September 18, 2004
I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Princess Tarissa, leader of Blood of the Ancients (Clan 89). Her clan has recently sistered to Lords of the Setting Sun (Town 39) from The Knights Templar (Town 6). Here is what Tarissa had to say.
Liyin: Tell us about how you started on Medievia and what brought you here.
Tarissa: Well, wayyyyy back when, I was part of an online gaming guild for Starcraft and Diablo. The guild wanted to incorporate Medievia into the organization, and so a bunch of us started on it. I ended up being the only one that really stuck with Medievia.
Liyin: So, how long have you been playing now and how did you get to join your current clan?
Tarissa: I've been playing Medievia for five to six years now ... never really kept track. I joined 89 to be with my mud husband, and when he retired, I stuck with the clan taking over leader position, and building it from there. It's been an awesome journey.
Liyin: Any idea why 89 is called Blood of the Ancients?
Tarissa: It was originally made to be sistered to old 90, Blood of the Fallen. I believe it came to be Blood of the Ancients to continue its sister's legacy.
Liyin: Is leading a clan all that you expected it to be? Why or why not?
Tarissa: Well, when I first started leading 89, it was definitely a lot of work. I rebuilt 89 three or four times, completely cleaning out inactives and mass enrolling people. At that point it was a *lot* more work than I had anticipated. But now that we have an awesome group of people enrolled here, it's become a lot easier. It's fun, and it's exactly what I wanted it to be.
Liyin: On a scale from 1 to 5 how would you rate yourself as a clan leader?
Tarissa: I'd say a 4.5. It took a lot of work to build the clan, but after I started getting very loyal members, it was their work too. I do not believe anyone is 'perfect' at leading - we are, after all, human :)
Liyin: You mentioned earlier that when you first took over leadership of 89, you had been busy cleaning out inactives, and then enrolling people. What are your expectations of your clan members?
Tarissa: The expectations I have are very simple. I'd like clannies to be active, of course, but mainly, I prefer people who are willing to help out and just play the game for what it is - a game. I don't expect people to log on every day and do 100 things. Sometimes they just want to sit and chat, and that's what type of clan I wanted - a very relaxed atmosphere, and an atmosphere that everyone feels welcome to.
Liyin: Describe a typical day for your town, and for the clan.
Tarissa: In the mornings/afternoons, generally clan and town are pretty relaxed because most people are at work or school. There are the few that have the opposite time zone, and they're on and doing stuff like experiencing or trade running. In the evenings, 89 has a lot of activity, and we do practically everything - or sometimes nothing if we all just want a night to relax. Town is very active as well in the evenings, they're usually, again, experiencing or looking for a trade run. One thing though, in evenings, we usually are on a dragon lair or two if they are run, we are big dragon lair fans :)
Liyin: Do you tax your clan members? If so, how much and what do taxes go towards?
Tarissa: Definitely not. I believe that a person should donate to the clan if they want to, not because they have to. Sometimes, if we require money for something (such as building on the clantown), I will run a trade-run drive and they will donate what they want, and there will be prizes at the end of the trade drive. It's just a little inspiration. Even if I didn't have prizes, clannies understand we need a bit more money sometimes, and they donate at will. They are really great in that regard. (well, and all other regards too!)
Liyin: So many people get caught up in just what material items a clan can get them, like maximum stats or money - how do you feel about that?
Tarissa: It happens. I have based 89 around friendship and trust, and I feel we have that very, very well established. My clannies know that I don't care if we have a high rank, and that I'd rather have a 0 rank and a friendly clan than one that strives for everything to be number one. Having said all that, though, it is really nice to have the added luxury of having the clan material items, we trade a bunch so we can have money, but it's never a serious cut throat competition.
Liyin: You have recently sistered to town 39. Can you share with us what brought about the decision to leave your old town, and choose town 39 instead (over other towns)?
Tarissa: Well, there was some tension in our other town, and it was causing some trouble. As a clan, we decided on clantown 39 because we were already allied with them and it made the most sense to move to somewhere we already had a foundation of friendship.
Liyin: How has the situation been for your clan in your new clantown?
Tarissa: It's been taken really well so far. Of course, at first, it took a little adjusting, since the town we were in and our current town are very, very different. I'm very pleased at the warm welcoming our town has provided for us, and my clannies and I are excited to be here.
Liyin: Do you have any words of wisdom or advice for aspiring clanleaders or co-leaders?
Tarissa: When starting out, be prepared to devote a lot of time to your clan. You really, really learn how to give when you are a clan leader. Don't give up if things don't go well the first year of having your clan - it takes a lot of time. The best thing to do when starting a clan is to find a coleader that you can easily agree with, have serious debates about things, and understand each other easily.
Liyin: Do you have any concluding remarks or anything else you would like to add? Tarissa ponders intensely.
Tarissa: Just to enjoy Medievia for what it is - a game.
I'd like to thank Tarissa for allowing me to interview her for the Mudslinger. I would also like to wish her and her clan all the best, and may it find success in her new town.
For more information of her clan, you may want to check out http://www.medievia.com/clans/clan89.html and http://www.geocities.com/clanbota89.
A Note from Kimetan, MudSlinger Interview Editor:
Is your clan interested in being featured in the Clan Spotlight? Sharing in the limelight is easy! All you have to do is submit a MedWeb Clan Page, if you haven't done so already, and send me (Kimetan) an e-mail expressing your interest in an interview!
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