Difference between revisions of "Blitzkrieg"

Revision as of 21:18, 26 April 2010

This page describes the 20th Anniversary event called Blitzkrieg created by Shinarae Lluminus.

This information is also available in game via:

• news display inform 742 - information
• news display inform 749 - information
• news display inform 756 - preliminary results
• news display inform 761 - results for real

For BatMUD's 20th anniversary, a special one-shot event is planned, named for the baddest of the badasses ever to grace BatMUD. Some of BatMUD's strongest guilds will take turns breaking into the temple, killing the monsters inside, and defeating the temple's boss before time runs out. The guild that proves it is the best will be awarded a permanent stat bonus to the guild itself, while other prizes will be awarded to individual participants.

Background

Ages ago, when the world was a calmer place, there was a temple that contained a great source of power. The clergy of that temple were the caretakers of that power, and they lent it to those who proved they deserved it most. Some days it was the necromancers, others the paladins, some days even the legionaries. But such powers always draw attention, and one day half a century ago, demons flooded the temple. All the clergy were lost, and the only remnants of that power is a simple altar in the adventurer's guild. Then, the face of the world changed, and the temple of Aljerak was assumed lost forever.

But nothing stays lost forever. Soon, the temple will return. With no clergy to guide it, the power will go to whichever group demonstrates that they are the strongest, the smartest, the most dangerous. By skill and by spell, mortals will decide which guild will be known as the greatest as they invade the temple and lay waste to its occupants.

This is more than a fast and brutal rush for land and power.

This is... BLITZKRIEG

Rules

Here are the rules:

1. There are three runs per day, at 19:00, then 3:00, then 11:00 server time (in that order). When the front doors open, players have exactly one hour to enter, reach the boss, and kill him.
2. Points will be awarded for speed, style, completion, and based on how many people of the correct guild were involved.
3. Monsters will be tailored towards the guild whose turn it is.
4. It will require five (5) mortals of the maximum guild level to open the door to the temple's boss. Failing to have the required number means the boss cannot be accessed or killed.
5. While each run is based on a specific guild, anyone is allowed to enter the temple. Subcontracting is allowed and expected. For example, tarmies are expected to be in every run, since killing large monsters without a healer is nearly impossible.
6. Conversely, you are allowed to interfere with the event, doing such things as healing monsters. Bear in mind, however, that the other players are real and any consequences of your actions remain after the event is over.
7. Each guild involved will have three tries, one at 19:00, one at 3:00, and one at 11:00. That means everyone in every time zone should, in theory, be able to attend at least one of the runs for their guild. If you can't...sorry, but you can always help your friends and they'll owe you big time.

Schedule

That said, here is the current schedule:

• April 1 and 2: Open participation. Anyone may enter, no guild gets points.

This time is mostly used for bugfixing. Prizes will be awarded in the form of cash, exp, and other non-guild-specific things.

• April 3: Reavers, Merchants, Mage
• April 4: Druid, Barbarian, Psi
• April 5: Crimson, Priest, Bard
• April 6: Nun, Squire, Reaver
• April 7: Merchant, Mage, Druid
• April 8: Barbarian, Psi, Crimson
• April 9: Priest, Bard, Nun
• April 10: Squire, Reaver, Merchant
• April 11: Mage, Druid, Barbarian
• April 12: Psi, Crimson, Priest
• April 13: Bard, Nun, Squire
• April 14: Winner Announced

The guilds were chosen by factors such as popularity, rank amongst the elite, value in BatMUD's history, and balanced participation by backgrounds. Not all guilds get to participate, but this way the most total high-level players will be involved.

More details, such as location, will follow.

Clarifications

The Blitzkrieg event starts tomorrow. Remember you are competing for the honor and glory of your guild, and the guild that shows the most potential will get a permanent stat boost.

To clarify on a few things:

• You will need 5 players, all of whom are maximum guild level, in order to open the inner sanctum and challenge the boss. These players do not need to be in the same party (or even in a party at all), but you might find that taking them with you to challenge the boss is a good idea.
• Inform post 742 has the schedule of runs. There are three runs per day, one at 19:00, then one at 3:00, and finally one at 11:00. The schedule lists these runs IN ORDER. For example, the listing for tomorrow reads April 3: Reavers, Merchants, Mage. That means that Reavers get to go at 19:00, then merchants at 3:00, and finally mages at 11:00 (just before reboot).
• Along the same lines, that means that each guild has one run at 19:00, one at 3:00, and one at 11:00. Each member of that guild, therefore, should be able to take part in the event at least once. However, any player may enter the temple for any run to help out their friends (or to improve a guild they plan to reinc to later).
• The boss monsters in the inner sanctum do not drop any form of gear. Bonuses will be given to all participants, regardless of who lands the killing blow. As such, there is no reason to fight over who gets the kill, and multi-party cooperation is encouraged.
• The Temple of Aljerak is tucked into a valley in the mountains of central Furnachia, west of Sirdar's troll area and Dice's orc-guarded gate.

Location

On the continent of Furnachia south of Perin's and West of Orthanc nestled in the mountains you will find the Temple of Aljerak.

h^^^hhhh^^^^^^^^^^^^^
^^^^^h^h^^^^^^^^^^^^^
^^!^^h^h^^^!^^^^^^^^^
^^^^^hhhh^^^^^^^^^^^^
^^^^^^^hhh^^^^^^LLL^^
^^^^^^^^hhh^^^^^LVL^^
^^^^^^^^^^?^^^^^LLL^^
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^LL^^^
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^L^^^^
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
LLLL^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
LLLLLL^^^^^^^!^^^^^^^

Preliminary Results

After a lot of hacking and slashing, the results have come down to the following:

WEAK COMPETITORS: Nuns and Merchants Coming in nearly tied for dead last, both of these guilds showed almost no initiative at all. They had zero success in any runs, if they even tried. It should also be noted that nuns actually came in _behind_ the dirt-digging merchants, which is pretty damned humiliating.

UNSUCCESSFUL COMPETITORS: Psionicists, crimsons, druids, bards and barbarians The guilds mentioned above gave it a good try. They opened the inner door once, but never killed their boss. But hey, at least they tried, unlike the cowardly cross-huggers and pick-swingers. Nice try, better luck next time.

STRONG COMPETITORS: Priests and squires Fueled by pure evil and oats respectively, both guilds brought down the inner door and killed their boss once. There will be much cackling of evil toadies and stamping of horse hooves in celebration! I'll figure out a little something to give each guild for their efforts.

AND THE WINNER IS...

I don't know yet :( Both the remaining guilds had a bug issue with one of their runs. In particular, the mages tore down the inner wall only to find a monster that refused to use his primary attack and therefore became unkillable, while reavers showed up one day only to find the druids boss waiting for them.

The outcome of this event could very well have been changed because of SUDDEN DEATH

The losers will get a second-place prize and be forced to eat lunch at the same table as nuns for the rest of the year.

• Mage Run: Saturday, April 24, 19:00
• Reaver Run: Sunday, April 25, 19:00

Final Results

The mages of the inner circle put up a valiant struggle, and managed to reach thier boss in the sudden death tiebreaker, but for whatever reason, chose to wound it only and then walk away with time left on the clock. An interesting choice that leaves them in second place.

WINNER: REAVERS

Reavers are now officially the most badass guild in the game. As a reward, all reavers now get bonus stat points just for being a reaver. These points are already in effect.

All other guilds that were major contenders (psionicists, priests, squires, bards, and now inner circle) are awarded stat training points when you get to max guild level. These take place when you reinc. Or, you can visit the Aljerak temple and get your stat training points if you are already max level, but haven't reinced in the last 2 weeks.

Also in the Aljerak temple is a machine you can use to cash in any tokens you got for assisting another guild. These tokens can be used to purchase the scrolls handed out in earlier runs, to challenge the Jorgonator, or to buy an exp-tax-free reincarnation.

Congrats to all who participated, and happy 20th anniversary to BatMUD.

Shinarae Lluminus

Vending Machine

This large, rectangular machine offers prizes for Aljerak tokens. Syntax:

claim support prize: get a scroll that offers generic bonuses.
                     costs 1 token
claim <guild> prize: get a scroll that offers a bonus aimed at that guild.
                     only available for guilds that competed in the event
                     you must be max level in that guild to claim this
                     costs 2 tokens
claim jorgonator:    puts the Jorgonator in the Inner Sanctum
                     costs 1 token
                     only one at a time
claim free reinc:    obtain a tax-free reinc
                     MUST use before reboot
                     costs 5 tokens