I think the main problem is that players (especially old-school players) LOOK for a reason to kill everyone else in their PK range, if it's even remotely explainable via rp. What that elf warrior doesn't understand is that if he leaves the gnome thief newbie alone, then more newbies will come... and there will be more orcs and anti-paladins as a result.
The "I'm killing everyone because this is a PK MUD" folks keep the playerbase numbers down. I say this because every friend I've ever introduced to the game (except one) gets frustrated after being trounced for the 3rd or 4th time with a level 13-14 character.
Let's face it folks. The learning curve for new players is high. The learning curve for being good at playerkilling and defending yourself is even higher.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/05/2008 10:23AM by Doof.