03-29-2009, 08:29 PM
The Ironman concept predates Diablo, and it's application to Diablo seems to have happened independently in multiple communities. Unlike any other variant at RBD, no member of that community or it's predecessors can claim to have invented Ironman. There were different sites with different tournament rules prior to those RBD rules being collated. The point is, everyone seems to have a little different take on how to do IM, and nobody can claim to be the authority on the subject. The gist of it is always the same though: you start with new characters, and once you go down into the dungeons you cannot use the town services, including restart in town. That is basically Ironman in one sentence.
Using town for storage became a matter of convenience. One could play more strictly that no return to town is allowed, and yet store items near staircases on certain levels and just have to hoof it to get to them. (Funny side note: this February, I won with a multi-solo IM rogue for the first time. About 7 levels into the game, I had so much stuff piled up in town that the item limit was exceeded and I had to move some scrolls into the catacombs!) The idea that levels should be cleared in full and then never returned to is certainly out there , but very far from universal. It used to be pretty common to skip Leoric and get a few level ups on 4, then return to 3, for example. I've even heard of people using town entrances to levels they haven't made it to yet and then working their way back!
Personally, most of my multiplayer IM games have been by the RBD standards ("relaxed fit"). For multi-solo IM, I leave the computer on and play it as one session. I clear every level before entering the next, but still allow myself to return to previous levels, including the use of town portal. I do not use res scrolls in solo games. I do not use purifying springs or blood fountains at all when playing a solo warrior or rogue. And I've never given much thought to continuing in Nightmare. But to each his own (as long as the general spirit remains true).
Using town for storage became a matter of convenience. One could play more strictly that no return to town is allowed, and yet store items near staircases on certain levels and just have to hoof it to get to them. (Funny side note: this February, I won with a multi-solo IM rogue for the first time. About 7 levels into the game, I had so much stuff piled up in town that the item limit was exceeded and I had to move some scrolls into the catacombs!) The idea that levels should be cleared in full and then never returned to is certainly out there , but very far from universal. It used to be pretty common to skip Leoric and get a few level ups on 4, then return to 3, for example. I've even heard of people using town entrances to levels they haven't made it to yet and then working their way back!
Personally, most of my multiplayer IM games have been by the RBD standards ("relaxed fit"). For multi-solo IM, I leave the computer on and play it as one session. I clear every level before entering the next, but still allow myself to return to previous levels, including the use of town portal. I do not use res scrolls in solo games. I do not use purifying springs or blood fountains at all when playing a solo warrior or rogue. And I've never given much thought to continuing in Nightmare. But to each his own (as long as the general spirit remains true).