A Player's Guide to Multiplaying

Other roleplay-focused MU*s allow playing multiple characters, sometimes with restrictions, sometimes without. Usually these games are MUSH-y if not full-on MUSHes, but still have aspects where an irresponsible player can use two or more characters to gain an advantage. Arx, for example, allows two characters per player and appears to have more unique players than Armageddon does, yet somehow it is extremely stable. Arx's player culture is generally friendlier than Armageddon's, though, so perhaps there's some mutual respect to factor in there.

I recognize that having multiple characters, either legitimately or otherwise, could theoretically get confusing. But no one would be required to have multiple characters if Armageddon's staff opened up accounts to have multiple characters. If Armageddon's staff think the players are too stupid, careless, or irresponsible as a whole to handle two characters, when staff can run five characters (or at least they could when I was playing), they should say so. Otherwise, players should question why staff are continuing to fail to adapt to changing circumstances in terms of how players spend their time and attention on the game. Because an older, more casual playerbase is going to benefit more from being able to play the game with fewer restrictions.

In theory, staff has the ability to have up to three characters at the same time. Granted they have limitations on leadership. They cant play in sponsored roles, they cant play in spheres they are staffing over, etc.

Considering just how great a percentage of current players have at one time, or other been a staffer. I would say the concept of having multiple characters allowed is not 'too' far out. Truth be said, I dont really think it is the staff that is heavily against the concept, but more the playerbase itself. There was a thread some while back about giving people the ability to linger in ghost form after their death for a short span of time. To see the completion of scenes, finding closure, whatever. The vast amount of playerbase seemed to be against it. So it's less so a matter of staff trusting players not to metagame while jumping between characters, it's the playerbase itself distrusting itself.

Some gating in trust would be required, absolutely. But I dont think it should be 3. I think even 1 is enough, to be rescinded upon observation of abuse.


Regarding multiplaying. It happens. Sometimes often, sometimes rare. Truth be said, it is found sooo easily. Many people here at one time, or other have created alt accounts and played the game. Sometimes they did it because their main accounts were banned. More often they did it because they thought their main accounts were biased against and wanted to start anew, or play anew. Regardless. It's hard to be completely sure, because one would know only those he managed to discern, but in my experience all of these 'alt' players were found out with eaaaaase. Very often nothing was done, because suspicion and proof are two different things and usually multiplayers did something stupid and killed themselves all on their own. But sometimes, some decision/punishment took place.

Please dont think that people multiplaying is a 'novel' idea. Think twice what you already have that you will most likely lose when caught. Then figure out what you truly gain by multiplaying and then make your own decision if it's worthwhile, or not.

Honestly, I'm down with making a new account and playing "rogue," but only if you abandon your previous one. If you've grown so detached from the game that you'd consider playing two different characters and using them to spar or mule items/cash, I think you'd be better off not playing. It's kinda like getting an extra mini-shampoo by putting on an elaborate disguise and going back down to the hotel's front desk, then feeling like you cunningly hacked the world. It's just too weird, and you'll lose all the work you put in if they catch you. I mean, unless you literally sit around RPing with your two characters like some kind of psycho, it'll be easy to see what you're doing if anyone decides to snoop you for five minutes. And if you sit there swivelling back and forth between two computers furiously emoting at yourself, you're weird.

The intent of an RPI is Intensive Roleplay. If you are playing Armageddon for the experience, immersion, RP interaction than I don't really see a purpose to multiplay. If you are playing it for a game aspect, there are better games that are games and not storytelling experiences with fluctuating quality.

Multi-play isn’t a bad thing in itself. Not sure about multiplaying to skill up, but I’m going to leave that alone. It probably would benefit people that don’t want to store just because they signed on to a lame org or a dead clan.

The big question there would be: if you can’t trust other players to keep their mouths shut about ig events and sensitive information now with one character*, how would you be able to trust players with more than one character and even more knowledge of ig events and scenes?

You can’t. The playerbase just isn’t mature enough to handle it.

Sure Jan, the point was people DO act on ooc knowledge on plot stuff. It’s cheesy, immersion breaking and it happens now. Who said anything about sharing details about mechanics or spots?