BaDToaD
"Very" Old Timer
I have recently discovered the delights of roleplaying on Neverwinter Nights persistent worlds. This is the closest thing I've come across to Pen and Paper D&D.
NWN Persistent Worlds are like mini MMORPGs where there is a limit on the number of players somewhere between 10 and 64 althought some of the bigger PWs have multiple servers for different areas, allowing a couple of hundred players online.
Many servers need you to download custom content but the only thing you need to pay for is NWN and the expansions. Although NWN is now 10 years old the modding community and online play keeps the gameplay and roleplaying fresh.
Don't expect this to be like WoW or other mainstream MMOs. It a much slower deeper process than that. But for anyone that enjoys PnP D&D or any of the old CRPGs like Baldurs Gate, Ice Wind Dale and the like I'd say give it a go.
NWN Diamond is on GOG.com for $9.99 at the moment. You will need to mail them for a multiplayer CD key once you have the game. While you wait for a couple of days for support to mail you the Key, you can play the offline game and it's expansions and premier modules. There's hundreds of hours of gameplay right there even if you don't want to dip your toe in the online world.
---
For those of you that enjoy RP, this is an account of my characters adventures so far in Persistent World of Aenea in the form of a letter home to his brother.
---
Hello Antho,
Firstly I am safe and well. I arrived in Valorian's Vale safely and although I saw some strange sights on the road, nothing would prepare me for the adventures that have already befallen me since I arrived here a few short days ago.
I took a room at the Sleeping Dragon inn and after a good nights rest and a hearty breakfast I set off to buy some more supplies. I returned to the inn to pack my supplies and prepare for my journey and read the notice board which detailed several interesting matters that needed attending to. Some of which would suit a novice adventurer such as myself.
My adventures have taken me into tunnels full of giant ants and caverns full of goblins. I have fought bats with a wingspan larger than I am tall. Not that I am tall by any means but even so, they were enormous. I had to run away from a huge black Worg. I have visited a castle. A building so big that it dwarfs even the monastery at home.
And yet, all of this is nothing compared to the events of yesterday. I have met two people and have joined their party. Their names are Laurelirllana Fea and Ghazalid Terfarune. Laurel is a fighter of some local renown and seems to have taken me under her wing. She is very pretty and very motherly too. I like her a lot. Ghazalid is a Wizard Antho. A real Wizard, like they have in the old books in the monastery library. He is a bit grumpy at times but his intentions are honourable I feel sure. Indeed yesterday's events proved as much. I think he is regarded as a hero by the way people looked at him in the city. That reminds me I will have to find out the name of the city we visited. Oh, sorry, there I go again, jumping ahead of myself. I will start at the beginning.
When I came down from my room yesterday Ghazalid was standing near the door. He was covered in blood and did not look at all well. As I had made his acquaintance a couple of days before, I asked him if he was alright. He laughed and produced a potion of healing and drank it. It made a difference and he looked a lot better. He said "I would understand when I fought beholders." Beholders Antho! Ghazalid fought beholders and survived to tell the tale.
He had all manner of creatures around him Antho. An umber hulk and some dire bears. They were all doing his bidding and standing around as calm as you like. I was quite intimidated but in awe of Ghazalid so much that I forgot to be truly frightened.
Laurel entered the inn and greeted Ghazalid. She obviously knew him better than I. Did I mention she is very pretty? She gave me some wonderful gloves Antho. They burn the creatures I fight with them. Oh and she greeted me too of course.
I told my companions of my heritage and although Laurel seemed a little surprised she didn't change her attitude towards me. Indeed she seemed moved by my tale. Ghazalid was not concerned at all and took me as he found me. As if meeting a green halfling with goblin blood was nothing out of the ordinary. Which if the events that followed are typical of his life then I probably am nothing out of the ordinary as far as he is concerned.
After a couple of drinks (I only had water honestly) they offered to escort me to the castle. We had trouble on the road with some goblins but we soon dispatched them. The ones I hit burst into flames. I was a little shocked at their screams of agony but after all, they did attack us.
It was soon after this that I got the surprise of my life. Ghazalid turned into a Dragon Antho. A real Dragon. He was huge. I had no idea Wizards could be so powerful. I feel a bit foolish that I asked him if he was a God but he was truly awesome to behold. He replied that no he was a Wizard. A Wizard! as if such magic were nothing to him. If I could do such a thing I would soar over the world for days on end. Even Laurel was amazed by the sight.
Ghazalid then told us he wished us to accompany him in a mission to rid the nearby cave of trolls. Oh Antho. They were terrible creatures. We fought many and I was very glad of my new gloves. The trolls were eight feet tall and very, very strong. They have a horrible unwashed smell that made me feel sick. Luckily they are slow and had a great difficulty in hitting me. Of that I am very glad, for even the glancing blows they landed hurt like the hells.
After we had slain the trolls we headed to the castle. I followed Ghazalid and Laurel as I still have no idea of where everything is. Everything is so big. The castle is the size of a small town within huge stone walls and I would get lost very easily with my sense of direction.
Anyway I am waffling once more. My friends gave me some magical boots that make me move so fast I am like the wind. They are wonderful Antho. I will let you try them when I visit mother. Apparently you can use them for leaping great distances too but I will need to master their speed before I try anything more difficult. Ghazalid also gave me a cloak of greater shield and that's when my adventure really began.
The cloak turned out to be cursed. I did not put it on but when we headed to a vendor so I could try to sell it, it became part of my apparel swapping itself for my own cloak. I could not take it off as it magically swapped itself with my own cloak time and time again.
The trouble was the cloak cursed me so I was but a child again. I had little strength and was as clumsy as a small child and I had little intellect. Not that I am the brightest spell in the grimoire normally.
This is an account of the events that followed, almost as seen from a child’s perspective as that was how it seemed to me.
Suddenly my clothing and pack seemed very heavy and I was very unsteady on my feet. There was a Wizard man near me. He didn't have a pointy hat. I couldn't understand why he didn't have a pointy hat. Didn't all Wizards have pointy hats?
The Nice lady was there too. I tried to speak to her but couldn't get my head around the words I wanted to say and all that came from my mouth was gobbledygook.
The Wizard kept casting colourful pretty spells but they didn't seem to help and the bad cloak was still on my back.
Then the Wizard disappeared and I thought he was going to leave me like this. I felt like crying and then he popped back next to me.
I tried talking again and found I could say simple words. I said "Hello nice Lady" and she smiled at me but she looked very concerned.
Then the Wizard man disappeared again and then the nice lady disappeared and I really did start to cry. Then I felt a funny sensation, a sort of queasy feeling. I closed my eyes as colours started whirling around me and I suddenly felt I was floating. A second or two later and my feet hit the ground. I opened my eyes and there before me was a huge city, buildings all around and there was the Wizard man. People kept staring at him as if he was very important. The Nice lady was there but she ran off.
"Where nice lady?" I tried to ask. The Wizard man told me to follow him and ran off too. I followed him but got lost. I think it was because I talked to the pretty pussy cat. The Wizard man came to find me and then he took me to a nice place called a temple. The Wizard man gave me more money than I have ever seen and then I talked to another nice man. The other nice man took the money and then took the bad cloak away and then I was back to being me. Ghazalid said sorry to me and gave me a lot of gold as way of an apology. I think he felt very bad about what had happened. I will send some of the gold to Mother. There is an awful lot of it. She can hire someone to help you on the farm. There will be enough to pay for two seasons help at least.
It was a very scary experience Antho. I am glad in a way that it happened as without it I would not have seen the city and travelled in such a manner but I was more than glad to be back to being plain, simple, Darrick.
We travelled back to the Sleeping Dragon by the same magical method. I took leave of my friends and went up to my room to meditate and rest. Even after meditating it was difficult for me to get to sleep. My mind was awash with new experiences and sights.
There is so much danger in the world Antho but also, so much to wonder at. And there are people who accept me for who I am, not what I look like. That has been the thing that has moved me the most. Here amongst these people who have obviously seen so much, I am simply Darrick. Not Darrick the freak, Darrick the ugly, Darrick the bastard.
I hope one day you may meet my new friends.
Your brother
Darrick
PS Don't tell Mother any of this. I don't want her fretting. Just tell her I have been fishing or some such. Indeed I did catch a fish on my first day here, so it will only be a small bending of the truth.
PPS I hope you and Mother are well. I would have asked this earlier but in all the excitement I forgot.
NWN Persistent Worlds are like mini MMORPGs where there is a limit on the number of players somewhere between 10 and 64 althought some of the bigger PWs have multiple servers for different areas, allowing a couple of hundred players online.
Many servers need you to download custom content but the only thing you need to pay for is NWN and the expansions. Although NWN is now 10 years old the modding community and online play keeps the gameplay and roleplaying fresh.
Don't expect this to be like WoW or other mainstream MMOs. It a much slower deeper process than that. But for anyone that enjoys PnP D&D or any of the old CRPGs like Baldurs Gate, Ice Wind Dale and the like I'd say give it a go.
NWN Diamond is on GOG.com for $9.99 at the moment. You will need to mail them for a multiplayer CD key once you have the game. While you wait for a couple of days for support to mail you the Key, you can play the offline game and it's expansions and premier modules. There's hundreds of hours of gameplay right there even if you don't want to dip your toe in the online world.
---
For those of you that enjoy RP, this is an account of my characters adventures so far in Persistent World of Aenea in the form of a letter home to his brother.
---
Hello Antho,
Firstly I am safe and well. I arrived in Valorian's Vale safely and although I saw some strange sights on the road, nothing would prepare me for the adventures that have already befallen me since I arrived here a few short days ago.
I took a room at the Sleeping Dragon inn and after a good nights rest and a hearty breakfast I set off to buy some more supplies. I returned to the inn to pack my supplies and prepare for my journey and read the notice board which detailed several interesting matters that needed attending to. Some of which would suit a novice adventurer such as myself.
My adventures have taken me into tunnels full of giant ants and caverns full of goblins. I have fought bats with a wingspan larger than I am tall. Not that I am tall by any means but even so, they were enormous. I had to run away from a huge black Worg. I have visited a castle. A building so big that it dwarfs even the monastery at home.
And yet, all of this is nothing compared to the events of yesterday. I have met two people and have joined their party. Their names are Laurelirllana Fea and Ghazalid Terfarune. Laurel is a fighter of some local renown and seems to have taken me under her wing. She is very pretty and very motherly too. I like her a lot. Ghazalid is a Wizard Antho. A real Wizard, like they have in the old books in the monastery library. He is a bit grumpy at times but his intentions are honourable I feel sure. Indeed yesterday's events proved as much. I think he is regarded as a hero by the way people looked at him in the city. That reminds me I will have to find out the name of the city we visited. Oh, sorry, there I go again, jumping ahead of myself. I will start at the beginning.
When I came down from my room yesterday Ghazalid was standing near the door. He was covered in blood and did not look at all well. As I had made his acquaintance a couple of days before, I asked him if he was alright. He laughed and produced a potion of healing and drank it. It made a difference and he looked a lot better. He said "I would understand when I fought beholders." Beholders Antho! Ghazalid fought beholders and survived to tell the tale.
He had all manner of creatures around him Antho. An umber hulk and some dire bears. They were all doing his bidding and standing around as calm as you like. I was quite intimidated but in awe of Ghazalid so much that I forgot to be truly frightened.
Laurel entered the inn and greeted Ghazalid. She obviously knew him better than I. Did I mention she is very pretty? She gave me some wonderful gloves Antho. They burn the creatures I fight with them. Oh and she greeted me too of course.
I told my companions of my heritage and although Laurel seemed a little surprised she didn't change her attitude towards me. Indeed she seemed moved by my tale. Ghazalid was not concerned at all and took me as he found me. As if meeting a green halfling with goblin blood was nothing out of the ordinary. Which if the events that followed are typical of his life then I probably am nothing out of the ordinary as far as he is concerned.
After a couple of drinks (I only had water honestly) they offered to escort me to the castle. We had trouble on the road with some goblins but we soon dispatched them. The ones I hit burst into flames. I was a little shocked at their screams of agony but after all, they did attack us.
It was soon after this that I got the surprise of my life. Ghazalid turned into a Dragon Antho. A real Dragon. He was huge. I had no idea Wizards could be so powerful. I feel a bit foolish that I asked him if he was a God but he was truly awesome to behold. He replied that no he was a Wizard. A Wizard! as if such magic were nothing to him. If I could do such a thing I would soar over the world for days on end. Even Laurel was amazed by the sight.
Ghazalid then told us he wished us to accompany him in a mission to rid the nearby cave of trolls. Oh Antho. They were terrible creatures. We fought many and I was very glad of my new gloves. The trolls were eight feet tall and very, very strong. They have a horrible unwashed smell that made me feel sick. Luckily they are slow and had a great difficulty in hitting me. Of that I am very glad, for even the glancing blows they landed hurt like the hells.
After we had slain the trolls we headed to the castle. I followed Ghazalid and Laurel as I still have no idea of where everything is. Everything is so big. The castle is the size of a small town within huge stone walls and I would get lost very easily with my sense of direction.
Anyway I am waffling once more. My friends gave me some magical boots that make me move so fast I am like the wind. They are wonderful Antho. I will let you try them when I visit mother. Apparently you can use them for leaping great distances too but I will need to master their speed before I try anything more difficult. Ghazalid also gave me a cloak of greater shield and that's when my adventure really began.
The cloak turned out to be cursed. I did not put it on but when we headed to a vendor so I could try to sell it, it became part of my apparel swapping itself for my own cloak. I could not take it off as it magically swapped itself with my own cloak time and time again.
The trouble was the cloak cursed me so I was but a child again. I had little strength and was as clumsy as a small child and I had little intellect. Not that I am the brightest spell in the grimoire normally.
This is an account of the events that followed, almost as seen from a child’s perspective as that was how it seemed to me.
Suddenly my clothing and pack seemed very heavy and I was very unsteady on my feet. There was a Wizard man near me. He didn't have a pointy hat. I couldn't understand why he didn't have a pointy hat. Didn't all Wizards have pointy hats?
The Nice lady was there too. I tried to speak to her but couldn't get my head around the words I wanted to say and all that came from my mouth was gobbledygook.
The Wizard kept casting colourful pretty spells but they didn't seem to help and the bad cloak was still on my back.
Then the Wizard disappeared and I thought he was going to leave me like this. I felt like crying and then he popped back next to me.
I tried talking again and found I could say simple words. I said "Hello nice Lady" and she smiled at me but she looked very concerned.
Then the Wizard man disappeared again and then the nice lady disappeared and I really did start to cry. Then I felt a funny sensation, a sort of queasy feeling. I closed my eyes as colours started whirling around me and I suddenly felt I was floating. A second or two later and my feet hit the ground. I opened my eyes and there before me was a huge city, buildings all around and there was the Wizard man. People kept staring at him as if he was very important. The Nice lady was there but she ran off.
"Where nice lady?" I tried to ask. The Wizard man told me to follow him and ran off too. I followed him but got lost. I think it was because I talked to the pretty pussy cat. The Wizard man came to find me and then he took me to a nice place called a temple. The Wizard man gave me more money than I have ever seen and then I talked to another nice man. The other nice man took the money and then took the bad cloak away and then I was back to being me. Ghazalid said sorry to me and gave me a lot of gold as way of an apology. I think he felt very bad about what had happened. I will send some of the gold to Mother. There is an awful lot of it. She can hire someone to help you on the farm. There will be enough to pay for two seasons help at least.
It was a very scary experience Antho. I am glad in a way that it happened as without it I would not have seen the city and travelled in such a manner but I was more than glad to be back to being plain, simple, Darrick.
We travelled back to the Sleeping Dragon by the same magical method. I took leave of my friends and went up to my room to meditate and rest. Even after meditating it was difficult for me to get to sleep. My mind was awash with new experiences and sights.
There is so much danger in the world Antho but also, so much to wonder at. And there are people who accept me for who I am, not what I look like. That has been the thing that has moved me the most. Here amongst these people who have obviously seen so much, I am simply Darrick. Not Darrick the freak, Darrick the ugly, Darrick the bastard.
I hope one day you may meet my new friends.
Your brother
Darrick
PS Don't tell Mother any of this. I don't want her fretting. Just tell her I have been fishing or some such. Indeed I did catch a fish on my first day here, so it will only be a small bending of the truth.
PPS I hope you and Mother are well. I would have asked this earlier but in all the excitement I forgot.
