Welcome New Adventurer!

The information listed below for Newbie FAQ was copied directly from the mud when you type <help newbie> / <help faq>. It's been re-listed here for an easier read; keep in mind that some answers to the questions are not applicable anymore as the file is slightly outdated. Aside from the introduction on how to get started with downloading a client and making a character, this newbie page only covers the help files on FAQ, adventurer, and newb; we've also added the info files for the adventurers guild. All other help files that are suggested to read, as indicated with the words (See also:), can be found on our help files page (help files page is still under construction).

Note that the < > symbols (or even the dark gray colored < > do not need to be typed on the mud, they're only listed on this site as an indication of what can be typed on the mud.

How to get started (play)

First: Download a client

If you've never played on a mud before, you're going to need some way to run it. There are numerous options in the world for what to use; below are just a few of the options available. Also, note that some directions below indicate <> before and after a word to be typed, do not actually type the <> symbols.

For Any Operating System:

Click for Mudlet instructions

Visit mudlet.org's download page here - Mudlet
Choose your platform and download / install the appropriate version.
Click on 'new'
Enter <3K> as 'Profile name'
Enter <3k.org> as 'Server address'
Enter <3000> as 'Port'

Click for TinTin Instructions

TinTin can be installed on many different platforms (we provided more details for TinTin in the Windows section), however, instructions for each platform can be found here.

Once installed, enter the following command to connect to 3k:
<#ses 3k 3k.org 3000>
Remember, don't actually type the < > symbols, they're only on this site as a reference for you to know code vs instructions.

As stated previously, you'll find a detailed explanation on how to install TinTin for Windows below. TinTin is a powerful mud client and is highly configurable. These steps will get you connected, but learning to use the client for aliases and triggers would be very beneficial.

For Windows Computers:

Click for Telnet Instructions

Get Telnet on Windows:

Open the Windows Start button
Begin to type <command> until you see 'Command Prompt' app available to open.
Click the <enter> button to open the Command Prompt.
Type <telnet>
Type <o 3k.org>

If you receive the ’not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file’ error, use the following steps:
Note: If you have Windows 11, scroll down to the 2nd set of directions on how to get Telnet.

Open the Windows Start button
Begin to type <apps> until you see 'Apps & features' available to open.
Click the <enter> button to open the Apps & feature, or use your mouse to click on the option.
Using the search bar, begin to type <turn windows features on or off>
Click the <enter> button.
Scroll down, check 'Telnet Client'
Click the 'OK' button.
Wait for the update to finish (you won't need to restart your computer) and scroll back up to repeat the above steps for Get Telnet on Windows.

For Windows 11: Open the Windows Start button.
Type <control panel> and click enter to open the control panel.
Click on 'Programs'.
Click on 'Programs and Features'.
Click on 'Turn Windows features on or off' (located in the left sidebar).
Scroll down and check 'Telnet Client' and click the 'OK' button.
Scroll up to repeat the above steps for Get Telnet on Windows.

Click for TinTin Instructions

To install for windows. Go to: TinTin's Download page.
Click the link under the 'Windows' heading for the latest version, ie: Windows WinTin++ 2.02.12 installer.
Run the installer. You might get a warning from Microsoft Defender due to the installer not being trusted. The program is safe to install. If you are concerned about the security of the application, there are also linux versions which can be installed in the Windows Linux Subsystem. You can then select 'More info' and 'Run anyway' to install.
Once the install is complete, launch WinTin++ and enter the following command to connect to 3k:
#ses 3k 3k.org 3000

TinTin is a powerful mud client and is highly configurable. These steps will get you connected, but learning to use the client for aliases and triggers would be very beneficial.

For Apple device:

Click for iOS Instructions

Download the MUDRammer application from the App Store Link
Once downloaded, open the app.
Tap 'Done'
Choose whether you want "MUDRammer" to send you notifications or not.
Tap the pencil icon in the top left side
Change 'Host' name to 3k.org
Change 'Port' to 3000
Change 'Nickname' to 3K (optionally, you can Nickname this session what your character name is)
Tap 'Save' in the top right corner
Tap the red circle in the top right corner to connect (it should change to green at that point).

Second: Create your Character

This step is relatively simple, with the hardest part being choosing a name.

Follow the prompts to make a character

Character name (if the name is available it will ask if you want to create a character with this name)
Type <y> for yes
Enter a password (don't lose this)
Retype your password to confirm
Choose your gender (<m> for male, <f> for female)
Enter a valid email address (you won't be emailed anything, you just need one)
Choose if you want this displayed in your character information for other players to see
Answer the general question about how you found this mud
Answer if your connection can see ANSI colors
Answer if you'd like this character to be hardcore. If this is your first character, choose <no>. Hardcore characters are for players that already have a character and would like to create a special second character to help their primary character earn more skill points. (More info on hardcore characters can be found here.)
Read the rules and regulations, type <y>
Congratulations! You now have a character! As you begin your adventure into the realms of 3Kingdoms, you are given two beginner choices; experience the tutorial, or skip it and throw yourself into the depths of Newbieland to begin immediate exploration.

If you choose the tutorial path, your next step is Third: The Path of the Tutorial. Otherwise, go ahead and skip to Fourth: Finally in Newbieland.

Third: The Path of the Tutorial

Not only is the tutorial highly recommended for brand new mudders, it gives you decent newbie gear as well. It will guide you through each step, aiding you in what to type next. Don't feel rushed, the storyline is strictly based off of when you're ready to move forward.

When you've come to the end of the tutorial, <enter portal> and you'll be whisked away to the Deputy Mayor of Pinnacle (Pinnacle is the main town of the 3 Kingdoms mud).

Fourth: Finally in Newbieland

I survived the tutorial, now what?

You should now be in the office of Deputy Mayor Buford. He's the Mayor for the town of Pinnacle, and Pinnacle is 3Kingdoms main city. At this point, he'll talk to you and give you a few items to help you along your way. He may even give you hints on how to find more mirror fragments (these shards are related to a skillquest, 'The Shattered Mirror'.)

Travelling northeast <ne> will bring you to Newbies' End. This room holds the Newbie Donation bin. Some higher level players may put items in this bin for you to use throughout your adventures.

Now is the time to jump on over to Newbie FAQ. It's a great resource which can also be found on the mud by typing <help faq>.

For more information regarding The Shattered Mirror, type <skillquests> on the mud, or visit We Mud Together's Skillquests page.

I skipped the tutorial, now what?

If you skipped the tutorial, you've arrived inside Newbieland! You should be standing in the room with Shala, Head Mistress of Newbieland. You can <say help> and she will give you great information.

One north (1n) of Shala is Newbies' End. This room holds the Newbie Donation bin. Some higher level players may put items in this bin for you to use throughout your adventures.

Now is the time to jump on over to Newbie FAQ. It's a great resource which can also be found on the mud by typing <help faq>.

NOTE: If you have to take a break, or you inadvertantly get disconnected, or if you get lost and make your quick escape using the <townportal> command, you may end up in the Center of Town (Center of Town is also known as CoT). Directions to get back to the Newbie bin are as follows.

Directions to Newbie bin from CoT: <s, 2e, 3s, 2w, s>
Directions to CoT from Newbie bin:: <n, 2e, 3n, 2w, n>

Help from other players

<help newb>

help newb (chatline)

Newbieland Awaits

Check out We Mud Together's Newbieland page for directions to each area found with the Newbieland Realm.

Map of Newbieland and link to the Newbieland page.

Newbie Help Files

Newbie Help / FAQ

The help newb / help faq file

(Note: If you're seeking help on the Newbie Line, type 'help newb')

It's not always the newbies that surprise us with questions. What is perfectly clear to one person isn't always followed by another. As a result, we find ourselves answering these 'Frequently Asked Questions' several times over. If you have any general questions that you can neither answer for yourself nor find answers in the help menus, please ask a newbie helper (type 'newb -w'), and they will be glad to help. The following is a short list of our most frequently asked questions, which will be updated as needed.

WMT has broken up the help newb / help faq file into different sections below these details. The order is as follows:

Starting

Fighting

Equipment

Advancement

Death

Guilds

Money

Quests

This Doesn't Work

See also: adventurer, ansi, areadirections, citymap, milestones, movement.

Starting

Q: What is this thing? What is a MUD? Where are the graphics?

A: This is a MUD, which means it's a text-based multi user game. There are no graphics. You see room descriptions by reading them and take actions by typing the action you wish to take, for instance to jump you would type 'jump' and to look at something you would type 'look'.

Q: I'm a newbie, just starting out, and I'm finding it hard to start out. Where can I go to get started?

A: Reading this help file would be a great start. You can ask any other questions on the newbie help line using the 'newb' command.

There are a few places every newbie should know about:

* Newbie's End is at the very southern end of Pinnacle, or 'north' from Shala's welcome room. You'll also find a bin with equipment that people donate to newbies here and baskets which may have helpful items at Mario's, to the east.
* The Center of Town (COT) is 1 step north, 1 west, 3 north, 1 east, and 1 north from the Newbie's End. Many directions are given from COT, so it helps to know where it is.
* Cancer's store is 1 step east from COT. Cancer offers you competitive prices for any equipment you might find on your adventures. You may also buy equipment that other players have sold to Cancer.
* There is a blacksmith shop 1 south, 1 east, and one step south again from COT. The blacksmith can make you certain equipment for a price. As a newbie you won't be able to use the best equipment he has to offer.
* Pinnacle bank is straight north of the center of town. The Pinnacle pub is straight south of here, where you can find all sorts of diversions. Rumors speaks of a dark smoke-filled back room for special activities that the barkeep Hey supervises, but that's probably just an exaggerated account of the WAR! game.
* There is also a 'dmap pinc' feature you may access. It shows you a rough map of Pinnacle including where you are (if you're currently in Pinnacle) and all of the places listed above. You can get a similar map of Newbieland with 'dmap newb'. You may wish to make your own map on paper to help you learn your way around. Also even in Pinnacle and Newbieland there are unmapped rooms and even areas worth exploring. You'll find this mud is absolutely huge and a good map is indispensable.
* Alternatively, you may also type 'help pinnacle' and 'help newbieland' for full visual layouts of those areas.

Fighting

Q: Where can I kill things and how do I do it?

A: You should probably start killing things in the Newbie Tower forest. Later, as you get some levels and stats, you may want to move to the mirror areas. You kill things by typing 'kill <thing>'. For instance, to kill a bunny you would type 'kill bunny'. It's generally not a good idea to attack anything in Pinnacle because they tend to be much bigger than they look. You can use the 'consider' power to see how good of a chance you have of killing an enemy.

Q: How do I heal?

A: There are several ways to heal:

* Time: you will naturally regain hit points and spell points as time passes. This is the slowest but cheapest way to heal.
* Salve: As an adventurer you have the ability to use the materials around you to make a salve to bandage your wounds. You can type 'salve' as often as once per round to recover your health.

Equipment

WMT Note: Each time you login, your character should 'autoload' with basic gear. You can toggle this feature on or off with the command <gearup toggle>

Q: Where do I get and how do I use equipment?

A: * You can get newbie equipment in a few ways:

1) Finding Veteran Drake in the Newbie Tower and typing 'equip'.
2) Find Jocelyn just before the Newbie Tower within Newbieland and enlist the help of one of her brownies. You may type 'enlist nezbit' to receive a brownie, and then type 'nezbit giveme' to get free equipment from it.
3) Entering the Newbie Tutorial offered by Jocelyn and getting equipment from within the Journal. The newbie equipment is free, always there, and weightless, but it doesn't hit that hard or protect you that well.
* Sometimes other newbies or larger players drop off much better equipment in the newbie bin at Newbie's End. If you type 'look at bin' it will give you instructions on how to get or donate stuff to the bin.
* If you have money, you can get stuff from the Smithy or Cancer's Shop in Pinnacle. Note that you can't use everything they sell as a newbie.
* You can also get equipment off of variouas NPCs (monsters) within the various areas. Some have good equipment for the taking. You need only to defeat them and snatch their gear.
* To wear armor or a shield type 'wear <item>' where '<item>' is the thing you want to wear (i.e. 'wear shield' to wear a shield). You can shortcut and wear everything you have by typing 'wear all'. To wield a weapon type 'wield <weapon>'.

Q: Is this sword better than that sword? (or armor or whatever)

A: In general the best way to determine which a weapon or armor is better is to try both and find out. Some guilds have a power to get some information about how good weapons or armor are for them, but even they will have very vague information that may or may not also be true for you.

Q: My equipment disappeared? or How can I keep my equipment through a reboot?

A: The 3k system does not maintain equipment across reboots or logins. Your best bet is to locate your favorite equipment or get a friend to help you get that coveted special thing right after reboot.

Q: Where can I get a light source?

A: The best newbie light source is the Ring of Light which can be found on the Weary Peasants within the Peasant Farm mirror. You may also be able to find something at Cancer's Shop in Pinnacle.

Check out We Mud Together's Lights page!

Advancement

Q: I've gotten some equipment and gone around killing some things. How can I tell whether I am making any progress?

A: Type 'score'. You'll see a number of indexes that are of great importance to you. Here's a brief explanation of what you'll see.

* First you'll see your level. Your level is a measure of how far you've progressed in the game.
* Second you will see your experience points. You use experience points to advance both your level and your stats. You gain experience points for killing monsters and sometimes for completing quests.
* Third you'll see the amount of gold coins you have. This is how much money you have to spend.
* Fourth you'll see your hit points and your spell points. Your hit points are how you stay alive. Every time you get injured your hit points go down. When your hit point index gets below zero you die. Dying is a Bad Thing(tm). Spell points are used when you use 'tell', or for a variety of objects and powers that you will obtain in the lands or when joining a full guild.
* Fifth you'll see your stats. 3k has six different stats. Each of them costs experience points. The six are strength, wisdom, constitution, dexterity, intelligence, and charisma. It isn't easy to explain what every stat does because they do different (even if sometimes similar) things depending on which guild you end up joining. But some of them will do the same thing no matter what guild you join. Strength determines how much you can carry, constitution determines how many hit points you have, and intelligence determines how many spell points you have. In general, Strength is how hard you hit a monster and dexterity influences how often you hit (or are hit) by a monster. See 'info stats' for more information on stats.

Q: I have experience points. Where and how should I spend them?

A: You can advance your levels and stats at the Advancement Room in Newbieland, or remotely. Type 'rcost' to see how much xp you have to spend and how expensive each stat as well as each level is. To advance a stat type 'advance <stat you wish you raise>' and to advance a level just simply type 'advance'. You can also advance skills with advance: for example, 'advance combat.weapons.sword'.

Three things to remember:

* As a rule, always advance all the stats you can before advancing a level. For now, levels won't do you all that much good. Stats, on the other hand, determine how well you are able to do in certain spheres (such as hitting or taking damage).
* You are free to advance any stat in any way you desire. As a warning... even though they are both quite important in certain guilds, intelligence and charisma will do you little good as a newbie.
* Once you join a guild, you'll be doing this in a designated room in your guild.

Help file that goes well with this beginner FAQ is:
<help stats2>

Death

Q: What happens if I die?

A: Dying is not much fun. First, everything on your body is left on your corpse in the same room as the monster that killed you (including any gold you are carrying). Next, you will get to meet Death and enjoy a very memorable trip through his lands. Eventually, Death will drop you off in a tomb. Once you've gone up, up, and west you will find that you've been reincarnated at the Pinnacle morgue and that you've lost some stats and some xp (see 'help death' for more information). This is the sole penalty for dying, and can be made up through going back out there and regaining your lost points. Be careful though, right after you die, the monster who killed you will still be aggressive to you - make sure you heal yourself before you attempt to go recover your equipment and gold, as well as ensure you have fully recovered from any death sickness.

Q: How can I keep from dying?

A: The easiest way is to pay attention and be careful! But, the mud does give you a few things to help you in this goal. First, and most important, you can set yourself to automatically flee from combat when your hit points fall beneath a certain percentage of your maximum. This is done by typing 'wimpy <xx>'. Additionally, you can type 'autohp' to turn on a bar which will tell you how many hit points you have during each round of combat. This makes it easier to watch your own status. Note: wimpy does not always work, so use it only as a last resort, it is always better to choose to leave combat yourself than to have wimpy force you.

Guilds

Q: What is a guild?

A: A guild is a profession, lifestyle, or even form of being that lets you as a member do special things. Each guild has unique abilities and privileges that only its members can use. These abilities can often be quite powerful and you are well-advised to join one. You won't be able to join a guild until you reach level 5.

Q: How do I join a guild?

A: It depends on the guild. In some guilds you just need to find the guild entrance and type 'join'. In a number of other guilds you'll need to be recruited. In some guilds you are given extra status if you are recruited by someone else. So always check with someone in the guild whether you should be recruited before typing 'join' at a guild entrance. Some guilds also have requirements beyond merely being level 5 for joining, so it might be a good idea to ask while you're still level 4 so you can get any stats you might need.

Q: How can I find out more about the guilds on Three Kingdoms?

A: The easiest way is to simply ask. If you type 'players' or 'finger' you'll see a list of every player on and what guild they are in. If you type 'players <name of guild>' you'll see all the players in that particular guild. For a list of all the guilds on Three Kingdoms type 'help guilds'. You can get some information on each guild by typing 'help <guild_name>' (for example, 'help monk').

The best way to find out is to ask. Players on Three Kingdoms are VERY enthusiastic about their guilds and will be glad to tell you about them.

You can also find out additional information about the different guilds on the Three Kingdoms web page at 3k.org.

You can also check out We Mud Together's Guilds page.

Q: I just reached level 5. Why am I so popular and why is everyone trying to get me to join their guild? I'm also getting a message asking me to either 'accept' or 'decline' to join certain guilds. What's going on?

A: As I said before, people on 3k are VERY enthusiastic about their guilds. They naturally want to get as many people as possible to join their guilds. However, certain guilds reward people for recruiting new members. This causes some people to be quite aggressive in recruiting hapless newbies. Do not join ANY guild before you've asked around and explored all your options. Also do not be afraid to decline an offer to join a guild you are not ready to join. They'll be glad to extend an offer to you at a later time. Conversely if a particular player has been extra friendly towards you and you are joining their guild, make sure that they recruit you into their guild. They may be rewarded for it.

Q: What happens if I leave a guild?

A: You lose one each of all your stats. You also lose half your experience points. Additionally you lose all the guild levels (status points you build up in most guilds you join). Leaving a guild can hurt quite bad. You should be careful which guild you join, because it is quite an ordeal to join a new one.

Money

Q: How can I get coins?

A: You can either get coins by taking them from monsters that have coins, which as a newbie you will mainly find in the mirror areas, or by selling corpses at the morgue which is located in Pinnacle. Some NPCs will reward you with coins for carrying out tasks. The Deputy Mayor of Pinnacle is one.

Review the fleecing mskill on WMT's skills page.

Quests

Q: What is a quest?

A: Why, only the epitome of fun, the utmost joy a mud can offer. A quest list at your local adventurer (or other) guild can show you a synopsis of the plethora of quests Three Kingdoms has to offer. And remember, it's against policy to ask for info on how to solve quests. Please don't ask, and more importantly, please do not divulge any information on how to do quests. After all, it spoils the fun. For more information, see 'help quest'.

Q: What are quest points?

A: You probably notice that I left out one particular index in explaining the 'score' command and that is quest points. Each time you complete a quest you'll earn a certain number of quest points.

In order to see how many quest points you need to obtain before these powers become available, type 'required' in the Advancement Room. You can also type 'list' there to get a complete list of all the available quests. You can also type 'questlist' anywhere and get the same results.

Q: Do I have to quest?

A: No. You must complete the Newbie Academy before you can get level 10, but other than that you have no obligation to complete any quests. It would help you to learn the mud better to explore, and you do get significant benefits for getting enough quest points to achieve highmortal status, but except for the Academy, you don't have to complete quests to advance. Please note that once you get level 50, you will no longer be able to do any quests in Newbieland, so if you want to get highmortal eventually, it would be best to do the newbie quests before that point, but you have time!

Q: How do I start questing?

A: In a sense you are always questing on Three Kingdoms, whether you want to or not. If you carefully explore the areas Three Kingdoms has to offer, you'll stumble unknowingly into a quest or two. You can find out what quests are available by typing 'questlist'. You'll see all the quests listed by quest number, quest name and the number of quest points they offer. To obtain a number of small hints about a quest and where in the mud that quest is located, type 'questlist <number of the quest on the quest list>'.

Here are a few hints to help you quest:

* Map. Some of the areas on this mud are huge and it is hard to remember which rooms you have already explored. It can also be real easy to get lost.
* Examine everything you see in the room description of each room. Let me repeat that in capital letters. EXAMINE EVERYTHING YOU SEE. If you see a flower, examine it. If you see petals on the flower, examine that. If the flower is dirty, examine the dirt. Searching implicit nouns is important to some quests, and not always intuitive. Quest solutions are lying all over the mud if only you take the time to look. You should also try a magical word that can unlock many mysteries on this mud. 'Search' You should not only 'examine' everything you see, but 'search' as well.
* Try to manipulate objects that you see in a room. If there is a television in the room, try turning it on. If you have two pieces of bread and there is a toaster, why not try to 'toast bread'? Often you may know the correct thing you need to do but are unsure about how to express it in the appropriate syntax. Sometimes you may just be trying to do something that the code doesn't support (translation: you can't do it, you don't need to do it), but sometimes you'll need to put on your thinking cap and think of different ways of expressing the same thought.
* Try to talk to the non-player characters (NPCs, sometimes more simply called monsters) in the quest area. It's usually as easy as typing 'say hello' or 'say hi' when you are in the same room as the monster. If it speaks back to you, try saying other things to it, it might have some useful information for you.
* Don't assume that everywhere you can go will be plainly marked. Sometimes your searching will uncover hidden exits, but other times you may just have to try going in a particular direction and see if that works. For instance, if you see that there is a "flimsy covering on the wall to the east" but have no east direction, you might try going east anyway. Maybe you can push through that flimsy covering!
* Do not ask anyone for help on a quest except for perhaps the original coder of the quest. The only exception is you may party (work on a quest together) with other people on CERTAIN quests. Please check the quest description ('questlist <number of quest') first. The wizards on this mud are a paranoid bunch, so please don't go around asking for quest solutions, you will eventually get caught. If you are having a lot of problems with a quest, try mailing the original coder. A number of wizards are pretty good about trying to help you out. For more information type 'help questhelp'.
* Try to do ALL the newbie quests in Newbieland. Once you advance above level 4 you'll never be able to enter Newbie Land again. While you may not need the extra 10 quest points now, you may regret having not gotten them later.
* For more information read 'help method'.

Q: How long do I have to wait for a quest to reset?

A: Most quests can be solved multiple times during a reboot. However, if someone has recently solved a quest, you may have to wait for certain items or monsters to automatically reappear. This may take as long as 30-40 minutes.

As of ~2020, Qinfo is legal now, visit We Mud Together's Quests page.

This Doesn't Work

Q: Is this thing bugged?

A: Probably not. Unless it's obscenely new code, the chances that any well-established, player-tested, mother-approved piece of code is bugged are very, very low. It's probably just that you're not thinking along the right track. If you're absolutely sure that you've encountered a bug (the game will tell you that explicitly 90% of the time) please type 'bug' and a brief explanation of what's troubling you, all on the same line so the problem, if there is one, can be fixed.

Q: All of a sudden, one of the commands I have done a billion times before like 'look' or 'north' or 'say' or whatever doesn't work, and just goes 'What ?' when I type it. Am I bugged?

A: Type 'help alias' at the prompt. Strangely enough, many players decide to alias the most basic commands as other things that don't work in all instances. If you've ruled out a poorly- constructed alias as the error and the command STILL doesn't work, then please ask a wizard to help. Remember, Neophytes are not allowed to help mortals. Also the upper admin is often busy doing other things. Try asking a wizard with the word "wizard" in their title on the 'who' list.

Q: Why can't I see what I'm typing?

A: Windows telnet has echo turned off by default. To fix this you can either download another client, such as Portal, or ask how to fix your version of Windows on the newbie line.

Adventurer Info Files

info adventurer - Overview of the Adventurer Guild

info bury - Buries a corpse for healing and XP

info chats - The chat lines and how to use them

info consider - Information on the consider skill

info earmuffs - Power which enables members to block shouts

info info - More info on the info command

info newbies - Who listing for guild members

info nhint - Newbie hints.

info rcost - Remote cost command

info recover - Replace your guild object (handbook)

info salve - Minor healing ability

info spells - Listing and usage of Spells

info stats - Gives basic information about stats

Milestones

The Adventurers Guild

<help adventurer>

Visit WMT's Guilds page to learn about more guilds offered on 3K.