The first time I played nethack I was very confused. I was stuck in a room and couldn't find any doors and it was rather frustrating. After exploring what I assumed was some kind of cell I turned to the only other thing in the room. There was a cat with me.
Do you want to attack the kitten? Hell yes I do. I'm a barbarian - what do I need a weak cat for? I clubbed its annoying face in and grinned. After this easy triumph over my first enemy of the nethack dungeon I decided to celebrate by re-reading the commands. Soon I was tapping s until my forefinger was numb, this would be a recurring theme in my nethack games to come.
I found my way out of my rectangular prison and continued through the dim lit corridor to the next room. A boulder blocked my path. I tried to smash it with my club but failed because you can't do that.
I went back to the first room eager to continue my adventure. After much (s)earching I found my way to a staircase and descended. On this level there were more creatures I could kill with a giant smirk on my face! Jackals and grid bugs mainly - I was killing jackals with a club, this game was amazing. I feasted on their delicious flesh and went looking more deadlier enemies.
A man! I had found a blue man with black hair. A shopkeeper of some sort. Well he would be no match for my jackal and kitten encrusted club! No match at all. I began planning to ransack his place of establishment, perhaps he would have a larger club inside? Eager to begin the fight I moved into him because in nethack you fight by invading personal space. The game gave me a choice as it had done with the puny kitten before. Do you want to YES I WANT TO SPLATTER HIS BRAINS ALL OVER HIS BADLY DECORATED STORE PLEASE yyy. But he didn't die, then I went all sparkly and my first character bit the dust.
I have been addicted ever since