Karen "Brynn" Veale
How long have you been playing?
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| Photo by Jesse Gifford |
What Fools These Mortals Be was my first event, in
September ‘97.
How has the game
changed since you've been playing?
Change is the only constant! It’s still largely the same
Realms -- a place where anyone can throw an event and anyone can attend, where
the rules are written by everyone interested enough to get involved, a place of
high fantasy teetering always on the brink of total annihilation. The fighting
is a little different, but the hit locations and the armor are the same. The
spells are always changing, but there is still magic missile and heal limb,
they still have paths and circles and generally the same sorts of verbals and
components. So, not that different from my perspective.
Who have you
learned the most from?
Clan McKrye taught me how to fight, how to work together
effectively with people of different skills, how to cook, and how to give back
to the community. Matt Brenner taught me how to tell stories, particularly the
hard parts of turning ideas into realities that affect other people. Lady
Anne, Lady Cassia, and Myrddin taught me how to dance, which is a big part of
my life now, much as it seems small in the game.
What was your best
moment IC?
Sadly, I have a terrible memory. So many things I only
“remember” as stories that other people tell, rather than as memories of stuff
I did.
But I still distinctly remember a moment from the night
quest of What Fools, all those years ago. We had trekked out to the ritual
space in the woods, which was brightly lit with floodlights. Rebecca and Thomas
(now Dame and Mage, of Clan McKrye) had taken a few newbies under their wings
for the nightquest, and our group was just outside the lights, facing out and
watching the woods for trouble. And then, the lights went out, and almost
simultaneously I had Rebecca’s hand on my back, shoving me while she screamed
“Run!” I have never been so terrified and exhilarated, period. I remember
thinking, as I ran full-speed through the unfamiliar dark woods (hoping it was
the right way to the tavern), “I am so scared I can’t even scream!” I had no
idea what was happening (the Furies had just materialized), and it didn’t
matter. It turns out, Rebecca and Thomas were cursed earlier in the day so that
when the lights went out, they would be overwhelmed with fear and run for the
tavern, and they decided that it would be wise to stick near the newbies so as
to get them back safely too. I’m still grateful to them for thinking ahead that
way, even if it was metaknowledge. That, for me, is playing the game right --
knowing when to ignore metaknowledge, and when to accept that it can be useful
to make the game better. They were fully in-character and didn’t give anything
away or use the knowledge for their own gain, but also made the game more fun
for those around them.
Of course, another shining memory was being made a
Princess of Chimeron. There are no words for that sort of moment. It wasn’t
something I could even fathom beforehand. I had no idea what was coming when
King Cecil called me into his first court. I love Chimeron as an ideal and as a
group of people; it is the place where I belong, both in and out of character.
I hope there is a group somewhere in the Realms (official or not) for each
player to be a part of -- and a word to the new folks, it takes work to be part
of a group in that way, it doesn’t just happen by hanging around. When you get
an opportunity to meet folks in game, take it, and see what you can learn from
them. You really never know what may happen in the Realms.
What was your best
moment as a NPC/EH/Player?
Everything will be skewed toward fae plot, since that is
fresh in my feeble brain.
Most unexpected moment as an EH: the feast scene from Now
to ‘Scape the Serpent’s Tongue with the meat pies (yes, it makes me happy to
put people off of tasty food for years). Though really, that one wasn’t a
favorite for something I did personally -- I was one of the hosts at the
dinner, being as creepy and evil-fae as I could manage, and at one point Megan
Williamson, as a servant, did something with improper etiquette. We corrected
her, and told her to go flog herself and then get back to work. Totally
unexpectedly, a few moments later, Megan started slapping something out in the
darkness and shrieking each time. It was fantastic -- we hadn’t planned it, and
it was perfect for the mood. It was also terrible, because I had to try to act
like I was expecting it!
Most terrifying moment as an EH: Waiting for the
culmination of Cuchullain’s fight with the Oberons. Elly and I had finished up
our behind-the-scenes work and were standing in the field within earshot of the
epic fight happening in the clearing just on the other side of the treeline.
I’m pretty sure I joked about making Sean sleep on the couch if the NPC side
won this battle (both were real possibilities), because I am a wussy sort of
evil plotmaster and he is not. After a few tense minutes, Elly and I agreed
that we just couldn’t stand the anxiety, and we had to go off and clean another
part of the site to wait it out.
Best roleplaying moment no one saw: Olivia (Queen of
Argyle) and Paris (Duke of Magic, Jason Micciche) had a battle of wills over a
fae blade that had been dropped in the chaos of the Siege of Argyle. No PCs
were nearby. Paris was just picking it up -- and I leaped over and held
it down by the blade and told him there was no way he was taking it. We had a
little staring contest, and then he said with a nasty smile (that he does so
well),”Hurts, doesn’t it?” which is when I realized how I had grabbed the sword.
He hadn’t swung it, though, and I was too far into the role playing at the time
to do anything but smile and say “Yes, but you’re still not taking this”. And
for whatever reason, he let go. Did I rule-of-thumb it as the plotmaster? Yes.
Was it an amazing scene? Also yes. And my hand was “burned” for the rest of
that event (along with the whole country, alas… which was also awesome,
story-wise).
Best uncharacterizable NPC moment: Many years ago, the
players got into a war with the Seelie Court. We Seelie troops were running
around skirmishing with the players for hours… but then there was Tea Time.
Obviously, the Seelie have Rules for War, and they are very civilized. And at
Tea Time, everyone puts down their weapons, and takes Tea (this was how they
gave everyone a water/snack break). And once Tea is cleaned up, everyone resets
and goes back to killing each other to win the war. Sitting down the NPCs and
PCs together in the middle of the event was just so novel. I love the
unexpected moments the best, rather than the big final boss fights.
What would you like
to see changed or developed more in game?
This was the hardest question for me. I can’t think of
much that I think needs directed change. The most unpleasant part in my
experience was trying to line up enough NPCs to help out -- some events were
easy, but many were hard and run with a tiny crew. I’m not saying that folks
don’t NPC, they do. But figuring out a good system to get them to where they
are needed would make events better for everyone. I don’t know how to make that
easier (or maybe folks just didn’t often like NPCing for us?).
What advice would
you give new players?
I’m sure folks will disagree with me, but my advice is
that this game is not about winning. Sure, there are tournaments and evil
villains. But there is always another tournament, and there’s always the next
evil villain ready to destroy the Realms. This game is about camaraderie and
telling stories. Become a part of the community, and you’ll get to the bits
where you can win a piece of the game. Stick around. Listen.
Help out, even for a hour in the weekend (particularly
for clean-up). You will get to know people faster, and you’ll feel useful no
matter what happens the rest of the event. Don’t take one refusal to heart (the
timing often is just not right) -- offer again later. EHs will look forward to
seeing you at future events, which is a good thing.
What do you love
most about the game?
Since people have very rightly pointed out that the
community is paramount, I’ll highlight some other aspects. I love that we have
the flexibility to redefine our game, both at the top level but also within
each event and each group, to incorporate the brilliant ideas as they come
along. I love that we have ways of recognizing folks who do amazing, difficult,
and often thankless tasks, which doesn’t happen often enough in the ‘real
world’. I love working in the kitchen with a good staff. I love spending a
weekend doing absolutely absurd things like building gates out of hula hoops
and crepe paper, and strapping giant snake heads onto my friends. I love
telling stories. These things are important because the community collectively
believes they are, and that gives them real value even in a world of fantasy.
Also, feasts. Think of all the people in the world who
have never been to a feast!
Who would you like to see the next interview be with?
I’d like to hear more from some of the younger generation
of women fighters (I was one for years, and Rebecca almost killed me when I
told her I had learned a spell -- she assumed I was not in my right mind).
Luckily, there are many more to choose from now: Illy, Monique, and Tara come
to mind at the time of writing this.
Anything else you'd
like to take the opportunity to put into print?
Don’t lose your sense of wonder. The best parts of the
game are immersive, and you can’t be part of that if you’re being too cynical.
Those moments come from participation within the game, not from the staff or
the NPCs. You can learn a lot and not become jaded, at least for a long time.