Interview
Interview by Karya, interviewee, Hawumph.

Beneath ring of stones.
You are underneath the ring of stones, in a druidic chamber not entered these past two
thousand years until today. Light comes from cracks in an ill-fitting slab lying
directly above. The walls of the chamber are stained red with the blood from the
sacrifices performed on the slab. Steps lead down to the southwest. The slate slab looks
too heavy for you to move. A charming locket catches the light, near your feet. 
Hawumph the warrior is here.
reset
Time-stamp: 21:19:58 on 7-MAR-2002.
This is reset 4784, using slot 0.
An auto-reset will be initiated in approximately 85 minutes.
Hawumph the warrior says "Ah my favourite place - on the island".
Hawumph the warrior says "And safe too - even better".
For your information: there are 125 mobiles still alive.
(Karya the melancholy witch) says "safe from old fire-breath".
Hawumph the warrior says "She loves me! I won't hear a bad word against her".
(Karya the melancholy witch) grins.
(Karya the melancholy witch) exclaims "at last! Someone who acknowledges that she is female!".
qw
(Karya the melancholy witch)
Turrican the sinister wizard
Isileth the bash-general sorcerer
Severina the prelate
Hobnoblin the difficult necromancer
Hawumph the warrior
Bloke the dragonfly-slaying yeoman
Heiachi the guest
Hawumph the warrior exclaims "Course she is - she is gorgeous and yet scary,
tempting but dangerous - FEMALE!".
(Karya the melancholy witch) grins.
(Karya the melancholy witch) asks "Why is the dragon island your favourite place?".
Hawumph the warrior says "My name - Hawumph - I had a running battle of about 6
months once trying EVERY technique I could think of to make killing draggy foolproof".
Hawumph the warrior exclaims "And she kept saying my name to me!".
Hawumph the warrior says "So I finally realised she is a she and you cannot
understand the female mind.".
(Karya the melancholy witch) asks "and did you succeed?".
Hawumph the warrior says "No I did not succeed but I banished many many myths. Several made up by me".
Hawumph the warrior blushes.
(Karya the melancholy witch) asks "can you share the most amusing one?".
Hawumph the warrior asks "Amusing - hmm - well I convinced myself carrying the
obsidian had to be the way to succeed.".
Hawumph the warrior says "An object that makes you fire proof - that is THE
way to kill the dragon. But then it occured to me - when EXACTLY does she say HAWUMPH!
and what EXACTLY happens when you do this thing? And another beautiful idea went for a
Burton.".
Hawumph the warrior exclaims "For our American/Canadian viewers, that means it
did not work!".
Hawumph the warrior says "The funniest actually is when you pee on her - tried that to
put the fire out.".
In the distance, you hear a crack of thunder.
(Karya the melancholy witch) says "And I'd like to add that we cannot accept responsiblity 
for any results that occur if anyone tries this trick after reading this interview".
Hawumph the warrior grins.
Hawumph the warrior exclaims "I can honestly say the Dragon is put out!".
(Karya the melancholy witch) says "I think we can all assume that you got your name from
the Dragon ...".
Hawumph the warrior says "Its an obsession of mine - well and mud of course".
(Karya the melancholy witch) asks "before your current name, what name did you go under?".
Hawumph the warrior asks "How far back are we talking?".
(Karya the melancholy witch) says "from when you started playing MUD".
Hawumph the warrior says "On mud2.com I had two main names - Hawumph and Azrael".
Hawumph the warrior exclaims "If I ever meet yours I am going to claim copyright!".
For your information: there are 100 mobiles still alive.
(+150 = 469,801).
Hobnoblin the difficult necromancer cheers.
Isileth the bash-general sorcerer cheers.
Hawumph the warrior says "My first mud names were Ktahr, Endiss and Odinsup".
(Karya the melancholy witch) asks "On which mud was that?".
Hawumph the warrior says "Online - back in (oh my god) 1992".
Hawumph the warrior says "But its OK theres lots of older people out there".
Hawumph the warrior says "It was a sort of parallel to the Wireplay thing".
defn incarnation

[incarnation]
        NOUN An instantiation of a MUA on a particular machine or 
system. Although the programming is the same, the players and game 
management can be widely different. For example, CompuNet MUD and 
Essex MUD were both incarnations of MUD version 3A, but they 
evoked greatly different atmospheres. For some incarnations, the word 
"MUD" (or "MUD1&quot or "MUD2&quot if context is required) is always appended 
to the end of the name, eg. CompuNet MUD, On-line MUD; for others, 
it's optionally ommitted, eg. IPLAY, Dragon. There's probably a 
reason... 
        Here is a list of all incarnations of MUD which made it into 
production; there are others which didn't get that far, but non-disclosure 
agreements prevent the naming of the guilty parties... The dates are from when 
the game was actually playable by real players, rather than from when coding  
or beta-testing started; a few of these may be wrong, so if you know better 
feel free to request corrections... 
        Date(s)         Site                    Version Nickname(s) 
        1978            Essex University        1A      (none) 
                Test version, to try out the shared memory mechanism. 
                Anyone could play, but only a dozen or so people knew 
                about it. 
        1978-1980       Essex University        2A      (none) 
                Full-strength version. This was generally successful, and  
                was played for fun by hacker and 
                non-hacker alike. It was 
                eventually put out to pasture because the software was 
                getting very hard to maintain, and the memory constraints 
                of the system meant it soon reached its maximum quota of 
                rooms/objects/commands. 
        1980-1988       Essex University        3A      MUD1, Essex 
MUD 
        1984-1987       Compunet                3A      Compunet MUD 
        1985-1991       British Telecom         4B      VAX MUD 
        1987-present    CompuServe              3B      British Legends, 
BL 
        1987            Commodore 64            (none)  MicroMUD 
        1991-1995       Wizards' Guild          4E      Dragon MUD2 
        1992-1996       On-Line                 4E      On-line MUD2 
        1992-1994       NVN (USV)               4E      NVN MUD2 
        1993-1994       ALMAC                   4E      ALMAC MUD2 
        1993-1997       GEnie, Delphi, CRIS     4E      Kesmai MUD2 
        1994-1996       MPGN                    4E      MPGN MUD2 
        1994-1996       Interplay (Engage)      4E      IPLAY MUD2 
        1994-1995       IOL                     4E      IOL MUD2 
        1993-1997       SoNet                   4E      SoNet MUD2 
        1997-present    mud2.com                4E      mud2.com 
        1997-present    Wireplay                4E      Wireplay MUD2 

(Karya the melancholy witch) asks "How did you discover MUD?".
Hawumph the warrior says "Online had the UK rights to a combat flight sim - Air Warrior".
Hawumph the warrior says "I was No. 6 on the table overall, and in case any of
the guys are out there, in the Krait squadron".
Hawumph the warrior says "Then I saw the next entry - mud".
Hawumph the warrior says "So I tried it".
Hawumph the warrior asks "I was helped by a few names you might recognise -
Lestat and Kyric?".
(Karya the melancholy witch) nods.
Hawumph the warrior says "Kyric was a Wiz - Lestat was an evil SOB and I thank
him for showing me some of the tricks PK's use on newbies".
(Karya the melancholy witch) exclaims "surely Lestat was never that mean!".
Hawumph the warrior says "No you are right
- he was meaner - I was new as I say".
You hear a rushing sound in the distance, as if a huge torrent of water has just
started to flood somewhere.
Hawumph the warrior says "That was also my first wiz run site".
Hawumph the warrior mutters something.
In the distance, you hear a low, reverberating sound.
Hawumph the warrior says "You ever try to log on to your account with a 196k mage
only to discover the system closed on you? Thats what happened to me".
Hawumph the warrior says "Mind you I know now that between 196k and Wiz is a whole new
arena".
Hawumph the warrior says "In between start and end of my day's at Online, it was off to
Dragon - aka Roger's mud. Most players shifted there, and only a few returned to Online
afterwards.".
Turrican the sinister wizard
(Karya the melancholy witch)
Isileth the bash-general sorcerer
Severina the firefly-flattening prelate
Hobnoblin the bee-batting necromancer
Hawumph the warrior
Bloke the snake-stuffing warrior
Heiachi the guest
For your information: there are 75 mobiles still alive.
Isileth the bash-general sorcerer roars.
Hobnoblin the bee-batting necromancer shouts "what's left?".
Severina the firefly-flattening prelate shouts "All dwarfs?".
Isileth the bash-general sorcerer shouts "v, wraith, KEEP, some dwarfs".
Hobnoblin the bee-batting necromancer shouts "v dead".
Isileth the bash-general sorcerer shouts "goodo".
reset
Time-stamp: 21:46:14 on 7-MAR-2002.
This is reset 4784, using slot 0.
An auto-reset will be initiated in approximately 59 minutes.
Hobnoblin the bee-batting necromancer shouts "sk1 alive".
Isileth the bash-general sorcerer shouts "sko and sk1 live".
Isileth the bash-general sorcerer shouts "swan lives".
Bloke the snake-stuffing warrior shouts "blind snake0".
(Karya the melancholy witch) says "How did you find out about Dragon mud?".
Hawumph the warrior says "A friend - aka another mudder - phoned me - we had
never met but we used to (do I get fodded for this heresy) share ideas - he said he
found a new mud for us".
Hawumph the warrior says "In those days people rarely admitted sharing like now
by the way - I think its a generation thing :-)".
(Karya the melancholy witch) smiles.
(Karya the melancholy witch) asks "And so you decamped to Dragon MUD, did you find
wizdom there?".
Hawumph the warrior says "You're joking - I found a whole new level of game play".
Hawumph the warrior says "You are as good as your peers - by the end of Online
(sorry i know I am knocking a system) the real good ones had gone - at Dragon I discovered 
I was a novice compared to some".
Hawumph the warrior asks "But I will use the opportunity to put something into
perspective here - if I may?".
(Karya the melancholy witch) nods.
Hawumph the warrior asks "I hear price complaints on both sites - guys we were
paying national call rates to dial in then - have you ANY idea what that cost apart from
the subs?".
Hawumph the warrior says "OK thats my bit done for pricing :-)".
(Karya the melancholy witch) grins.
(Karya the melancholy witch) says "we could compare montly phone bills, but I'd be too
embarassed to mention mine".
Hawumph the warrior says "I got ADSL recently - it cut me from 300 a quarter to
now 29.99 a month - I love BT".
Hawumph the warrior asks "Do you still want to compare?".
In the distance, you hear the clear notes of a flute ringing through the air.
Hawumph the warrior says "Thats a dedicated internet line by the way not phone calls".
(Karya the melancholy witch) exclaims "Nope! My worse bill is horrendous!".
Hawumph the warrior exclaims "In the spirit of this article - i turn the tables -
go on - what was it? Interviewer becomes interviewee!".
(Karya the melancholy witch) exclaims "Nooooo!".
Hawumph the warrior says "Admit it or I shall apply pressure".
Hawumph squeezes you.
(Karya the melancholy witch) grins.
(Karya the melancholy witch) says "well....".
(Karya the melancholy witch) says "there was one quarter, and you have to take into
account that some of this was from the previous quarter carried over AND Wireplay costs (you had to pay to play)".
(Karya the melancholy witch) says "the bill arrived and it was ...".
Hawumph makes a drum roll.
(Karya the melancholy witch) says "roughly (I can't remember exactly - I think I blocked
it out) over a 1000 pounds".
Hawumph the warrior says "I would like to qoute another fine Wizard - who I can truly
say cannot handle his drink but being the only other Irish Wiz I know of - beep'ing hell
thats a big one".
(Karya the melancholy witch) grins.
Hawumph the warrior says "Oh hang on there's Grumpy - that makes 3 - and Zedd - 4
- I give up the Gaelic wizzes dominate the game".
In the distance, you hear a wolf baying AAAOOOOOOHHHH.
Isileth the bash-general sorcerer roars.
Hawumph the warrior exclaims "So the motto here children is - pay your bills - or
warn your parents they may have to sell their houses to satisfy your craving for mud!".
Isileth the bash-general sorcerer shouts "only 55 in 43 mins go go go".
Hawumph the warrior asks "We could mention Droo's modem in context - pay the bill
or we'll take your modem - ok mam the modems cheaper to replace?".
For your information: there are 50 mobiles still alive.
(+300 = 470,101).
Isileth the bash-general sorcerer cheers.
Hawumph the warrior says "That was my favourite meet ever the Dublin one - so
many people from so far afield - the real mud spirit".
(Karya the melancholy witch) says "Dublin was my favourite one too".
Hawumph the warrior asks "You know two of the people there met in mud and got
married?".
(Karya the melancholy witch) nods.
Hawumph the warrior asks "Really RL married?".
Hawumph the warrior smiles.
(Karya the melancholy witch) says "their story is in ABC".
(Karya the melancholy witch) says "Potts and Angelmist".
Hawumph the warrior asks "Angelmist - who made me a wiz - and Potts - who I knew on
online - what other game could keep people together for that long?".
Hawumph the warrior says "oops I am slipping into advert mode".
(Karya the melancholy witch) grins.
(Karya the melancholy witch) asks "How did Angelmist make you a wiz?".
Isileth the bash-general sorcerer shouts "38 in 28
, we CAN do it".
In the distance, you hear the terrible RHOAAAUUUAURRRRGGGGGGHGHHHGHHHH of a
dragon dying.
Isileth the bash-general sorcerer cheers.
Hawumph the warrior howls.
Hawumph the warrior shouts "NOOOOO".
Hawumph the warrior sobs.
Hawumph the warrior asks "How did I make it?".
(Karya the melancholy witch) nods.
(Karya the melancholy witch) says "and where".
Hawumph the warrior says "I made it on mud2.com".
Hawumph the warrior says "Specifically - 2 west of swamp".
Hawumph the warrior asks "I had an - um - interesting reset?".
(Karya the melancholy witch) wonders.
Hawumph the warrior says "20k arch bounty to anyone would kill me".
Hawumph the warrior says "for that one reset".
For your information: there are 25 mobiles still alive.
Hawumph the warrior says "Dragon resurrected appropriately - but only after I
went for the druids".
(Karya the melancholy witch) cringes.
Hawumph the warrior says "Gob10 did an impromptu reappearance which was nice".
Hawumph the warrior says "And in the end I cracked - the only thing in the land
worth doing was my oldest friend - Angelmist".
(Karya the melancholy witch) gasps.
Hawumph the warrior says "As it was put to me later - I turned to the darkside".
(Karya the melancholy witch) asks "had you ever attacked a fellow player prior to that?".
Hawumph the warrior says "I was basically a tank on legs at that point - all the
kit that I cannot mention - but I had it all".
Hawumph the warrior says "I had lots of interesting interaction - but I am
(apparently meant to be) ashamed to say I never initiated it - I guess I could be what
you call a Vegetarian wiz".
Hawumph the warrior says "Once I knew a pk or spotted snnops or tracks - I'd be in there
- but its not ever been my thing".
(Karya the melancholy witch) asks "Angelmist attacked you?".
Hawumph the warrior says "No for once I went for her - I just prayed she would
flee cos I could not take another reset like that i would have - um - done all the
things that guarantee a kill".
Fruitbat the slaughtering wizard roars.
Isileth the bash-general sorcerer cheers.
Hawumph the warrior says "Its one thing getting close - its another being VERY
close".
Hawumph the warrior exclaims "and THEY know it!".
(Karya the melancholy witch) nods.
(Karya the melancholy witch) asks "How did she take being attacked by you?".
reset
Time-stamp: 22:19:51 on 7-MAR-2002.
This is reset 4784, using slot 0.
An auto-reset will be initiated in approximately 25 minutes.
sv
20 alive, 258 dead.
Hawumph the warrior says "She bought me a beanie dragon called scorch - it sits on my
monitor".
(Karya the melancholy witch) grins.
Isileth the bash-general sorcerer shouts "20 in 25, we can do IT".
Hawumph the warrior says "Last time I met her (if you can call it that) was on
here".
Arseangel the hero cheers "I killed a mo, I can leech the 3k now".
Isileth the bash-general sorcerer shouts "groan".
qw
Fruitbat the slaughtering wizard
Turrican the sinister wizard
(Karya the melancholy witch)
Arseangel the hero
Eleven the necromancess
Isileth the bash-general sorcerer
Severina the firefly-flattening prelate
Hobnoblin the  dragon-slaying bee-batting necromancer
Hawumph the warrior
Bloke the snake-stuffing swordsman
Heiachi the guest
Andy the surrealist guest
Hawumph the warrior shouts "we know who you are - you cannot!".
Hawumph the warrior says "sorry - couldn't resist that".
(Karya the melancholy witch) grins.
(Karya the melancholy witch) asks "Why and when did you start playing here?".
Hawumph the warrior says "Ah - I was hoping you wouldnt ask that one".
Hawumph the warrior asks "Here or wp?".
(Karya the melancholy witch) says "Wireplay".
Hawumph the warrior says "I played WP to check it out a long time ago".
Hawumph the warrior says "I discovered it was not MY type of mud - it was - to be
politically correct - full of an unruly element who were uncontrollable by the nature of
the service".
For your information: there are 15 mobiles still alive.
Isileth the bash-general sorcerer roars.
Severina the firefly-flattening prelate cheers.
(Karya the melancholy witch) asks "roughly when did you first play on Wireplay?".
For your information: there are 10 mobiles still alive.
Bloke the snake-stuffing swordsman cheers.
Hawumph the warrior asks "Two years ago?".
Isileth the bash-general sorcerer shouts "10 in 21... go go go".
(Karya the melancholy witch) asks "that was before or after you made wiz on mud2.com?".
Bloke the snake-stuffing swordsman shouts "whats left?".
Hawumph the warrior says "I mainly used my alter ego - Wampire".
Hawumph the warrior says "Oh after".
Severina the firefly-flattening prelate shouts "Keep!".
Isileth the bash-general sorcerer shouts "spider".
Severina the firefly-flattening prelate shouts "No spider dead.".
(Karya the melancholy witch) says "Wireplay wasn't always like that, you missed it at its best".
Severina the firefly-flattening prelate shouts "sk in ne tomb".
Isileth the bash-general sorcerer shouts "sk0 in reverb passage".
Hawumph the warrior says "I discovered that even though people KNEW it was me
Wampire was taken at face value - it was really refreshing".
Mike the hero shouts "whooo".
Hawumph the warrior says "And I cannot vouch for wp - but the spirit that SHOULD
have been there appears to be here".
Hawumph the warrior says "Hardly anyone has two heads (apart from Turricans
wizmorts but they are meant to)".
(Karya the melancholy witch) laughs.
Bloke the snake-stuffing swordsman shouts "er anyone up for teaming up on sk meet mausoleum".
Hawumph the warrior says "And the swearers are gone too - apart from beep'ing droo but
I'll beeping well sort HIM out at the meet".
Hawumph the warrior says "He owes me a beer anyway".
(Karya the melancholy witch) says "I think he owes everyone a beer or two".
(Karya the melancholy witch) asks "You're still playing on the "rival" mud, why is
that?".
Hawumph the warrior says "Yeah but he promised MINE online in the forum :-)".
(Karya the melancholy witch) says "very true".
Hawumph the warrior asks "Do you really see it as rival (he said protectively)?".
(Karya the melancholy witch) grins.
(Karya the melancholy witch) says "I don't, but I know that's how lots of people see it".
Hawumph the warrior says "Its where I made Wiz - I am bound to have a certain affinity for it".
Fruitbat the slaughtering wizard shouts "PAGODA OPENED NOW!!!!!".
(Karya the melancholy witch) says "I see mud2.com as the sister/brother mud".
Isileth the bash-general sorcerer shouts "NOOO".
Eleven the necromancess howls "HAHA".
Hovering before you is Eros, wearing a blindfold. 
Eros pulls his bow and shoots Hawumph the warrior!
Eros gives a satisfied smile, and flies away.
Hawumph the warrior shouts "no eros that is TOO cruel".
qw
Fruitbat the slaughtering wizard
Turrican the sinister wizard
(Karya the melancholy witch)
Stealth the warlock
Aquiense the spellbinder
Arseangel the hero
Eleven the necromancess
Isileth the bash-general sorcerer
Severina the firefly-flattening prelate
Hobnoblin the dragon-slaying bee-batting necromancer
Hawumph the warrior
Bloke the snake-stuffing swordsman
Heiachi the guest
Andy the surrealist guest
(Karya the melancholy witch) asks "who did you get?".
Hawumph the warrior says "Arseangel".
(Karya the melancholy witch) laughs.
Hawumph the warrior blushes.
Hawumph the warrior says "Makes a change from firefarter I supose".
Severina the firefly-flattening prelate shouts "Anyone up for keep?".
Fruitbat the slaughtering wizard shouts "I am!".
Fruitbat the slaughtering wizard shouts "Meet me at Keep! :-p".
Severina the firefly-flattening prelate shouts "Good you can fod them all!".
Hawumph the warrior asks "I can honestly say that mud players from whatever
system are all alike - barking mad - we cross over systems for advantage - or if they
close - its an ongoing thing - you ever play a computer game for 9 years?".
(Karya the melancholy witch) says "I wonder how many of our readers will say in 9 years
time that they've played MUD2 all this time".
Hawumph the warrior says "Well I know lots have played longer than me - and still
play - its a small but till vibrant community".
(Karya the melancholy witch) asks "Did you side-step my last question, or miss it?".
(Karya the melancholy witch) grins.
In the distance, you hear the clear tones of a mighty hunting horn.
In the distance, you hear the cacophonic din of a badly-tuned hunting horn.
Hawumph the warrior asks "which question?".
(Karya the melancholy witch) says "the one about why are you still playing this mud,
when you said the site this one orginated from wasn't your scene".
Hawumph the warrior asks "You never asked that you asked about RIVAL mud - or I was deaf
dumb and blind at the time?".
Hawumph the warrior says "But I will answer that question".
Hawumph the warrior says "The site this one ORIGINATED from was as uncontrolled
as a thing out of control with no head".
Hawumph the warrior says "And to be honest I assumed this one was too".
Hawumph the warrior says "Obviously you have losers like Fruitbat, Turrican and Azrael
here, but the upper echelons are actually really together and quite fun".
Hawumph the warrior exclaims "God I hope one of them develops a sense of humour
before print date!".
Hawumph the warrior gulps.
(Karya the melancholy witch) grins.
Bloke the snake-stuffing swordsman shouts "12 in 6".
Hawumph the warrior says "Since playing here - well - its not as bad as I assumed".
Hawumph the warrior exclaims "I see a lot of cross over - players playing both
sites - I have to admit to the heresy of wishing both were busier though!".
(Karya the melancholy witch) nods.
(Karya the melancholy witch) asks "I have to ask, ever since I've been playing at
mud2.com which is for a few years now, it has never been what I'd consider busy. Has it
ever been?".
Hawumph the warrior says "Yes - but Wireplay killed that - free is a hard thing
to fight".
(Karya the melancholy witch) says "Wireplay only turned free as of April/May-ish 1999,
I've been playing mud2.com since before then".
Isileth the bash-general sorcerer shouts "10 left, pick it up folks... need to
clear that pagoda and complete keep now".
Hawumph the warrior says "Thats about right - 2 years ago it got slow - damn I
wish I had waited my wizrun would have been SO much easier".
(Karya the melancholy witch) grins.
Hawumph the warrior says "Actually scrub that - back to earlier - you're as good
as your peers - you need feisty wizzes to - um - oversee and - obviously - as wizmorts
DO NOT exist - be watchful".
(Karya the melancholy witch) chuckles.
Auto-reset initiated, you have 520 seconds to finish up. No further warnings will
be issued!
reset
Time-stamp: 22:44:46 on 7-MAR-2002.
This is reset 4784, using slot 0.
A reset is due in 516 seconds.
sv
9 alive, 278 dead.
Hawumph the warrior says "Its one of the things I worry about - you can laugh at
a high mage death - but with less people its possible to get UP THERE and suddenly you
are effectively executed because you have no idea whats going on".
Stealth the warlock shouts "golam is dead isn't he?".
Isileth the bash-general sorcerer shouts "YES".
Stealth the warlock shouts "ok".
Hobnoblin the dragon-slaying bee-batting necromancer shouts "aquiense
is a thief".
Stealth the warlock shouts "she tried to pk me at keep fighting griff".
Aquiense the spellbinder shouts "I also mugged 3 old ladys today and they didnt
complain as much as you.".
Stealth the warlock shouts "you talking to me?".
Isileth the bash-general sorcerer shouts "old folks dont....".
Isileth the bash-general sorcerer shouts "is pony in about in this game? cant find
it...".
Hawumph the warrior says "Ah the joys of co-operation".
(Karya the melancholy witch) nods.
(Karya the melancholy witch) says "you always get one".
For your information: there are 5 mobiles still alive.
(Karya the melancholy witch) asks "what worries you about the game the most?".
Hawumph the warrior says "That I'll get closed down on again".
Fruitbat the slaughtering wizard shouts "4 left!!!".
Hawumph the warrior says "actually no - scrub that".
(Karya the melancholy witch) asks "you worry that mud2.com will get closed down?".
Hawumph the warrior says "I think both here and .com will stay open as long as
they can - but I hate the quiet times".
Hawumph the warrior says "I doubt.com will close - Viktor is the game's champion
- I worry about the viability of 2 games though".
Fruitbat the slaughtering wizard shouts "3 left!".
Severina the firefly-flattening prelate shouts "Where are they?".
Fruitbat the slaughtering wizard shouts "In Pagoda!".
Stealth the warlock shouts "all seelife done?".
Isileth the bash-general sorcerer shouts "seems so".
(Karya the melancholy witch) says "You've already mentioned that we share players ...".
Fruitbat the slaughtering wizard shouts "Last 3 are in Pagoda!".
Stealth the warlock shouts "how about the ape?".
Stealth the warlock shouts "giant snake?".
Fruitbat the slaughtering wizard shouts "1 left!".
Fruitbat the slaughtering wizard shouts "52 seconds!".
Aquiense the spellbinder shouts "dooooooooooomed".
Stealth the warlock shouts "what is it?".
For your information: there are no mobiles still alive.
You feel as if a tremendous evil has been rid from The Land! No pawns of
darkness sully it with their presence. The relief of generations of souls
floods through your being!
(+3,000).
Arseangel the superhero cheers.
Fruitbat the slaughtering wizard cheers.
Isileth the bash-general sorcerer cheers.
Bloke the snake-stuffing hero cheers.
Severina the firefly-flattening prelate cheers.
Hawumph the warrior says "My ideal would be to see a merger - whether or not it
could be done remains to be seen".
Isileth the bash-general sorcerer shouts "who got it andwhat was it.".
Something magical is happening.

Next reset ...

Beneath ring of stones.
The slate slab looks too heavy for you to move. A charming locket catches the light,
near your feet. 
qw
(Karya the melancholy witch)
Isileth the sorcerer
Bloke the hero
Hawumph the warrior
Crazy the hero
Severina the prelate
Hmmmmm the protector
Hobnoblin the necromancer
Stealth the warlock
Arseangel the superhero
Heiachi the guest
Hawumph the warrior has just arrived.
(Karya the melancholy witch) waves.
Hawumph the warrior asks "Heres a thought - how many people actually KNOW whats
down here - and dont just do it all on autopilot cos they were told how?".
(Karya the melancholy witch) says "a lot I imagine".
(Karya the melancholy witch) says "Where were we?".
Hawumph the warrior asks "Wondering about shared players?".
(Karya the melancholy witch) nods.
Hawumph the warrior says "But if it comes down to it - you can keep Stealth".
(Karya the melancholy witch) laughs.
Isileth the sorcerer shouts "Thanks Fruity for your attendence and any
assisstance you rendered! Cheers Turrican for being visible and all!".
Stealth the warlock cheers.
Isileth the sorcerer cheers.
Hawumph the warrior says "My god - archangel appeared".
Hawumph the warrior says "Lost his mage but lived - he'll go far is my prediction".
Hobnoblin the necromancer bids everyone night.
(Karya the melancholy witch) asks "How do you see the future of MUD2?".
Hawumph the warrior says "Its a game that has absolutely no Graphics - it only
has sounds if you use a special client like Clio - it is reminiscent of Zork but the
parser is vastly superior and the players are mad ......".
Hawumph the warrior says "It is the only game I could envisage playing for that
many years - and Pugsley for one has a good few years on me".
Hawumph the warrior says "So it will continue - but the divide needs to be
addressed".
(Karya the melancholy witch) asks "The divide?".
Hawumph the warrior says "Two systems - same player base - its an oddity in
mud2's history - WP was laterly free so doesn't count".
In the distance, you hear the clear tones of a mighty hunting horn.
(Karya the melancholy witch) asks "What do you suggest is the solution?".
Hawumph the warrior says "Bringing both under one umbrella would be nice - though
full of problems - imagine a whole bunch of wizzes you only heard of as on THE OTHER
SYSTEM but it's easy there - appearing".
Hawumph the warrior says "Though as you say - you have first hand knowledge :-)".
Hawumph the warrior says "I would mostly like to see one word reappear in the mortal
dictionary - mystique".
Hawumph the warrior says "The wizzes were a far off thing once - I rarely saw them and I
damn sure NEVER answererd back".
(Karya the melancholy witch) asks "when do you feel that the mystique was lost?".
Aquiense the spellbinder screams "propaganda, thats all it is... keeping the
small man down.... CRIPPLING HIM!".
Aquiense the spellbinder shouts "SAY NO.".
Hawumph the warrior says "I think in the Wireplay days - I get the feeling some
younger players shared secrets they should not have - I am sure I have seen wiz stuff
talked about openly - its a crying shame".
Hawumph the warrior says "Its still the only game I never saw an FAQ for - I did find
one so called secret guide - it was so misinformed as to be funny".
(Karya the melancholy witch) asks "You don't think that ICQ, people talking about what
they're watching on TV in the tearoom and mudmeets might have contributed to the lack of
mystique also?".
Hawumph the warrior says "We have always had a tearoom - ICQ etc is a real pain -
I lived in fear of the UHOH noise when I was wiz running - it disturbed my concentration".
(Karya the melancholy witch) says "I meant more of people sitting in the tearoom
apparently AFK when they were really communicating on ICQ".
Hawumph the warrior says "And at mudmeets - we talk about mud and wizzes act
mysterious - thats the MOST mystique bit".
Hawumph the warrior says "No ICQ just means theres a new way to looby - its
always been there - you can phone - use walky talky - be in same room - all the same".
(Karya the melancholy witch) asks "Ok, we've covered some of the less good bits of the
game, what about your favourite aspects of the game?".
Hawumph the warrior says "Mud players are incredibly inventive - if you can BEAT
the system - they will".
For your information: Stealth the warlock is worth 20,784 points if killed.
Hawumph the warrior says "Oh I love to chat - which is a pain for the readership
cos this will go on ad infenitum - I like the fact I can be me, or anonymous, or my
complete opposite".
Hawumph the warrior asks "I like particularly that I can role play - and if I do
it well it can be known to be me but the persona is what is seen not the person - thats
done far too rarely - did you know Foddy is a master of that by the way?".
(Karya the melancholy witch) asks "is he?".
Hawumph the warrior says "Certainly used to be".
(Karya the melancholy witch) asks "on mud2.com?".
Hawumph the warrior says "I think trying to interview Deafmute would be a waste
of time - but Daktulos was fun".
Severina the prelate bids everyone adios.
(Karya the melancholy witch) grins.
Hawumph the warrior says "I never had to sign before except to Deafmute - was weird".
Hawumph the warrior exclaims "Never came out of character! an expert!".
(Karya the melancholy witch) grins.
In the distance, you hear a piercing scream.
In the distance, you hear a piercing scream.
In the distance, you hear a piercing scream.
In the distance, you hear a piercing scream.
In the distance, you hear a piercing scream.
In the distance, you hear a piercing scream.
In the distance, you hear a piercing scream.
In the distance, you hear a piercing scream.
Eleven the necromancess cheers.
Hawumph the warrior asks "One point I would like to ask - who's the scariest -
Sep or Turrican - it would interest .commers?".
(Karya the melancholy witch) says "I think that probably depends on whether you've
played on mud2.com or here, and during which era".
Hawumph the warrior says "Beautifully sidestepped".
Hawumph the warrior bows.
(Karya the melancholy witch) asks "and how does Kyric fit into the equation?".
Hawumph the warrior says "He was the scariest damn player I ever knew/heard of /saw".
(Karya the melancholy witch) exclaims "I think I would agree with that!".
(Karya the melancholy witch) says "he certainly taught me a thing or two about fighting".
Hawumph the warrior exclaims "The good news re mud is I am heading towards 10th
anniversary of playing, many are still here for even longer, its still deveolping and whilst
maybe past its WP heyday for now - its had a history of ups and downs - but it won't go away!".
(Karya the melancholy witch) asks "If you had total control over MUD2, what would you do
to change it?".
Hawumph the warrior says "Implement the plan a few of us had at a minimeet
several years ago".
(Karya the melancholy witch) asks "what was that?".
Hawumph the warrior says "Those of us that could afford it - buy the licence - and
run it free but under control".
Hawumph the warrior says "Sort of what you do here and Vik does at .com - but
under one banner".
(Karya the melancholy witch) says "but neither site runs for free".
Hawumph the warrior says "In retrospect it is better to charge for it - you get a
core of players who WANT to make something of themselves in the game".
Hawumph the warrior says "But it's a shame the ones who can't aford it have to be put off".
Hawumph the warrior says "I have no answers for that".
(Karya the melancholy witch) says "I think it's a shame it has to cost so much. I agree
with a lot of people that 12 pounds a month is a bit too much".
Hawumph the warrior says "except 6 to 7 pm UK time here (advert)".
Hawumph the warrior says "Costs never were an issue to me - so I cannot comment -
not that I didn't sweat for the payments - it just seemed worth it".
For your information: Stealth the warlock is worth 21,584 points if killed.
(Karya the melancholy witch) says "A younger generation are used to paying less for more".
Hawumph the warrior says "A younger generation IMHO (and I never was all that
humble) seem to expect a lot for nothing - its a great game it costs to run in equipment
connections and licencing, its under development all the time... oops soap box time".
For your information: Stealth the warlock is worth 21,198 points if killed.
Hawumph the warrior says "What carries the game is enthusiasm - a hard core of
players have been around for so long they are an institution - some of the newer ones
are so violent or so much fun they are part of the history - it is ongoing".
(Karya the melancholy witch) asks "Is there anything else you'd like to add before we
round this up?".
(Karya the melancholy witch) says "perhaps we'll have Hawumph - The Interview, Part II
at a later date".
(Karya the melancholy witch) grins.
Hawumph the warrior asks "My god this one wasn't long enough?".
(Karya the melancholy witch) grins.
Hawumph the warrior says "Good plan lets leave any more of my waffle to part II".
Hawumph the warrior asks "except - could you provide me with a drink and show me
the dragon - lets show them what i meant?".
(Karya the melancholy witch) grins.
Hawumph the warrior says "save a few deaths".
(Karya the melancholy witch) asks "any drink in particular?".
ql
Beneath ring of stones.
The slate slab looks too heavy for you to move. A charming locket catches the light,
near your feet. 
Hawumph the warrior is here.
Hawumph the warrior says "hmm - a balthazar (what you dont know how to get one people?)".
Balthazar given to Hawumph.
ql
Beneath ring of stones.
The slate slab looks too heavy for you to move. A charming locket catches the light,
near your feet. 
Hawumph the warrior is here carrying a balthazar.
Hawumph the warrior says "ladies first".
Hawumph the warrior has given you the balthazar.
Steep slope.
A lone, red and white toadstool grows here. Fixed into the ground is a weatherworn
signpost. 
Hawumph the warrior has just arrived.
Balthazar given to Hawumph.
You have started to snoop on Hawumph the warrior.
ql
Steep slope.
A lone, red and white toadstool grows here. Fixed into the ground is a weatherworn
signpost. 
Hawumph the warrior is here carrying a balthazar.
Hawumph the warrior says "hmm".
qn
Looking northward, you see a place known as "steep slope". It contains a
wolfsbane1.
Looking eastward, you see a place known as "thicket". It contains a tree root.
Looking southward, you see a place known as "small bay". It appears to be empty.
Looking westward, you see a place known as "arcane forest". It contains a tree
root.
Looking northeastward, you see a place known as "fairy ring". It appears to be
empty.
Looking southwestward, you see a place known as "arcane forest". It appears to
be empty.
Looking northwestward, you see a place known as "steep slope". It contains a
dragon and a bell0.
|1|(Karya the melancholy witch) glances around.
|1|drink bottle
Hawumph the warrior has drunk some champagne.
|1|Gulp gulp glug glug gulp glug SLURRRP! Down the hatch it goes!
l nw
Looking northwestward, you see a place known as "steep slope". It contains a
dragon and a bell0.
|1|(Karya the melancholy witch) glances northwest.
|1|*You see a large, pink elephant, smiling at you.
|1|*l nw
Hawumph the warrior glances northwest.
|1|Looking northwestward, you see a place known as "steep slope". It contains a
|1|dragon and a bell0.
(Karya the melancholy witch) asks "ready?".
|1|(Karya the melancholy witch) asks "ready?".
|1|*now
|1|I don't know the word "now".
|1|*You are feeling rather queasy.
|1|(72/80).
|1|*You feel really ill, you've done yourself a permanent injury...
|1|*nw.pee f dragon
Staggering wildly, Hawumph the warrior has just left.
|1|Steep slope.
|1|Beating its enormous wings above you is an immense, fire-breathing dragon! A
|1|magnificent golden bell lies by your feet. 
|1|*The dragon is put out, but unfortunately only in the sense of being aggrieved...
|1|*The dragon is moving towards you ferociously.
nw
Steep slope.
Beating its enormous wings above you is an immense, fire-breathing dragon! A magnificent
golden bell lies by your feet. 
Hawumph the warrior is here carrying a balthazar.
The dragon is fighting Hawumph the warrior.
|1|(Karya the melancholy witch) floats in.
You hear a dull thud, as the dragon hits Hawumph the warrior.
You hear a swishing sound, as Hawumph the warrior misses the dragon.
|1|The dragon hits you (61/79).
|1|You miss the dragon.
|1|*Your stomach turns over and you feel giddy. You are VERY unwell!
|1|(58/79).
You hear a grinding noise, as the dragon hits Hawumph the warrior.
You hear fast movement, as Hawumph the warrior misses the dragon.
|1|The dragon hits you (47/79).
|1|You miss the dragon.
|1|You don't feel able to speak any more.
|1|*"told you - put out
|1|You can't utter a word, you're dumb.
You hear a grinding noise, as the dragon hits Hawumph the warrior.
You hear a swish, as Hawumph the warrior misses the dragon.
|1|The dragon hits you (34/79).
|1|You miss the dragon.
|1|*There is a sudden burning sensation in your chest, which grows sharply in intensity
|1|and seems to ignite your throat. Coughing and choking, you fall to your knees as it
|1|worsens, and you feel wracking pains all through your body. Your eyesight grows
|1|blurred, and you start to froth madly at the mouth. At once, your eyes roll upwards,
|1|your tongue flops out, and you keel over backwards, dead...
|1|(-32 = 1,240).
|1|(-71 = 1,169).
|1|Balthazar dropped.
|1|Overall, you lost 103 points this game.
Hawumph the warrior drops dead, poisoned...
A balthazar sits before you, opened, and marked: "champagne". 
Hawumph the warrior has just passed on.
You can no longer snoop on Hawumph the warrior.
ql
Steep slope.
A balthazar sits before you, opened, and marked: "champagne". Beating its enormous wings
above you is an immense, fire-breathing dragon! A magnificent golden bell lies by your
feet.

This Web page copyright © 2002 Viktor T. Toth
Individual articles remain the copyright of their respective authors.
MUD2 is copyright © 2002 Multi-User Entertainment Limited
Page last modified: April 02, 2002