Funniest Place You've Run into someone who plays your MUD?
 

I have had a number of experiences like this over the years, but this recent one was a bit of a surprise.

I was picking my kids up from the playroom at the gym, and one of the staff there asked me what I did for a living (not many dads take their kids to the gym playroom - it is mostly moms). When I told him, he said "Are you serious? My roommate and I play Threshold!!!"

I certainly wasn't expecting it and it was pretty amusing.

So, has anyone else out there had an experience like this where they randomly ran into someone who plays their MUD? Specifically, in a situation or location that did not seem likely at all?

Re: Funniest Place You've Run into someone who plays your MUD?
 

First mud I ever played, back in 94 can't even remember the name. I was playing it and then noticed the guy next to me in the computer lab was playing the same game. I even knew him in the game but had no idea who he was in RL or where he was from until then.

Re: Funniest Place You've Run into someone who plays your MUD?
 

For myself I think it was while playing paintball at an Achaea meet. Turned out the referee for the paintball game played Achaea.

The best I've heard though was one of my partner's encounter with an Avalon player many, many years ago ('91 or '92 I think). He was in high school at the time and was taking driving lessons to get his driver's license (in the UK). He started talking to his instructor and the conversation turned to games. My partner told him about this text-based game (Avalon) that he played and it turned out that not only did his driving instructor play, but the driving instructor's character was a God, and my partner's character was his High Priest!

--matt

Re: Funniest Place You've Run into someone who plays your MUD?
 

Wow. That is an amazing happenstance. :)

Ok, I will share another one to keep the thread alive and hope some other folks will share. :)

A couple years ago, I called with some questions about one of their newest NVIDIA graphics cards. The support person asked me to tell him all the ways I used my PC, and when I mentioned Threshold, he said "No way. I play Threshold." I was blown away, since I wouldn't expect someone working at a high end graphics card company to be into TEXT gaming.

We spoke about Threshold for a few minutes, and then got back to discussing their cards.

Re: Funniest Place You've Run into someone who plays your MUD?
 

I hope you respected HELP AREAS :-D (couldnt resist)

Re: Funniest Place You've Run into someone who plays your MUD?
 

I've been in the antivirus industry for many years. After many years playing Ancient Anguish, I found out that a fellow wizard I'd done lots of collaboration with was the owner of an antivirus company we compete with!

Re: Funniest Place You've Run into someone who plays your MUD?
 

I was a 6th semester student of physics in Colombia and was playing in Alternate Illusions (formerly Realms of Imagination, now long defunct) and had a bunch of high power characters along with an admin position. I used to be helpful with most of the newcomers. One of the reasons I could play for so long was that I was in charge of the Physics Dept Computer Lab so I was there most of the day, and enforcing policy, prevented students from other majors to work or play in there (even while we were holding 4 computer Age of Empires games or Fifa tournaments).

One of these guys who came to sit and play there was asked by me to leave the lab, he was visibly upset and later commented to a friend of his (who was my student on one of my TA assignments) that he despised my guts and other more lively descriptions of my character. Then the friend said to him, 'He is ElCuraPerez man' to which the first guy replied 'No f...g way! but I love that guy!' He then came with the student of mine later and explained the whole deal and we've kept in touch over the years.

Not as unlikely as some of y'alls but it was funny when it happened.

Re: Funniest Place You've Run into someone who plays your MUD?
 

Seeing as half of my networking class in high school played Legends of Xenobia, it's not that unlikely that I'd run into other people in my city that've played it. But here it is four years later with the MUD down, and most of the people from high school moved away, so it's less likely now that people will have played.

On the first day of Web Scripting last quarter, we were talking about which games we play, and the topic turned to MUDs, and of course someone else in my class had played way back when.

The best time, though was on the city bus once, we were talking about MUDs, and a guy and a girl a few seats to the front of us had played Xenobia.

Re: Funniest Place You've Run into someone who plays your MUD?
 

I am glad someone resurrected this thread. Great story too. :)

Re: Funniest Place You've Run into someone who plays your MUD?
 

No one I know plays MUDs :(

Re: Funniest Place You've Run into someone who plays your MUD?
 

Around 1995 or so, playing mtrek(a purely PK game) in a computer lab at the local community college, the 'whereis' command revealed that one of my long-time rivals (an enemy but also kind of a friend) happened to be playing from the exact same IP address as myself. I looked around and saw that a chick four or five terminals down on the next row forward, was the only other person in the lab. I logged off, slid down to a terminal almost directly behind her, and squinting, I peeked at her screen, hoping to gain an advantage. Without getting into too much detail, she still managed to beat me pretty bad and when I was just about to die, I got up, ran over to her terminal, and smashed a bunch of buttons on her keyboard until I hit break, and screen lock, and possibly a few others. She stared at me, wide-eyed in shock, and yelled "What the ****, dude!?" I then ran back to my terminal and finished the PK on her now-frozen ship, laughing hysterically out loud. Realizing what had just happened, she got up and flicked off the power strip to my row of terminals and flipped-me-the-bird, before storming out. I was still laughing as I heard her exclaim "****ing asshole!" with the lab door closing behind her.

-obit

Re: Funniest Place You've Run into someone who plays your MUD?
 

I don't have any special stories like these. I can't say I've ever ran into a complete stranger that actually muds, much less plays the muds I do or did.

Re: Funniest Place You've Run into someone who plays your MUD?
 

While not an unusual spot, I had a funny experience several years ago.

I was sitting in a compter lab at university helping out a new player who was extremely chatty. As the topic of our long conversation evolved from the mud to more personal, vague references she made seemed oddly familar. She ended up asking me what university I attended, I told her, and she gasped, exclaiming that she did too.

We ended up finding out we were sitting two rows across from each other at the same computer lab. I stood up, she stood up, then we went out for a beer.

Re: Funniest Place You've Run into someone who plays your MUD?
 

Since this thread has picked up again, I can share another story.

A few years ago, I had to call our merchant bank to sort out a credit card processing issue due to a switch in processing software. It was a moderately complicated issue, so I got kicked up the chain of command a few steps until I was speaking to a Vice President. As he was helping me get the issue resolved, he looked into our account and said, "Wow, Threshold? I used to play that game. Then I got so busy here I never had time and we weren't allowed external internet access. But now that I've gotten a few promotions I can do whatever I want. I'll have to start playing again."

And he did start playing again, and still plays actively. That was probably the most fortuitous technical difficulty I have ever had to deal with.