UO Thief | UOLedger Interviews Jose Muerto
UOLedger Interviews Jose Muerto
The Ultima Online Ledger sat down with Jose Muerto of UOThief.com,
Guild master of the THIEF guild on Great Lakes, to discuss all things thievery. Hello, Jose Muerto! Unfortunately you were
unable to join Chad Sexington and Tony Emerald when we conducted the initial THIEF guild interview (read it here), but
thank you for taking the time to sit with us this evening.
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Q. So, you are the Guild master of the THIEF guild on Great Lakes. Please give us an idea of what you intend to do with the
THIEF guild on Great Lakes and why you feel the guild’s presence is important.
Well after reading Chad’s Mis-Adventures, I found my self wanting to experience the glory that he basks in. I liked the
idea of writing captions to my pictures and posting them on his website, which is the requirement to being allowed to fly
the THIEF guild name. I plan to continue to write about my adventures because I feel that there are not enough people like
Chad, Tony and myself.
If I were to have more recruits to my guild here in Great Lakes I would encourage them to post pictures of their steals and
adventures. The guild serves as proof that there [are] still thieves peeking in your pack and taking your belongings, even
in this day of Insurance.
Q. Of all of the skills you’ve ever trained in Ultima Online, has Stealing been the most fun? Why or why not?
I have played many a character, and have never experienced the feeling that I get when Im in a perilous situation about to
make a steal. There are lots of templates to play that are alot of fun but it’s nothing like stealing scrolls from a guild
of 9 murderers who can reveal you with just a few spells.
I also enjoy the roleplaying aspect of being a thief. When I steal an item from within the guard zone and they don’t
notice, I [am] sure to thank them for their kindness. I get interesting responses most of the time. Stealing is a part of
the game that has been here since the beginning. Few MMOs have anything like it. I sincerely hope that it does not change
anymore for the worse.
Q. From talking with you prior to this interview I understand you are a fan of the ‘Siege ruleset’.
If possible, would you prefer to have the Siege Perilous ruleset implemented across all shards, or do you feel that having
Siege Perilous as a standalone shard with its own ruleset is better?
I do enjoy the siege rule set in the fact that you can steal anywhere and everywhere. I would love it if they would put the
Felucca ruleset across all facets and all shards. However, I feel that the addition of insurance changed Ultima into the
game we play today. On my other characters I like the fact that I can Insure the things I want to keep and I don’t lose
them to some stealth tamer or something. If they were to remove insurance across all shards, that would be chaos. I would
prefer being able to steal and PVP everywhere on production shards and still have insurance over all shards [like] Siege
Perilous.
Q. What is the most valuable item you ever remember stealing in Ultima Online?
As of right now, the most valuable item I have stolen… SO FAR… is Midnight Bracers. I have Munky of [the BR guild] to thank
for that. It was during the Moonglow event with the Shadow Lords. He must have been there fighting and dieing a lot because
when he bumped into me at the Yew Gate he had run out of insurance! I snooped his pack and stole a thread of life before
realizing his bag of Vampiric Embrace equipment was completely uninsured. I didn’t bother hiding and stood right next to
him, reached into his pack, and deftly snatched the 2-stone bone arms. He still had not noticed and I proceeded to steal
his 8-stone Pixie Swatter that flagged me and forced me to run off.
Q. While traveling throughout Felucca in search of your victims, do you steer clear from blues for
the most part or is every player ‘free game’?
Every player is definitely ‘free game’. Following blues through their gates from Trammel to Felucca can be very interesting
sometimes. I’m especially comfortable stealing from blues because their area effect spells can’t reveal me. I have even
been considering going red just so reds at champion spawns cant EQ me out of the shadows. I am usually at 4 long term
counts all the time, so it wouldn’t be very hard to go red.
Q. As an Ultima Online player with a thief myself, I often find myself disliked by many for
stealing from other players. How do you balance, if you will, being disliked and trying to gain respect from other players
as a skilled thief and Guild master of a thief-only guild?
I find that most of the mature players accept thievery as a part of the game and look at it as their fault for allowing me
to take their item. There are always those people who get bent out of shape, and start name calling. I just laugh and take
screenshots of the silly things they say. Some people will ask you for their items back. I never return items.
Q. If you were granted the ability to change any one thing about the Stealing class, what would you change?
The wait time. I would love to be able to steal one thing after another and hide right after taking them. There have been
multiple times where I have been confronted with a pack full of treasure and I can only manage to steal one or two items
due to the wait time.
Q. For thieves who are reading this interview and considering joining a guild, what would you say
to convince them that the THIEF guild is the guild for them?
[Join] if you are really serious about stealing on production shards and have the time and are willing to put the effort
forward to make good steals. THIEF of Great Lakes is a guild you can join to share your steals and adventures with other
members of cross-shard THIEF guilds by means of the Forums at UOThief.com. Stealing on Great Lakes is not easy, and why go
through all of that trouble if no one is to know of your glory?
Q. On the THIEF guild’s main site, UOThief.com, there are a number of ‘Episodes’ that are
comic-style representations of your life as a thief. How often are new Episodes posted by you?
The new episodes come when I am able to summon up the creative energy to write them. I feel like a few of them are not
written very well because I was rushing through it. I really enjoy it when I manage to write one that I feel is very good.
Episode 0068 is one I think is well written. I have a few hundred
screenshots I am yet to write into episodes. When I look at them I feel kind of overwhelmed. Eventually I will be
back on track and writing episodes as they happen, but right now I am slowly narrating my past adventures. It helps
to encourage me to write episodes when people come to me in game and compliment me on them.
Q. What is your gameplay motto?
Your GP or your HP!
Q. Describe your character, Jose Muerto, in one word.
Clumsy.
Jose, thank you for taking the time to conduct this interview!
by Sid
UOLedger
8-7-08
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