How long have you been playing?
This October will be four full years for me, at Black & White.
How has the game changed since you've been playing?
Magic has changed a good amount, although to be fair I didn't really know much if anything about it during my first two years. Also, I've seen the rise of bamboo weapons go from being used sparsely to becoming very common.
Who have you learned the most from?
I think I have to give credit to Jason Rosa. His leadership at the UConn practices really drove me to become as involved as possible in Realms, and his love for the game really shows. I've learned all the basics from him, and without that and his willingness to devote so much to the group I don't know if I would've found my footing in Realms when I started.
What was your best moment IC?
Oooh that's a tough one. I've had a lot of really fun moments, but I'd have to say that my best was during a Feast of Chimeron where we were being assaulted by Bedlam. We were facing two monsters who were basically indestructible and wielding a boulder in each hand, swinging it around and around. We as a questing party had begun to run low on resources, and it was late into the night, and although some had figured out how to defeat the monsters, it was very difficult. In order to affect them, you needed to hit them to get their attention, they would come charging after you, and you would need them to smash into one another - both charging. We as a questing party had achieved that once or twice, but that would only keep them down for a few moments. Having seen these Bedlam creatures before, I had one of my best moments where I was able to taunt both of the monsters to come slamming into one another. I rolled out of the way, and with them on the ground warned those nearby of the impending explosion. I took their two amulets and brought them together, killing the three of us. Especially at the end of what had been a long quest, it felt pretty good.
What was your best moment as a NPC/EH/Player?
One of my most memorable moments as an NPC was one of my first times doing so. It was my first Folkestone Questing, and although I had originally planned on PCing, I was convinced into NPCing by the Ashenmark crew, a bunch of people who I had never met before. Our part was as Drow assassins, and I was grouped together with Steven, Paul, and Kyle following our Drow Queen - Kelly. During the night quest (my first night quest), the PCs were tasked with another danger other than the Drow, but our crew was still out in the woods, there to sneak up on and scare the players. It worked. During one of these sneak attacks, we came across two spellcasters, one of whom was carrying a 6'6" for a friend. So shocked by our attack, he swung at us with the restriction-breaking weapon, and had to rapidly call "Don't take that! Don't take that!" It was hilarious.
What would you like to see changed or developed more in game?
I'd love to see the magic system continue to develop. This past year was my first time at the EHC, and being there allowed me to see a lot of the inner workings and potential changes to our rule system. I loved the blacksmith change that went into affect this year, and I look forward to seeing things develop more and more as we as a community find what works and what doesn't.
What advice would you give new players?
Talk to everybody. I think a lot of us are worried when we first start and stick just to the people that we know, or our friend(s) who brought us into the game. There are so many different groups, some of which are contained in nations of some of which span across them. I don't think you can really know what nation or group would really fit you best until you've spoken to a wide variety of people. Realms has a diverse group, get out there and find them! Also feel free to talk to me!
What do you love most about the game?
It has to be the community. For me, I've never had an experience with any other LARP system, but often times what I hear is that they have much more expensive events that are much less frequent. For me, that's one of the best things about our game. Since we have so many events, we're all able to spend a ton of time in and out of character with all of these people. This allows us to really build friendships even from people who we only know through Realms, and who live several hours (or states) away from us. As a deep-south Connecticut person, I never would've guessed that I'd have some of my best friends living in New Hampshire, but Realms has made that happen. This game would be nothing without our community, and it's fantastic. Who would you like to see the next interview be with?
I'd love to see if Tyler "Jager" Sharnick would do one!
Anything else you'd like to take the opportunity to put into print?
Hi Mom!