by Eric "Rosetta" Willisson
Part of why I love the Realms is that nothing can compare, for me, to the feeling of actually being there, on the field or in the forest, feeling myself move through the world and really taking in my surroundings.
Of course, this always involves suspending disbelief a little. The floor of Riley Commons has been both grounds of a village I lived in for five years, and a bottomless pit. I chatted with Keiro Rei spirits in the same amphitheater where I once watched a statue berate her lieutenants. And I find Rosetta's Magic Missiles are a little more like beanbags than I think he'd prefer them to be.
When I playtested the first RealmsCraft Questing, I was delighted to discover that, while it requires suspension of disbelief like any other event, Minecraft really does capture key parts of the "being a person in a place" feeling that I love. I've been down into a mine where a massive eye stared forebodingly at me, I've crossed a collapsing bridge across lava, and I've taken a ship to a port town. I've hidden behind fighters while flinging Magic Missiles, and I've dragged bodies to get them somewhere safe to be raised. It's amazing how real it can feel despite just sitting at a keyboard. I've even noticed we tend to follow familiar patterns when we show up: at first, the gathered adventurers are ready for everything but not taking anything very seriously, and then we get pulled into the day's quest, buying into the plot and the circumstances and becoming focused on immediate problems like "it's dark and rainy out and there are zombies everywhere, will we be able to cross the island safely?"
Of course, Minecraft doesn't do this alone. The RealmsCraft Questing team have accomplished amazing things, encompassing not only dreaming up and writing out the event plots, but also shaping huge parts of Minecraft worlds to convey their visions, and programming the event so everything works. From the Minecraft event I helped create, I have some sense of just how large a task this can be. Each RealmsCraft event has been more impressive than the last, and I can't wait to see what they've cooked up for the finale.
Do read the description: they put important stuff in there! Then join me as we explore the coast, defend a town, and fight a necromancer, (almost) just like old times.