I've played Legends of the Jedi off and on since 1999. I played regularly in 1999, 2003-2004 and now since 2010. Each time, I've been what I like to call myself a 're-newbie' because I have to relearn the game every time I come back. This isn't a bad thing, it's because the MUD is in active, constant development. The game is always changing, sometimes worse sometimes better. New features are being added all the time, just this last year there was a major revamp to the slicer class that made it even more competitive than before.

Full disclosure: I am currently the leader of one of the game's dominant clans. My character, Zarkonian, has over 3700 hours of active gameplay on him. I have been engrossed in roleplay from the moment I made him, with people I don't like OOCly and with people that I do. This is a lot, as the game features a permdeath system. When you get involved in conflict, there is a chance you, your clan or your friends can be permanently wiped off of the map. I spend a considerable amount of time making sure that newbies and veterans alike get a position in my clan so that they can learn the game.

LOTJ is an RP PK game. This means that war is a very important aspect of the game's roleplay. As happened recently, occasionally a clan can be given months to prepare for an inevitable war and still not be ready when it actually happens. A clan being defeated almost always leads to the storyline moving forward, however, which is the beauty of LOTJ's rolling timeline. We have three eras -- the Old Republic, the Empire, and the New Republic. In each of these, war is the focal point and creates a lot of internal and external conflict between players. Emotions can run high and people may misattribute a loss to immortal intervention, but this is almost never the case from my personal experience.

In other reviews, I've noticed that some players complain our average player count has dropped from 76-65 to 50-35. This is true. Their reasons are mostly incorrect, however. LOTJ's player decline has coincided with every MUD's population decline since the popularity of MMOs increased. LOTJ is still very similar from an administration perspective as it was a decade ago, the only difference now is that the amount of non-text based online entertainment has increased.

Walldo is one of the better game owners I have dealt with on any MUD. I will admit I am difficult to deal with at times and even on LOTJ I have been banned and silenced for months at a time because I hurl abuse at players and staff. The difference here is that Walldo is willing to hear you out when you are angry. He's also willing to hear you out if you have a plan that he thinks will benefit the MUD's storyline.

I encourage everyone to give LOTJ a fair chance. Worry less about 'losing' the game. Play to win, but don't get mad when you lose.