User:Delbow

I started playing Rogue back about 1983 or '84, a version packaged and sold (for about $15) by a software company which I've never heard of since. Once I got access to a modem, around 1992 or so, I found Hack, and from there, Nethack. I wouldn't say I played continually -- but I don't think there's been a year in the past 28 or so that I haven't spent at least a few lives trying to retrieve the Amulet of Yendor in some form or another. Every computer I've ever owned has had some version of the game installed on it.

And, lo and behold, I finally ascended for the first time on 29 January of this year, much to my surprise... on my girlfriend's computer. So I STILL haven't ascended on my own stinking machine, but I'm optimistic that it won't take another 28 years to succeed. I used nethackwiki extensively in that ascension -- here's hoping I can continue to use it and add to the below section.

Update: Well, there you go... spend 28 years working on your first ascension; get your second five days later. :D

Ascensions:

• 29 January 11- Dude-Val-Hum-Fem-Law ascended to demigoddess-hood.
  • You never polymorphed an object
  • You did not wish for any artifacts

• 3 February 11- Kn-Kni-Hum-Mal-Law ascended to demigod-hood.
  • 2506 creatures killed
  • 19 species genocided
  • You never changed form
  • You did not wish for any artifacts
  • 4222412 points after 65513 moves... gotta work on trimming those down.

• 16 October 11- Pest-Pri-Hum-Mal-Law ascended to demigod-hood.
  • 16 species genocided
  • You never changed form
  • You did not wish for any artifacts

• 23 October 11- Sma-Sam-Hum-Mal-Law ascended to demigod-hood.
  • 6 species genocided.
  • You never changed form
  • You did not wish for any artifacts (but I found or was gifted: Excalibur, the Tsurugi, Demonbane, Trollbane, Sunsword, Stormbringer, Sting, and Orcrist -- and I did FIND both Sting and Orcrist; I was going to make them to sell to a shopkeeper and my hand kept slipping as I named it "Sming" :/ Lots of bones in this one.)
  • 4801566 points after 91587 turns. I took about 20K turns setting up a farm in the Big Room in the hopes of getting someone to drop either a scroll of charging, a scroll of genocide, some kind of gloves other than plain leather gloves, or a magic marker. None of these. After losing my speed boots and my second robe to a destroy armor spell, I finally realized that Magic Resistance was not something I could spare, so I vaporized the castle wand to get a CoMR -- a lesson I probably should have learned earlier.
  • That's probably the last one I can do for a bit using Excalibur... I'll have to be creative from now on.

• 10 December 11- Indiana-Arc-Gno-Mal-Neu ascended to demigod-hood.
  • 15 species genocided.
  • You never changed form.
  • You did not wish for any artifacts (dual wielding a +4 silver saber next to, alternately, a +4 Vorpal Sword and a +2 Magicbane got me through).
  • I found a few polymorph traps in this one, and I had a staff of dragons for most of gehennom -- four at one point, each adult and effective. The last one died on the plane of Air. Most useful pets I've ever had.
  • My first Neutral, non-human, and archeologist all in one.
  • 3699450 points in 50755 turns; level 21 with 189 max hp (Death stole about 15 from me). The ride up was hard; I fended off Rodney fourteen times, and he double troubled more than I've ever seen. I think next time I'm going to level up a little higher before waking him; he's more formidable than I am used to. I survived... after burning through FOUR amulets of life saving.

• 11 December 11- Cimmerian-Bar-Hum-Mal-Neu ascended to demigod-hood.
  • 13 species genocided.
  • You never changed form.
  • You did not wish for any artifacts (but was gifted Cleaver and Giantslayer, and FOUND Vorpy, Sunsword, Demonbane, Grimtooth, and Ogresmasher)
  • 8 wishes -- and had 3 left when I ascended. Found a wand of wishing about 5-10 floors above Medusa; first time that's ever happened.
  • Killed 2780 total with 185 ogres, which is a lot, I think.
  • 4612384 points in 56924 turns, level 26 with a max of 351 hp. The lesson to take away from this game is that, even as a heavily-armed and -armored tank, which I was (+5 Vorpy & +5 silver saber and an AC below -35), if the mysterious force wants to rape you, you're going to get frustrated and screw stuff up. I must have walked across dl 47 thirty times. Also, murder costs you your telepathy, and without spellcasting, crystal balls, or telepathy, doing the 'C'all trick to identify your high priest on the Astral Plane is a lot harder. So, limit being a murderer when possible... probably a good rule in life.