Premature Maggotulation?

[Egavactip]

So I started a game tonight, rolled up my character, and he appeared in the town. Unlike every other time I had created a character, this one had zero equipment but more starting money. I wondered if that was because of some option I had chosen, but none made sense. Also, almost immediately, this newly born character was accosted by Farmer Maggot. He followed me, bitching, while I went to a store and bought a weapon, then I beat him senseless, and he left me a sling of power--and me with no experience points, much less having hurt a hair of his dogs.

Is this common?

[Therem Harth]

IIRC Maggot usually drops something enchanted.

[Derakon]

You'll start with no gear and with more money if you turn on no-selling (something like "items sell for 0 AU"). With that option on you can't sell your starting gear to get the gear you actually want, which is pretty common, so the game leaves it to you to decide what you should start with.

Maggot has a "good" drop, which means that you should get something with pluses on it, and if you're lucky you'll get an ego item. Supremely lucky and you'll get a dungeon spellbook; I've only heard of that happening once or twice though. I suppose something like a Ring of Speed is also theoretically possible.

[Egavactip]

My question was more--how often does Maggot appear before his dogs have been killed.

Now I find somehow I did set the no-selling option on, which I DON'T want. Arrggh. I don't want to have to start over. Is there some file somewhere I can change to switch this off?

[Zyphyr]

Maggot's appearance is in no way connected to his dogs. He is just a Unique that happens to appear in town instead of in the dungeon.

[Derakon]

Now I find somehow I did set the no-selling option on, which I DON'T want. Arrggh. I don't want to have to start over. Is there some file somewhere I can change to switch this off?

Nope. I suggest playing recklessly.

(Have you tried no-selling? There are certainly some people who don't like it, but they're vastly outnumbered by the people who thought they wouldn't like it but changed their minds after giving it a shot)

[Timo Pietilä]

(Have you tried no-selling? There are certainly some people who don't like it, but they're vastly outnumbered by the people who thought they wouldn't like it but changed their minds after giving it a shot)

I second this. It feels odd at first but soon turns to natural. It also makes money mean something and you no longer have to lug around stuff to sell, so it also makes actual playing better. If you find something that is better in all possible ways than what you are using right now, you wear it and drop and forget the inferior one (like leather helmet of ESP vs golden crown of ESP with higher enchantment).

[runequester]

No selling reminds me of how it works in Dungeon Crawl. Might have to try it in Angband.

[Starhawk]

Chalk me up as another one who thought no-selling was a terrible idea, then tried it and liked it.

I don't play that way all the time... but it's no reason to throw away a good character.