How did you learn about Realms?
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| Photo by Jesse Gifford |
Kil'tra and I knew each other from high school and he had been trying to convince me to come with him to an event for years. One spring in 2010, when I was on medical leave from school and didn't have much else to do with myself, he finally succeeded!
How many event have you been to?
I've been to six events since 2010 -- Feast of Highbridge II will be my seventh! I took an extended hiatus from the Realms from 2010 to 2013 while I finished up school, and when I moved back to the east coast, I jumped right back in.
Have you ever LARP’ed before? If so tell us about it?
Realms was my very first LARP, but I'd like to check out others in the future!
What is your character like? Where are they from? What is their race? What is important to them?
Leuconoe Kil'tra, better known as Luca (or "Janus's sister") to most, is from the same farm in rural Chimeron as her brother. Several years after Janus left to go adventuring, she finally got sick of being stuck at home with the same boring day-to-day life (really, there are only so many ways you can make milking a cow exciting) and decided she was going to be an adventurer too. She's a mischevious up-and-coming human adventurer who recently returned to the Realms after a prolonged venture into the deserts far to the west, and she's come back to get rich, get connected, and get famous. And, you know, probably do a few heroic deeds, too, if the opportunity comes up. She's a snarky spellcaster (currently a two-path, double sorcerer) and a bit of a trickster with some questionable moral priorities, although she's not nearly as clever as she thinks she is. She is resourceful, but she tends to get tripped up by her own self-aggrandizing (which is what makes her so fun to play!). Her top priorities are money, food, and looking forward to the day when everyone know's Janus as "Luca's brother" and not the other way around. She studied cartography when she was adventuring in the desert and wants to make a name for herself as a cartographer in the Realms. As of the Black and White 2013, she is also the court mage (sorry, Arcaneopteryx) of Saurabia. Fun fact! Her stomach is haunted by the ghost of an angry baker, and the only way to keep him at bay is to avoid eating wheat at all costs.
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| Photo by Jesse Gifford |
My first event was one of the very first trips into Kord, and it was a lot of fun! On her very first adventure in the Realms, Luca got kidnapped by elemental spirits and had to make a deal with a trickster god to escape. I met tons of awesome people and had such a blast that I just knew I had to come back for more!
What things have helped to make you feel welcome in game?
The overwhelmingly warm and positive atmosphere of the Realms' player base is a big plus. The game is really newbie-friendly, and for the most part people are really encouraging and helpful for newbies (as well as established players). Knowing I could ask questions of almost anyone in the game, however silly they might have seemed, has really made Realms a positive experience for me. Getting to know people OOC has also been a great experience and made me feel even more at home at events.
What parts of the game do you find most challenging?
If I'm perfectly honest, combat. My three-year hiatus from the Realms didn't do anything for my already minimal combat skills, and I'm still getting comfortable with my spellcasting. I definitely need to work on my aim and my boffer skills. I don't get the opportunity to attend nearly as many practices as I'd like.
Do you have any game related goals (as either a player or character)?
Luca's very interested in getting rich and well-connected -- and so am I (well, mostly the latter). I'd like to get apprenticed into the Order of the Spoon and start working in the kitchens more -- it's kind of a lofty goal, but it'd be really cool to one day have a hand in making a really allergen-friendly feast for those of us Realmsies who have more severe dietary restrictions. I'd also really like to improve my combat and spellcasting skills and hopefully one day become an actually formidable sorcerer instead of an amusing joke whose magic missiles always go horribly wide.
What advice would you give other new players?
Don't be afraid to ask questions, and more than anything, don't be afraid to get involved! Events are the most fun when you jump in with both feet. Some cool stuff will happen to you if you stand around long enough, but if you really want the action, you have to make it happen for yourself.
What have you enjoyed most about the game so far?
Questing events have been some of my favorite events, and I'm excited for the weather to warm up and the questing season to start back up! The sense of adventure (and camaraderie) that comes from questing events is one of the best things about the Realms. I've also really enjoyed myself at feasts thus far -- I served at Feast of Leviathan this year for the first time and even though it was exhausting, I had an incredible time and I'm looking forward to serving again at the Feast of Highbridge! I had a killer time working in the kitchen and helping the kitchen staff and it's very much something I'm looking forward to making a regular part of my Realms experiences.
Anything else you'd like to take the opportunity to put into print?
I'd like to organize a Boston-based fight practice, once I've had some time to look into practice locations, so any Boston-area Realmsies who can't get out to WPI/UMass Lowell/etc for fight practice on a regular basis will have somewhere more accessible to go. And, of course, I am always looking to meet & make friends with new players and PCs alike, so if you see me at an event, please don't be afraid to say hi!