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[Hanzoku]

Contact Tom - serverside should have the IP addresses, and those should be traceable back to a geographic region. If the person's not in Arizona, it's a hoax.

Honestly, I'm leaning towards hoax anyway. I had a friend on a forum who pulled that years ago - played the 'I have terminal cancer' card and left, lots of touching tributes from people. He came back a year later under another name and eventually admitted what he had done to me. I forgave him, but it has damaged my trust that when people do something elaborate like this, that there's real truth in it.

[sambojin]

Yeah, I'm leaning hoax wise. But still, I've had my hard times in life. Even been told I'd die if I kept doing what I did. And here I am today.

Sometimes because people cared enough to check if I was alive. It made me care enough that they don't ever have to check anymore.

Still, the Devs have been contacted. Hope it's a hoax.

They're a long term player (there's messages about the "La Pointe" family on here from 2012), so yeah. Not a blow-in.

BM's a pretty community orientated game, even when you're RPing a complete an utter arsehole noble scum. It doesn't have levers and bridges like DF. But it's intriguing as a game.

I hope this is a hoax. Regardless of names used. I'm more worried that it's a last little bit of artistic and writing flair, in the third person, from someone who's making their mind up.

Hell, he could just be drunk. You'd be surprised the half readable shite I write in that game, really fucking drunk. It's probably worse, but it's actually in character. And not worrying.

We're a bit worried that this reads like a roleplay, in character, as an out-of-character message. From the player themselves.

The name and location and job may not really matter. Just "someone" in this mindset has stated a potential action.

Someone real.

[Ehndras]

I've done as much as I can. Called the Lake Havasu police, was on and off the phone with them til 5 am, emailed them his messages, and just emailed them his IP address as given to me by one of the admins.

I'm going to be really, really honest. I only had to read a single line to know this was a suicide note. I know from experience: I wrote something shockingly similar in a time of my life I'd rather not recall, where I felt there was absolutely no hope. Hell, when Might & Fealty was launched I had a bit of an emotional hiccup and was about to go for my last living drive, but noticed M&F's existence and made Lord Alekhsandr Aurea in Arrakesh. If not for the distraction and calmness M&F gave me, I can't see a single reason why I'd still be alive.

I really, really, really hope its a hoax, but can't possibly dismiss it until I know for sure. Its far, far too personal to share, but if you could read the letter I wrote the night I nearly died, whose scars I look upon every day as I wake up, they sound very similar. I, too, have a habit of going into third-person. There's a particular purpose: emotional detachment. To accept one's fate, the prospect of leaving the world behind, they must put aside their fears and worries. This feels good: in fact, I'd say its often the precursor to the suicidal tactic in and of itself. As we begin to allow hopelessness to flood in, we are strangely give hope... Hope that we can end the pain. We become characters ourselves - actors in our own self-destructive drama, as a method of detachment. A skill we've honed to its apex in games and forums such as these.

So I really don't think this should automatically be dismissed on the grounds that its overly-dramatic or in third-person. As someone whose spent most of his life in therapy and hospitals, let me tell you: when your life sucks and you bottle it all in, all your misery find a way to come out. My mother's best friend: a wonderful, proud, gentle-voiced yet out-spoken intellectual, a proper lady of 69 years old - died of leukemia in 2013. She was quiet til she got stuck in a wheelchair and the fear of immobility, of inaction, of losing control of her own fate, became apparent. She died proud, loud, and in charge - to the last moment. Its not the same situation, but its the same psychological basis for an emotion-based reaction to externally-limiting stimuli that question or endanger one's sense of self-sufficiency, independence, and ability to continue on with the same or similar quality of life.

[sambojin]

Yeah. That's it. If we don't know, we have to take it seriously, no matter what it looks like. Especially in a game that revolves around third-person roleplays of various characters and their reasons and motivations for different things.

Sorry if my posts sound harsh, but I wouldn't have spent my time writing them if I didn't care about the person's wellbeing.

Thanks for going out of your way for them Ehndras. Hopefully they're ok. People like you really restore my faith in humanity, just for caring and going out of your way to help someone that neither of us know.

[Ehndras]

"The Lake Havasu City Police Department contacted "the real" Reginald Denny this morning in the Lake Havasu City limits.  It was learned that Reginald Denny who resides in Lake Havasu City does not play these on-line games and was in good health.  It appears that whoever is using the name of "Reginald Denny" is copying information learned from the internet in an effort to use his identity and make up stories in the letter.  The real Reginald Denny is fine and the police investigation has been concluded.  Due to the fact the person writing the letter and posting it on your gaming community could be anywhere in the United States, it makes it extremely difficult to believe the threat is real because the person is using a fake name in the letter.  Thank you again for the information, hope this helps."

Son of a BITCH! I can't believe I took this asshole seriously. This is what I get for being so stupid. I did something I can't take back. I really thought this was legit. Fucking fuck... I can't believe someone would be such an inconsiderate douchebag, putting people's emotional stability at risk. Fucking ASSHOLE!

[GundamMerc]

Welcome to the internet. Let's just move on, at least the Reginald Denny of real-life knows someone was using his identity and can do something about it.

In other news, Dwilight is getting very interesting. For those of you without an account, feel free to look up the map, you can now look at it from the log-in page. The western island has been reopened, and a realm created for players moving in from the continents that are being sunk (Atamara and Far East). In addition, the war between Luria Nova, Helyg Derwyddon, and Astrum has ended in an Astrumese surrender. The new realm, to be called Westfold, is in the process of being created. Meanwhile the war between Arnor and Antiqualia rages on, with Arnor beginning their assault on Springdale finally. If Antiqualia can hold for a little longer, their fortunes may turn decisively.

[Glloyd]

I heard Western Dwilight was open, tried to get back on and I remembered my account had been deleted because of inactivity. Bummer.

[GundamMerc]

I heard Western Dwilight was open, tried to get back on and I remembered my account had been deleted because of inactivity. Bummer.

So create a new one! Dwilight isn't the only interesting place. Beluaterra is currently having a new invasion occur, while on East Island Sirion is finally starting to lose the grasp over its vast empire, with the city of Oligarch beginning to assert its independence. The refugee realms in the south of East Island have formed and are eyeing each other, while the refugee realm realm in the city of Gelene on Dwilight holds out against the relentless waves of monsters that still control most of Western Dwilight. (the spawn rate has been returned to normal though, so it isn't impossible anymore to get through them)

[sambojin]

Don't worry Ehndras, you did the right thing. If there were more people like you about, there'd be less of this kind of stuff about. Real or fake.

On other, other news, me and a group of advies are co-opting a guild for our own purposes in Nivemus on EC. We're moving into the Valorian Highguard like rats, and the one noble member of the guild seems fine with it. Yay! Free advy guild!

There's frogs legs for all on Beluaterra, giant frog's legs, and bones to pick your teeth with afterwards too. Nothoi is doing very well in the foreign cuisine department due to Caergoth and Tara turning up from Atamara and helping out. They've got a new realm around Keffa already voted in, so after cooking classes, it'll be interesting to see who goes where.

And Dwilight? Ummm. Normal stuff. Fortunately no one seems to realize how weak Luria probably is right now. Too much going on, with thumbs firmly implanted up bums for some nobles, a frenzy of activity for others. Same old, really.

[GundamMerc]

Honestly, people know that Luria's greatest weakness is what happens when Luria has no enemies to fight. I've seen it happen in the past, and I bet it'll happen now that the war is basically over. We're more interested in the fighting up north.

Also, I'm thinking about dragging Swordfell kicking and screaming into a war whether they want one or not. :3

[GundamMerc]

Helyg Derwyddon has declared war on both Morek Empire and Arnor, we expect Swordfell to declare on us but won't help them along in that. We should ally with Antiqualia soon.

[sambojin]

Welp, after a couple of years of playing, give-or-take, I'm out.

It's a good game. I just can't be bothered playing it any more. And other concerns on stuff.

It's slow, but it's good for anyone that likes actually role-playing a character. Look into it if you like an pen-and-paper stuff, and love the political machinations of being a Noble in a medieval/low fantasy setting.

Think Game of Thrones, one step removed, with no action-RPG episodes. And incredibly well trained ravens to deliver your messages.

Developer "events" and "interactions as a player, to their player-base" has turned me off it. There's no point in winning small gains and scraping by in situations, if they can snap their fingers and make you lose. Or get overly involved in politics and funding for wars, because they think "it's fun". It removes any wish for me to win or to go ahead and prosper, because it will end up feeling like I didn't. And perhaps big wins were because of them as well. Sort of feels pointless.

It's a good game. But I've got better things to do with my time (and potentially money) than piss about until a developer's whim comes up and turns it all to naught.

You should try it out though. It's good until you get sick of it.

[sambojin]

I guess it's the big thing in a game like this.

Who is telling the story?


This isn't D&D, with a game master/DM, ensuring that there is a certain plot to be followed, somewhat haphazardly, and adventure ensues.


A decent multiplayer RPG computer game rarely follows a story-line or plot in the end. Especially if the character you can play is not predetermined, and there is no end "win" point. You simply have to give the players a reasonable game-world, and mechanics to play in it as a character.

It is one a the few times that truly "unexpected interactions" occur in video games. Due to the multiplayer, human nature of it.


Winning, losing, things like that, should never be in the hands of a DM in a contained game like this. I mean, holy shit, you should see some of the player created religions in this game. I *couldn't* have come up with shit like that. Nor did the developers.


So when dev-players get involved, it becomes pretty shite. I'll do my story, not yours. Yours doesn't appeal to me. And I didn't spend weeks and months of my time so that you can tell me that your story is more important than mine.

I don't care what you're roleplaying. To me, you're an arsehole dev on a power-trip that should have stayed out of it. That my story HAS to contain all of the other people playing this game due to the mechanics, but yours arbitrarily DOESN'T unless you want it to (but we will be railroaded into it by a click of your fingers), removes every great thing Battlemaster had for me.

It became pointless.


People making storylines with "satisfying" conclusions for their scenarios, or dev-players arbitrarily wasting my fucking time. I'm not sure if it is one, the other, or both.

Why would I put my time and effort in, if any success could be summed up to "the dev-player decided not to click their fingers", and any loses could be attributed to the same reversed? And as a Noble in Battlemaster, you want to be noticed, but dance to only your tune. Hiding is not half the fun, the reveal always is. So why would I play a game with DMs trying to play out their own stories, that can click their fingers if all is not well on them?

I won't.

[wereboar]

I've got better things to do with my time (and potentially money)

It's a 100% free game. Rant all you want, just don't bullshit people.

[sambojin]

I said potentially. I have donated before, and felt it was worthwhile due to the game experience, and the non-p2w bonuses for it (a funkier title more-or-less. Cosmetic bonus only). I wanted to support the game financially to help with development and server costs. Now I don't.

Don't call me a bullshitter.