Message 13069 : Oldbie and Newbie Stat Hunters (Thurin)
Written on Sun Aug 11 19:55:58 1996

I like helping newbies.  But I don't like "leveling newbies."

I like helping someone who has never played here before, explaining
how the commands work, where to hunt, showing how to use the MAP
command, telling him/her about how to mend that dented broadsword,
where the mine is and where to find the pick and where to read about
the combat system.  I think this is a great MUD and unless I have
-really pressing- business I will stop what I am doing to show it off
to someone new.

But I don't like what "leveling newbies" means now nineteen times out
of twenty, which is doing all the work so somebody else can stat-hunt.
When I hear narrates or tells like:

"Anyone helping newbies?"
"Help me see my stats?"
"Level me to 5? I have tps"

I am 95% sure that I am dealing not with a newbie but with an "oldbie",
that is, some experienced player's Nth try at getting that cleric with
Str 18, Int 18, Wis 19.  I am not complaining that people shouldn't
stat hunt, but why do -I- have to waste my time to help them??  I don't
stat hunt myself, and if I did, I would at least go out and level my
own newbies and not waste somebody else's time.  Why do -I- have to
go kill some spirits and fungus and trees so that ElfClericNine can
say "17 17 17 14 12 10. Damn. Almost but not quite."
ElfClericNine waves.
ElfClericNine has left the game.
A thick soft leather jerkin is here, etc.
Thurin the Dwarf is here, having wasted his precious time.

So I have conversations like:
Oldbie narrates, "Anyone level a newbie? I have tps"
tel oldbie Are you experienced?
Oldbie tells you "Yes, three years"
tel oldbie Then why do you need my help to stat hunt? Level yourself :)
Oldbie tells you "fuck off"

But even worse are the newbie stathunters you are starting to see now.
These are genuine newbies who are stathunting before even learning the
game.  They have been TOLD by some of you experienced players that this
is the way to do it.  They come on and some legend races them around
at top speed so they can 'see their stats'.  This legend might even
be an Istar!  Meanwhile they are hearing the following sort of
utterly cynical stat-hunting exchanges on narrate, which should be
grounds for noshouting everyone involved:

Human7 narrates "Human thief, 16 14 13 18 12 10"
Legend narrates "Sucks"
Legend2 narrates "Low con and will"
Legend3 narrates "Try for Str of at least 17"
Legend4 narrates "*wave*
Human7 narrates "Sigh.. gods hate us.. someone fix the stat generator"
Human7 narrates "*wave*"
Human8 shouts "Newbie kit please"

While all this is going on, the genuine newbie gets to level 5,
and, in accord with what he/she believes to be MUME culture, narrates
his/her own stats and gets told that they suck.  The legend who is
"helping" the newbie says, "Yeah, those suck, try again."  A couple
of days later I come along and have the following conversation:

Newbie tells you, "Can you help me see my stats"
tel Newbie Is this your first MUME character?
Newbie tells you, "Second"
tel Newbie How high did you get the first one?
Newbie tells you, "5"
Newbie tells you, "But his stats sucked so they said to start again"
Newbie tells you some stats that aren't "very good" I admit
tel Newbie But why not play that one until you learn the MUD?
tel Newbie They sound playable to me
Newbie tells you "Never mind, I find someone friendlier"

This is really sad.  If you guys aren't going to take the time to
show the newbie how the MUD works, where the boards are, etc., at
least don't corrupt the newbie by convincing him that he has to get
a character with super stats before he even learns where the store is!

(If you, the reader, are the rare newbie who actually reads the boards:
   - Just about any character you get is 'playable' in that he/she can
     eventually become a legend, explore all the areas, not get killed
     whenever he/she goes out, etc.
  -  Personally I think it is a lot more fun role-playing a character
     with some limitations and challenges than *ho hum* another
     stat-hunted character with "ideal stats".
  -  Even though a lot of people say 'Everybody has to stat hunt',
     the fact is that you get more respect and a better reputation if
     you don't.  And 'Reputation' is maybe the best 'Stat' you can
     get on this MUD.  You want the good players to not think of you
     as a whiner, to want to help get you out of a mess or give you
     a good shield if they run across one.
  -  Even if you want to stat hunt, there is no point in doing it with
     your first character, who is probably going to make mistakes,
     mobdie a bunch of times, spam his trophy so as to make it hard
     to level, etc.  Learn the MUD with your first character, so when
     you finally go about stat-hunting, you can do it right and make
     it work, if that's what you want to do.)

Anyway, I have plenty of time for "newbie help" but no time at all
for "oldbie help" or for "stat-hunt assistance".  If you read this,
PLEASE don't waste your time and mine spamming me with tells next
time you want to level the 10th in a string of smiting dwarf
candidates!  Go find someone who stat-hunts him/herself and form
a consortium.  Or spend an hour killing your own cows, why don't you.

So there!

Thurin the Grumpy Dwarf