Library: Bards Tale by Banba

Since we left these dark nights of the wilds and escaped to the security of our armchairs, we have forgotten the horror, the turmoil of the hidden battlefields and the secrets of their special magic. Like ghosts in the moonlight, sleek shapes gather to confront each other - mortals to beguile wizards, wizards to torment the mortals. The rivalry reaches far beyond the competition for life, if beings can hate - this is a blood feud. For decades these two scavengers & hunters have waged an ancient war against each other. It is often unpleasant to witness, desperately sad and horrifying ? sometimes disturbing. Until now, this war has been veiled in the secrecy of darkness. This is the story of two of the universes bitter, eternal enemies. This is the story of Batmud My story of being in Batmud is actually mundane but this is the theme that plays in my mind. The interactions of the content provided by coders and the players exploring this ?sandbox? seems like an eternal battle sometimes. I am in awe at the resourcefulness of everyone, admiring the ingenuity of all. Around 1990 or so, a colleague entered the lunch room, visibly excited. ?I've been playing the neatest game online? he exclaimed. ?I created a character and roamed around this village killing things. I?ve got a leather jacket and a sword and just defeated a band of orcs.? Over the next few weeks, we noticed more people eating lunch at their desks, focused by what was on their screen. The Mud (called Darker Realms) was hosted by a university in Texas and proved to be a compelling introduction to online communities. Having played RPG games like Bards Tale and tabletop d&d, it was a natural fit with a bonus of meeting players from all over the US. We migrated to Batmud in the early 1990s, having bounced around a few other Muds first. I didn?t like it at first as the information was overwhelming (character creation began with ALL channels on) and it was difficult to evaluate and sort out mentally, the various channels. Remember the ?alert? channel anyone? Using a 2400 baud modem gave me the bandwidth to make it to the newbie mines which were located just north of the old bat city gate, just before the entrance to player valley. (warp 25 11 to get home!!). I roamed the mines tirelessly, remaining a level 30 giant to ensure unfettered access to it. I had two hammers of might that were enchanted by either Sly or Moght and my decimation of baby black puddings was relentless. Rescuing people from the dwarf vault introduced me to people from all over the world and my good memory allowed me to extend friendships beyond our encounters therein. To this day I revisit the mines upon reinc, sometimes just to walk through, but always reminiscing about shares experiences there, warmly remember the ?ghosts? of players long gone. Another delight is to encounter older players who are visiting after a long absence. Their very presence triggering a rush of memories and allowing an opportunity to reconnect, even if only briefly. Then look ahead, wondering when our present experiences will be memories triggered by each others presence and recollections.

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Library: Bards Tale by Banba