this is from the help files of Achaea - Dreams of Divine Lands, a text MUD we are contemplating throwing large portions of our life away to...

it is a role-playing-required game, though, and i have not done that sort of thing since i was a teenager, and am not sure i am in any hurry to again, it can get goofy... (you should see some of the rp weirdos on pso... they talk to their mags and everything...)

anyway, so, i have been just sitting in the newbie channel a bit the last few days, watching how things work, and today someone was talking about their internet connection lagging, so, someone says "excuse me, but, it seems you need to read HELP INSANITY"...

so, i had a look and it is kinda' clever...
btw, i can't help but hear peter jones reading this...

15.6.1 Insanity

(see HELP ROLEPLAYING)

Adventurers are a special group of people. Sarapis has given to adventurers both strengths and weaknesses that denizens do not have. One of the weaknesses to which an Adventurer may fall prey is insanity.

The first sign of insanity is when the poor victim starts to use words that are meaningless to others, such as talking about "my PC" or "being online" as if everybody else should know what is meant!

If the insanity is allowed to go unchecked, the victim may begin to believe that the imaginary world is the real world and that Achaea does not really exist.

Some fancy that qualities of their own existence, such as their health or life experience are nothing more than numbers!

Chilling, isn't it?

Most distressing of all is when the insanity appears more akin to a case of possession by some vile, alien creature. Victims in this final stage may call life a game, and imagine that they are nothing more than playing pieces in that game, controlled by some greater being.


If you've been asked to read this scroll, consider this: have you been showing signs of insanity?
Are you willing to take the first step and admit that you are ill and in need of a cure?

To those of you who see others suffering: insanity is a disease of the mind. Those afflicted with it should not be ridiculed, as this tends to aggravate the condition. Speak to them privately. Show them concern and understanding. Remind them of their true reality and home here, in Achaea!

Nobody wants to see insanity o'erwhelm us all.