by Lani "Gwen" Jones
In the week preceding Leviathan, I was lucky enough to be able to take a couple of days off of work,and this time, I didn’t even have to pretend to be ill. Within my first week on the job, I mentioned to some of my new coworkers, who also seemed to be pretty awesome nerds, that I liked to LARP on the weekend. In our first big meeting, they called me out to whole room, and the rest, as they say, is history. Upon my return to work this Monday, many of my friends and acquaintances were fascinated by the way that I spent my PTO. As I’m sure is true of many of us, I tried my best to explain what Realms is, and why I do it. Which has led me to this long winded introspective about why Realms is special, and why you should go to the player’s meeting this weekend. I’ll dispense this in my favorite manner: a three part list.1. We are a Community. The thing I love the most about Realms, first and foremost, is that we are one community. We are a group of very different people who regularly come together to laugh and cry and support one another. We don’t do this perfectly all the time, but when push comes to shove, I’m glad that you all are my people, and I’m glad that we can passionately come together to share our ideas for making something we all love a little (or a lottle) bit better. The player’s meeting is an opportunity for every person who cares about our game to share their ideas for making it better, and that’s what sets us apart.
2. We All Have the Power to Make a Difference. Reading through the proposals reminded me this evening that Realms is unique and special because anyone can work towards the change that they believe in. I know that a lot of thought goes into the proposal process, and even if it doesn’t pass, each year I leave this meeting having considered something from a different perspective. This year, we get to consider new ways to organize the omnibus to make it easier for newer players to understand, decide whether or not to change how people learn spells, and potentially update a variety of individual spells to ensure the best play experience for all. I have seen it take years for great changes to catch on, and I’ve seen some ideas get shot down pretty emphatically. Either way, Realms is one of the places where everyone gets a forum to share their ideas, and, whether we agree with them or not, we’ll have a healthy debate, vote, and move forward. In an era where it can feel like we are losing our voices, I’m grateful that we still have this forum to make things better for a community we care about.
3. The Food. Just kidding. Although I love a great potluck, what I really want to comment on is the camaraderie that we all share during those rare and much needed discussion breaks. I love that I can be vehemently opposed to someone’s proposals, but still find the common ground when we have the opportunity to relax and talk to each other. It doesn’t mean I won’t throw my blue card up against you, but it’s nice to know we can chow down together and still be friends at the end of the day.
I encourage you to check out the wide variety of proposals up on RealmsNet now so you can familiarize yourself before you come to the meeting. They range from social norms, wording clarifications, spell changes and everything in between. But I would ask that you come to this very important meeting with an open mind, ready to listen to the opinions of others in the room, and at the end of each discussion, vote with your heart. But I also ask you to remember that at the end of the day, we are all on the same team.