How long have you been playing?
My first event was Kiltavia, the first event ever thrown by Lackey, back in November of 1991. Colin Campbell and Amy Reed had been talking the game up to me, Alex Newbold, and Jesse Perry as well as dragging us to practices where we met the folks who would become the original Royal House of Chimeron. After a month of that, I was sold on the game, but unfortunately couldn't make it to an actual event until that November. And now, here I am, 22 years later, wondering how my LARPing career got old enough to by me a drink.
How has the game changed since you've been playing?
Well, there are the big things, of course: the magic system is radically different from what it was when I first started playing, I don't believe we use any of the old sites that we as a community rode so hard back then (Perriden, Blackavar, and Darkvale, how I miss you), there are a lot more PC nations these days, and the number of people throwing events has positively skyrocketed. There are more subtle differences too, though. Back then, there were a lot more day quest and bardic events being thrown, and it used to be possible to hit two and sometimes three different events in a weekend and not miss any content. Given the relatively small number of event holders back then, continuity was easier to achieve as well, which was nice. There also seemed to be a much stronger sense of belonging to a community when I first started too, although that is more difficult to quantify, and to be honest, it could just be because Chimeron threw tons of parties at the Bar and Wench back in the day, so your mileage may vary.
Before I start to sound too much like the old man on his porch yelling at you punks to get off his lawn, I do want to say that there have been a lot of positive changes to the game over the years. The spell system is far more robust than it was when I first picked up spells - not being stuck as either just a mage or a healer any more? Priceless! Also, combat has gotten a lot faster and the fighters now are a lot more skilled. Given the heavy martial focus of our game, it is nice to know that we as a community keep raising the bar on that front. Oh, and event production values have gone up a lot since my first event. Again, we as a community are always pushing at the boundaries of what was done before and seeing how things can be improved upon. The fact that we often do this all on shoestring budgets just makes it a much more amazing and wonderful thing, in my eyes.
Who have you learned the most from?
I'd like to think that everyone I've ever played with has taught me something, but my top 4 (in no particular order) would be Dave Dolph, Carrie Dolph, Lacky, and Randy Gordon.
- Dave taught me to really examine my combat style and determine how it could be improved by almost constantly beating me down at every practice ever. As a side effect, I also learned how to block like a madman.
- Carrie taught me a lot about role playing and helped me to find Meerkat's true voice.
- Lackey taught me the all important skill of critical thinking and just how useful it can be while questing.
- Randy taught me just how important it is to let everyone play and not just cater to a select few players. Giving everyone a chance to change the world was of immeasurable value in helping to build my confidence as a player and it is a lesson that I hope I will never forget.
What was your best moment IC?
It is actually a toss up between being knighted as a Knight of The Crown and becoming a Reality Mage. For the former, it took me completely by surprise - I had pretty much become convinced that I was going to be a perpetual squire, and while I wouldn't say I was comfortable with the idea, I was at least resigned to it. So when King James appeared in a cloud of smoke (and accompanying explosion) and field knighted me, I was all sorts of amazed, overjoyed, and generally just feeling awesome.
For the later moment, I had been working (okay, bargaining) with a cultist of Dionin to achieve a particular goal. The price of her help was me getting the part of her soul that was given over to Dionin back to her, which was a tall order to say the least. As I was wracking my brain for how to do this thing, I managed to literally stumble over a unicorn horn (for those of you reading this who never played at a Randy event, unicorn horns granted you one wish and were stupidly rare things). While I really wanted to use the horn for selfish gain, I knew that this was the solution I was looking for, so I used the horn to get the cultist her soul back. After a heartfelt conversation with the cultist who was incredulous that I had actually blown a unicorn horn on her and given her her freedom, I was wandering back to my tent and stumbled over yet another unicorn horn. Needless to say, I used it to become one of the first Reality Mages since there was no other way to do so at the time.
What was your best moment as a NPC/EH/Player?
I feel like any time I have helped other players better enjoy the game would qualify as a best moment, and to single one out as the best, would sort of cheapen the rest. With that said, one of my favorite things to see as an NPC or EH is that "Oh yeah!" moment, when the players finally put together all the info they have learned about a plotline and 'solve it'. It is always
What would you like to see changed or developed more in game?
There are two things I'd love to see change or be further developed in our game:
1. Better costuming for everyone! I know that when you are first starting out, getting outfitted with proper garb can be expensive and sometimes hard, but I die a little inside when I see people who have been playing for a long time still rocking the "tabbard over jeans" look. It may seem like a trivial complaint, but better costuming can lead to increased game immersion, which brings me to my second point.
2. More roleplaying! My theatre roots might be showing, but some of the best moments in my LARPing career have been the ones where everyone stayed in character and and was engaged in the scene. I'm a big proponent of game immersion as I feel that an increase in it can only help our community make our game better and better as the stories we tell become more intricate and involved.
What advice would you give new players?
Have fun! There is a lot to our game, so find out what you love about it and embrace it. Also, get involved and learn everything you can from the players around you. Compared to many of the other LARPs out there, the Realms community is open and inviting and there are plenty of people who are more than willing to mentor you if that is what you are looking for. And most importantly, develop your critical thinking skills. While there certainly are plots being thrown that are exactly what they seem to be on the surface, I know that there are many event holders who write deeply nuanced plot which only a small handful of players seem to ever engage with. If you want to be considered a "power quester" learning how to look beneath the surface of a plotline and determine what is really going on, will be of immeasurable help to you.
What do you love most about the game?
I absolutely love the fact that we have a well developed notion of service to the game/community. I have played in several different LARPs over the years and we are unique among them in that we actually honor our members who give back to the community via IG/OOG orders and just generally being awesome about acknowledging folks who go above and beyond to make our game a better place for everyone. As far as I am concerned, this is one of our greatest strengths.
Who would you like to see the next interview be with?
I'd have to say Angela Wood, Dan Diamond, or Jonathan Fontaine.
Anything else you'd like to take the opportunity to put into print?
This question seems to be my eternal nemesis. Every time I am asked if there is anything else I'd like to add, or know, or any further questions I have, my mind goes blank. So I'm certain there is something I'd like to put here, but alas, it would appear that I can't think of anything.