# Nethack **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 11, 2002, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nethack/136327 "2002-11-11T22:33:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2002, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nethack/136327/21 "2002-11-13T21:36:18Z")
Are there any really good sites that explain the secrets and strategies for luckless beginners such as myself? ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2002, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nethack/136327/22 "2002-11-13T22:13:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by raisinbread \* > \*\*Yeah, you do read way too much into questions because I made no inference towards save scumming at all with my four questions. \*\* My apologies, then. I thought you were asking for details of ascensions. Stupid deaths cannot occur in ascensions, by definition. Sorry about that. – Justin ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2002, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nethack/136327/23 "2002-11-13T22:26:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by asterion \* > \*\*Are there any really good sites that explain the secrets and strategies for luckless beginners such as myself? \*\* Sascha’s [www.nethack.de](http://www.nethack.de) is by far the best source for spoilers. – Justin ---
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2002, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nethack/136327/24 "2002-11-13T23:52:13Z")
Can’t think of any really clever deaths, but I was once really amused after killing a quantum mechanic, who left a large box which contained “a large cat corpse named Schroedinger’s cat”. I wonder if it was alive until I looted the box? ---
**Author:** ![raisinbread](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8491ac/32.png) [@raisinbread](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raisinbread)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2002, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nethack/136327/25 "2002-11-14T00:09:04Z")
I usually play a samurai or an elven ranger or a lawful human monk. I was just playing the fiftieth incarnation of the ranger and had two decent starts where I had a touchstone for gems and a credit card. The first time I killed myself because my dog was too close when I killed a gas spore. The other time I was overwhelmed by jackals while trying to get into a corridor so they’d come one at a time. I was reading rec.games.roguelike.nethack and someone mentioned something about a foodless, atheist ascension. Is such a thing possible? ---
**Author:** ![Ganryu\_Kojiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Ganryu\_Kojiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ganryu_Kojiro)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2002, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nethack/136327/26 "2002-11-14T00:23:26Z")
Ah, Nethack. A true classic. I’ve so very, very much time playing but never ascended. Closest I ever got was a samurai in the planes. I couldn’t imagine ascending with a lot of strange requirements, particularly one like not eating. ---
**Author:** ![Muad\_Dib](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/35a633/32.png) [@Muad\_Dib](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muad_Dib)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2002, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nethack/136327/27 "2002-11-14T00:43:00Z")
Anyone know of a good guide for someone who has never played before and is very confused? ---
**Author:** ![Muad\_Dib](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/35a633/32.png) [@Muad\_Dib](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muad_Dib)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2002, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nethack/136327/28 "2002-11-14T00:57:22Z")
And what does a blinfold do? I just found one. ---
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2002, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nethack/136327/29 "2002-11-14T02:06:36Z")
It makes you blind. If you have ESP you can see monsters if you’ve been somehow blinded. I won’t spoil how you might gain ESP, thought. ---
**Author:** ![Grelby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a5b964/32.png) [@Grelby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grelby)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2002, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nethack/136327/30 "2002-11-14T02:38:30Z")
Killed by a shopkeeper after I’d accidentally read a spellbook I hadn’t purchased. This was after successfully fighting off most of a horde of keystone kops before getting frozen by a floating eye. I felt pretty dumb. ---
**Author:** ![Muad\_Dib](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/35a633/32.png) [@Muad\_Dib](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muad_Dib)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2002, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nethack/136327/31 "2002-11-14T02:51:39Z")
Then what is the poin of the blindfold? And I found an iron skullcap and scale armor, but everytime I try to put them on the game replies “That is a silly thing to wear”. Again, this is a very complicated game, does anyone know of any beginers guides? ---
**Author:** ![Number](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/number/32/242_2.png) [@Number](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Number)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2002, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nethack/136327/32 "2002-11-14T03:38:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Muad’Dib \* > \*\*Then what is the poin of the blindfold? And I found an iron skullcap and scale armor, but everytime I try to put them on the game replies “That is a silly thing to wear”. > > Again, this is a very complicated game, does anyone know of any beginers guides? \*\* W(ear) armor and P(ut on) accessories. Check out **guidebook.txt** that comes with the game. It has a lot of helpful tips. ---
**Author:** ![Muad\_Dib](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/35a633/32.png) [@Muad\_Dib](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muad_Dib)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2002, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nethack/136327/33 "2002-11-14T05:20:18Z")
Why is it the Chaotic is not given as a choice (only lawfull and neutral)? Why does search not do anything? I press s, and a turn passes, that is all. ---
**Author:** ![Muad\_Dib](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/35a633/32.png) [@Muad\_Dib](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muad_Dib)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2002, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nethack/136327/34 "2002-11-14T05:26:33Z")
And I sometimes see things in rooms, yet I will not interact with them, or even be told what they are when I pass over them. ---
**Author:** ![Skeezix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/839c29/32.png) [@Skeezix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skeezix)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2002, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nethack/136327/35 "2002-11-14T07:38:01Z")
Certain class/race/alignment combinations just aren’t possible while you’re playing vanilla. That’s the unadulterated version of the game. There’s a small truckload of variants available all over the net. Stick with vanilla until you get a better feel for the game, sez I. Learn the fundamentals, as it were, before you _really_ confuse yourself with all the extra goodies. And, yeah, as **Number** said, pretty much RTM. [sub]I do actually recall reading a newbie’s guide type of thing… I’ll get back to you with a link, (gotta find the bloody thing) if you’re still interested.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Number](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/number/32/242_2.png) [@Number](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Number)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2002, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nethack/136327/36 "2002-11-14T13:38:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Muad’Dib \* > \*\*And I sometimes see things in rooms, yet I will not interact with them, or even be told what they are when I pass over them. \*\* Hit the colon (🙂 to see what you’re standing on. Use the forward slash (/) to look at things around you. Hit y to look at a specific object, then move the cursor over it and hit period (.). You’ll get a short description and an optional longer one, frequently with an interesting literary quote. I forgot to mention that the Guidebook is available in HTML format [online](http://nethack.sourceforge.net/v340/Guidebook.html). ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2002, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nethack/136327/37 "2002-11-14T19:30:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Muad’Dib \* > \*\*And I sometimes see things in rooms, yet I will not interact with them, or even be told what they are when I pass over them. \*\* Likely to be graves(|), altars (\_), or fountains (er…blue curly-things). Some very interesting features that have a wide variety of uses, some intuitive, some not. – Justin ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2002, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nethack/136327/38 "2002-11-14T19:34:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Skeezix \* > \*\*Certain class/race/alignment combinations just aren’t possible while you’re playing vanilla. > > That’s the unadulterated version of the game. There’s a small truckload of variants available all over the net. Stick with vanilla until you get a better feel for the game, sez I. Learn the fundamentals, as it were, before you _really_ confuse yourself with all the extra goodies. > > And, yeah, as **Number** said, pretty much RTM. > > [sub]I do actually recall reading a newbie’s guide type of thing… I’ll get back to you with a link, (gotta find the bloody thing) if you’re still interested.[/sub] \*\* You are perhaops thinking of Mikko Saari’s “Absolute Beginner’s Guide for NetHack.” [http://www.melankolia.net/nethack/nethack.guide.html](http://www.melankolia.net/nethack/nethack.guide.html) – Justin ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2002, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nethack/136327/39 "2002-11-14T20:08:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by capybara \* > \*\*If you have ESP you can see monsters if you’ve been somehow blinded. > I won’t spoil how you might gain ESP, thought. \*\* Eye am not above giving a hint. Blindfolds have presumably have other uses too, my characters have hallucinated Ravenous Bugblatter Beasts. If those things are in the game as standard monsters then having a blindfold or a towel handy would be quite helpful. **Muad** : there is a look command which will tell you of any objects in the same square as you. There are also sinks (#) in addition to what **JS** listed. If it’s available in the version you have, I recommend using the tile graphics instead of ASCII. That way you’ll have little icons representing everything instead of having to guess. ---
**Author:** ![raisinbread](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8491ac/32.png) [@raisinbread](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raisinbread)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2002, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nethack/136327/40 "2002-11-15T00:00:09Z")
I’ll spoil it then, eat a floating eye. Do not engage them in hand to hand combat, use ranged weapons. Or wear a blindfold so you’re not affected by their gaze. Eat the floating eye’s corpse and you’ll get a message (hopefully) saying “You have a strange mental acuity”. You now have telepathy. Now and again you may see monsters on the unexplored areas of your current dungeon level or if you put on the blindfold you’ll see all the available monsters. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nethack/136327.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nethack/136327.md?page=3)