Photo by Josh Learned |
I used to be in a LARP that had been founded by a former
Realmsie. After hearing all of his tales of his adventures in the Realms, I
decided to check it out. After my former LARP’s world ended, I crossed over to
The Realms.
How many events have
you been to?
I’m not entirely sure. My first event was Green and Gold
2011 (I’m a super-newbie) but I didn’t start going to events with any frequency
until Queen of Hearts.
Have you ever LARP’ed
before? If so tell us about it?
Yep. My former LARP was very roleplay-heavy, but the combat
system was pretty close to that of the Realms. It was much smaller- a large
event for us had about 20 people. The first time I saw an actual line battle in
the Realms I was rather overwhelmed- there were so many people on the field!
What is your character
like? Where are they from? What is their race? What is important to them?
Effa- or Aoife- MacTyr is a stranger in the lands of the
Realms. Her people hail from across the sea, where the Clan MacTyr runs a
less-than-reputable merchant company. She opted out of the family business
after her brother ended up dead, and set sail for the Realms with her cousin
Etain to find a place to start again. She’s mostly human- her many-time-great
grandmother was a half-orc- the only parts of Effa’s heredity that makes itself
known are the small tusks that she files down in order to appear human, and a
penchant for battle. Effa values her new-found ability to make her own
way, and has been working toward improving herself on the field of battle,
which is where she feels the most free.
What do you remember
most about your first event?
It was Green and Gold, and I remember being so in awe of all
the people. The green team was thoroughly trounced, but it was such a rush to
be part of a proper shield wall, and a pike line. I was equipped thanks
entirely to the kindness of strangers, since I came to the event on a whim and
really had nothing to my name, but some kind souls provided me some arms and
armor. That event was also the first huntress guild practice, and the ladies
there really made my first event enjoyable.
What things have helped to make you feel welcome in game?
The aforementioned kindness of strangers certainly helped.
I’ll be forever grateful to the people that made my first event a good one.
I’ve recently started following the goings-on in the more plot-driven events,
and being able to participate in those types of things is pretty freaking
awesome. Outside of events the folks at Nottingham
fight practice- all of whom have gone out of their way to teach me to be
a better fighter.
What parts of the game
do you find most challenging?
My first few events I spent a fair amount of time being dead
since no one knew me. So being a faceless fighter was a challenge to overcome
in the beginning. After hitting a few tournaments and introducing myself to
everyone and their mother, I’ve found that it is no longer an issue.
Do you have any game
related goals (as either a player or character)?
As a player I want to get more involved with some of the
nifty plots that are going on, and as a character I want to improve my fighting
ability. I'm working towards both, by hitting lots of fight practices, and
badgering important people until they tell me things.
What advice would you
give other new players?
Go to fight practices. NPC. Try and make friends with as
many people as humanly possible. Don’t immediately join up with the first
nation you meet. Don’t get discouraged when people don’t raise you right away,
and conversely, don’t get discouraged when you die a lot. Keep the faith my
newbie brethren!
What have you enjoyed
most about the game so far?
I love the camaraderie, the ability to be whosoever or
whatever you can imagine, and also the hitting people.