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Thursday, March 22, 2012

Fresh Faces - Katie "Effa" Smith

Katie "Effa" Smith

Photo by Josh Learned
How did you learn about Realms?
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.

Photo by Dustin Mack





















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.