Only Siddharta could defeat Mara...

[Deep Dwarf Fighter]

How is an ordinary man like me supposed to do it?

[ontoclasm]

You must look within, and realize that it is not Mara you must defeat, but yourself.

[duvessa]

How is an ordinary man like me supposed to do it?

I don't think you are.

[damiac]

Just don't be such a chicken. Charge her with whatever you've got, leave nothing behind. The force is strong in you

[Sar]

"her"

[tedric]

"her"

Mara transcends your rigid and illusory concept of gender.

[Igxfl]

Take the Taoist solution instead -- the path of least resistance is to avoid fighting Mara at all.

[damiac]

Take the Taoist solution instead -- the path of least resistance is to avoid fighting Mara at all.

Of course, taking that to it's logical conclusion... you should avoid playing crawl in the first place.

[Hirsch I]

you should avoid playing crawl in the first place.

this is obvious.

[damiac]

Alas, we must continue on, knowing full well the grievous strategic error we have made every time we launch crawl.exe.

We know that odds are we will die, and therefore good crawl strategy demands we do whatever we can to lessen those chances.
We stand only a minute chance of survival, and ascent with the orb. Ascent only means another new character, another chance at death.
Our quest is futile, but our wills cannot be broken.
March to battle! Mara must die! The endless cycle of death and rebirth will not be broken, but we fight only for glory.

[Grimm]

New class: bhikkhu. Sits down immediately after the game starts and meditates until he attains release from the cycle of rebirth. When this happens, you never play Crawl again.

[and into]

Alas, we must continue on, knowing full well the grievous strategic error we have made every time we launch crawl.exe.

We know that odds are we will die, and therefore good crawl strategy demands we do whatever we can to lessen those chances.
We stand only a minute chance of survival, and ascent with the orb. Ascent only means another new character, another chance at death.
Our quest is futile, but our wills cannot be broken.
March to battle! Mara must die! The endless cycle of death and rebirth will not be broken, but we fight only for glory.

The Crawl of the Sprite Brigade

Half a floor, half a floor,
  Half a floor onward,
All in the Dungeon of Death,
  Crawled countless pixels.
"Forward, the Sprite Brigade!
Crawl for the Orb," he said:
Into the dungeon of Death
  Crawled many hundreds.

'Forward, the Sprite Brigade!'
Was there a Ghoul dismay'd?
Not tho' the player knew
  That he had blunder'd:
Theirs not to get re-tries,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to Crawl and die:
Into the Dungeon of Death
  Crawled many hundreds.

Dragon to right of them,
Dragon to left of them,
Dragon in front of them
  Polymorphed, or dead:
Iron shot, and worse spells;
Boldly they Crawled, and well,
Into the jaws of Trolls,
Into the mouth(s) of Hell(s)
  Crawled countless pixels.

Flash'd the cutlass bare,
Flash'd as they flew in air
Stabbing the Harpy there,
Charging a Gnoll pack, while
  Gastronok ponder'd:
Plunged in the Fog scroll's smoke
Straight thro' to stairs they broke;
Merfolk and Spriggan—
Ouch'd! from the Ettin's stroke,
Shatter'd by Jorgrun.
Then they Crawled back, but not
Even near a hundred.

Dragon to right of them,
Dragon to left of them,
Dragon behind them
  Summoned by Callers;
Ice Storm'd by Lobon's spell,
While orc and hero fell,
They that had Crawled so well
Came thro' the Abyss, Depths,
Vestibule of Hell:
All that was left of them,
  Left of the Crawlers.

When can their blood-splats fade?
O, the player ghosts they made!
  All Tavern mourns thee.
Honour the Crawl they made!
Honour the Sprite Brigade:
  Post yer YASD!

[Hirsch I]

that was beautiful, man.

[Deep Dwarf Fighter]

New class: bhikkhu. Sits down immediately after the game starts and meditates until he attains release from the cycle of rebirth. When this happens, you never play Crawl again.

Even newer class: bodhisvatta. The bodhisvatta attained enlightenment but stays behind in the wheel of suffering until he helped all beings to escape the cycle.

[Hirsch I]

even newer: Bhollshit. did not attain anything, is just posing as a guru to get attention.

[pratamawirya]

You must look within, and realize that it is not Mara you must defeat, but yourself.

cracked me up big time

[Kaeoschassis]

You must look within, and realize that it is not Mara you must defeat, but yourself.

cracked me up big time

...I just got it.

[RBrandon]

  Code:

f - 12 bread rations (in hand)

[cerebovssquire]

don't do that