I don't think that it is nice
when you are plagued, and accidentally drop something and someone else
takes it and runs away. I have noticed that the lower levels (1-10) do
that quite often.
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* Farside Immortal Bio *
Name: Nemisis Age: (Game) 194 (RL) 19
Race: Dwarf Class: Warrior Current level: 55
Real Life Interests and Background:
Nemisis is first and foremost, a #1 FarSide addict!! He has lived in
northern Minnesota all of his life, and in International Falls the past
16 years. He started out the year as a Junior at St. Olaf, but is in
transition to Bemidji State U in the spring. He hopes to figure out
what he should major in before he graduates! He will in all probability
go into secondary ed. He is at this moment working to fulfill His
Edding's collection, and working on his own book, the inspiration of
which was FS. When not taking classes or playing FS, he enjoys playing
the guitar, Singing, Acting, Creative Mail, and spending as much time as
possible in God's great north woods!
Advice to Players:
"The single most important thing to remember, I feel, is to put yourself
into your character and behave accordingly. Role Playing will add a
whole new dimension to your FS adventure. A character that role plays is
one that shines through the ranks of the normal adventurer and attracts
the favorable eye of groups and higher levels. Becoming your character
also puts into perspective your place in the life of Farside.
It isn't just a simple objective of obtaining the proper equipment and
going to the right places; your adventure of farside becomes a twist of
acquaintances and relationships, hardships and obstacles to overcome,
strategies and plans for gaining in experience. Farside becomes more
than just a game of numbers, it becomes a game as vibrant and brilliant
as any virtual reality, and as enthralling and exciting as any of my pet
Edding's novels. Farside IS what you make it. Put yourself into your
character, act accordingly, and make the most out of the reality we call
The Farside!"
"Also, just a simple rule of thumb: Be courteous, play by the rules,
and just have a great time!"
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The Dropoff
(An Interview at Dwarven Daycare)
by Marat
This humble reporter ponders for the second time this month who she
should interview for the Gazette. Tiamat? No, he has such a foul temper
and the breath to match. Buddha? Please, he is so hard to talk to. Always
meditating and fasting. Makes him cranky. Instead I wanted to talk to the
denizens of one of the most visited places in the realm. The cute little
folks at Dwarven Daycare.
Located not far from Midgaard, just south of the scarier Dwarven mines,
Daycare is the perfect spot for the lower levels among you to visit. Here
you will find a small daycare facility with a fun playground and a number
of happy inhabitants.
You will usually find two or three nannies watching over the rambunctious
brood of toy soldiers, dwarven youths, teddy bears (both cute and rather
worn out), raggedy anne dolls and even and old doll or two. I decided to
talk to these realm citizens. Find out what makes them tick, or wait a
tick, or whatever.
I gathered the group by the swingsets and proceeded to probe into their
lives.
Marat: First, I will direct some questions to the nannies. Do you enjoy
your work here?
Nanny: (The oldest and most wrinkled of the nannies speaks for the
three.) Sure I love the little children here. I also love the ones who
come to visit. They are so sweet. I just want to hug them.
M:But you blind some of those "sweet ones."
N: Ya, but I don't mean to. I just love them a little too much. (The nanny
pats a bear on the head.)
M:Right. The rest of you, how do you like life in daycare?
Toy Soldier: I like it very much. I play with my toy gun and shoot anyone
who comes near. And I like to put my hands in people's pockets. I love gold.
(The tiny soldier wanders off to poke at some bugs with his gun.)
Dwarven Youth: See my axe. (The youth jumps up and down to get my
attention.)
M:Yes. It's very nice.
DY: I love it. (The youth pounds the ground with the flat side of the axe
making the dolls jump and scold him.)
Teddy Bear: Want to see my stuffing?
M: Ummm, I'm not sure. Do I?
TB: You just have to kill me. Like everyone else does. (The bear falls
into a heap of giggles over a joke only he gets.)
At this point, I'm beginning to regret my visit here. The nannies have
gone off to herd some of the tykes around and I am left with the not so
scintillating conversations of a few dolls and one very ugly old bear. I
quit substitute teaching because of this kind of thing.
M: Raggedy Anne, do you have anything to say about being here?
Raggedy Anne: I'm only two years old. (The doll holds up two stuffed
fingers.) I like everyone here.
Ugly Bear: Ummm. Ummm. (The bear tugs on my tunic to get my attention.)
M: Yes, what can I do for you, bear?
UB: I may be ugly. (The bear smile shyly.) But sooooo many people come
here to see me.
Old Doll: To kill you, you mean.
UB: Well.... (The bear hangs his head and blushes. I pat him on the head
in what comfort I can give him.)
OD: Everyone just comes here to kill us. Me especially. I mean I often
have a wonderful pink ice ring on me. All the players under level ten or
so want at least two of those rings. (The old doll sighs and sits down in
the dirt.)
M: Does this upset you?
OD: Eh, not really. I mean what else am I here for. All monsters know
their places in the grand scheme of things. Even these little dolts.
M: You seem awfully wise for a doll.
OD: Age does that to you. (The doll gets up, sighs heavily and heads back
inside the daycare facility.)
I thank those who are left. I feel vaguely unsatisfied by this interview,
then remember that children are just very hard to talk to. I look around
the playground and the daycare rooms, fondly remembering the time I spent
here as a young player, killing for pink ice rings and linen robes. I
make a few last notes in my spiral and transport myself back to my office
to write about the Daycare and its residents.
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The Eve of Destruction
by Crom
The weather was horrible for the past week and the people of Midgaard
were not pleased. With heads down and paying attention only to what was
in front of their feet, they plodded through the streets. If a lone
sentry on the North wall hadn't warned us, we'd be dead right now.
Not that we weren't warned by the huge boulders and flaming pitch
crashing in the streets, but the sentry had even greater news. I had
figured that there was some logical explanation for the large rocks and
carnage. Immortals tended to have a sick sense of humor, so I
remembered. The sentry started yelling incoherently except for one word
that kept popping up: ARMY. Then if that wasn't enough, he started
flailing around and fell off the tower while pointing to the East. Oh
well, this seemed to be a bit interesting at least.
As it was, another sentry started screaming that bats were coming in
thousands upon Midgaard. Like a heavy stream of black water, they flew
out of the caves of Moria to the East. Personally not afraid of bats, I
stood and stared at the spectacle. Then I felt a tugging on my ankle.
Sewer Rats! Pesky devils were everywhere. Like a carpet of dirty
smelling hair, I was up to my knees in rats. It was too much for me and
I swooned.
When I awoke, the rats and bats were gone. Nowhere to be found. On
recollection, those creatures seemed possessed of unnatural courage.
Could it have been some sort of wizardry? I didn't have time to feel
guilty for fainting. The army was attacking. Mantis Warriors,
Hobgoblins, Norkers, Ettersomethingorothers, and these Giant Bloodworms
came out of nowhere! Since we had some of the finest heroes under our
employment I wasn't scared in the least. That was until some rather
large dragons appeared along with some other quite large creatures.
Looking over to where some heavy fighting was occurring I noticed a very
large individual in a Military Uniform slowly chewing up our forces.
With repeated yells of 'Elite Guard! Run Away!' I swooned again.
I awoke and I must have missed the majority of the battle. I would have
felt guilty but I was more concerned with my pants. It would seem that
I had soiled myself in the excitement. While cleaning my clothes off I
was surprised into another mess when a evil voice echoed throughout the
city. Some fellow named Nim Vechwill was attacking us. I snickered
until I recalled my pants and then proceeded to pull off a dead comrades
pair for a change of clothes.
While putting on my nice, slightly new, clean pair of leather britches I
noticed a commotion coming my way. The heroes I mentioned earlier were
fighting with some black robed individual who seemed to be breathing
some nasty gas out of his mouth in giant streams. Not partial to any
kind of gas, I got up and went to the nearest tavern.
After about 7 beers and a nice mutton on rye sandwich I heard cheers
coming from outside. Stepping out into the street, a ghostly immortal
passed by and banged a instrument on my head. I felt dizzy but I seemed
to be a bit more experienced from the occurrence. I guess I'll learn to
duck next time.
With cheers of success and cries of fallen companions, I walked down the
street. Occasionally I'd pick over a few corpses, but it was a slow
night.
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The Battle for Midgaard
As recounted by Draeger the Ranger
The sun slowly swam down the horizon, leaving the city of Midgaard
bathed in the ruddy orange color of sunset. The last vestiges of
daylight fell from the spires and towers of the city. A collective
breath was held as the coming darkness crept in like a thief in the
night. For many, that sunset would be their last.
I gazed down from my guard post to look upon the northern plains of the
lands surrounding Midgaard. The advancing shadows made every object upon
the barren lands look surreal, and out of place. I grimaced, and held a
torch aloft. Soon others came to join me, waiting by the battlements
with a tangible anticipation. For tonight was the night that Nim the
Conqueror was coming to us to give battle.
The minutes dragged on. Conversations ground to a slow halt, and soon
the only sound we heard was the silence of a dead night. Then, slowly,
our ears registered what our eyes could not see. The sound of many
footsteps in a dischordant chorus rose in the still night air. The
murmuring of guttural voices, shrill bugle cries, and shouted jeers came
to us explicitly. A voice rose from behind me, wavering in anticipation
and fear. "The armies of Nim are upon us."
Our group of stalwart adventurers positioned themselves by the east gate
of Midgaard. Other groups spread out across the city, racing to
strategic defense points.
Suddenly, with nary a warning, the armies of Nim were upon us. Scaling
the walls, they dropped over the battlements like an army of advancing
ants, waving burning torches above them. Fell voices clamored in the
air, yelling the battle cry of Nim. Loud and strong came the reply from
the defenders, manifesting itself as shining sword blades and singing
battle axes. The battle was joined.
Arrows flew and swords flashed, as we battled with the hordes of Nim.
Whistling blades parted the night air, cleaving many a beast in two.
Great searing bolts of lightning were cast forth from the magic users,
scorching their enemies. Great heros battled fell beasts with skill and
powerful sorcery, driving back the tide of the battle. Hearing calls for
help from other defenders, I left the capable group by the gates and
raced into the city.
Entering the Temple of Reflection, a trembling fear rang within me. Some
unseen and dark force caused me to raise my head to the sky. Above me,
landing on a spire, was Tiamat the five headed dragon. With a plea for
help that was soon echoed by other defenders, we charged the dragon. My
blade flashed in the night, its keen edge slicing through the bitter
air. Alas, it merely bounced off the tough hide of the fearsome wyrm.
Suddenly, with an acrid flash of powerful magic, the battle was joined
by several heros. Great blasts of gas and fire raged from the heros
hands, countered by the dragon's corrosive breath. I heard a great
clamor rise from around me; I felt the ground swell. I suddenly felt
like the world was upside down. With a last grasp for life I fell to the
ground, dropping into a deep and sudden slumber . . .
I woke with a start. My last memory was of the great dragon Tiamat
raising her head high in pain and anguish. Now . . . there was nothing.
The still night air carried a foul breeze of death with it, and the
streets were awash with blood. We had vanquished the hordes of Nim. Yet
on the verge of our victory over the enemy, we heard a cold blooded
laugh rise up and then diminish into a harsh chuckle. "Fools," the voice
cried. "You have yet to deal with me. For I am Nim Vechwill, destroyer
of armies, conqueror of all. And I have willed that Midgaard will be
mine."
We banded together to search for Nim, who had caused us so much pain and
destruction. We had not long to search. He came upon us with almost no
warning. With a terrible cackle, he turned his hideous face toward me,
and I saw a malevolent evil burning in his eyes. My words stumbling with
fear, I muttered the magical intonations for an ice lance spell. With a
cry of surprise at my assult, Nim launched himself at me, his sword
swinging wildly yet fully under his control. I blocked many of his
slashes, but the long fight with the wyrm Tiamat had weakened me.
Stumbling, I tripped over a loose cobblestone and fell to the ground.
Before I could recover, Nim's sword flashed down upon me, and my last
vision was that of my own blood washing over me . . .
Much later did I awake, brought back from death by the kind hand of a
benevolent god. The battle was over; Nim had been destroyed. But at such
a cost. Sinking back into my bed, I fell into troubled dreams. Dreams of
warfare, of death. Dreams of pain, suffering and anguish. Dreams of a
fiendish spirit, now dispossessed, wandering the lands, looking for a
new body to incarnate itself in. Before my last thread of consciousness
was pulled away, I heard the harsh sound of deep, faint, yet
unmistakable laughter.
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The Cleric's Point of View
or
"Learning to group with tanks"
by Balthazar
The life of a cleric on Farside is less glamorous than it might be on
other muds. Clerics here do not have the abusiveness they do elsewhere.
There is an ongoing debate as to whether it is harder to level as a
cleric or as a mage... I still say Cleric but hey, I�m partial... So
you've decided to be a cleric - the toughest class to play... You have
one attack, any weapon you wield in your off-hand will scratch opponents
your whole career, and you have very few options when it comes to
offensive spells. You might be asking - 'Why did I do this? What was I
thinking? If I'd have been a martial artists I'd have heroed weeks
ago...' Sorry. All I can do is try and point out the ways to make you
feel better.
Clerics are the glue that bonds groups together. A group of 3 warriors
may be able to tear monsters to shreads, but they'll spend a lot of time
sitting around recovering from their wounds without a cleric around.
Early on, your peers won't need you - they have Aelmon - and, honestly,
you cant really help much anyway. Do what all the other low levels do;
kill smurfs and gang members and such. When you reach 8th or 9th,
start helping the new fighters. Go get them robes and elf cloaks and
answer their questions. By the time you're 12th, they'll be 8th or 9th.
The life of a cleric on Farside is the life of a person constantly
grouping with new players 5 or 6 levels below themselves and being happy
with the 20 exp for a kill which your other party members are getting
60. As you reach 13th - you become amazingly useful with one spell -
Sanctuary. Sanctuary halves the damage taken by any blow. Warriors
should be asking *you* to group with *them*. A Cleric with Sanctuary
and Protection has reduced incoming damage 62.5%!!!
If you can group with a mage, you can have them teleport and you astral
and summon. Or you can always go into a closet in the back of Zaphod's
office and summon monsters. Since the experience on Farside is, to a
degree, based on the number of times a certain mob is killed, by
summoning mobs no one fights (because it's such a long walk) you have
the ability to skew that to your advantage.
As you continue to rise in levels, you will continue to increase your
ability to help others. That is your role. Players may overlook you in
their zest to kill, but you will continue to prod along. Who knows, by
being a good helper you may be noticed by the Heroes and helped along
your way with an item or two.
When it comes to spell choice, a good rule is to get the ones that help
others first. And get that wisdom up fast - Clerics are notorious for
being amazingly abusive 1st level heroes (once they get all those other
spells and skills - they always have tons of saved practices and high
mana...) If you ever have a question as to what spells to take... just
ask.
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*** A WARRIOR'S RESPONSIBILITY ***
Some thoughts collected by Arundel
Warriors are famous for complaining about their lack of skills. Parry,
disarm, and bashdoor are all very well and good, but there's nothing
REALLY NEAT we can do. After all, everyone can fight, right? However,
there is one skill we get that really helps define our role in the
group, which is RESCUE.
I began my interviews badly. I'm not a trained journalist, so I began by
asking, "Do you have any thoughts on a Warrior's Responsibility?" At the
beginning, this is what I got.
"Warriors must have the bloodlust to charge into the fray; no other class
can, by sheer force, strike the blows to vanquish the enemy."
-Mosh
"Responsibility???...what do you mean,...responsibility?"
-Macaroni
"Being a warrior, I find that I am strong, but I can't get xp alone."
-Lone
This wasn't going the way I wanted, so on subsequent interviews, I got
more incisive (some could say more leading) in my line of questioning. I
started introducing the idea of the Rescue skill, and what that meant to us.
The results...
Lone again, "Rescue is a good skill to have. It allows a group to be
efficient in all ways."
"...We have rescue because not having backstab or heal or armor, it is
the most significant potential contribution we can make to a group."
-Marmot
"All characters can fight, but only a warrior can rescue his buddy in a
time of need."
-Victor
Like Lone, Lowest actually came to A Room that Seems to Be Revolving,
where I had set up my desk, and sat down to chat. As such, I didn't get
a quotation from him, but he asked me to sum it up for him. He feels
that it is not a responsibility to rescue, but more of a nice thing to
do. The warriors are the people the other classes can fall back on when
their hp get low, but because we hit better when we're not tanking, and
mobs can't dodge us as well, having other people tank really helps out
the group. He did say, however, that in emergency situations, warriors
should rescue...not when a character is down to 300hp and panicking, but
definitely if they are about to flee.
Well, the afternoon was wearing on, and I knew AsaMaro was working on the
Gazette. I started calling people I'd never met. I found Kylara in the
middle of combat, and she seemed to be fighting with one hand while
typing her responses with the other. She told me "Everyone should watch
each other's back." After further questioning, she told me that she
didn't feel guilty if people died after she failed a rescue because "you
just have to understand" that that's what happens. She said she just
felt "kinda sad."
Striker also consented to an interview. Being of a seemingly practical
mind, he said, "A lot of people depend on you to use it, especially
thieves. Their BS (backstab) can really help, but they need immediate
rescue...[It] really stretches the hp of a group when used right." He
went on to explain that three warriors with 500hp each could rescue each
other, thus expanding their communal hp pool to 1500hp.
Next, I found the great warrior Morbid. He said he felt it was his duty
to rescue "...if the person tanking is low and about to die." He then
added, "I don't like to [rescue] but I do because I should when people
are low, so it is more a sense of duty than anything."
Perhaps I was getting better at my questioning--I was getting exactly
the kind of answer I liked. You know, with an intelligence of only 10,
a Troglodyte Warrior like myself has a hard time with anything outside
of tasks requiring brute force.
I typed <who war> again, and to my delight found two Paladins, PPC and Zeke.
PPC had this to say:
"Rescue has saved many people many a time. It's like, heal, you
do it while grouped...and you save a bud, and he'll save you later.
It's nice, but there are times when you don't dare use it, cause then
you'll die, but someone else dies BECAUSE you didn't use it...I like
helping people though, so I'll generally risk my neck for a friend.
Rescue is also REALLY good if you're taking a lower level with you...you
can protect them. It's just a skill I've gotten used to...it's got me
into trouble, but it's got friends out of trouble.
At first, Zeke gave me a succinct answer, "I think warriors are
responsible for group safety," adding after a little prodding, "but it
is also the responsibility of the group to help and support the warrior,
especially at higher levels. I.E. the warrior takes the hits and does
the damage, [and] the rest of the group supports with the appropriate
spells."
At this point, the crickets were starting to sing, I was getting those
horrible "You are hungry, You are thirsty" messages in glaring red, and
my notebook was filling up. Typing <who war> only showed one person
besides myself I hadn't interviewed, and HE was still in MUD school with
less than 2,000xp. I sighed, folded my notebook, and left the Temple of
Dizzy, thoroughly confused about my role as a warrior. I had heard "A
warrior is responsible for group safety" from a mortal, and a shocked
"...what do you mean, responsibility?" from an Imm. As the flock of
pigeons rose into the air, fleeing at my approach to Temple Square, I
walked over to a point west of Aelmon and lay down to sleep.
I leave it up to you, Warriors. You have heard the opinions of great
fighters, each of whom has attained level 30 or higher. How much
responsibility do you have the courage, the guts, the sheer willpower to
assume? Are you willing to die for your mates, or will you, who has
trained all his or her life to fight, watch someone in your group lose
their xp when they are 10 to level, just to save the equipment you
have collected? or will you RESCUE?!? You're the ONLY ONE who CAN!!!
************************
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A Changed View
by Hanz
When I first found the Farside, I was like a kid with a new toy. I had
been on other muds before, but they were not as friendly and I soon left
them. Being a Martial Artist, leveling came easily to me. To advance a
level was like standing up and getting me another cup of tea. I was on a
roll, leveling once or twice in a couple of hours. After level 5,
leveling slowed down a bit, but was still relatively easy. I was
addicted to gaining xp and watching my worth get lower and lower, as my
xp meter went increasingly higher. If I ran into a problem, there was
always a Hero or an Imm around to help me. (sometimes I was just helped
by a level 40 or so) I rarely grouped, and can remember doing one whole
level by just killing the hobgoblin treasurer. All that mattered to me
was leveling and getting xp.
Besides being rude to people who helped me, and I apologize to those in
which I was, I would snicker to my self every time someone complained
about low xp.
Recently, I hit level 20. The times of quick leveling was gone. I would
get frustrated just by the mention of getting xp. All the people that I
knew and was used to seeing that were a lower level then me started to
excel. --(Shelby, now about a level 38 started after me)-- Just the
thought of this really got me annoyed. Then, I won in part a quest that
Johnus ran. (I think that it was his first Hero quest) My prize: two
levels. I was back in the game, Or so I thought.
I have been a level 22 for about two or so weeks as of this writing.
During that time, I have been in numerous groups. I have relatively high
hp, and because of that I would do most, if not all, tanking. At the
end of an hour, the people in the group would be really close to
leveling, and I would still be very, verry far away. (As the tank, I
would die often)
The purpose of this article is not to whine, but to show thankfulness.
Just the other day, a level 7 asked for help. I figured "What the heck,
I'm getting no where really fast." I decided to help. After helping
Eldritch, for some reason I felt better. After being depressed for a
while (not just on FS, but in real life too), making someone else feel
good made me feel good. So, the next day I was on, I sought out another
low level. Valkor chatted a question, and I picked him as my next
victim. In one of the fights that we were in, he died. But, he did not
whine, he just took it in stride, saying "That's OK, I am farther then I
was when we started." So, we met again and this time I was sure not to
get him hurt. To me, Valkor was happy when I left, and again, that made
me happy.
By helping Eldritch and Valkor, FS has helped me re-realize something:
Above all, make others feel good and happy.
Even though killing is fun, to me, helping out lower levels is just as
fun. Even though I might not level fast, just to watch my terminal glow
with happy remarks of people that I have made that way. It is fine with
me, although leveling would be nice also, if it might take me 2 more
weeks to level. Just by helping out in my own way has compensated for
slow leveling.
Thanks go out to this gazette for allowing me to express my feelings.
Without it I could think of no other way to express what I just did.
Also, I thank the FS and its staff for always being there. Lastly, I
wish to again apologize to those upper level peoples that I have either
offended or been rude to. I am Sorry.
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Additions to Farside
by AsaMaro
Several new areas have been added to Farside. Check the area list for
details or ask around. Areas include Crom's House of the Brother's
Grimm and Draeger's The Labyrinth of Silmavar for levels 12-18 and 30-51
respectively. Several other areas are also in the process of being
tested.
Snikt's Hive area has also been reinstated to FS.
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Farside Birthdays*
Compiled by Ambrosia
February
--------
Gambit................................February 4th
Ambrosia..............................February 5th
Falkar................................February 5th
Darkyn................................February 7th
Synide................................February 21st
Arundel...............................February 26th
March
-----
Silk..................................March 1st
Wish..................................March 3rd
Aegis.................................March 6th
Zipper................................March 9th
Alamar................................March 10th
Marat.................................March 16th
Malad.................................March 25th
Cult..................................March 28th
* There are a *Lot* of names to be added to the list. Send birthdays
as well as your character name to Ambrosia via a note in Farside or
internet e-mail at Ambrosia@escape.com
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*
* News *
*
The most important news this go around is that The Farside Gazette needs
a mortal correspondent. Qualifications include: Ability to keep track
of things going on around them, dedication to stick with the job, and
willingness to collect news and send it to me on a regular basis.
The News you'd be asked to collect is the sort of news you'd normally
find in this section - people becoming heros, quest results, etc.
Send a resume to: jderouen@crl.com
I would *prefer* a mortal in their 20's - 30's but all mortals will be
considered for the job.
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