Friday, February 7, 2014

Fresh Faces- Nataliya "Shader" Kostenko

Photo by Jesse Gifford
How did you learn about Realms?
I joined UCONN’s fight practice club, SMAC. Someone ran up to me at the involvement fair and asked “Wanna hit people with sticks?!” Sure, who wouldn’t?  

How many events have you been to?
Four so far—Black and White, Order of the List, Uncle Cecil’s and Tournaments of Artemis.

Have you ever LARP’ed before?  If so tell us about it?
Nope, I hadn’t even heard of it.
 
What is your character like?  Where are they from? What is their race? What is important to them?
My character is, not coincidentally, a lot like me because I’m no good at role-playing. Shader is a regular human person from a poor family in the Southern Wastes. She traveled to Vinehaeven and joined the Oaken Guard, seeking a life of adventure and wanting to make a name for herself.

What do you remember most about your first event?
Wandering around confused with the other UCONN newbies until someone—usually Aeston—yelled “Oaken Guard! Do this thing,” at us. And then we failed to properly accomplish the thing. It was Black and White so the little team fighting tournaments and archery competitions were also really fun and memorable, along with the masquerade and dancing part at the end.

What things have helped to make you feel welcome in game?
All the veteran members of SMAC have been extremely friendly and helpful at every turn—I really appreciate their guidance and caring. I don’t even have to ask for help; when they see me inevitably messing up they take it upon themselves to give me pointers on my fighting technique. The greater Realms community is super welcoming as well. I don’t remember who it was, but someone at my first event said something like “Realms is family,” to all us newbies; it was a really cool sentiment.
What parts of the game do you find most challenging?
Photo by Jesse Gifford
Fighting is my absolute favorite, but I’m not very good at it yet—I think being aggressive enough is a big challenge for me. And as mentioned above, role-playing is also still a bit beyond me.

Do you have any game related goals (as either a player or character)?
I want to get better at fighting and maybe win a hand and a half tournament. I also want to try out the other weapons combos. As a character, hopefully join a nation eventually.

What advice would you give other new players?
Don’t be afraid to ask for help or clarification—a lot of people seem terrifying but are actually very nice. Don’t forget to think about what you’re doing with your feet and legs, not just your arms and torso, while fighting.

What have you enjoyed most about the game so far?
Getting better at fighting and seeing slow but steady improvement in myself. I also like the people experience and the socializing.

Anything else you'd like to take the opportunity to put into print?

Nice to meet all you cool people.