My first impression was good. I liked the way the text was formatted to the screen, the way it used the ascii clear to replace text etc. In choosing a name I got this message as part: Two words making up a name is illegal (such as SwiftBlade). So apparently Plainsmen (Que Shu) aren't allowed, too bad there. The next part chose a last name, Great! I like that! Then on to race, noting special or hard, I picked aghar (gully dwarf). Then class, blacksmith looks interesting, but I picked thief. Hometown selection. Great! I've always liked that option. A few more options You MUST have a description for your character by level 5! Failure to do so will result in imprisonment until one is written! Um?

Roleplaying is not only encouraged here, but without it you will be denied, and then banned if no improvement is found. Um??

So I'm a bit leery now, but it's probably just old rhetoric. So I log in, it tells me that there are lots of unread notes, changes, ideas, stories... I type 'note' Huh? Apparently, you can't even read notes until level 2. So much for getting a feel for the place.

I type who, it shows no immortals on, 10 mortals. Good stuff! So i start wandering around trying to find my way into the school, eventually I do so and buy a couple bracers. A store in the school, good idea!

Find the arena, fight a snail (it seems they have auto_damage)... Snail beats me like a redheaded stepchild. Flee, rest, recoup (no messages per tick when you rest, makes it hard to know when you're healed). Come back, lizard beats me down, flee rest. Snail again, flee rest.

By this time I'm getting frustrated, I can't even beat a level 1 mob in the arena, heck it was hard to even hurt him before having to flee.

<40hp 100m 100mv> ooc is there a way to buy a pet? Huh?... apparently new players don't get channels other than tell and say, so I'm screwed.

So I ask one of the players I see about pets, he points me to the west side of Palanthas. Unfortunately...I can't figure out where I am on the provided map. Either it's off, well I've Mudded for a while now, and I was even lost.

I see a group of people talking in a room, figure it must be some kind of common place and ... You say 'Sorry to interrupt, where am I on the map?' Ravn looks at you. Ravn glances at Skol briefly. You say 'I'm trying to find a pet, the snails have been killing me, well almost' ... Pause a couple of minutes and ... You say 'Sorry to intrude' You wave. Ravn chuckles slightly.

So apparently, they have time to type 'look Skol' and 'chuckle' but not enough time to tell a newbie 'You're at 26 on the map'.

I wander some more, get to where I know the area that I'm in, which apparently won't let me out into the main city due to guilds stopping me (wrong class). Finally end up back in the school, die a couple of more times trying to kill that stupid snail, and a fox this time (what the heck, it might be weak enough for a newbie to kill in the school arena... well no.)

So I sleep after getting my equipment, to heal up wondering what to do since no one will help. I can't use channels, there's no newbie channel, people flat out ignoring me.

I look back to find it's closed my window... Due to being idle for so long, you have been put in AFK mode. If a pattern results, you will be dealt with severe punishment. Apparently... they don't like it if you have to use the restroom.

Yadda yadda, it disconnected me for idle (normal), warned me that it wouldn't save my character due to it not being level 2 (woe is me, I couldn't even get one experience point due to the mobs, no eq, no pets, no help...). In fact, due to fleeing I ended up at 60 exp in the hole.

I own another DL mud, this one was an offshoot some 6+ years ago. Well, Legends of the Lance was the offshoot, it seems this is it's reincarnation. I won't be back.