April 10, 2011

We're Getting th Band Back Together!
by Loreis

Over the past few days, echoes have reverberated across Medievia, encouraging players to talk to friends, show them Medievia, and help them get started in this amazing world. I've done my part, promoting Medievia on my Facebook page, and chatting with friends about my experiences within the game. One of the topics that has come up is how one makes friends in Medievia, and if those friendships last. Well, if today is any indication, yes, those friendships last a long time.

In a few previous articles, I have mentioned a player named Sjif. Sjif was one of the first people I ever met in Medievia, and thanks to him, I learned how to fight, how to stay alive and what a clan was all about. Sjif was co-leader of a now retired clan, The Iron Enclave. The other leader was Tenen, and these two were instrumental in my "newbie" experiences in Medievia. We were friends, in the truest sense of the word, even after I left The Iron Enclave, and Tenen made it one of his missions to yell at me across the wilderness every chance he got. Both of them retired a few years ago, and I thought neither of them would return.

Imagine my surprise and happiness when they BOTH not only returned, but wound up in my town! Sjif and I spent part of the afternoon attempting to unravel the many mysteries of Villa Ohala (two down, about forty to go), running from safe zone to CPK and back, murdering hapless blockers and avoiding growling children and angry squirrels. Then, this evening, Tenen asked for help with Khrait, and Sjif, Kwexicon and myself boarded Mystic Marauder, ready for fun and profit. It was like the old days, except, as Sjif laughingly had pointed out earlier, he no longer had to remind me to sneak. We died, naturally, again, just like the old days, but were triumphant as the DM announced the destruction of the Khrait to the world. It brought me back to time in Medievia when I was still learning, still figuring out the intricacies of the game, and reminded me that I could not have made it as far as I have without the two of them.

I know I speak often of the relationships that I have forged here in Medievia, but I cannot think of a better time to remind us all that this game is a rare thing. Yes, you can play other games, which charge a monthly fee, have graphics and are about as shallow as can be. Or, you can log onto Medievia, read the Learn Module, receive help from an Avatar, meet a God or two, and odds are that you will meet your Sjif, or your Tenen, or your Bludekyn. You will find a clan so perfect, so helpful, that you will wonder how you ever enjoyed any other game. And five years from now, you will still have the same friends, a massive bloodline filled with your children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and more-people you chose to enhance your Medievia family.

We have people who have played for twenty years. People who used Telnet to connect, because we didn't have scripts yet. People who have the first clanitems in the game, people who remember the old Gods, the ones who started it all. We have Vryce, who chats with us, and listens to us, and encourages us to help him mold the next generation of Medievia. We have quests the likes of which you will not find anywhere else. And, most importantly, we have friendships that span not only distance but time. When Ramachakra bounds through the post office and ruffles my hair, or Andreb gives me a bear hug at the fountain, or Falconelli sends me the coolest gift, just because I asked him what it was, or Sjif, Tenen, Kwexicon and I wind up in Davey Jones's locker, it reminds me what an astonishing place Medievia is. And we want you to be a part of it, we want to show you and your friends exactly why we have had people for decades playing this game.

We're getting the band back together-come on in, and play awhile!

Loreis-out