by Pat "Saka" Bobell
Why do I want to go to the second installment of Countess Naralia's Fun & Games this weekend? The short answer is because I went to the first one!
I got to participate in a series of excellent tournament fights against challenging opponents, including my first-ever attempts at spear-and-shield and Corsican Mug! The single and group fights were all a lot of fun, and well-fought by all competitors.
I also enjoyed the food and refreshments provided by Countess Naralia and her excellent team, as well as camp food and baked goods brought by other attendees to share with everyone there!
The questing tournament was particularly well done - teams of four could attempt a small simulated dungeon throughout the day, attempting to complete it in the fastest time. It was built to require a well-rounded mix of mental and martial prowess with some great puzzle elements that I'd never seen before! Going in with a crew of folks I hadn't quested with before added a novel element of team building, and I was impressed by how the dungeon design highlighted the individual contributions of each person in our ragtag band.
The rest of the event I spent relaxing with lots of friends - some who I see all the time, many who I don't see often enough, and a few who I met for the first time that day. Some of the talk was about threats to the Realms, and some of it was about our plans for future adventures. But some of it too was about growing families, projects we were excited to be working on, and friends we missed having there with us.
It's rare these days that I go to a Realms event for the sole purpose of seeing friends and enjoying the day together, but last year's inaugural event was an excellent opportunity for our community to do just that. I look forward to seeing what fun and games are in store for us this year!