Wot About You Wednesday: Dare

How long have you been a part of the WoTMUD community?

I have been part of the WoTMUD community for what will be nine years this fall.


Tell us a bit about yourself irl. For example, age, sex, job, hobbies, anything not-WoT related.

Oh my, where to start…I’m a 23 year old male, I live in Missouri. I have a number of jobs including an EMT-B, a dispatcher/jailer for my local county, I also own my own computer repair business. I am a father to two children Austin four and Alyzabeth 2, as well as husband to my wife Kelly. I am currently attending college for my Bachelor's in Information Technology with Specialization in Information Assurance and Security, where I am currently on the Dean’s Lists. As far as hobbies go I have a number of them, I make chainmaille armor and have been known to make jewelry from time to time. I also have in recent years taken to building my own MUD.


If you had to describe yourself using three words, it would be…

Kind, Cheerful, Perverted


What is your most memorable "newbie" experience?

I can remember when I first started so many years ago, walking around in the Bream Wood just east of Caemlyn killing mole and deer when this strange looking fellow walked into my room. His name was unlike anything that I had seen before it had these strange *’s around it. I can remember thinking to myself, ‘Wow, this guy must be special I think that I should follow him around for a while.’ So that is just what I did, up until the point that he yelled at me, told me to get lost, and when I did not, he killed me! It wasn’t until sometime later that I came to learn that he was a powerful Fade… A bad guy it would seem.


Whtat is your favorite part of the mud (for example, pk, rp, questing, smobbing)

I enjoy many different things that this mud has to offer, although PK is not my favorite thing in the mud, I do PK from time to time. RP is something that I will go out of my way to find in this game. While many run from EF to FD to find PK, I would travel further to find RP. When a good quest comes about I’m usually all in for helping, in past years I did this from the side line, using my knowledge of the books and many things WoT to coach my team through things. But with all of these things, I still enjoy one thing more, the people, for it is the people that make this mud what it is, the players and Immortals alike.


If you could have an endless supply of any food, what would you get?

I’m going to make this one short and say simply…. PIZZA!!!


What made you decide to join the Gleeman clan?

I chose to join the Gleeman clan after reading the books and having some writing experience myself, in the form of some stories that never really got past the middle. I had met with many member of the clan back when many of them were still active, and found them to be an enjoyable group. I applied and joined the clan… something of a year or so later, this was sometime around the ‘Great Crash’ which if you ask anyone that was playing back then it felt as if it were years till it came back up.


What's the best thing about your clan?

There are a great number of thing that are good about the Gleemen. I feel that one of the best things of the clan is that it allows you to be your own person. The Gleeman clan is a true gift, we are allowed into most cities with open arms. We are not a justice clan and therefore do not issue warrants, nor do we war with any nation other than those of the Seanchan Empire and the Dark One’s forces in the north. We are a group of free men and women, bound by no King, Queen, or other ruling body, that travel about the world and spread story and joy of joy, war, and sorrow.


Why should people join your clan?

The Gleemen are a group of closely knit men and women that work together to achieve many goals. Group performances, helping nations to organize special events, among other things. Being a Gleeman is as times like being a party planner and booking yourself for the party, inviting all of your friends, and paying yourself once the party is over.


What should they know before they apply?

There are a number of things that people should consider when thinking about joining the Gleemen. You must be at least level 20, the person can for no reason hold any warrants from and nations under the Light. Any persons who are able to touch Saidin or Saidar will not be granted entrance into the clan for purely political reasons.


What is your biggest accomplishment in the game?

At the beginning of this year I achieved Rank 7 within the Gleemen Clan, and with the rank comes the title of Master and many other perks that come along with the position. Although my true reason for wanting this position was to get mob lead, which enable you to lead around a mob from you clan, and order then to do nearly anything that a player can do, for strictly RP reasons. A rather large accomplishment that I’d like to announce is my recent slaying of Nooro a Dreadlord in Caemlyn.


What are your goals in the game?

My only goal in the game is simply to make it a better place for the players. If that means making a fool of myself or breaking my Rp and PKing to allow someone else to get away.


If you could change one thing about the mud, what would it be?

I would bring more RP and questing to the mud if that were ever possible, but with so many people’s RP being PK there is little that a single person or a small group of people might do. However, I will keep trying.


What advice do you have for newbies just starting out?

Firstly, if you think you’ll want to read this all at one time you’ll likely want to go to the bathroom and get some milk and cookies because I’m preparing to become VERY long winded.

This game is exactly that, a game, in fact some people might not even call it a game. It is text one a screen, and while it can be fun, don’t take it too seriously. I know just starting out that you might think that getting your equipment taken, loosing levels, being ambushed by a fade and three trollocs while you’re out exploring through the woods, of even putting your canoe in your pack while you’re on the water, effectively drowning yourself, is the worst thing ever. Equipment can ALWAYS be replaces, experience and levels can always be regained, and you damaged pride well it might never recover but sometimes you just have to move on.
In reference to the people within the game. If someone in the game angers you, you much realize that, there is a real person behind that name that is chatting, telling, yelling, or narrating back and forth with you. They have are alive and breathing and have feelings, well most I’m not all too sure about a few of the people out there… You know who you are. I’m only kidding. Many of the people that play this game are completely kind and would do nearly anything for anyone else if they had the need. I can tell you that within the past week Protus a newly Mastered Valon Guard and myself have given out sets of high end equipment to many people. Putting it in the barrels located in Tar Valon, Caemlyn, and Tear.

Get out of the cities, walk around on a low level character lvl 15-19 is great for exploring, hunters with high search are better. Read the room descriptions and ‘search’ in directions that look like they might hide something interesting. Also there are some things in the rooms description that you might be able to look at and gain some greater insight. While this is not possible with all things within the rooms description there are a few that DO work. There are many secret and hidden rooms and hidden paths around Caemlyn alone. I’ll give you a hit to one, in an old house south of Caemlyn’s east gate near the auction house, there is a hidden tunnel, look to move to tiles on the floor. There is also a hidden room someone near the park in Caemlyn, but only the most skilled of searchers will be able to find it. One final thing the first person that can tell me where exactly the tree house and the door name to is is in the Bream Wood east of Caemlyn will get a special prize.

If you plan to PK on WoTMUD, which most do, learn the local jargon. BGS often refer to bridge guards Caemy = Caemlyn, 4K=Four Kings WB=White Bridge, TV= Tar Valon, EF=Emonds Field, FM=Far Madding, Dog refers to the Dog gate in FD, Keep or sometimes known as RK is a Darky strong hold located north of FD, TKD = Thakan’dar, otherwise known as hell, Blod or Blodfest is kind of tricky, blodfest is both a mob and a place, But where there is one the other is also. Blodfest is a movable darky stronghold that loads in a number of different places down in the LS or Light Side lands. These places inclide and are not limited to Tear/Illian road, GF = Great Forrest, Cara or Caralain Grass, and a few other places around the world.

Clans have also come to be abbreviated CoL = Child of the Light, HoL=Hand of the Light *oL= Child or Hand of the Light. Cubbies are the Lion Warden the protectors of Caemlyn and Andor. Illuminators are known as Lumies. Other than that I think the clans pretty much are clear.

When you enter into a city/nation and a member of a clan tells you to remove any article of clothing and offers an explanation why it’s usually a good thing to do so. For example of you walk into Amador wearing a cloak with a sunburst (I think that’s what they refer to the symbol as) on the your cloak, a CoL cloak, and a *oL tells you to remove it and you do not belong to the *oL clan. It might be best to remove the cloak and start explaining exactly why you were wearing a cloak that you should not have. Not only is it forbidden for an unclanned to wear clanned gear some nation ban the wearing of Seanchan gear also. Andor for example I know has a standing ban on all ‘insectoid helmets’. If you comply with them they will often offer a trade for a most acceptable helmet.

As a general rule, Chats, and OOC or out of character comments, Narrates are IC or In Character comments. While this is widely debated and abused warrants have been issued for comments made on chats. Like I said this is a general rule only, and is not written in stone.

Follow the house rules, if you play WoTMUD you are playing for free, at the expense of someone else. It takes money to host a mud, servers fees, and the time and dedications to the game itself to make sure that everything runs correctly. So please read the rules on the forums, follow house rules, and keep profanity off of globals, Chats and narrates.
I will leave you with one additional bit of advice, it’s plain, simple, and to the point.

HAVE FUN!!!!


Thanks Dare! That's some great advice. If you want to be featured (or want someone else to be featured!) next week, contact me via forum mail or by email at wotmudnewb@gmail.com.