Friday, March 21, 2014

Fresh Faces- Joseph "Luke John" Yang

How did you learn about Realms?
Photo by Jesse Gifford
Alyssa “Umbra” Lee introduced it me to the UConn SMAC practice awhile back. Jason “Aeston” Rosa helped me get acquainted with Realms as a whole, and it’s been fantastic since then.  
How many events have you been to?
I’ve been to 4 events so far: Black and White 2013, Order of the List 2013, Tournaments of Artemis, and the KoEF Tournament; but I’m looking forward to going more events in the future.
Have you ever LARP’ed before?  If so tell us about it?
Nope, this is my first experience with it so far. I’ve done other martial artsy stuff and fencing, but they pale in comparison to this.
What is your character like?  Where are they from? What is their race? What is important to them?
Luke John’s pretty normal human, comes from a background of merchants and traders. When asked to go into the family business, it turned out it didn’t suit him so well. Instead of negotiating and dealing with coin, he’d rather hack and slash with a blade. So Luke John simply up and left; that doesn’t mean however, he lacks an eye for gold.
Photo by Jesse Gifford


What do you remember most about your first event?
I remember assembling the Oaken Guard at Black and White for almost everything we did. Someone had a quest for us, go get all of the Oaken Guard. There’s a fight pit, go get all of the Oaken Guard. We’re being told a story, go get all of the Oaken Guard. It was pretty amusing, and I think we all had a great time at the end of the day.



What things have helped to make you feel welcome in game?
The community, everyone here is welcoming and friendly; if there’s questions or concerns I had, there is always somebody i can ask and they’d be more than willing to help.


What parts of the game do you find most challenging?
Combat. Even though that’s my favorite part of the game, it’s still challenging. Fighting people significantly better than me gets tough, but that’s what makes it so rewarding. Bit by bit I’m starting to improve, but I’ve still got a long way to go.
Do you have any game related goals (as either a player or character)?
Just be the best fighter I possibly can, with as many weapon styles as I can. Also gold, get as much of that as possible
What advice would you give other new players?
Don’t be afraid to ask people for help, it may seem intimidating or daunting at first but someone will help you. Also learn to call shots, you’re playing a game and if you’re not calling shots it ruins the game for your opponent(s).
What have you enjoyed most about the game so far?
Hitting people with foam sticks. Nothing I do in my spare time really beats that. Learning about combat from those better than myself is great; they may outright slaughter me in a fight, but I learn something new every time. Also crafting new weapons; you have all these materials which you put together and it becomes a sword, I don’t know if I could get that experience anywhere else.
Anything else you'd like to take the opportunity to put into print?
I’d just like to thank everyone for making me feel so welcome in the community and helping me with anything and everything