(The Specific Examples in this post are JUST EXAMPLES, fill in the blanks with
your own experience/imagination)

I suggest that when a player enters the game for the first time and creates a
character that they be nearly "forced" to pick a pre-determined guild, race,
and background combination that will ensure the best playing experience for
first time players.

Even mud veterans who enter BatMUD as a newbie often fall victim to the
expectations they have acquired in previous muds or even non-mud based games
of the medieval/magical genre.

First impressions are important, and if a player enters BatMUD and it's "too
hard" or "it sucks" because they instantly fail so easily, they might just
leave and never come back, not realizing that all combinations are not equal
for players with XYZ Exp Totals/EQ/Etc.

I propose a system in which a player is forced into some of the only
"realistic" character combinations for a player with 0 exp, and quite possibly
0 mudding experience and 0 batmud experience.
An example might be:
---
A player enters the game and is told "BatMUD is a fun and rewarding game,
however you will be starting with 0 experience and there are certain
combinations of races/guilds/backgrounds that will be extremely
difficult/impossible to begin with"

Please pick from the following combinations and configure them as you wish,
they have been tested and ensure you will have an easy time in your first days
in BatMUD, but don't worry, these selections are not perminent, you may
reincarnate anytime within X days of this reinc for free by typing
"newbierestart" (or whatever). Please note that after this reincarnation, any
subsequent reincarnation will have no limits on what race/background/guild you
may join, so be careful, you may be stuck with unrealistic combinations if you
do not do proper research.
-----

Following this short dialogue, or one similar, a player would then be directed
to pick something like:
Newbie Tank (Highly Recomended!), as the best choice of any configuration.
After picking "newbie tank" they could pick from a LIMITED selection of useful
races like (Orc, Ogre, Giant, Cyclops, etc.), and then they would be force
joined to a guild, like Rangers, and barred from joining things like
"crimsons", which are not good for exploring/soloing/most newbies, compared to
ranger.

This force into a particular guild lets them see "easy" BatMUD can be, and
they are free to reinc anytime after their first reinc, but encouraged to try
it out.

(*==-- /\/ --==*) BatMUD Council Representative (*==-- /\/ --==*)

So you didn't even read the post? it was for one reinc and then you can
instantly choose if you don't want to do it. Fine you don't like "force" how
about "Would you like to try the following tried and true selections?" there,
now it's not force, What do you think of that idea Shinarae? Atleast give
someone some guidelines upon character creation so they don't foul it up
quickly and leave like some do now.

(*==-- /\/ --==*) BatMUD Council Representative (*==-- /\/ --==*)

I like the idea of being given some sort of guidelines or suggestions for
easy-to-deal-with first-time characters.

I could have used the knowledge that it is possible to reinc and retain almost
all of your gained experience when creating a new character. That might\'ve
prompted me to choose something a bit easier to deal with.

Making it a forced path isn\'t good, because it doesn\'t let the new players
see the hideous amount of content available. Suggestions are nice, though.

Add a new help file, maybe?