ToME: the Tales of Maj'Eyal

This post was prompted by a recent entry in the "What kills you?" thread. Over time, I've noticed several different playing styles. Some people, after losing a promising character to a tragic death, stop playing ToME for a while. "A while" varies from a few days to far longer.

Other people charge right back in again.

So, which are you?

(Keep in mind, I'm speaking of a losing a really good character here, not just the CL1 character who got smacked by a Mean Mercenary, or whatever.)

I start a new one right away because I love starting new characters. A lot of my high level characters sort of get left in limbo as I become bored of them. And I always play completely random characters, so it's always fun to see what bizarre thing the game comes up for me next.

Usually my chars never die
I (like you, IIRC) have a pool of clev 45-50 chars I just lost interest on.

But lately - inspired by the many postings here - I'm experimenting with Theme, and that let my death-ratio go up a bit
But they all reach clevels >30, so they are mostly at least a bit 'promising'.
If I'd take breaks after each death, what should I do with all that time?

My current Ethereal Dragon Ascetic probably will get stuck in a wall in travel mode and then ambushed right after that with 1HP...

Maybe not a couple of days, but I tend to get out of the mood for playing for a bit, generally thinking about how I could easily have saved that character from its demise.

Back when cave spiders in Vanilla kept killing me regularly I didn't mind dying. However now that I've gotten a much better player and won twice it's getting harder to deal with getting killed. Once I get one started I usually can get any character pretty far in the game without too much trouble but eventually all too often I play while in a decidedly suboptimal mental condition and die stupidly. That is kind of discouraging, particularly taking into account that after dying I'd be still be as tired. It just doesn't make sense to start a serious character right after.

I think I should perhaps play more challenging combos more often so I'd die more and get used to it again. It was fun to play Lost Souls, for example, but eventually I got out of Mandos... I still haven't recovered from that particular character's death.

When i lose a promising character (one that im not scumming) i usually do one of two things, on completely opposite ends of the spectrum. I either Charge right abck in after a *very* brief moment of silence, screaming "REVENNNNNNNNNGGEEE!!!!!" assuming the death was 'worthy', *OR* i get really ticked and go play my ps2 for a year or so if i do something stupid like die to a floating eye in mordor/Barad-dur/Angband or die due to starvation in wildy, or stumbling over moldoux... (Don't we all hate the defenceless mold? Must... restrain... killing... instinct... Please developers, don't keep him looking like the essence that he does now! Make him VERY visible.)

Crim, The Red Thunder wrote:Make him VERY visible.)

"You behold the monitor-shattering visage of Moldoux! Your screen starts flashing irridescent purple and green!"

Would that be visible enough?

YES.

That would be wonderful. I would never again mistake his graphic for an essence, or a ball lightning, and attack. Or step on it trying to pick up teh 'essence'...

I also vote that 'monitor shattering' be added to the list of eldritch horror messages, if there are any left in tome.

Edit: Confirmed. There is ONE monster left as an eldritch horror... Someone add this message, and when someone dies with it, they will at least get a laugh out of it. (as of 2.3.1)

It took me a week or so to get going again after Slappy's sad demise. But generally I restart again immediately, or maybe wait a day or two simply because other things in life preoccupy me.

Re: Moldoux: You *could* just turn joke monsters off. Meanwhile, I will never forget my first encounter with a certain bird in Theme...

(shrug) It depends on how emotionally attached I am to the character, and how frequently they've died before. Poor old Zizzo, for instance, I'll restart immediately (well, after casting an Audible Curse spell...) (and yes, he's still going, up to incarnation LXI by now...). On the other hand,.. well, I didn't say anything at the time, but when the first Bjorn died, it was more than a week before I could even post the rest of the write-up.

lol, looks like I inspired a poll! I'm with Crim, either I get completely ticked off and stop altogether for awhile or I jump right back in for revenge. Shatner, my dark-priest, ate it last night. He was the latest and best of a long line of dark priests, most of whom died at a young age. After so much time invested, I had finally got one to the point where he was able to wreak some havoc. I tried to walk away, but who can stay mad at TOME. I think its actually easier to quit smoking than to quit this game. No more dark priests, though...they're dead to me now.

After my first Level 50 character died in tragic circumstances on Level 63 of Mordor (20 quest Bronze golems plus a bunch of Water Hounds on a small level - the poor character, not knowing that it was a small level, tried teleporting out of trouble and never got near the stairs again), I resolved to never again play another Demonologist. I have kept that promise - I regard it as a sort of weird tribute. I didn't abandon ToME though, and instead switched to Sorcerors, with immediate success (my second Level 50 character was a winner). My poor dead Demonologist would have killed for some of that stuff the Sorceror found though (Vorpal Blade, complete Gothmog set, etc.).

I do mourn for my characters (read I get mad when they die) but not for a day. Generally a few hours only.

I just get ticked off when one of my little freinds finaly bites the dust. Especialy when a promising idea gets smacked down by the RNG time and time again. I remember when I attempted to create a Dark Elf Clarvoyant (Theme) of Aule. I could picture the fun he would have with fire golem but after a few times of being killed by a feline ( it was alway a feline that offed him now that i think of it) I decide to take a break and play a easier Ent Symbiote

This is ToME. Even if my most promising level 50 character dies, it will take me all of three minutes to get over it while I tihnk of which character to play next. Usually by the time a high-level character dies I'm sick of that one anyway and want to play a different class.