Shattered Kingdoms

You do run the risk of being screwed over/having your time wasted by playing this game. By mortal jerks on power trips, by IMMortals with IMMortal agendas, by myriad other things. Very infrequently does that have to do with an IMM playing a mortal character, though.

I understand how that might have been a concern, but as far as risks for time-wasting go, it's on the very incredibly low end.



edit: I want to clarify my answer a bit. I made a very simple and short answer for something that is so many shades of gray.

I've had characters over the years who were intended for certain paths within the game. Several times I have been denied my own original concept. Long ago, Cabals were by invite, and you could spend IC years attempting to gain entry. Now, this is not the case, but even some religions were treated by secret societies. Talk about power trips. I have made several characters who I never intended to take leadership of the organizations I joined with them. I realize that as a player I have weaknesses in PvP, and after a couple failed ventures at leading, I figured I made a better support character. Three times I've logged in to having been given a leadership flag without asking for such. I consider it a complement and a curse. I've rolled characters for specific functions and been flat out denied, by both mortals and IMMortals. I've had characters go out of their way to screw with the intentions of my own and make things absolutely unbearable to log into.

Perhaps my view is jaded. But it's certainly not unfounded.

Nice way to discourage a new player.
It is very unlikely that you would get screwed over by imms especially in the PK arena. It's well known that most of the players that get chosen for imms are not very good at pk but focus on RP and generaly help with building and have a healthy attitude towards the game.

Immortals are indeed allowed to play mortal characters but like Achernar said they usualy handicap themselves. Any mortal that I played was mostly used as a play-tester for scripts and areas and would rarely get -too- involved with anything.
I can tell that you were probably screwed over by some administrator in the past but this is rarely the case with this game.

I hope you enjoy your experience in Shattered Kingdoms.

If it's discouraging, then perhaps people who have employed those tactics should reconsider them. You certainly shouldn't chastise me for giving an honest answer to his question.

It's what he came here to find.

You would rather lie to him and let him run into unexpected grief at a later date, when he might actually feel like he's wasted time? With all this talk about player courtesy, you'd think that maybe we could extend some.

*claps* Bravo! Encore!

p.s. I agree.

Most of the people clamoring for "fresh blood" are in fact vampires who must consume it to survive. They'll complain about playcounts and, in the same breath, shun or deceive a newbie. SK has a policy of sweeping dirt under the rug, though: from reviews removed from the Top Mud Sites, to General Discussion being unviewable by unregistered members, to the various circumstances surrounding immortal dismissal over the years. Can you really blame people for sticking with a game that's administered in a way they administer themselves?

Any newcomer should be warned about the fact that the Golden Rule is a rule of entitlement, not a rule of protection, in this game. It's pretty much like a very time-consuming version of Old Maid. Whoever is unable to pass their received grief along to someone else is the only loser.

The fact that even I noticed this three months into playing the game, after earning a paragon title and leadership and pretty much doing everything you could in SK other than grief excessively and hoard loot, only lends confidence to my assertions.

I can't remember anytime we ever had a review removed from Top Mud Sites, although there have certainly been grudge reviews posted by players who had just been punished for breaking the rules that I *wished* could be removed. I have no power to remove reviews from TMS. If a review is removed, it is entirely at the discretion of the TMS staff.

I guess I should point out that, in spite of things, people do still play. More importantly, people do still have fun. I get labeled as a hater by people, I mostly assume it is because I don't suck up to the brass. Most of them are alright and worth being cordial to, though.

I just think it is important to know what you're getting into, so what you enjoy isn't a delusion. That way you'll be more likely to enjoy it longer. SK is enjoyable. It just takes the right perspective on what it is, what it is meant to be, and the limits of what it can do. It is true that there are people hanging around the game basically feeding off of others for their enjoyment. Having to accept that is required to enjoy any moderately multiplayer online role playing game.

You misunderstood, I just stated that most of you added personal experiences and you most play for 10 years. So yes, will he be screwed over within a ten year span of gameplay? Probably yes. But don't expect as a newbie to find yourself TOO deep within the tangles of politics and backstabbing.

I've never been screwed by an immortal or mortal alike, been playing since 2002.

All my SK experiences are positive ones.

I only ever screwed myself