by Lani "Gwen" Jones
When I was a newbie so many years ago, one of the things that we were taught as we learned about the Realms was that events came in three different categories; it was a quest, a tournament, or a feast. I know I was taught that because my own mentors learned that when they began, and probably their own predecessors were taught that as well. It makes a lot of sense, but in recent years it's clear that that old wisdom no longer holds true.
You just can't fit all Realms events inside neat little boxes like that and while it's true that while many events can be categorized into those classic concepts, a greater and greater number cannot. And I think that's great! A Realms event is whatever the event holder wants it to be, as long as people want to go and they know they're going to have a great time. There's no better example of that than the Clontarf Shuffle this coming weekend.
Gambling has been a mainstay of our community since I started and long before, and in the years I've been around I've seen it get highlighted more are more. This is an event that celebrates gambling and gaming, has a focus on teaching newer players how to engage in that part of the Realms, and at the same time raises money for a great cause, Wild Response! There will be tons to do, and you don't even have to have gold to partake in the gaming fun.
And it's not just gambling to look forward to. Lady Kyomi will be serving amazing food all day, there will be Blackwood themed questing, there will be board games to play, Rhiassa Cub Care will be making sure the kids in attendance have a great time, and there is something about a locked room in the castle that needs unlocking... seems very interesting indeed.
So the place to be this weekend is Clontarf. I'm positive it's going to be a great time and I know that with so much to do and so many great friends around I absolutely really want to go. I hope you do too!