10 Questions - Jonathan "Johan" Bernard

Jonathan "Johan" Bernard

Photo by Erin Martin

How long have you been playing?

13 years (December 1998)

How has the game changed since you've been playing?

The game used to be much less of a sport then it's become today. I miss having bardics that were period to the renaissance age and a general deeper sense of culture present in the game.

Who have you learned the most from?

One of the biggest influences in my career was Kevin Betie (Cinnabar). I learned a great deal about commanding on a battlefield from him. I attribute my general level of comfort in most battle scenarios from watching and learning from him.

What was your best moment IC?

At the Tournaments of Creathorne in 2000, I helped to give field commands to a battle line that stretched across a field to prevent the Myth Drannor elves from breaching into the area where part of our force was performing a ritual. It was the first time that I felt totally immersed in the environment and forgot that I was playing a game.

What was your best moment as a NPC/EH/Player?

At the Tournaments of Creathorne in 1999, I was Warmark for a fledgling group called Dragonsbreath. At that event, I helped to lead my nation to take third place in the war tournament. We were bumped out of second place by the Borderlands army which was more than double our size but we held out for a good amount of time against them. I learned that I was comfortable commanding on the battlefield and that I worked well under pressure. This actually helped to boost my self confidence out of character. I attribute at least part of my success in managing people at my work to what I've learned from my leadership roles in the Realms.

Photo by Robyn C Nielsen

  


































What would you like to see changed or developed more in game?

The game could benefit by having more of an active monetary system. Currently there isn't a regular use for IC currency in the game and I think that adding a mercantile aspect to the game could give players something tangible to do with currency.

What advice would you give new players?

Don't be afraid to get involved and throw your ideas into the mix during events. Don't restrict your interactions to your own group of friends because you only restrict yourself from learning more about the game on a whole. Also, be sure to get involved in practices outside of events because it's the best way to meet other people in the game.

What do you love most about the game?

The game offers unrestricted possibilities of what you can be. I like that over the years we've seen a mixture of races with well developed backrounds.

Who would you like to see the next interview be with?

Jason Grey

 

Anything else you'd like to take the opportunity to put into print?

Not at this time

Eventholding: Tourney Events

How to Throw a Tourney Event
As with any event there are a number of questions that need to be answered for a tourney event to run smoothly.

What is your target audience?

What type of player goes to a Tourney event? There are two basic types, the stick-jock and the social player. The stick-jock will attend to hit other players; she is all about the combat. It is relatively easy to entertain the stick-jock; just throw a lot of fights at them. The social player is there to hang out with everyone else. There is little to nothing you can do for the social player; they actually do not require much attention. However, one thing to remember is to make sure to allow people to watch the fights; hold them somewhere visible and where an audience can get comfortable while watching. The social players will then have something to do, as well those combatants waiting for their name to be called for a tourney.

The View From Vilehaven

Good Guy Campaign Launched

As Reported by I. S. Noop

In an effort to counteract the “coolness” of being evil within the Realms, the Organization of Good Guys has launched a campaign extolling the virtues of being a “good guy”.  At the beginning of the year they released their “Just say no to evil” campaign, but that has been met with derision and apathy.  Even members within the organization called the measure weak and ineffectual.  The new campaign is called, “It’s cool to be a good guy!”

The organization has now planned a series of bake sales to be held in various kingdoms of the Realms.  Along with the bake sales there will be lectures and question-and-answer forums for those interested in the “good guy” way of life.  Topics to be included are “What do you do when they call you a wuss?”, “It’s ok to kill an orc…if the orc swings first” and “White, the other color.”

Grimloch has since announced they are making bake sales illegal within their lands.

Elf and Gnoll by Carrie "Kree" Dolph

Question of the Week - 20

What new weapon type would you like to see incorporated into the Realms (such things as flails, nunchucks, 10' pikes, etc)?

Blast From the Past - Part 2

Queen of Hearts

Lady Anne (Anne Livermore) and the Savage Beast (Tom Johnson)

Shane (Colin Campbell) and Bane (Misty Kuprevich)

Eventholding: How to Get NPCs

How to Get NPCs

In my last part I discussed the need to utilize a number of people in important positions in order for an event to run smoothly. However, what can an Eventholder do to get a fair number of personnel for their event? Also, since the Realms is a combat intensive system, having someone for the players to combat, especially in a quest event, is important, so how does an Eventholder get enough “crunchy” NPCs?

Through the years I have seen various methods for gathering NPCs, some of which work better than others. Here are a few…