Do As I Say!

Recently I've noticed so many people telling others how to play their game. I am slightly guilty of it myself. But please don't murder new players the second they reach warrior! A warrior is not a warlock - it's not exactly high scoring or a challenge to take a new player out. Others are extremely guilty of this. They dictate how you play, and woe be unto anyone who disobeys them.

The players guiltiest of this are those egomaniacs, the PKers. I'm not branding all PKs with this, because a lot of them are older, wiser and not full of nonsense. Some, however, feel it is their God-given right to mock because they have beaten you, when clearly, it wasn't in doubt that they were going to beat you. "Yes, Mr. PK, my blade normally stands up to a coracle full of wafers and the longsword, honest." Or you get those who will call you names (and probably, they'd steal your lunch money if they got a chance, too). Although pathetic, it does get irritating after a while. They'll give you abusive tells because you have QQ'd before they got the chance to attack. They can't be all that bright at times. Do they believe that all other players should be stupid enough to stay in the game when they know they are going to be attacked? Why would you do this? They seem to believe their method of play is the ONLY method of play and that you should stand still at the rapids while they kill you.

Another lot of people like this are the SNEAK PATROL. These are the people who scream, "No fair, you sneaked!" if you appear on a level you haven't currently been before. Jealous, are we? They will hound you incessantly in the tearoom and hunt your other personae in the land; they believe you don't deserve this level. I've yet to find out who gave them the right to decide - they tend to avoid answering this question. In terms of general snipes and constant abuse, they are relentless.

Another version of this is people who demand that you play a persona, even if you don't want to. Many of us have a persona that we feel attached to. You might have had it for a while and really, death isn't on your agenda. But other players resent this. Maybe they die a lot or are just drooling over your points, who's to tell? Like a dog with a bone, they will not shut up about it. Even if you are playing another persona, they will throw back at you, "But you have that warlock you won't play, therefore you are rubbish." Yes, fine reasoning there, devoid of logic, but fine reasoning all the same. They feel that you need to play your persona (for the health of theirs, naturally) and failure to do so results in hounding and abuse.

And finally, out of all the ways to play, the protected persona seems to be the most looked down upon by many ignorant people. They see the PP as a cowardly way of playing and reserve their best abuse for these unfortunate people. In reality, playing a PP is a great way to learn. You can explore to your heart's content, you can try things, and you can still kit up. And anyone who thinks you don't learn how to fight on a PP is mistaken. You can learn to fight with the best of them on a PP; you just have to know how. When playing a PP people will tell you to unvow practically every reset.

Now, please correct me if I'm wrong, but surely if someone has vowed a persona, then they really don't want to unvow? A PP is nothing to be laughed at. You can learn everything on one, and they are great fun to play. Fighting other players isn't everything in this game. If it were, it would be text Quake.

To conclude, everyone enjoys the game for different reasons. Dictating to them that they are playing wrong is wrong. I've seen people tell others, to quote, "The game is for playing, not for talking". I rest my case at the ignorance of such people. They appear to be mini-Hitlers in disguise. The game is for playing, full stop. It's a fun game! Let others enjoy it as they see fit.