Oops — Hooked Again!
I thought I’d shaken my addiction to "Legend of the Green Dragon" a couple of years ago, when I tried writing some modules for a game a friend and I were planning to set up (it didn’t ever go live), but last night, I rediscovered the Cauldron’s version, and found out I’m hooked again.
The Cauldron version I’ll probably stick with, because of friends who also play there, but any others, I’ll have to give tries and see how I like them — I remember from my first episode of addiction that there are quite a few out there that make things so hard on new players that it’s more work than fun.
I’m talking here about places that make you start out without at-level gear, and make it very difficult to upgrade ‘cause the monsters are so tough you have to spend almost all of the little gold you get paying the healer so you can get back in the fight. (Yes, I’ve run RPGs as Dungeon Master, so I’m fully aware of the need for game balance. That includes keeping beginners from getting discouraged and quitting, IMO!)
These games may be fine once you get up in the ranks, with 5-10 dragon kills to your credit. That’s fine, if you don’t discourage 90% of your newcomers by making things too difficult to get to the dragon kills!
I will also admit that I have a personal gripe about the player-vs-player night ambushes, too, and I’d love to find a game that doesn’t permit them — or at least has a law enforcement agency that tracks and punishes the killer! Sure, some games restrict attacks to characters close to the same level as yours, but a Level 1 with 2 or 3 dragon kills is more than a match for a Level 2 or 3 with none — and it’s always a surprise attack, since it happens while the victim is "asleep". A newbie’s nothing but an experience source for someone with several DKs, and sometimes (if he hasn’t banked everything before logging out to "bed") a money source as well. Worse, it’s bloody well impossible to get revenge!
Uh-oh, I’m getting up on my soapbox again, aren’t I? Sorry, but this is something I feel pretty strongly about.
