What's It Do? What's It Do?

In this continuing View feature, we show you a picture of a theoretical magic item. Then you go back to Facebook and in the comments, invent your idea for the powers that this item would have.

Here is this week's item:

What do these amazing boots do? Go on back to social media and get your Magic Marshal on by letting us know!

Retrospective - Weapon Construction in 1991

The following three pages are scanned from a 1991 issue of The View from Valehaven. The publish date does not appear on the cover of this periodical though based on the upcoming event listings it was likely from May or June.

As you can see below the article pictured is talking about changes that were just made to the weapons construction rules for Realms boffers. The text was written by the Producing Editor at the time, Clarida Rose-Turner. 

As the game ramps back up into the summer season it's been clear that lots of new weapon construction innovation is taking place. Therefore we at the View thought it would be fun to look at what rules governed that construction over thirty years ago.

What in these rules struck you the most? Tell us about it back on social media.

Caption This

 Here's a photo from a Realms event lacking any specific context. Go on back to social media and comment with the best caption you can think of.

Battlecry!

 Battlecry!

This is a weekly bulletin for practices in the Realms.  Practices are one of the most important facets to the Realms, it is a place where many people are introduced to the game, as well as a place to enjoy the company and meet new members of the community.  Even if you are not a fighter, it is still a great form of exercise, as well as a way to hone your combat skills, which is an important skill for helping out at events while NPCing.  A lot of what makes a great combatant in the Realms has to do with muscle memory and building a good intuition for combat, which can only happen with consistent practice, so make sure to try and stop by your local practice as often as possible

Monday

Camelot Fight Practice (https://www.realmsnet.net/events/1858)

7:30pm-10:00pm

Details

• Practice consists of a mix of individual and group combat.

• Water refills are available if need be, bring your own container.

• Public restrooms available on site.

• Loaner weapons are very limited, plan on bringing your own.

• Masks are optional.

Important Notes

• None this week.

Weather

• Looks like the rain will clear out in time for practice, it is going to be cloudy and in the high 60’s.

Tuesday

Western Massachusetts Fight Practice (https://www.realmsnet.net/events/1857)

6:00pm-8:00pm - West Street Playground, Ludlow, MA

Details

• Practice consists of a mix of individual and group combat.

• Loaner weapons are not available.

• Water is not available, bring your own water.

• Public restrooms are available on site.

• Masks are optional.

• This is outdoors and inclement weather is very likely to limit attendance.

Important Notes

• None this week.

Weather

• It is going to be a great day for practice, partially cloudy in the mid to high 70’s.

Riverhawk Summer Fight Practice (https://www.realmsnet.net/events/1871)

5:30pm-10:30pm - Frothingham Park (15 Park St), North Easton, MA

Details

• Practice consists of a mix of individual and group combat.

• Loaner weapons are available.

• Water is not available, however there is a nearby convenience store.

• Public restrooms are available on site.

• Masks are recommended, but not required.

Important Notes

• None this week.

Weather

• It is going to be a great day for practice, partially cloudy in the mid to low 70’s.

Wednesday

Nashua Blackwood Fight Practice (https://www.realmsnet.net/events/1857)

4:00pm-8:00pm -Greely Park (Concord St), Nashua, NH

Details

• Practice consists of a mix of individual, squad, and line battles, as attendees prefer.

• Loaner weapons are available.

• There is no water on site, bring your own.

• Public restrooms are available on site.

• While a few people might be there around 4:00, 5:00 is a more likely time to get started.

• We set up near the grills and tables on the West side of Concord St, just off the access road to the north of the public restrooms.

• Masks are optional.

• This is outdoors and inclement weather is very likely to limit attendance.

Important Notes

• None this week.

Weather

• This week will be mostly sunny and in the high 70’s.

Central CT Fight Practice (https://www.realmsnet.net/events/1860)

6:00pm-9:00pm - Pierson Park, 5 West St, Cromwell, CT

Important Notes

• Practice consists of a mix of individual training and if attendees are interested, team combat and combat games.

• Loaner weapons available.

• Water fountains are available in season, best to bring your own drinking water however.

• Public restrooms available on site.

Updates

• None this week.

Weather

• It is going to be a hot one this week for practice this week, mostly sunny and in the mid to low 80’s.

Thursday

Stratham Hill Fight Practice (https://www.realmsnet.net/events/1859)

6:00pm-8:00pm - Stratham Hill Park, Stratham, NH

Important Notes

• Practice consists of individual combat for the first half, and ditch style team combat for the second half.

• Masks are optional.

• Loaner weapons are available.

• Water is available on site, but bring your own container.

• On-site bathroom.

Updates

• None this week.

Weather

• It is going to be a great day for practice this week, mostly sunny and in the 70’s.

South Shore Practice (https://www.realmsnet.net/events/)

7:00pm-9:00pm - 138 Hms Stayner Dr, Hingham, MA

Important Notes

• Most important thing is that this neighborhood has a lot of young kids so please be respectful of my neighbors with noise levels.

• Park either at the place or on the street and then you can walk up the ramp to the park. 

• Practice consists of individual combat for the first half, and ditch style team combat for the second half.

• Masks are strongly encouraged but not required.

• Loaner weapons are not available, be sure to bring your own.

• There is no public water on site, so please bring your own.

• There is no on-site bathroom.

Updates

• None this week.

Weather

• It is going to be a great day for practice this week, mostly sunny and in the high to mid 70’s.

I’m taking a week off from the featured drill this week, but it will return again next week.

Meme Monday

 by the Meme Team

The Adventurers Guild Presents - Inscription

 

The above information was provided by way of Zach S, Tucker N, and Pat B. If you have any questions about Inscription please feel free to post them back in social media and they will be happy to answer them.

Morning Coffee Break

Got your morning cup of coffee and a few minutes? Great! Time for our continuing feature at the View - we're going to be asking a series of questions and we want to know your answers! The question is posted below. So while you sip your morning beverage of choice, ruminate on this one:

Let's give some shoutouts to some of our pals. What's something really awesome about one of your character's friends, nation-mates, leaders, etc? What's something incredible that they've accomplished or something that makes them really special?

Head on back to social media and let us know in the comments!

Guess That Realmsie!

Another in our new series! In the below picture there is a Realmsie-shaped black hole. Can you figure out who it is based only on the profile? Tell us on Facebook if you think you know who it is! The answer will be revealed later in the day.

What You Missed - The Gilded Lion and Silver Branch Summer Festival

by Renee "Kindrianna" Booke 

It began as a lovely, albeit windy, day, and I was eager to get outside and enjoy myself at a festival that promised much merriment and fun. When I arrived, I was greeted by the sight of green Chimeronian banners and Rhiassan lions that proudly flanked both sides of the road. A sight that made me smile right away. 

I contented myself to greet friends and companions I had not seen in some time, enjoying their company and laughs. Sir Laika en'Naur and Lord Syruss of Neden, both accomplished weaponsmiths, were hard at work under the pavilion forging shields and blades alike while they mentored other adventurers in the craft. There were many fresh faces that I did not recognize, and some that I did. I reacquainted myself with the brave young Auroran, Margaret, whom I had met in Stonewood not too long ago, and we recounted our adventure there, with discussions of philosophy and faith while we didn’t have to worry about fighting for our lives.

I would be lying, however, if I didn’t admit that my favorite part of the day was the food. I was thrilled to indulge in two of my absolute favorite things in this world: chili cheese fries (the cheese melted by hand torch much to Lord Sir Aeston’s delight) and strawberry shortcake. I did discover, however, that apparently, I have been doing things wrong this entire time. Lord Sir Elwin was aghast that I did not have people to fetch me food and drink, and further, found it very odd that I should frequently hunt my own dinner in the forest. 

For entertainment, there were a series of tournaments and challenges, many of which I missed in my attempt to make up for lost time with friends. Fae Teatime seemed a relaxing delight in the meadow, and Mogar would be sad if he knew he had missed the battle boar that Dame Ellith led to the field. Dame Twenaria and I would have preferred to hug such an adorable creature, but it was all fired up and eager to fight, and many adventurers challenged it in teams of three to claim their prize. I also witnessed a survival challenge, in which small teams had to survive against a steady stream of respawning “monsters.” 

The Adventurer’s Guild also took the opportunity to introduce their new initiative: Inscription. Moving forward, heroes will have the opportunity to collect essences of varying attributes and commonalities to aid them in inscribing schema to create new scrolls. Rumor has it that the View from Valehaven will soon feature an article with more information on this topic, so I will leave this one to the experts.

On top of all of this, Sir Temorse began his search for an apprentice to train in combat and battlefield tactics through a contest. I found him hunched over some papers, analyzing the tactical minds of his prospective candidates, but he was willing to stop and share with me his theories of battle lines and where different weapon combinations were most effective in varying matchups. I found it quite an interesting discussion, but alas, second dessert was calling me.

All in all, I had a lovely time though the weather grew cold with the chill of the wind. I even spied our very own Realms celebrity gracing the crowd- the famous Madam Zarine, who looked as beautiful as ever despite best attempts to capture the back of her head with one of those magical elven portrait-taking devices. 

I look forward to the next time we gather in good spirit and good fun, goodness knows our dangerous lives could use a little more celebration.

Battlecry!

 Battlecry!

This is a weekly bulletin for practices in the Realms.  Practices are one of the most important facets to the Realms, it is a place where many people are introduced to the game, as well as a place to enjoy the company and meet new members of the community.  Even if you are not a fighter, it is still a great form of exercise, as well as a way to hone your combat skills, which is an important skill for helping out at events while NPCing.  A lot of what makes a great combatant in the Realms has to do with muscle memory and building a good intuition for combat, which can only happen with consistent practice, so make sure to try and stop by your local practice as often as possible

Monday

Camelot Fight Practice (https://www.realmsnet.net/events/1858)

7:30pm-10:00pm

Details

• Practice consists of a mix of individual and group combat.

• Water refills are available if need be, bring your own container.

• Public restrooms available on site.

• Loaner weapons are very limited, plan on bringing your own.

• Masks are optional.

Important Notes

• None this week.

Weather

• It’s going to be sunny this week, with temperatures ranging from low to high sixties.

Tuesday

Western Massachusetts Fight Practice (https://www.realmsnet.net/events/1857)

6:00pm-8:00pm - West Street Playground, Ludlow, MA

Details

• Practice consists of a mix of individual and group combat.

• Loaner weapons are/are not available?

• Water is not available, bring your own water.

• Public restrooms are available on site.

• Masks are optional?

• This is outdoors and inclement weather is very likely to limit attendance.

Important Notes

• None this week.

Weather

• It is going to be cloudy and in the high 60’s.  There is currently a chance of rain at the very end of practice, keep an eye out for updates.

Wednesday

Nashua Blackwood Fight Practice (https://www.realmsnet.net/events/1857)

4:00pm-8:00pm -Greely Park (Concord St), Nashua, NH

Details

• Practice consists of a mix of individual, squad, and line battles, as attendees prefer.

• Loaner weapons are available.

• There is no water on site, bring your own.

• Public restrooms are available on site.

• While a few people might be there around 4:00, 5:00 is a more likely time to get started.

• We set up near the grills and tables on the West side of Concord St, just off the access road to the north of the public restrooms.

• Masks are optional.

• This is outdoors and inclement weather is very likely to limit attendance.

Important Notes

• None this week.

Weather

• It is going to be cloudy and in the mid 60’s.  There is currently a chance of rain for the second half of practice, keep an eye out for updates.

Central CT Fight Practice (https://www.realmsnet.net/events/1860)

6:00pm-9:00pm - Pierson Park, 5 West St, Cromwell, CT

Important Notes

• Practice consists of a mix of individual training and if attendees are interested, team combat and combat games.

• Loaner weapons available.

• Water fountains are available in season, best to bring your own drinking water however.

• Public restrooms available on site.

Updates

• The day of the week of this practice has changed to Wednesday.

Weather

• It is going to be cloudy and in the high 60’s.  There is currently a chance of rain, keep an eye out for updates.

Thursday

Stratham Hill Fight Practice (https://www.realmsnet.net/events/1859)

6:00pm-8:00pm - Stratham Hill Park, Stratham, NH

Important Notes

• Practice consists of individual combat for the first half, and ditch style team combat for the second half.

• Masks are optional.

• Loaner weapons are available.

• Water is available on site, but bring your own container.

• On-site bathroom.

Updates

• None this week.

Weather

• It is going to be cloudy and in the high 60’s.  There is currently a chance of rain before practice, but set to end before it starts, keep an eye out for updates.

South Shore Practice (https://www.realmsnet.net/events/)

7:00pm-9:00pm - 138 Hms Stayner Dr, Hingham, MA

Important Notes

• Most important thing is that this neighborhood has a lot of young kids so please be respectful of my neighbors with noise levels.

• Park either at the place or on the street and then you can walk up the ramp to the park. 

• Practice consists of individual combat for the first half, and ditch style team combat for the second half.

• Masks are strongly encouraged but not required.

• Loaner weapons are not available, be sure to bring your own.

• There is no public water on site, so please bring your own.

• There is no on-site bathroom.

Updates

• None this week.

Weather

• It is going to be cloudy and in the high 60’s.  There is currently a chance of rain before practice, but set to end before it starts, keep an eye out for updates.

Featured Drill: Champion’s Gauntlet

The Champion’s Gauntlet is a unique drill where it really aims to test a single individual at a time.  This has been used in the past for people training for big single combatant tournaments, like the Blue Roses Blademaster, Queen of Hearts Champion/Aces, or the Order of the List Invitational.  It can also be run for multiple people in sequence as a friendly competition.  It can be run as both limited or unlimited, with unlimited being very challenging.  This drill will help the person in the gauntlet train their endurance, both physically and mentally.

The drill starts very much so like a bear pit, except the person in the bear pit does not change.  Your champion will take the field and all other opponents will form a line opposite of them.  One person at a time will step into the ring and fight the champion, and regardless of who wins, the champion’s limbs and armor reset and they remain in the ring.  As soon as the fight is over the next person immediately enters the ring.  This drill is meant to be fast paced.  There are a few ways to determine the length of this drill.  Simplest is to just set a timer, or go until the champion taps out.  If you want to run this in sequence with multiple champions, you can also run it until each champion loses 5 matches in a row, keeping track of how long they were able to remain in.

To increase the challenge even further, you can also change it so the champion is facing two opponents each fight, effectively using the setup from the 2v1 drill.  This is a good drill to test the mental endurance of the champion, as more likely than not they will lose the vast majority of these.  Overall, this is an excellent drill to run once in a great while, especially for those wanting to push their limits, however it is important to also know what is pushing too far so as not to injure yourself.