Oh. So that bridge falling scenario wasn’t a bad dream. And this lump on my head - that also feels quite real. Never dig down? Never trust a poor quality bridge, that needs to be added to the rulebooks. Anyway, I’ll brush myself off and mine my way out of here as I always do. Hang on… Where’s my stuff? Pickaxe, shovel, materials, even my boots they’re all gone. Well that makes no sense. Silverfish walking off with my food, now that makes sense, but who would walk off with my belongings? Those creatures of the night don’t have the brains for it, that’s for certain. Wait a second that’s new. I don’t remember a cobble pillar next to the bridge. I know I took a bump to the head but I’m far from senile yet.


A player made pillar from down here to the top of that old bridge? It did look a bit rickety as far as bridges go but I never would have predicted the ropes to break with such ease. Let me have a closer look… No. That bridge didn’t break; the ropes were cut! By player hand no doubt. This isn’t the first time I’ve had my property stolen but I never would have predicted a player going this far, cutting the ropes and clearing out what I guess they assumed was my carcass. Oh look, they left me a book and quill, maybe I’ll send them a postcard; I’ll get that bat to work as my carrier pigeon. No that won’t work. I’ll put this paper to better use and write a warning, to the lucky individual who eventually finds my dead body with silverfish at my flesh. A warning - to all players of this world. The most dangerous thing around here isn’t creepers or spider jockeys. It’s them. The other players…



Steve’s guide: how to survive other players


There’s a few obvious things you can do to protect yourself from others, armour up, weapon up etc. But those things are obvious and in the end they didn’t help me anyway. This sabotage was item driven. They wanted what I had. So the best way to protect yourself - make sure they never find out what you have, or where you have it. Let’s run through some options and crude sketches.



1. Hide your items, but don’t hide them all.


If you hide all of your items then it’s obvious they’re hidden and players WILL find them. Instead, hide your good items and leave some generic rubbish in plain sight. This way it’ll seem like you’re just starting out rather than giving away that you’re hoarding all of your goodies. 

Here’s an example. A normal looking house with furnace, crafting table, bed and chest. But in the middle of that carpet there? A secret chest. Just put the carpet back down when you’re done with it.



2. Make your house look like trash.


In a similar way, this trick will make it seem like you’re just starting out, making it much less likely that someone will search your house. However, if you’re easily ashamed, this option might not be for you. 


Take a look at my dirt house! I must have rich materials and resources inside… Not.



3. Hide your base.


Hide your base in a secure location. The only problem is, you can't let players see you go in/out. 


I’d put my base entrance in the side of a hill, then just replace the dirt when I go in/out.



4. Hide your base in plain sight.


Make use of a high traffic area such as a village, and hide your base underneath another house. This way people won’t question your presence in the village and you can go about your business in peace.


In the corner of this villager’s house? The ladder down to my secret base. Cover it up with a crafting table on your way down.



5. Set traps.


Set traps in your base, ones that you can work around but unsuspecting thieves can’t. 

All I would do is wire up the pressure plate entrance to my house so that it opens a deep, piston-activated trap, on a slight delay of course, to make sure intruders get their comeuppance.



6. Make a fake base.


Make a fake ‘secret’ base and when you fear someone is watching, enter the fake base avoiding your traps. Spend a few minutes inside then leave, allowing the perpetrator to enter, who will undoubtedly set off all the traps.


I would make the entrance to this ‘base’ more obvious by highlighting it with lamps and a set of stairs, this way they are sure to enter the base exactly how I want them to.


If you’re lucky enough to find this guide, take its words to heart, learn from my misfortune and keep my spirit alive. Pass on this guide, spread its message and add your teachings to it to help future players, who deserve a better chance than we ever got.