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I signed up and will give it a try at home (I can always cancel after the 'free thirty day trial'.) I would have given it a try here at work as my love of work is very low, but our firewall doesn't allow it. *sighs*




Viv

I'm having a go now, it seems quite interesting actually.

Originally posted by Georgi


How can you hug from afar?

Or do that... ewwww.

*Takes off disguise* Okay, I'll confess. I was watching from close up. *hug*

I had to get the drool of my tongue somehow, you were simply the closest person at the time.

Poor Viv. Having to work at work, what is the world coming to?
One notes no character analysis of my humble personage has been forthcoming as of yet.

Originally posted by Nippy
You get a 30 day free trial, it's then $12.95 a month. They also do other games like Hercules and Xena parodies which look entertaining. I might consider joining it. Is it worth it Fable?

Well, bear in mind I worked for Simutronics as a gamemaster for four years, so I'm not exactly a neutral party when it comes to describing the content of their games. That said, if you want to throw all your time down an endless sink so you have no life of your own then yes, it's definitely worth it. IMO, DragonRealms and Gemstone III remain the best MMORPGs out there. For sheer depth of RPG experience, there's nothing to match 'em. GS3 focuses its character experience and levels on combat, while DR builds character experience through the exercise of profession-specific skills (which can be combat-oriented for combat classes, but not for everybody)--that's the broadest difference. There are plenty of others, but you'd find that out in time.

(Gods, I had fun GMing in DR, but the drain on creative energies was too intense, and I wanted to put it elsewhere.)

The H&X game isn't a parody, but a real attempt to do a GS3-style game in the H&X universe. Frankly, it hasn't involved many Simutronics resources, and very few people play it.

Hello!

I gave DragonRealms a try last night and have mixed feelings about it. Bear in mind, I'm a visually oriented person, but also bear in mind that I get lost easily. I couldn't figure out where I was going or what I was doing.

Also, the game is not Viv oriented. I tried to hug this mentor person and they evaded my hug. It happened as a rote response, so I'm wondering if everyone there will evade my hugs just by the way the game is set up? If so, what's the point of playing if I can't be myself?

Also, I picked the bard class and was just confused. Do I have to buy an instrument? Do I train, if so how? I went to my guild and they gave me some advice but it was awfully confusing for a newbie...

Those are my responses to the game from the bit I played last night. I enjoyed the many clases/races very much. I liked the world itself but was easily confused though I typed the 'advice' button and 'help' button. Maybe I'll just wait until Nippy plays and follow him around.

Originally posted by Vivien
Hello!

I gave DragonRealms a try last night and have mixed feelings about it. Bear in mind, I'm a visually oriented person, but also bear in mind that I get lost easily. I couldn't figure out where I was going or what I was doing.

There are maps! If you didn't get one when you entered the game, ask a host for one. I forget the verb to put yourself in the queue for host help, but I'm sure if you type HELP in the game you'll find out what it is.

Mind, the maps in the game are simple ASCII things. Here's a link to a great site that gives you very detailed, colorized, and printable maps: http://www.rangerrawb.com/ranik/

Also, the game is not Viv oriented. I tried to hug this mentor person and they evaded my hug. It happened as a rote response, so I'm wondering if everyone there will evade my hugs just by the way the game is set up? If so, what's the point of playing if I can't be myself?

Heh! There's a code effect added to hosts that automatically "disengages" them from any attempt on a player's part to hug, attack, kick, lick, push, punch, etc. It's because hosts are supposed to be outside the standard interactive environment, so they can answer questions. It's standard. (As a gamemaster, I was able to create much more interesting reactions when players tried to lick, kick, etc, me. ) If you hug other players, they'll be hugged.

Also, I picked the bard class and was just confused. Do I have to buy an instrument? Do I train, if so how? I went to my guild and they gave me some advice but it was awfully confusing for a newbie...

Try these links:

http://amtgard.pinkpig.com/bards/enchantes.htm will tell you exactly what each "enchante" does.

http://amtgard.pinkpig.com/bards/drbardreqs.htm gives you the lowdown on joining the guild, and advancing within it.

http://www.play.net/dr/info/guilds/bard.asp is a nice, basic site with some attractively presented bardic info. So does http://dr.warcry.com/index.php3?content=guilds/bard

(Incidentally, if you check out the "library" section of that last recommended page, you'll find a bunch of codes for library books in DR. They'll give you a lot of useful information. About a dozen of the "books" in the Asemath Academy and elsewhere were written by yours truly.

http://home.earthlink.net/~devinc/therrdr3.htm is an excellent beginner's guide for bards. Probably the first thing you should read.

Those are my responses to the game from the bit I played last night. I enjoyed the many clases/races very much. I liked the world itself but was easily confused though I typed the 'advice' button and 'help' button. Maybe I'll just wait until Nippy plays and follow him around.

Don't worry about trying to make sense out of all--that's like arriving in New York City and trying to make sense out of everything, everywhere, at once, when you've never been there before. Just stay in town a bit, wander around, listen, check out a few verbs, maybe find a friend who knows what they're doing and go west a few steps outside the first main city to get a bit of combat experience. Believe me, over time it's addictive. You'll have to ration your hours in it.

Fable:
Okay, it helps that not everyone will evade my hugs. *hug*


Quick question, as you seem to know what you're talking about.

In your opinion, which is the easier for a newbie to play: 'empath' or 'bard'. Both were very interesting to me, especially the fact that one couldn't even fight as an empath.

I went to the west gate I think. There was this odd person who kept coming back into screen and 'searching the area'. It was a bit scary so I ran away and got lost. But , as I was lost anyway, it made no difference.

I will look at the links you've so kindly posted and very much look into the library if I ever find it. Are they listed 'as written by Fable'? Edit: The library is part of a link, I shouldn't have troubles finding it

Originally posted by Vivien
Fable:
Okay, it helps that not everyone will evade my hugs. *hug*

My pleasure. In RL, I'm quite the hugger, myself. *hug*

In your opinion, which is the easier for a newbie to play: 'empath' or 'bard'. Both were very interesting to me, especially the fact that one couldn't even fight as an empath.

Definitely the empath. Just be sure you visit the guild first, and get all the information you can from their books. I believe they had a good guide to the profession in the form of a library book, in the game--in fact, I think I approved it for entry, way back when. You might also want to politely approach a higher level empath in the guild to ask questions.

I went to the west gate I think. There was this odd person who kept coming back into screen and 'searching the area'. It was a bit scary so I ran away and got lost. But , as I was lost anyway, it made no difference.

Could be one of two things--either it was a scripted character created by the gamemasters, or it was a player trying to develop a skill. If you find players who won't respond to you and just act like zombies, pursuing one activity over and over, do a REPORT to the gamemasters and suggest they check 'em out. The player might be "scripting," running a macro to develop a skill without the player at the keyboard. That's not allowed in DR. Players have been warned and ultimately kicked out, because it's very unbalancing to the real, live players and the game.

I will look at the links you've so kindly posted and very much look into the library if I ever find it. Are they listed 'as written by Fable'? Edit: The library is part of a link, I shouldn't have troubles finding it

No, I used a bunch of pseudonyms. Let's see; these are the ones I recall writing: A Brief History of Alchemy; The Blue Book of Artifacts; A History of Trefan Draus; The Tale of Tatia and Byron; Kalag's Memoirs, parts 1 and 2; some Dwarven poem about Kertigen, whose title I forget; Estate Rights; A Night in Jail; Warrior Maging It; A Dwarven Timeline--and a bunch of other stuff I can't recall.

Well it is definitely good roleplaying practice, thats for sure. I'm playing as a Paladin (anyone surprised? ) and I meant someone who helped me out showed me around and that. I spoke with some people (whispered group of course) about how long they've been playing and they've done it for years! They are really experience and were quite nice. I'm an official Paladin and I'm learning stuff as I go. I'll see what happens (I still need to get a weapon and some basic gear) but I'm enjoying it. There is a lot to grasp. (If you didn't read the guides on the site Viv, I recommend them, they are quite useful. ).

Fabster, have you got any useful links for a holy warrior? I think I'll need them!

@Nippy, there are a bunch of paladin guides in the libraries of DR. Since you're already well into the game, I'm sure you know where to check 'em out.

EDIT: For that matter, do a search using Google on "Paladin Guild" and "Dragonrealms" at the same time. You'll find a ton of useful references.

Well, I've read through all of Fable's bard links Then, I researched as best I could Empath as well. Both seem pretty fun, though I wonder how the Empath 'levels' while not being able to attack. Do 'heals' level an Empath. Do they NOT level in this game and I'm just confused?

Fable: I will look for those books in particular


Nippy, on the main site you can search for links, but they didn't have any good Paladin links as far as I could see. *shrugs*

Edit: Ooh...Just called Aurora. She and I will get on together tonight and help each other. Granted, the situation will then be TWO people getting lost, but hey, we can talk to each other while doing it

@Viv, you have to raise a series of skills to make a level, rather than make a bunch of kills. The skills you have to raise differ for each guild. Empaths are in fact forbidden to kill--if they do, they could lose their empathic abilities for a while. At least a couple of the links I provided detail exactly what skills you need to raise and for how much, in order to make each level.

Originally posted by fable
That said, if you want to throw all your time down an endless sink so you have no life of your own then yes, it's definitely worth it.

I think around here, that warning is kind of superfluous, don't you?

Originally posted by fable
@Viv, you have to raise a series of skills to make a level, rather than make a bunch of kills. The skills you have to raise differ for each guild. Empaths are in fact forbidden to kill--if they do, they could lose their empathic abilities for a while. At least a couple of the links I provided detail exactly what skills you need to raise and for how much, in order to make each level.

Ah! You must know that I wondered about all of those charts!

Does one only raise by practicing, i.e. as a bard I would practice playing my lyre, as an Empath I would look for people to heal? Or can one use those tds things on that? Or, does the guild let you 'train' them much like stats? Am I making sense?

Originally posted by Vivien


Ah! You must know that I wondered about all of those charts!

Does one only raise by practicing, i.e. as a bard I would practice playing my lyre, as an Empath I would look for people to heal? Or can one use those tds things on that? Or, does the guild let you 'train' them much like stats? Am I making sense?

Certainly! You train skills by doing--so, to heal, you use spells which absorb wounds from others, and more spells which heal your own wounds. If you find yourself with too many wounds to heal personally, you'll want to eat all those special effect herbs that are mentioned on those websites. The herbs tend to be expensive, but many of your patients will (or *should*) provide you with money and/or herbs in recompense for friendly, quick healing. As you absorb the wounds, your healing skill slowly rises. Like skills in reallife, the more you do something, the better you get at it. That's why healers tend to stay in towns, usually in populous crossings, or at the back of attack parties (when they get much better at their craft).

Some of those charts will tell you exactly how much use of each skill you need to make each level. Personally, I suggest you simply work on those skills and forget about the mechanics of it, but then, I'm a roleplayer, and that's more fun to me. But it's up to you.

Originally posted by fable


Certainly! You train skills by doing--so, to heal, you use spells which absorb wounds from others, and more spells which heal your own wounds. If you find yourself with too many wounds to heal personally, you'll want to eat all those special effect herbs that are mentioned on those websites. The herbs tend to be expensive, but many of your patients will (or *should*) provide you with money and/or herbs in recompense for friendly, quick healing. As you absorb the wounds, your healing skill slowly rises. Like skills in reallife, the more you do something, the better you get at it. That's why healers tend to stay in towns, usually in populous crossings, or at the back of attack parties (when they get much better at their craft).

Some of those charts will tell you exactly how much use of each skill you need to make each level. Personally, I suggest you simply work on those skills and forget about the mechanics of it, but then, I'm a roleplayer, and that's more fun to me. But it's up to you.

*hug* I really wanted to thank you for your help so far Fable

I'm going to stick with Bard for now, just to get the grips of what I'm doing. I also like the Bard spells more than the Empath spells thus far. It's a little scary to hear of open gaping wounds being transferred to oneself...

Also, Aurora will choose a cleric class and two healers healing each other might be overkill

Glad to help, @Viv. If you find bards a bit tiring, though, try a barbarian (fairly straightforward: it stands in front of you, you hit it) or an empath. Don't let the game overwhelm you, and enjoy! Let's hear what happens to your character, too, from time to time.