Why I Want To Go - Training Day III [Teacher Edition]

Organized by: Dani Lacasse 

Written by various noted authors  

Crystal/ Cressida

I am excited to go to this year’s training day as a first time training day teacher. I’m teaching classes on public speaking confidence and NPCing (along with Kathy, Kai, and Charlie). I am looking forward to delicious treats from the kitchen and the diverse array of classes being taught. Ready to walk away with some new information to continue to inspire my Realms journey.

Becky/ Kovaks 

I will be teaching One Magic Marshal’s Guide to Magic Marshalling.  I have been Magic Marshalling a wide variety of events for over ten years, and feel like I have amassed a lot of knowledge on the subject. It can feel daunting to jump into, but is a lot of fun to do. It helps that my two favorite ways to give back to the community are Magic Marshalling at events and teaching newer players!

Kai/LukeJohn

This’ll be the 3rd training day I’ve been to and they’ve never disappointed. There’s so much to learn in the Realms and I love that this event gives a more formal teaching platform. In my opinion, you can get a better education this way as opposed to one off side conversations or written instruction. Plus given the breadth of topics covered, it’s helpful to see who has expertise in which areas should you ever want to learn more about a subject outside of the class itself

The class I’m helping to teach is Rockin’ the Western Flank. It’s being led by Makhta, with assistance from Anton, Cressida, and myself. The class will focus on the different aspects of NPC’ing and best practices for each aspect. Hope to see you all in class!

Hannah/ Ryu

Why do I want to go to training day? Why wouldn't I want to go!!? An event where you get the opportunity to learn and connect with others that you wouldn’t normally get to be taught by is an extremely valuable experience and I absolutely love that the Wyvern College is able to support so many unique classes.

I am both excited and terrified to teach a class, but I feel my class, “What I learned from the Armored Rose” is an important one for wgm fighters and mentors alike. With a book that is more than 20 years old, and one that’s gained a lot of popularity in the realms lately, I want to present why I think the concepts presented are important, and present updated explanations for some of its more outdated claims. I am hoping those who attend this class will have a better understanding of some of the hurdles Women and Gender Minorities face when they choose to fight.

Keith/ Saegan

I think training day is an important opportunity for teaching skills within the community that lead to community members having more successful careers within the game. While some classes teach skills that some people may find within the bounds of a fight practice or other community opportunity, not everyone can access those. For me, I thought I’d take the opportunity to teach a somewhat more advanced combat skill, that often times practices don’t get to teach for various reasons.

Bri/ Margaret

After 2 years of inadvertently missing the event, I'm very excited to actually be able to properly attend Training Day this year, not just as a student but as a teacher! Sky and I have been talking about co-running a 'How to get involved in plot' class for a while now, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to do it. I've been incredibly humbled by the excitement surrounding it, and can't wait to be able to share with you all.

Nate/ Aelias

The Training Day event exemplifies one of the core tenets of the Knights of the Sable Dragon: To promote the growth of newcomers to the Realms. It’s a great event with no agenda beyond making us all better and sharing our knowledge and skills for the common good. What’s not to love?

I am choosing to teach a class on Hand-and-a-Half fighting style because it is a

foundational and versatile style that everyone should be familiar with. 5’ is a great choice for NPCing, and is useful on questing for both 1 paths and fighters. It is also well represented in the tourney scene. Skills learned on Hand-and-a-Half translate well to other styles as well.

 

James/ Tao

TLDR: I like to teach. I like to gamble. I like to make gold. 

I like to compete at a high level. The body is breaking down so I am not fighting as much as I used to. But my poker game has never been better. I like it when someone learns maybe why doubling down when a 10 card is showing may or may not be the most profitable thing to do but might still be fun. Why staying with three cards that are all 10 or higher is the optimum play, but going blind all the way puts a smile on everyone’s face win or lose. How to play tournament poker how to gamble in the realms. People who know the games are more likely to sit down at my casino, people who understand tournament strategy are more likely to play at the poker table with me. See you on Saturday.

 

Sky/ Raindrop

Early on as a realmsie, the Feast of Highbridge was one of my favorite events. I loved the opportunity to talk to and learn from other realmsies. I was so thrilled to come back to the game to see Training Day, an opportunity to teach and learn from other realmsies. I am teaching two classes this year. One is a class I am teaching with Bri about how to get more involved in plot, aimed at younger adventurers but really it should be good for anyone looking to learn more about how to become involved in plots and questing. The other is about ritual timing and group ritual. I think that rituals have amazing potential to pull other people in, give a powerful moment and content to multiple people, and when timed properly can have incredible impacts. I hope that people find useful information from these classes, and I also greatly look forward to learning myself.

Justin/Grarr

I’m excited to teach leatherworking again at this year's Training Day with my fellow instructor J'ortsa! We’re both looking forward to being able to share our skills and experience with our students and help guide them on both their leatherworking and armor crafting journeys

Charlie/ Anton

I want to help make people better NPCs in our game. I want to show people the difference between fighting to provide content and fighting to win. And I want to help people to understand how to scale your fighting as a grunt NPC.

Kathy/ Makhta

We all know the Realms is stronger when we share our collective experience.  A big part of that is the shared storytelling we do all the time.  And part of that is sharing expertise and skills, and that’s why Training Day is so valuable.

I’m excited about the pike workshop because there’s still interest in piking and we added 6’6”s this year, for which I brought in experts (‘cause I’m not).  And I’m passionate about building the pike’s legacy as a fun and, more importantly, safe weapon to wield.

I’m excited about the NPCing class because I don’t think the topic has been presented in class form before and it’s a subject I care a lot about which I think can really enhance people’s Realms experience.

And I’m super psyched that both of my classes leverage the expertise of multiple instructors – I’m team teaching!  I anticipate that the collaboration will ramp up the effectiveness and fun for all of us.  🙂

Dani/ Elizah

Training day has easily become one of my favorite events, it incorporates everything the Knights of the Sable Dragon's tenants embody. I've had the opportunity to run the kitchen at this event for the past three years and I'm estatic this year I get to turn that into a teaching moment for an aspiring feastocrat and apprentice to the Order of the Spoon. 

Tucker/ Temorse

I'm excited to be one of those covering the topic of battlefield tactics and command.   While we have far fewer war maneuver events now compared to when I started, it is still an important skill that can be applied to other many questing situations.  And even for those who are not in command, it will help people learn how they can use their knowledge of the flow of battle to make impacts on a fight that are well beyond what they might think they are able to, given skill level.

Maria/ Liselle

We teachers are excited to share our knowledge and experience with all of you.  Can't wait to see everyone!

Hillary/Tara

Somehow, despite my best efforts, this is actually going to be my first training day. One of the things that I love about this community is the number of skills we have to pass on to others and the number of people able to pass on those skills. I'm actually teaching and assisting with a few classes, but if you squint a little, you'll see that my focus is the same as always: how to approach combat with your own physical ability and how to thrive as a leader.

Cameron/Griffon

I want to go to Training day because it's a great opportunity to learn something new without having a monster breathing down your neck! But in all seriousness, Training day has proven to be a fantastic kickoff to the eventing season these past two years, and I've had opportunities to learn a wide range of things from many amazing members of our community. This year, I even get to contribute to the teaching, as the 6'6" instructor in the Great Weapons class. I'm looking forward to spreading the good word of great weapons to the masses!

Amber/Tarnisha

I'm excited to give folks a peek into the wonderful world of medieval crafting and technique. Modern isn't always better when doing a medieval job.

Brooke/Rowan

Training Day hasn't been around for long but it has quickly become one of my favorite events held by our community. People from all corners of the game come together to create a space for the pursuit of knowledge and skill. The learning opportunities are not just for the students. This will be my third year teaching at Training Day, and I'm excited to bring back my lesson on weaving. Each year this event has helped me learn and grow to be a better teacher, and I know that has been the case for other instructors, too, as I'm not the only one who will be returning with time-adapted lesson plans and fresh ideas for sharing our skills and passions with our community in the Realms. I know our teachers and students will all continue to grow and enjoy Training Day for years to come! 

Josh/Merrix

This will be my second time teaching at Training Day. I decided to run a class / workshop that I had been asked by a lot of folk to help them with, that I am very excited to help them with. Mentoring others. Getting people started on a path and watching them grow is something very dear to me.

Ethan/ Alias

I want to teach at training day because I am a teacher by trade and would like to be able to use my skills to teach the people of the realms. I am also passionate about asl and would love to share that with the realms

Disability in the Realms: The Event Holder

By: Bri Meisser

Disability is something that encompasses every aspect of one's life. I was given a task to write 3 articles about my disability and how it impacts my ability to engage with the Realms. I will be splitting this series into 3 distinct sections. Bri The Player, Margaret The Character, and Bri The Event Holder. My hope is that by the end of this series, you will have a better respect for some of the struggles our disabled players go through in order to continue to play this game we love. Becoming disabled is the only minority group anyone can join at any time, and we will all deal with health related issues as we age. But maybe by working together, we can create a game that’s more accommodating and understanding to those issues. I am only one disabled individual, and everyone’s experiences are unique. But here are mine. This is Bri, The Event Holder

Being an event holder is really hard. It’s hard even in the best of times and the best of circumstances. And being disabled is not the best of times nor the best of circumstances. Both the preparation and the event itself can be physically, mentally and emotionally demanding, and all of these things are compounded by being disabled. But there are also benefits to being a disabled event holder. It allows you to be more inclusive in event design, creative about the way both players and staff have to solve problems, and when done well can lead to events that can be better enjoyed by all types of different players, both disabled and otherwise.

I used to be of the opinion that I didn’t want to ask a player to do anything that I will not be willing to do myself. But as I’ve become more and more disabled, I’ve had to change that attitude if I want to enable event events that are enjoyed by people of all different body types, including those who are more physically active and able than myself. Just because I can’t spend six hours fighting or do complex parkour across an event site does not mean that there aren’t people who want to do that. And my job as an event holder is to both create those opportunities and to ensure that no one is left behind who does not want to be. 

A lot of that comes down to communication. I am one disabled person with several different disabilities, but my disabilities are not all encompassing and even people with the same disabilities as me may have different ability levels and those ability levels may change day-to-day. Knowing I have disabled players at my events in advance can help me to tailor my mods in my accommodations to those people, but being able to adapt in the moment is just as important. And this is true, not just of those who have known disabilities, but as an acknowledgment of the fact that anyone can get hurt at any time during an event. Someone could sprain their ankle. Someone could scratch their eye. Someone could become a non-com at any moment for any reason. And they deserve to be able to enjoy the event with the same dignity and respect as any other player. There should always be a role at an event and in a questing party for a disabled player who wants it. That is what I can offer as a disabled event holder. 

It is not perfect. I can’t make the woods magically wheelchair accessible. I cannot account for every single content, warning, and every single trigger that anyone may possibly have ever. But I can start with the most simple and most important question. “What do you need?” And then I can do my best to provide it. Maybe they recently broke their arm and need more spells to enable them to participate in the event in a way that they enjoy. Maybe the trail battle is too far for them to walk, but I can have an NPC sit with them in the tavern as they roleplay and solve problems. Maybe they’re in the hospital and had to miss their favorite event series of the year, and I can get them comprehensive plot notes about what they missed and the ability to continue the story on their own time in their own way until they’re able to join everyone at the next event.

I am also incredibly blessed and privileged to be able to be an event holder at all. Not all disabled people can be an event holder. Sometimes the uncertainty about whether your health will be ok on the weekend of your event is too much in a game that expects the event holder to be everything. And that is okay. You are not lesser for not being an event holder, nor are your contributions less valuable because you can’t fill a specific role. Having people like Becky, Justin T, Sky, Nate, Josh, David, Tim, Derek, Renee, Adam, and countless others be willing and able to take on roles that I could never do has enabled me to throw events that I could never dream of in a million years on my own. Assembling a good team of people who support you is the most important thing that any event holder can do whether they are disabled or not. And for any disabled person who cannot fill the role of event holder, the worth you bring to any event team that you are on cannot be understated.

So go out and tell stories. Throw tournaments. Make tasty food. And remember that events take all types of people to run and they are designed for all types of people to enjoy. 

Until the next quest,

Bri Meisser

Why I Want To Go - Training Day III [Student Edition]

Organized by: Kelly Perfetto 

Written by various noted authors 

Kai/LukeJohn

Training Day has always been a showcase on the myriad of things people in the Realms know. As far as I can remember there’s topics of interest for everyone. Maybe you’re into crafting, in which case there’s classes on greaves, garb, and weaving. If you want to learn about magic, there’s classes on rituals and magic marshaling. Combat focused players have classes on specific styles, tactics, combat pedagogy, and fighting multiple people. Or maybe none of those interest you; even then there’s sure to be a class or two to catch your eye. Moral of the story is if you got a curious mind and a free Saturday, then I cannot recommend Training Day enough.  Nobody is ever done learning, and this is a great time to further whatever path of improvement you’ve set for yourself!

Ian/Timm

As a student, one may wonder why I would wish to take one of my days off from school to go to more school. But this school is cool and awesome - The physics class is 'hitting people with sticks', the language class is 'runes that blow things up', and the math class is 'gambling'. Would recommend.

Owen/Kalashai

Why do I want to go to Training Day? It would be easier to list the reasons I don’t want to go, because there aren’t any of those. Training day is a great event to pick up new skills for the Realms, both in and out of character, or to brush off old skills after the winter. There are classes on crafting skills ranging from advanced armor making to introductory sewing, combat classes on both theory and practice, and much more.

Training day also tends to be a highly attended event, so if you’ve been wanting to have IC conversations with people, learn spells, or ask questions of anyone you don’t often see, there’s a decent chance they’ll be there! Despite the packed schedule of classes there’s always time for a quick chat. The classes are taught by people from all over the Realms, so no matter what you’re looking to learn, you can probably find it at Training Day.

Low Res Realms 5!

Below is a photo... kinda.

It certainly used to be a photograph before we converted it to a pixelated mess.

We'd like you to figure out the following based on just the squares of color below.

• What event is this?
• What is happening in this picture?
• Who are some of the people in the picture?

The full photo will be revealed later this afternoon. 

Leviathan's Feast of the Mind 1025 Pt 3

 Part 3 of what you missed from 2025's mental challenges!

Round 2: This Year in Realms

Quest Matching (1 points per correct match) _____/10

Match the questing event from this year with its subtitle. Each correct connection is worth 1

point.

Voraniss Questing 3.5                                                                                  The Fated Arena

Ashen Bounty XI                                                                         The Slumber of Kul'Rhex

Blackwood Questing                                                                               Ruins of Lost Peak

Voraniss Questing 4                                                                                     Three of a Kind

Feast of the Leviathan XXV                                                                   The End of the End

Clontarf Shuffle III                                                                                             A New Leaf

All Hail the Gloom Father                                                               The Last Dream Demon

Blackwood Tournaments XI                                                                         Moment of Truth

Rise of the Gi-sistance                                                 The Spelltower of Gloriana Stanwode

Sanctuary Questing                                                                                             Homecoming

Say What You See (5 points) _____/5

The pictures below are trying to tell you about something that happened in the past year.

Meme Monday

 by the Meme Team

Morning Coffee Break

 Got your morning cup of coffee and a few minutes? Great! We're continuing our coffee break feature at the View - we're going to be asking a series of questions and we want to know your answers! The question is posted below. So while you sip your morning beverage of choice, ruminate on this one:

 How many owls would you have to see in a day to know something was wrong? Are you concerned or excited? And at what number do you start questioning what is going on?

Head on back to Social Media to let us know!