Re: Encounter XP awards
First, sorry for not being around much lately - I've had a fever for most of the week, and a pretty bad headache along for the ride, as well. Still not feeling better, but there's not much I can do besides taking some very mild medications. I've tried to keep up in some of my games, but for the most part, I've simply been trying to recover (while preparing for a job interview I had earlier today - *crosses fingers*). Like I said, still not feeling any better, but that's life. Since I'm trying to keep myself awake (I didn't sleep for more than an hour or two last night), I might as well follow Lys here, then...
Hi, my name is Marius, born and raised in Tromsø, Norway, north of the arctic circle. I met Aelynia's player online through this site over two years ago now, we instantly hit it off, and became good friends - before falling in love with each other, despite the fact that she was at that point still married to an abusive, selfish bastard. (Sorry, hon, don't mean to curse, but that's about as 'nice' as I can be when describing him. :p) We were finally able to meet in person for the first time last summer, though the visit wasn't nearly long enough, and now we're working to make enough money to apply for a fiancé visa (she's a substitute teacher and mother of three, while I'm a student desperately trying to find a steady job, so it's harder than it may sound), planetickets, wedding ceremony, and so on. It's tough, but we're working through it, and I have no doubt in my mind or heart that we're doing the right thing.
I don't remember just how I discovered RPoL - I just remember that I did, and joined a solo-game that didn't last too long. I joined many games, but they all seemed to fold (with very few exceptions), but I liked the site enough to stay with it, still. When I first joined RoA, I was actually not thrilled about it at all - I'd sent my sheet for approval, months passed by without a word, and disgruntled, I took it off my sticky. Occationally, I'd get PMs for clean-ups, and I never responded, willing to let them delete me. But, for some reason, when I next came to this part of RPoL, I was still listed as a PC. I joined as a DM, taking one half of the Amn/Sword Coast South region that was heading for a big, climactic encounter, around the summer of 2006. Looking back at it, now, I'm a bit surprised at how few DMs are still around from back then - HackDoc, Raven, and BadCatMan are the only ones I can think of, in fact. So, while I don't feel like I've been around for too long, I've seen a lot of DMs and players come and go, and somehow, I got suckered into taking over as co-Head DM when Mike had to step down, along with BCM. :p Thinking back on it makes me feel old, heh, even though I'm probably one of the youngest people in RoA... but then again, I've always been a grumpy old man inside, who wants to yell at the kids to get off his lawn. :D
These days, I run three regions in RoA, but honestly, my heart isn't as much in it as it used to be - with the news of D&D 4E coming out, my enthusiasm for the game fell to an all-time low, especially concerning how they're treating the FR setting. I'd say that I'm a bit burned out on roleplaying in general, if it wasn't for the Star Wars Saga Edition of the d20 SW RPG which I got my hands on earlier this year, and absolutely loved. I always liked Star Wars (original trilogy only! :p) more than Lord of the Rings, and I was amazed by how balanced, well-designed and easy to play the new rules were - and how much fun playing the game was. I still play D&D, but that's more than anything because of the characters, not because of the rules, which I've grown more and more annoyed by in general, especially whenever I come into contact with powergamers and rules-lawyers. :|
My favorite character: A tie between Chave, Beguiler Extraordinaire, and Isiah, Red Wizard of Thay (well, almost, anyway :p). They're both RoA characters, and to me, they're so 'real' (in a very flamboyant and outlandish way, in Chave's case! :p) that whenever I sit down to write posts for them, it doesn't take a concious effort on my part - the characters write themselves. Both are a lot of fun to play, and definitely social characters, certainly nothing like the calm and quiet Joseph here. :p Isiah is loyal to the Red Wizards of Thay, though when it comes to ethics and morals, he's a few steps above the majority there - and the fact that he's got the hots for the paladin in the group is certainly going to help affect his view of the world. Chave, on the other hand, is a blowing leaf, going where the wind takes him, currently in Chessenta. He's a liar, a thief, a crook, who's in it for himself. He's definitely smitten by the group's priestess of Corellon, though, so he's doing his best to appear heroic enough for her to like him. :p
And you thought you wrote a lot? :p I'll stop rambling now, hehe. I'll see if I can't work up an IC post for Joseph sometime this weekend.
