Ian "Bright" Pushee
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| Photo by Melissa Fitzgerald |
How long have you been playing?
Since King of Rogues in mid 1997 (more than 14 years).
How has the game changed since you've been playing?
This feels like a cop-out answer... but I really think the Realms si basicly the same game I joined just out of high school. Sure, the magic system is different, innumerable rules change every year, the quality and quantity of questing events waxes and wanes, and the face are constantly changing. But it's kind of a "the more things change, the more they stay the same", I can't think of any fundamental way that the game is different now from what it was back then.
Who have you learned the most from?
This is a really tough question to answer -- I credit the game with a lot of my personal growth in the past 14 years, and it's not one single person that has done that for me, but rather the general game experience and community. If I had t pick one person who has most influenced where Bright is today: Jony Balboni. Form the "I wan't to be able to do that" moment of watching Stuart carve holes in walls with an etch-e-scetch, to Borjid's self-depricating battle cry of "Daggers to the fore!", Jony's characters have always set a great example of how to be a powerful and memorable mage, without overshadowing your comrades.
What was your best moment IC?
It wasn't really a 'moment', but the process of petitioning for the Spirit Council was probably the most memorable and influential experiences I've had in character. The vows Bright swore and the spirit which chose him has had a profound impact on the adventurer he has become.
What was your best moment as a NPC/EH/Player?
The most fun I had NPCing was probably at Kelly's first event. Shaun Stoddard and I were playing imps under the control of Mike Amend's demon. We hid in a tree as Mike greeted/taunted the PCs, and jumped out on his signal, cackling. We continued cackling maniacally for the rest of the night, pretty much non-stop. I hear it was rather creepy for the PCs :)
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| Photo by Robyn Otter Nielsen |
What would you like to see changed or developed more in game?
In game, I'd like to see more leadership. Especially on quests, it seems that people are less and less willing to take responsibility for the adventuring party as a whole. We are ever more likely to blunder through the quest, hoping that the right information gets to the right people at the right time for everything to work out. We are ever more likely to segregate into national groups, rather than working for the common world-saving goal of the day.
What advice would you give new players?
Figure things out for yourself. Don't wait for people to hand you
information, they are probably all just as clueless as you.
What do you love most about the game?
The questing. Every weekend is a chance for someone new to tell a story close to their heart. Every weekend is a chance for new heroes to be made. The Realms is a perpetual and ever evolving mythos... and I love that we all have our own equally important part to play in it.
Who would you like to see the next interview be with?
Carrie Dolph.
Anything else you'd like to take the opportunity to put into print?
Let it be recorded for all time: if you are having any sort of trouble with RealmsNET... send me an email. I have the memory of a goldfish and will most likely forget any issues you tell me at an event!
