I started playing The Gathering back in late 2005.. I remember almost clearly, because at the time I had extreme difficulty in finding my way around, and finding areas to fight mobs and gain levels in. The help offered to me was vague at best, 'go on the ships', people would tell me. As a new player, I hadn't the foggiest idea what they were talking about.

Over several months, I created and deleted several times, either out of boredom or frustration, sometimes both. However, I would always return, drawn by the lure of fascinating roleplay.

Overall, I would say The Gathering has a steep learning curve, but if people are willing to ask, currently there is a very willing and helpful playerbase and staff on hand to answer whatever questions new players may ask. The immortals are beyond fair when dealing with troublemakers, and incidents are generally kept on the down low - aside from the occasional troublemaker who is swiftly silenced - privacy is taken very seriously.

The roleplay atmosphere here is fantastic. Of course you will have your little handful of god-modders, but that is kept to a minimum, most everyone pitches in to see to that. However, roleplay is generally sensible and enjoyable, with lots of juicy background detail.

Please, stop in and find out for yourself why The Gathering is among the top 100 muds!