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| Photo by Melissa Fitzgerald |
My first event was Lost Gate Legacy
in 2002. That makes it just over 10
years. Some days it doesn’t seem that
long ago.
How has the game changed since you've been playing?
There is a distinct lack of one shot adventure weekends. Everything now seems to be a part of an
overarching plot or has some plot tie-ins.
While that’s not a bad thing, I do miss the contained 3-day adventure.
The fighting has gotten a lot faster and the weapon tech
has changed a lot as well. Green foam and duct tape have been replaced with
regular insulation foam and weapon socks.
I go back and forth on the pros and cons of the change of scale in
weapon tech.
On the plus side I think there are more opportunities for
newbies to get involved. A lot of groups
seem more open to helping newer players, mentoring, and giving out loaner
gear. Anything that helps more people
get involved is always a good thing.
Who have you learned the most from?
I’ve had the benefit of learning form a lot of different
people and getting different perspective about how the game works. Aaron Metzger really got me to love the spell
system and told me you can be a caster and still kick a butt and have fun with
the combat parts of the game. He is
really the other half of my EH-ing brain for better or worse. His stories of questing with his group of
friends when he started really made me want to capture those moments for
myself.
Carrie Dolph showed me from my first event that you can
pour yourself into the game to tell a unique story and watch it come
alive. Even in the pouring rain at my
newbie event, I watched people talk of the real threat of enemies, trials and
tribulations, epic battles, and heartfelt roleplaying. I totally wanted to be Carrie when I became
an EH. If I could draw half the emotion
of the PCs from my events as she did in that one event where I watched people
rally to fight a giant bainen worm, then I would have called it a success.
What was your best moment IC?
Best is pretty subjective. To this day, I tell the self-deprecating
story of Feast of Chimeron 17. I was
being that guy who was talking during court to Iawen off to the side. The Magi of the Realms were called up to talk
and I said to Iawen, “Meh. They aren’t
going to say anything important” and continued with our conversation (complete
with stupid hand gestures). We talked
and laughed and then I noticed the hall was completely silent. I causally turned to the side and noticed the
ENTIRE feast hall was looking at me. I
remember having a bewildered look on my face and stammering out “Uh, hi. I think I missed something important.” And that’s how I was inducted into the Magi
of the Realms. Lesson to everyone: don’t
be that guy at court! It will come back
to bite you!
My other best moment (another Janna in tow adventure),
was Feast of Chimeron 13. This was the
event where Faelinn and Ophelia pretty much became inseparable. Other people will say it was Rites of War 7
where I killed Titiania. Either way
those stories are best told in person.
As cliché as it is, some of the best questing was the
Owen and Faelinn questing buddy times.
When you have a small group that really works well together you can
accomplish almost anything.
What was your best moment as a NPC/EH/Player?
There are so many and most of them involve fake blood,
gross makeup, and/or intense roleplaying.
I think my favorite was for the Twilight Champion. I was NPCing as Faelinn who was possessed by
Ascerbus. Faelinn/Ascberus had to be
scalped while still alive to kill the guardian beast tied to her. We worked out the mechanics of the fight (me
being sacrificed and all) and had to work around my tonsil surgery and the pain
med induced wackiness that followed. The
minute the first sword hit me, I wailed at the top of my lungs and started
crying. I can only describe the sound as
a painful scream/gurgle/rasp punctuated by sobs. I sounded gross and horrible and just painful
and it make the PCs super uncomfortable.
When I was killed, I wandered over to the NPC area where I was told the
NPC briefing had to be stopped because I had freaked out the NPCs and no one
could concentrate. It was at that point
I noticed Aaron had shaved his beard and comedy ensued.
Any time where I can play either a named NPC role, or am
given the chance to roll with punches as a crunchy I have a blast. Anytime I’m a goblin or crunchy with Chelsea
Stoddard is a good time. We die so
horribly!
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| Photo by Robyn C Nielsen |
I would like to see more NPCs from different plots
make cameos at other people’s events to make the world seem a little more
cohesive. I know we are never going to
all play nice together as EHs and there are some very differing opinions in
creative plot teams, but it’s the little things that tie everything
together. More roleplaying is always a
good thing and having more IC interactions help people stay in character more
and feel more involved with the event.
What advice would you give new players?
Go out and meet people from all different nations. Talk to people! Don’t be afraid to ask questions of offer a
suggestion on a quest! Some of us are
not as scary as people seem to make us out to be. You’ll find a lot of people have the same interests
as you do.
While playing an evil necromantic lich overlord might be
a wicked cool character concept, it might not be the best thing for you to try
as a newbie. Keep it simple to start
off. Playing an elf might seem like a
good idea to begin with, but after 10 years of spirit gum getting stuck in your
hair, you might want to rethink that.
What do you love most about the game?
I absolutely love running around with my friends in
the woods. There is nothing like having
a good time, in all kinds of weather, with your closest friends saving the day
or causing hijinks. It’s the people and
the atmosphere of the events that really does it for me. S’mores-quest is also the best quest!
As I’ve moved to helping staff and EH more, I really love
cooking for people. Working with a
fantastic kitchen staff is seriously a joy that I look forward to every time
I’m in the kitchen (be it mine or someone else’s). When you have a cohesive staff, it makes
giving back to the community so much more fun for everyone.
Who would you like to see the next interview be with?
Sean Veale, the hardest working man in a goblin
mask. For someone so quiet, he is truly
a workhorse for the community (and quite funny). My other vote is for the ever eccentric Randy
Gordon. That man’s basement is an event
holding treasure trove of shlock.
Anything else you'd like to take the opportunity to put
into print?
Pre-reg for events!
It really helps for planning purposes and I can’t always remember who is
allergic to what food.
Also never listen to Rel tell the story about Titania
during the Rites of War. He’s a big fat
liar pants.
And Jonas Cooke is secretly in love with Faelinn…pass it
on!