10 Questions- Zach "Rubis" Senchuk

Photo by Angela Gray

How long have you been playing?
Queen of Hearts 2006 was my first event, so a little over 8 years now.

How has the game changed since you've been playing?
The game adopted 2 new weapon cores since my time playing, first graphite and then now bamboo. Armor has become extremely accessible with more people making leather armor and how cheap and easy ( but time consuming) it is to make neoprene shirts, or for a bit more money to get shark-mail. Newer players seem to pick up armor quicker than when I started. I remember thinking the people with armor were so cool.

Who have you learned the most from?
Angela Earle Gray or Phoenix of Folkestone has been my mentor for close to 6 years, I have learned so much more than I ever knew I would when I first accepted the Squire-ship. I can't thank her enough for all the lessons learned, and some of them not so easily. She has helped me become a better player but was also a huge influence in my life in times where I was very much growing up. I see a lot of things in the game differently and expanded to become friends with different kinds of people from every corner of the game, that opportunity is priceless.
A couple honorable mentions have to be written about because like Phoenix, Jason Gray or Malaki of Folkestone has been there the whole way through my squireship both in and out of game just like Phoenix and his perspective and teachings still carry through to when I teach people the things I've learned.
The second honorable mention goes out to Alexander Sokolowski or Airivarri Nosetti who initially stepped up and vouched to keep me safe so my mother would let her 11-14 year old son go out and hit people with plumbing supplies.

What was your best moment IC?
My favorite moment was playing Rubis Nosetti at the event Return to Mythdrannor. To set the tone of the event, it was a 24 hour live quest that had no camp to store anything, so everything you intended to use that weekend had to be carried on you or hidden well enough that the NPCs looking for bags of stuff couldn't find them and steal everything you brought (a mistake I made early in the event). 12 adventurers including myself set out to explore the lands of Mythdrannor, filled with Demons, Goblins and Dark Elves people had to be very careful how they traveled. Piper Lightfoot

Photo by Robyn Nielsen

and I made friends with the 3 Drow that were wandering about also trying to collect these tokens that combined to form a runic key that allowed us into an abandoned elf fortress. It was very dark when this was completed, and one of the drow (Played by Jamie Banecroft) and I were well ahead of the group. We balanced across acid pits, dodged traps and snuck past squatting sentries that had taken residency. Being the only PC I had to be careful, but that idea went out the door when we came upon a caravan. Fearing for himself the drow told me to go in alone, the caravan entrance covered in cloth making the already dark night pitch black upon entering the wagon. Being very scared I inched through the cloth waiting for something to jump out at me, when nothing did I started to feel around the wagon, to my surprise I found a chest. Excited I lift the chest and dump the contents on my lap. Being thirsty and hungry I was excited to find food and water in the chest, along with an urn, an unidentified dagger, a pair of gloves, and a glowstick still in the wrapper. Eager to find out what the dagger was I immediately cracked the glowstick still in the wrapper and then peeled the wrapper off. With the new white light I inspect my surrounding area to get a better sense of my haul, only to be suddenly petrified with fear as everything in my vision ebbed and flowed. My legs, the walls and the ground moved like a black tide- I was engulfed in a small pond of 10,000 beetles. Ten. Thousand. Beetles. Like you might imagine I screamed at the highest pitch I have ever achieved in my life and I quickly started swatting at the beetles whilst I stood up. Still screaming and swatting at my legs, shirt, shoes and anywhere else I thought I might have felt something moving- all while running out of the the caravan. Jamie was outside dying of laughter and fuck you's were exchanged. The story gets better only when I elaborate that the black beetles turned out to be lady-bugs, and that Rubis is a sissy.

What was your best moment as a NPC/EH/Player?

Sneeky the Assassin is my favorite NPC to play. He is a re-occuring NPC that I've played over the years if staff has enough npc's for the main path or encounter and I am free to entertain the back of the questing party. He's a dagger caster with Assassin blade, Poison Weapon, Armor Piecing, Shapeshift, Feign Death, Heal Limb, and Seed of Life. I very VERY obviously sneak up on the back of the questing party, prancing and rolling behind trees, hiding behind saplings etc. If I get to the pc group without being spotted and pointed out I would use the assassin blade to hit someone. More often then not that wouldn't happen. In times where I would find pc's left behind is where I would seed them, and sometimes steal some of their garb and shapeshift into them roleplaying with the pc's as if I were one of them. I enjoy the lightheartedness of the character, he out of all of the npc's I've played makes me feel like I'm creating a good time for the questing party vs being an obstacle.

Photo by Robyn Nielsen

What would you like to see changed or developed more in game?
I would love to see a push towards having more and more garb for basic crunchies. I think it's the part of staff PC's interact with most during an event and more garb for them would help immerse people. I have seen things like this happening at Ashenmark and Rhiassa events (sorry if I missed your events and you do this) and I enjoyed the impact it had on me as a player.

What advice would you give new players?

To explore the game. I think the things you learn from different parts of the game are valuable in improving how you play regardless of where it is. To meet a few veterans who become comfortable around you. Having a couple veteran players who can help you become more incorporated with the community is a great opportunity to feel connected quicker.  Be humble, I think a lot can be said for players who are open to listening and implementing suggestions and lessons older players may be trying to give them. Learn how to fight, regardless if you don't want do tournies or npc, being able to take shots and throw them safely is the most important skill in the game.

What do you love most about the game?

I love the community. I can go to most parts of New England and have somewhere to stay within 30

Photo by Jesse Gifford

minutes of where I am if an emergency happens. When something unfortunate takes its toll on a community member we come together to try and help that person, and that we promote a lot of skills transferable into the real world while making it fun to learn those skills. We are there to celebrate when fortune strikes a community member and we are there to help those things happen.  Above all that I personally feel connected because I grew up playing this game, and across multiple moves, new school friends, new sports I've played, new games I like, new hobbies I've picked up over the years- Realms has been the thing that has stayed the same, and I can't express how much I am happy that this game is a rock.

Who would you like to see the next interview be with?

John Tisdale, Zack Reynolds, Matt Butler, Nicole Laroche, Illy Golden, Peter King, Chalan Whelan, Josh Whelan, Paul Tilton, Steve Yazinka

Anything else you'd like to take the opportunity to put into print?
Look forward to telling and hearing more stories around a fire. :)