Gaiscioch Magazine - Issue 11 by Gaiscioch Magazine

Gaiscioch Magazine Issue 11, 2016

he holiday season always brings forth price drops, new game announcements, and a wealth of new titles to our gaming library. This past November marked a very special year for the Gaiscioch community as we celebrated our 15th year. In this issue we tell the story of our community and all the different things we have our hands in.

Magazine Staff Gaiscioch Magazine is a quarterly, volunteer driven, no-profit, digital magazine for game developers and enthusiasts alike. Managing Editor & Layout Foghladha Senior Editors:

Benjamin Foley

Founder & Managing Editor Gaiscioch Magazine foghladha@gaiscioch.com

Follow the Gaiscioch Magazine Online at: http://gsch.info/mag Learn more about the Gaiscioch Family at: http://gsch.info/ Discord: http://gsch.info/voice Facebook: http://gsch.info/facebook Twitter: http://gsch.info/twitter

For this issue’s feature stories we managed to catch up with Enayla Cosplay, SpecialEffect, Game Changers, streamer AngerBeard and professional gamer James Dean. We also take an in depth look at the benifits of gaming that mainstream media seem to ignore. We dive into RIFT with a new player guide, a guide to rift currencies and a guide to the nightmare saga. Be sure not to miss our announcement of the return of the Telara Saga, a 10-week public community event hosted by Gaiscioch. Deeper within the magazine we have a hands on sneak preview of Shu, Lost Ember and Yesterday Origins. We take a look at some of the latest games to become available including Tiger Knight Empire War, Yomawari Night alone, Sims 4: City Life, Ori and the Blind Forest and We Happy Few.

Jairone Editors / Columnists: Carwyn Eiahn GmaFog GpaFog Izmina Lakshmi MrFallenAngel Robdalf Samethyst Screenager Shea Soren SwordandKeyboard Twilah

I hope you enjoy this issue and thank you for your support over the years. Be sure to register at http://gsch. info/mag for your chance to earn loot and win prizes. We finally got the site setup to begin hosting raffles!

Google+: http://gsch.info/google YouTube: http://gsch.info/youtube

Slán go fóill!

Beam.pro: http://gsch.info/beam

Gilliebod

2017 is ramping up to be the year we put massively back into multiplayer games and we’ve got your first look at 16 Massively Multiplayer games paving the way.

We welcome you to send us your feedback at: magazine@gaiscioch.com. Thanks again for supporting our publication!

Twitch.tv: http://gsch.info/twitch

Briseadh

Join the Gaiscioch Magazine volunteer team by visiting: http://gsch.info/mag Send guest articles, art, requests, comments and feedback to: magazine@gaiscioch.com Please Note: All correspondences from Gaiscioch will come from an email address on the “@gaiscioch.com” domain ONLY.

COVER STORY:

Contents

46 4

Cosplay & Art

FEATURES

An Interview with Game Changers

Cosplay, Competition, and the Casual Player at McM London

Pressing play a new way with the UK’s SpecialEffect charity

Gaming for Good

Warframe with Angerbeard

GUILD WARS 2

Celebrating 15 Years of Epic Adventure

Raising the Bar with Enayla Cosplay

Merry Adventures with Gma Fog Cookie and Misty and the case of the Shanghai’d Chicken

RIFT

The Telara Saga Returns

New Players Guide to RIFT

Guide to RIFT Currencies

Nightmare Saga Act 1 Walkthrough

2017 Puts Massively Back In Multiplayer

New World

Ashes of Creation

Dark & Light

Neos Land

Chronicles of Elyria

99 Crowfall

100

101 Bless

102

Project Gorgon

103

Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen

104

Wild Terra

105

Dual Universe

106

Star Citizen

107

Worlds Adrift

108

Albion Online

109

Shards Online

Previews

Camelot Unchained

Shu

112

Lost Ember

118

Yesterday Origins

REVIEWS

120

Tiger Knight: Empire War

124

Yomawari Night alone

126

Sims 4: City Life

130

Ori and the Blind Forest

134

We Happy Few

136

A Wondrous Year of Genre-bending Titles

Gamer Life

138

Seven Years with Gaiscioch

146

Confessions of a Social Gamer

148

A Look Inside the Gaiscioch Leadership System

153

ClubGaiscioch - New in Epic & Trance

157

Worth Playing: Top Picks for 2016

158 Gaiscioch Business Directory

112

118

Contents

110

120

124

134 5

About the Gaiscioch Family

he Gaiscíoch (pronounced Gosh-Kia) began on November 11th 2001 in the industry pioneering MMORPG “Dark Age of Camelot”. They began on the Nimue roleplaying server with a focus on creating a fun and enjoyable community for players of all ages and skill levels.

their members to play how they want, when they want, as long as they want and do not constrict them with quotas or requirements. The overall focus of the Gaiscioch is to support the server communities and real world communities they are part of. They accomplish this by hosting public community events, participating and hosting community forums, interacting with game developers, and providing new players information through our in-game advisers and out-of-game guides, maps, and videos.

The Gaiscíoch takes it’s name from an Irish legend found within the “Lebor Gabála Érenn” and “Cath Maige Tuired” which chronicle the first people of Ireland, the Tuatha de Danann. Specifically the First Battle of Moyturna where the Tuatha de Danann hand picked the most honorable and loyal warriors to fight alongside the Celtic Gods in With a strong focus on community our endgame a battle against the Fir Bolg. These warriors were goal is to create memories, friendships, and known as the Gaiscíoch. participate in the overall success of the community. It is through gaming, athletic competition, and The Gaiscioch are a social gaming community with social interaction that we forge new friendships a relaxed approach toward gaming. They allow and relationships.

Supporters

e would like to take a moment to thank all of our readers for their continued support and encouragement. Without your support we would not be able to keep this magazine going. In addition we would like to thank the following companies who have our undying gratitude for their support of the Gaiscioch Magazine & Livestreams productions. These companies have shown their support by providing interview opportunities, special access to their games, and social media exposure for our publication.

Without the support of our readers and the contributions from gaming studios we could not make this magazine so successful. We are happy to report that Gaiscioch Magazine has been read more than 250,000 times by over 30,000 unique readers to date. This is a huge accomplishment for a team that is staffed entirely by volunteers and we thank all of you for your continued support. Thank You!

We Appreciate Your Support!

Cover Story

Celebrating 15 Years of Epic Adventure By: Benjamin “Foghladha” Foley

The Birth Fifteen years ago I joined my first MMORPG called Dark Age of Camelot while it was in the beta phases. When the game came out it was shortly after my daughter was born and I found myself with a lot of time late at nights to play. I joined up with a guild, who a few players I liked were a part of. Through my time there I saw a stigma against players who could not put in the time required by their guild mandates. Players were outcast because of their lack of “commitment”. As a new father and caring person, this didn’t sit well with me and I ended up departing amicably. Once I was off on my own I setout to make a home for the players like myself that

them to help me form a guild. I also met a lad by the name of

are just happy to be able to have some time to play and can’t

Bondon who wanted to join as well. With the help of 4 other

commit to fixed schedules. I ran across Breel and Caelliu

good Samaritans we created Gaiscioch na Anu as a casual

in Tir na n0g, the capital city of the Hibernian and asked

friendly roleplay community. 7

Years went by and everything was awesome. We leveled up

created an event system with event claiming that

together, held adventures for new players, and even hunted

awarded players points. We had a leaderboard to see

and killed dragons. We eventually found our way into Realm

who was participating the most and even had some

vs Realm combat and really took to it. This would eventually

badges players could earn for taking certain objectives

become our focus and would be the thing that our community

a number of times.

Cover Story

was known for.

As we grew we met the guild cap of Warhammer After 5 years, life pulled me away from the game and I was

Online, giving us an all new experience. This was the

forced to bow out of the original community. I went through

first time we were put into a position like the guild I

a period of 2 years of all the hells life can throw at a person

was originally with, where there were too many mouths

and found myself getting depressed and lost. This is when

to feed and not enough space to feed them all. Instead

two familiar faces, along with my good friend Don and new

of taking the same route as my original guild, I decided

found friend and future wife, Juliana, encouraged me to

to use the Alliance system as a guild system and we

rebirth the community in Warhammer Online. Caelliu and

launched a second Gaiscioch in the form of Gaiscioch

Breel would assist me in resurrecting the community and

na Nuada. Within 6 months that one was full too and

bringing it back to itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s former glory. In fact within the first

we created Gaiscioch na Morrigan. At our peak we had

six months our community boom passed our original peak

four Guilds open, all of which used the alliance system

and began to soar.

as our primary form of communication. This multiguild system helped us survive without needing to kick

Adapting to Growth In Warhammer Online we began to realize the bigger we got the more organized we had to be to hold everything together. We upgraded our website and

people out for not playing enough. By the time we hit RIFT we were 800+ active players. When word got out that we were heading to RIFT, players began to flock in droves. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not quite sure what

Cover Story

exactly caused the rush, but on launch day of RIFT our

• Players Chase Numbers - From birth we are

final head count was 1,400 players,with over 3,200

compelled to drive numbers higher. Whether it’s

characters in the guild. As you can imagine, managing

statistics in a sport, a paycheck or a grade point

that many people was quite difficult.

average, the higher the number the better. By placing a numerical value to players participation

I spoke to Scott Hartsman about creating a way to

it compelled players to check in on the website

export the roster into a text file and he said that was

multiple times a day to claim participation and

certainly something they can do. They added the /

watch their numbers grow.

dumpguild command into RIFT which would export a XML file, with all of your roster information including ranks, levels, and last login dates. We would use this file to build a parser that would import all characters on the roster into our website. This allowed players to

• Players Want Recognition - Achievements, ceremonies, and generally any way you can highlight someone’s accomplishment goes a long way to building a connection with your community.

claim their characters. Once they had their characters

• Optimization & Automation is Essential - If

claimed, we built a macro generating script that would

you grow and do not optimize your organization to

automatically match players ranks on our website with

run as smoothly and as hands off as possible, your

the player ranks in game across all of their characters.

life goes from playing games to managing games.

Instead of manually promoting over 3,200 characters

For a while there my time was spent more out of

the script made it cakewalk.

game, managing things than in game enjoying the game I’m playing. Avoid that like the plague and

Lessons Learned

make sure wherever you can automate you do. • Growth is Scary - I’ll be honest, I never saw

I learned early on that there are a few things any larger

myself as a leader. When things started growing, I

guild needs to think about and keep on the forefront of

had to step out of my comfort zone quite a bit and

their mind.

become what I am today. Growth was terrifying 9

Cover Story

at first. I had no idea what I was doing and I was

your community into the ground emotionally.

trying to make everyone happy and sometimes it

Every person brings a unique background to the

just doesn’t happen. The key is to realize that the

community, everyone has their own goals for their

fear of growth is normal, and as things grow you

play time. Sometimes they don’t line up with the

will adapt and grow more comfortable with the

community you’re trying to build. You need to be

situation. Keep focus on your goals and make sure

ok with people leaving your community to find a

that your growth doesn’t change your direction and

better fit. Forcing them to stay or guilt tripping

focus.

them into staying will just create a fracture that

• Democracy Hurts - This may just be my experiences, but I have never lost so many members

community.

when I put something to vote. People feel slighted

I learned the hard way that you can’t please everyone.

when they don’t get their way in a poll. It fragments

Trust me I tried and time and time again I found myself

and divides people. I have found better success

heartbroken when things went sideways. It wasn’t

making the decisions based on voicing ideas to

until I realized that I’m marketing apples to people

trusted long time members who see your vision for

who want to buy a steak. If Bob wants a steak, point

the community. Then gather feedback and make an

him at a good streak joint and he will thank you for it.

educated decision on where you feel the community

You need to market your community to the people you

needs to go to fulfill your vision. This way there is

want and stay true to them. Don’t try to be something

only a singular point of difference and there are no

you’re not and stick with your original focus. This in

lines drawn dividing your community members.

turn lets your community grow naturally with like

• Don’t Try To Please Everyone - This is an impossible feat and you will drive yourself and

in the end will cannibalize a larger chunk of your

minded individuals while keeping the people who wish to change you at arm’s length.

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Overcoming Loss It wasn’t until 2011, our 10th year, that we suffered our

treats over the holidays and dubbed it our cookie zerg.

first known loss. Roger “Oldroar” Rall’s passing shook

Our first request was denied, but after a few email

our community hard. I didn’t even know how to handle

exchanges and a hard push by the community lead at

it. Not only was I devastated by the loss of a friend but

the time we were successful in immortalizing Roger.

I had to be strong for the community and be a sounding

Additionally ArenaNet would also place a NPC that

board for so many rampant emotions.

told Oldroar’s story. We held a Memorial for Roger a week after launch at the Shaemoor Garrison and over

It was the first time I ever had to be in a position like that

760 people from Guild Wars 2, Warhammer Online,

and I can tell you, that was scary, and heartbreaking. I

RIFT, and World of Tanks entered our voice server to

never in a million years saw myself in that role of being

show their support for their fallen comrade. We filled

a grief counselor and community leader, while saying

4 entire map instances and spent time sharing our

farewell to a dear friend.

favorite stories and memories.

After Roger’s passing I felt we needed to do something

It by far was one of the most moving events in my time

for him. He was an avid fan of Guild Wars 2 and was

running Gaiscioch. Unfortunately it would not be the

the main reason we looked to the game as a chapter

last loss we suffered. In 2015 and 2016 we would suffer

expansion. We began our letter writing to ArenaNet

4 more losses all of which were unexpected and sudden.

to have a server named after him. Today those letters

We lost 2 of our Eldership team Jexia and Morrigana,

still line the halls of ArenaNet. Additionally we decided

a long time member Zudrot and one of our major event

to up the ante and send a massive amount of sugary

leaders Paleus. 11

We decided to make a tribute to them in our Guild Halls in Guild Wars 2: Public Community Events guild SORC and in our main Guild Hall in Gaiscioch na Rall. The memory of these five champions of Gaiscioch lives on at these in game memorials, as well as, our hearts. Cover Story

Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve also immortalized our loved ones with tributes in other games like Neverwinter and RIFT to ensure their legacy continues on. We even created a rank within our community that forever marks them as legends of the family. Loss is a very hard thing to handle as a leader. Having to be strong for everyone but also having time to allow yourself to grieve is very important. Looking back I look to our five champions for inspiration to keep going and to stay true to the mission they helped build. I know itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an inevitable fate but I honestly never thought about this side of Guild Leadership.

Cover Story

Hosting Massive Events Back in Dark Age of Camelot I received my first taste of hosting public community events. The first was our

By year four we had taken the public event life to Realm

Dragon Raids of Hibernia which lasted over 2 years.

vs Realm and lead some massively organized assaults

We threw ourselves at that jolly green dragon every

on our enemies. We used a lot of false reports and

week in hopes of seeing it die. It took us nearly a year

smoke screens to edge our way into our enemies home

to finally kill it and when we did over 200 people were

territories and even managed to steal a few relics. One

in attendance. It was comical when we realized that it

of my favorite moments was capturing the Cauldron of

was trying to heal everyone that was killing us in the

Dagda from the Midgards and I remember running the

end. When we finally killed it we had no direct healing,

relic back, dodging enemy zergs and using the terrain

we used every healer to resurrect the dead and keep

to our advantage. We were so outnumbered nobody

people in the battle. It was a far fetched idea but in the

thought weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d pull it off, but somehow we did it.

end it worked. After that we managed to get the dragon on farm mode and it became a weekly high point for

The idea grew in Warhammer Online and we launched

the Hibernian players of Nimue.

the Battle for Badlands, which literally drew hundreds

Cover Story

of players on both sides to the battlefield each week.

events to allow other outsiders to participate, and we

One particular week we drew over 700 players into the

even ran a series called the Legendary edition that ran

same zone, which caused alarms to go off at the server

four times per week to fit into people’s schedules.

facility. I remember getting a text from my friend Andy Belford, an employee of Mythic Entertainment at the

Community events have always been one of my favorite

time, saying “What the hell are you doing? Alarms are

things to run. They’re big, they’re chaotic, and they

going off”. It was quite a spectacle to say the least.

have a ton of memory making moments that players soon won’t forget. Most of all I love seeing people have

By the time we hit RIFT and launched the Telara Saga

a great time.

things had grown quite considerably. Our final siege of

For anyone that is thinking of housing a public

Meridian in Season 1 would result in an entire group of

community event I suggest:

servers dropping, this time with more than 800 players participating.

• Speak to the Development Team - You need to know your limits and a lot of the time developers

For Guild Wars 2 we decided to tone it back a bit as

can help promote your events and ensure that

server instancing made it difficult to manage. We

things go smoothly.

had several Gaiscioch members that bowed out of the

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• Stay Calm - One thing that I learned early on

• Create a Website - Giving players a place to learn

is that your emotions carry onto others. If you’re

more about the event is essential. This will be a

stressed others will be stressed. If you’re laid back

great place to post the schedule, and any updates

and happy others will be happy.

you have. Communication will be your single most

• Plan for things to go Unplanned - No matter

important tool in running a successful event.

how much you prepare, things will always go

• Have a Support Team - Don’t try hosting a large

sideways. Be ready for that and expect it. If you

event alone. That is unless you really like that gray

expect it, you will handle it when it comes a lot

hair look. Community events are stressful and take

better.

a team to manage successfully.

• Prizes bring People - If you’re growing an event,

• Do your best to connect with the community

realize that loot is your biggest attractor. People like

- Personal connection goes a long way into growing

to win, they like to have their bags fill with shineys.

your events and keeping people coming back.

Awarding shinies or providing events that reward shinies will always perform better.

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Athletics

team into another team to play at the competitive level.

There is a side of Gaiscioch that not many know about

team in Eugene, OR for two years and later relocated

and that’s our athletic side. Over the years we’ve had

to Portland, OR where we have grown to include up

Flag Football, Bowling, and Softball teams in two

to three consecutive teams playing year round playing

different states. We actually launched the Gaisicioch

in two different leagues. While gaming is our passion,

Flag Football team in San Jose, Ca in the fall of 2001,

sometimes it’s good to get away from the keyboard.

the same year we launched the gaming community.

To date we have won two Championships and one

We played in San Jose until 2003 when I merged the

Regional Tournament.

Eventually life took me north and I relaunched the

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The Magazine In 2014 we had a crazy idea during one of our community

This magazine has allowed me personally to do things

meetings. Why not create a digital magazine? We had

I never dreamed of. Just last issue I interviewed Cris

the tools, we had the personnel, we knew a lot of people

Ortega, one of my inspirations behind joining the

in the industry, sounds like fun right? We created it as a

digital art movement. I have managed to interview Ivan

haha wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t that be funny if we had a magazine, and

Torrent, Mark Jacobs, Matt Firor, Colin Johanson,

it has turned into a legit publication with more than

Scott Hartsman, and meet a wealth of people I could

25,000 readers. We are even recognized as a member

never dream of meeting.

of the gaming media now and receive invites to all of the big tradeshows and conferences.

I highly recommend becoming a content producer. Whether itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s through livestreaming or writing, the

This was another thing I put together that I never

opportunities it opens are remarkable. I never for a

expected to turn into what it has today, but Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m glad it

moment regret creating Gaiscioch Magazine and even

has. We love games, we love talking about games, and

though I have never made a dime, and spent hundreds

we love talking to people who love games. We set out

on it, this little magazine has given me priceless

with a simple idea of publishing a magazine centered

opportunities that I otherwise would have missed. I

around the gamer life and have grown into a 190+ page

am forever grateful to our community for helping make

quarterly magazine.

this magazine what it is today and am honored to be a part of this team.

Cover Story

Livestreams

Social Adventures

Shortly after we created the magazine we began playing

By the time we landed in Elder Scrolls Online, it became

with the livestream idea. We originally launched the

apparent that there were so many new MMO’s on the

Streams of Epic Adventure, which setout to highlight

market that we were seeing our members disperse

various MMORPG and cooperative titles, however once

in all directions to jump on the latest greatest thing.

Smitty and I caught stream fever it turned into so much

Sometimes it would last a few months, other times it

more. I launched the Side Quests livestream focused

was much longer. We first tried the idea of creating

on playthroughs and first looks, and shortly thereafter

a sister guild Saighdear and having them all be free

Smitty launched his Smitty Streams, an indie game

standing, but without the organization and support

focused livestream filled with hilarious moments. Now

the Saighdears didn’t have a chance of survival. We

most recently we launched the Weekend Warriors

took it back to the drawing board and built a support

livestream that highlights team play games and

system for them. Once it was ready we redeployed it

Twilah’s Travels, which is a weekly stream centering

as the Social Adventures using the Gaiscioch as it’s

around World of Warcraft and a few other small group

foundation, and using our commonly known acronym

games.

GSCH as it’s identifier.

These have been amazingly fun to put on but definitely

The key with social adventures was allowing our

have their trying moments. We’ve been at it more than

members to play anything they wanted and still build

two years now and are just now starting to develop a

progression toward their Gaiscioch Rank. It didn’t

regular community of attendees.

matter if a player was playing Hello Kitty Online, World of Warcraft or having a good ole D&D Tabletop

game on the internet. Gaiscioch Members that grouped together to explore other worlds could claim events

The Future

and build their Social points. They even could unlock

The future of Gaiscioch is something I’m always looking

badges in each game showing their expertise.

at. Being able to see the road and adapt to changes as they come has allowed us to stay consistent and stable over the years. While there is an over abundance of

What started as a single guild in an early MMORPG

communities, I am confident that we will find a place

has turned into a huge gathering of friends. While the games changed there was one part that transitioned across them all. The website. It serves as a home for

games that are cracking down on larger guilds and to belong in this world. Until then we are looking toward the past, returning

our community and ties everything we do together.

to some of the games that made us fall in love with

We’ve moved away from being an “in game” community

thing is for sure, we will be here, we will entertain, and

to being a website based community that plays games together. We even have members that participate in our events and community but are part of other guilds

MMORPG’s in the first place. Time will tell, but one we will unite. Whether big or small or somewhere in between, we do what we love, and love what we do. As long as your passion meets your dreams, anything is

in game.

possible.

In the coming years I suspect this will continue it’s

I can say one thing for certain. I look forward to looking

coarse and the in game association will become less important than the out of game comradery. For us it’s never been about the tag above someone’s head, it’s been about the smile on their face. We want to create happy people, exciting adventures, and lasting

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The Changing Sea

back at this article in fifteen years and seeing where we’ve gone. This journey has been one epic ride and I couldn’t think of a better set of people to share it with. There is so much passion in the community and it’s remarkable to see it all work.

memories. That’s our end game and regardless of what we do and where we go it will be our focus.

Feature

Enayla Cosplay Raising the Bar By: Benjamin “Foghladha” Foley

About a year ago I was greeted in the doors of PAX Prime by a massive 9 foot tall siege golem from Guild Wars 2. I thought “Wow, Guild Wars 2 is going all out forking over the big bucks for a prop.” Then I learned that it was actually made by a cosplayer fan known by the name of Enayla. My jaw hit the floor; I could not believe the level of detail on this towering life sized golem. That was my first introduction to the world of Enayla Cosplay. A few years later, I ran across Enayla at a Guild Wars 2 party and managed to exchange information. Today, I bring you a very special interview with a young artisan who takes cosplay to heights I have never seen before.

Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview Enayla! To kick things off can I ask you to give us a brief introduction to who you are and how long you’ve been involved in Cosplay? Hi! I’m Enayla, cosplayer from Washington specializing in costumes that are oversized, highly detailed, or present an engineering challenge. I’ve been cosplaying for just over ten years now, and have dabbled in sewing, armorsmithing, prop making, casting, and electronics avid gamer.

Your cosplays are amazingly detailed, it shows a true commitment to the art and experience working with different materials. When was the first time that you

My first cosplay was the Mesmer cover art for the first Guild Wars game (which I was obsessed with at the time). I was originally inspired when my parents brought me to San Diego Comic Con as a family vacation and I was awed by the spectacular costumes I saw there. I got home, found a $20 sewing machine at a yard sale, and taught myself the basics of sewing with scrap fabric. The costume wasn’t too complicated and wasn’t at all accurate, but I felt so accomplished when I finally put on this creation that I had made.

Over the years, I imagine you have picked up some new skills. Did you ever take any classes to learn these skills or did you learn them on your own?

Feature

for my projects. Out of cosplay, I’m a programmer and

can recall making your own costume and what was it?

I’ve never had any formal training for costume or prop work, but there’s a massive amount of literature and tutorials floating around the internet which I’ve

have liked! I was also working on my accompanying Asura cosplay at the same time. Still, it was easily the most extensive costume that I’ve created.

What materials did you use to make the golem? Were there any pitfalls you had to overcome in building it? The golem is constructed from a PVC pipe frame and EVA foam ‘skin’, sealed and painted with acrylics. Unsurprisingly, the biggest struggle with this project was its scale. It stands 9ft tall and 5ft wide, which Feature

presented a whole host of challenges (not least of which was that I made it in a tiny apartment where there wasn’t enough room to even put the whole structure together!). It also isn’t a humanoid, so my usual tricks for constructing torso/arm/leg shapes didn’t apply. I ended up making quite a few scale models and mocking up the skin with cheap poster board; even so, many pieces took several iterations before I was happy with the result.

made good use of over the years. Otherwise, I’m a huge advocate of experimentation with new materials and techniques.

Because of the nature of cosplay

(recreating a virtual character in real life), oftentimes there simply won’t be an established way to create a costume piece. Instead, I learn through trial and error, and if I discover something that works, I have another technique to apply to future projects.

Let’s talk about your Guild Wars 2 golem. The first time I saw this marvelous thing I had no idea you made it. I thought it was a prop built for ArenaNet. Just how long was the process of making the now famous piece? My golem from Guild Wars 2 was my project over nearly a year, although I was a full-time student and didn’t have nearly as much time to spare as I would 22

I have to know. How do you transport a 9 foot golem around town? I built the golem to break down into a bunch of smaller pieces and can actually fit the entire thing in my compact car (albeit without any other passengers..!). The structure separates with screws and the skin splits at the seams so that it can be nested and stacked. It’s about a three-hour reconstruction process, though, so

I’m still trying to work out an easier form of transport.

So apart from your Guild Wars 2 Golem, I understand you’ve made a great deal of other Guild Wars 2 themed cosplays. Would you like to tell us a little about your other cosplays. It’s no secret that I love Guild Wars 2, and a good portion of my cosplays represent that. To date, I’ve made three armor sets from the game: the Masquerade, Inquest, Feature

and Orrian sets (light, medium, and heavy armors, respectively). GW2 characters have a distinctive yet varied look to them, and I’ve had such a good time recreating my own characters in real life.

I’ve also caught some of your stunning Dragon Age cosplays. The thing that really jumped out at me was the way you use fabrics. Can you share a little about the process of choosing the right fabrics for the cosplay? When fabric shopping, the first thing I look for is

at casting props, and since resin mistakes are so

accuracy in color and sheen to capture the overall

expensive, I admit that I haven’t tried to tackle one in a

appearance of a character. That said, I’m a huge fan

while! I actually have some pieces to cast for my next

of fabrics with unusual patterns or textures, and I

project, though, so I’m going to have to face my fears

tend to substitute a more interesting fabric even for

and figure out how to work with it.

characters with ‘flat’ looks. I’ll also think about the wear silk and satin, while a hardened warrior would go

What is the most exotic material you’ve worked with?

for roughspun cotton and leather. In addition, I have

I’ve made quite a few pairs of wings in the past using

to think about the application, since certain fabrics

turkey feathers, which are probably the most unusual

can drape or hold structure better than others. If all

material I’ve worked with. They weren’t too difficult

else fails, I’ll customize my own fabric with dyes, fabric

to trim and secure into place, but I could never have

paint, or embroidery.

anticipated the mess that they left – I was still finding

character’s background – a princess is more likely to

What has been your most problematic material to work with? Resin casting has always been a technique that I struggle with. I’ve had quite a few failed attempts

feather fluff around my apartment years later!

I’ve heard stories that you’ve made your own fabric for some of your cosplays? Is this true? and if so, what is the process 23

behind that? I’ve never actually woven or otherwise created my own

What has been your favorite convention?

fabric from scratch, but I’ve done some textile work

Penny Arcade Expo in Seattle, WA has been my

when I wasn’t able to find a good match for a project.

favorite convention year after year. It boasts some of

For example, I’ll stitch together strips of two different

the most impressive cosplays that I’ve seen, as well as

fabrics to create stripes or paint on a unique pattern

opportunities to chat with the game developers behind

with fabric paint. When I found a white fabric in a

my favorite games (and sometimes the costumes that

perfect texture but incorrect color for a cosplay, I mixed

I’m wearing). I also love the location, with plenty of

several dye colors and changed it myself.

beautiful backdrops for cosplay photoshoots.

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What is your most memorable con moment? I was once wearing a satin ballgown as Princess Peach at a convention, headed for a photoshoot a couple blocks away. I happened to pass by an entire class of kindergarteners on a field trip, who were ecstatic to see a “real life princess” (many of them even recognized the character!). I’ve never seen kids so excited over something and it was just the coolest experience.

Let’s talk setting up the shots. The photos of your cosplay are simply amazing. How do you go about choosing the right place for a photoshoot? The first thing I’ll look for when location scouting for a photoshoot is matching a scene or location from the source (usually a game). For example, I’ll try to find something that has the look and feel of a particular cutscene involving my character. It doesn’t need to be exact, but I’ll obviously try to avoid a background with

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buildings for a medieval fantasy cosplay. I try to keep my locations varied, but occasionally I’ll re-shoot in a particularly epic spot (the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, with its multi-story-tall pillars and Greek architecture, is one of my favorites where I’ve shot several costumes).

A member of our community asked me to ask you about creating wings. These almost always go terribly wrong in cosplay, you see really stunning versions and really terrible versions. What’s your secret to making amazing wings?

What’s the most abstract question you’ve ever been asked?

I’ve written up a full tutorial on how I make my wings,

I’ve been asked ‘What does cosplay mean to you?’,

which can be found at ‘enayla.tumblr.com/wings’. In

which is pretty impossible to answer concisely. Among

summary, I use PVC pipe as the base skeleton, cover

(many) other things, cosplay serves as a fun engineering

it in batting, and hot-glue feathers into place. I then

challenge (have to get VERY creative for some of these

incorporate a custom harness into the particular

crazy designs!) as well as a wonderful way to meet

costume for quick attachment. The most important

others who are fans of the same content.

thing is to use lightweight materials, as wings can become quite heavy after many hours of wear. http://enayla.tumblr.com/wings 25

Lastly, do you have any suggestions or words of wisdom for budding cosplayers? For new cosplayers, the first thing I’d always say is to go for it! Every part of the process is so much fun, and the community is such a wonderfully inclusive, helpful group of people. For those just starting out, I’d suggest tackling a simpler project at first and giving yourself plenty of time to finish it. If you can, try to find a more experienced cosplayer as a mentor; most of us are more than happy to give advice or point you to a helpful Feature

tutorial. If you start feeling overwhelmed, just take a step back and remember that cosplay doesn’t need to be taken too seriously: in the end, we’re all just nerds dressing up as fictional characters!

Follow Enayla Cosplay at: Tumblr: http://enayla.tumblr.com/ Deviant Art: http://elliria.deviantart.com/ Twitter: @enaylacosplay Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EnaylaCosplay/

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An Interview with Game Changers From Coffee Mornings to Mass Effect with Macmillan Cancer Support By: Ed “Screenager” Orr Every year we see a host of gaming marathons come

We spoke to Suzie Yarroll at Macmillan Cancer Trust

across our screens on Twitch, Youtube, and a whole

about the Game Changers initiative.

host of streaming sites. Names like Operation Supply

Could you introduce yourself for our readers and tell us a bit about what you do at Macmillan?

Drop, SpecialEffect, and Extra Life are all instantly recognisable by gamers across the world. While they are the stalwarts of the gaming calendar, more and more charities are waking up to the potential of video games and swapping the running shoes for a controller or two. One of these is Macmillan Cancer Support. In the UK, Macmillan provides support to victims of cancer and their families. From vital advice to more practical help, Macmillan is a vital service to many across the country. When the team at Macmillan launched their own gaming marathon in 2015, they might not have realized quite what they were in for. A long night at Twitch UK followed and a new experience for the Macmillan team. 28

Hello, I’m Suzie - I work in the event Fundraising

team at Macmillan Cancer Support as a Senior Marketing Programme Manager. Now that there’s so much variety in the fundraising market it’s vital that Macmillan is constantly looking for new and exciting fundraising opportunities for our supporters to get involved in. I specialize in developing and marketing these new fundraising products, one of which is Game Changers.

What was the impetus behind setting up Game Changers? We first identified a gap in the UK market for a gaming

was some brilliant gaming from the likes of AOAAGold and Ellajaz, as well as some hilarious dares in the name of charity - including legs being waxed - which made time fly by.

sponsorship event after having seen this sort of thing work well in the US and deciding that it was the type of

Although it was daunting to start from £0, the support

event that a lot of our supporters would love. Working

from the public was overwhelming and we managed

co-creatively with some of the UK’s biggest streamers,

to raise over £16,000. This could pay for a Macmillan

including B0aty and LTZonda, we developed and

nurse for four months, helping people living with

launched Macmillan Game Changers in autumn 2015.

cancer and their families receive essential medical,

The event was a success and raised over £110,000 for

practical and emotional support. It shows just how

people affected by cancer in the first year. Over half of

much of a difference 24 hours can make!

gaming marathons at home, either solo or as a team, and asking their friends and families for sponsorship.

What was your first gaming marathon like?

What was the response like when Game Changers began? Amazing. We were bowled over by the support from the UK gaming community and by the huge propensity to give to charity across the sector. Everyone has been

My very first gameathon was at Twitch HQ and involved

affected by cancer at some point during their life

14 of the biggest streamers in Europe taking on 24

- whether it’s a parent, friend or a colleague - and it

hours of life-changing gaming for Macmillan, so it was

has been great to hear that so many people have been

full on! There was a fantastic atmosphere from start to

helped by Macmillan in some way during these difficult

finish and everyone was bouncing off of one another,

times, and that because of it they now want to give back.

which kept morale extremely high throughout. There

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all income came from gamers holding their own DIY

Did the response surprise you?

Launching a brand new campaign is always a bit daunting, but the positive response to Game Changers

essentially the evolution of the telethon?

has been fantastic to see. A number of people have said

I’d say so. You only have to look at the growth of Twitch to

that holding a gaming marathon for Macmillan has

see that the way we broadcast has undergone a massive

enabled them to do something they love while raising

transformation in the last decade. It’s much more of a

money for a fantastic cause at the same time, which is

two-way thing now, and as marketers and broadcasters

exactly what we want to hear.

we have to work so much harder to keep an audience

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engaged now that they have so many other conflicting So far this year Game Changers has raised over

mediums constantly vying for their attention. We’ve

£300,000, which is testament to all the amazing people

become such multi-taskers that it’s rare that we watch

that have been involved. We’re extremely grateful to

TV without scrolling through Facebook or Instagram

everyone that has taken on Macmillan’s life-changing

simultaneously.

gaming challenge so far.

What has been your most memorable experience so far? There have been a couple of memorable moments, but I’d say the massive sense of achievement that everyone had at the end of the 24 hours at Twitch is the most memorable. Having not slept for over 30 hours, everyone was quite emotional anyway, but it felt poignant to stand together as a team and look back at what we’d been able to achieve together. It was also great to talk to the gamers taking part in the event about what the money raised could fund and thank everyone at home who had supported the event - that’s a part of my job that I love.

imaginations - it invites and encourages interaction. Through live-streaming the audience can speak to the broadcaster and influence game play or share their opinion, and in return the broadcaster can also culture the relationship with the viewers to encourage a much more in depth kind of engagement.

Here at Gaiscioch we find that when we stream we try our best to be as inclusive as possible, this can make some games more suitable than others. Do some games work better than others for fundraising or are you game for anything?

Does running & promoting a gaming event differ from other events?

Generally we’re up for anything, but in this case

Very much so! It’s not only a very different kind of

multiplayer, multiplayer, multiplayer! These are games

event to a coffee morning or a walk, but also a very

that encourage a bit of banter and make it a lot easier

different, and much younger audience. This is one of

to ask for donations – ‘if I beat so-and-so then they will

the reasons that I love heading up Game Changers, as

do this forfeit for £x.’ It also peps up the team - perfect

it gives Macmillan a fantastic opportunity to engage

for the early hours when things can get a bit slow!

with an entirely new group of people – talking to them about how they can get involved with Macmillan and help raise money for people affected by cancer, but also talk to them about the support that is there for anyone affected by cancer.

Are events like Game Changers 30

I think this is why Game Changers is capturing people’s

(especially if you’re streaming as a group) I’d say

Do you think we’ll see more charities starting to creep into the realm of video games in future and in what types of way? Yes, we are certainly expecting more charities to get

a receptive audience, not only with events like Game

For anybody planning to take on 24 hours of video games do you have any survival tips?

Changers but also with opportunities such as in-game

Mix it up, I say! Playing the same game for 24 hours is a

purchases with some of the money going to charity or

massive commitment so keep things fresh by changing

partnerships with companies.

every couple of hours. If you’re not playing alone then

into gaming. There is so much opportunity for charities to be creative in the gaming space, especially with such

What are the biggest challenges you face when organising an event? Dependencies are always difficult when planning an event - you can’t take on everything by yourself and certain outcome to be delivered before you can move

are great if you’re flagging in the early hours. Make sure to take regular breaks and stock up on lots of healthy snacks too, for example nuts and energy bars – it’s not all about fizzy drinks and pizza to get you through the 24 hours, you need to listen to your body!

What’s next for Macmillan?

the project forward. Working on events means you also

Macmillan’s life changing gaming challenge will be

have to be flexible and good at problem solving, things

back again in 2017, so mark your diaries for what

will invariably go wrong and you need to be able to

promises to be an even bigger and better year. We’re

think and act quickly when they do to ensure that the

also looking at other opportunities within the gaming

event isn’t compromised.

industry, so watch this space!

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sometimes it can be frustrating if you’re waiting on a

definitely schedule in some multiplayer rounds as these

Feature

Cosplay, Competition, and the Casual Player at McM London An interview with ESL UK’s James Dean By: Ed ”Screenager” Orr

With a growing roster of titles on show, London’s McM

performance from Realxz, playing as Mei, saw them

comic con is packed full of adventures for gamers.

come back from an initial setback to claim a 3-1 victory.

Independent developers are just a skip away from

A packed auditorium and thousands of concurrent

gargantuan publishers while icons like Nolan North

twitch viewers watched Reason close out a final that

are practically regulars. I have counted cosplays from

was ultimately dwarfed in size by the 2016 League of

Guild Wars 2, World of Warcraft, League of Legends,

Legends World Championship Finals, taking place

Starcraft, and any number of franchises that adorn the

across the same October weekend.

ESL e-sports league roster. Now, ESL adds Overwatch to that list with the arrival of the 2016 Contender Series

Despite this disparity between these two competitions

Cup at McM London.

taking place across the same weekend, the MD of ESL UK doesn’t see a failure. Far from it. It seems that McM

ESL UK has been bringing games to McM for years

may in fact be the perfect place to bring gaming back

now and it seems to be the perfect place to showcase

to the players. James Dean told me a little about ESL’s

a brand new addition to the ESL UK Premiership

history with McM comic con.

competition. Anybody with the skill to triumph in

the ESL’s Contender Series can make their way to the

James: This is our 7th comic con in the UK. We started

Premiership finals and some serious earning potential.

off almost by accident. We decided to do a show, put

Around £34,000 of prize money is split between the

it together in 2 weeks and we had such good feedback

various Premiership games and Reason Gaming are

from the community that we decided we had to do it

assured some of that with their victory in the inaugural

again. That just grew and grew and grew, so every year

ESL UK Premiership Overwatch finals. Reason fought

we put more money into the stage, try to make a better

off stiff competition from MnM gaming, in a somewhat

experience for the players. Back in the day we’d just

hectic final. Their teamwork and an outstanding

be giving a ticket to a player. Now, the teams we invite

down, their travel is paid for, their hotel is paid for, we

tournaments at McM London are part of a clear move

can take them out for a party, we can give them a lot

to widen the e-sport’s audience and make it more

more now.

accessible. They are a showcase of what is possible, just by getting involved. By bringing a mix of semi pro and

To the casual observer, the League of Legends WCS

amateur gamers to the show floor, these types of events

finals in LA might seem like a crazy world away from

seem to be aimed at convincing the McM audience that

the local comic con. Most cosplayers will never see

they really could be running the cosplay masquerade

the inside of an ESL party yet this year’s McM saw a

and progressing and fighting it out for a trip to Japan

fundamental move to bring games back to the show

on the very same day.

floor. Much of McM’s patronage are not the typical e-sport’s aficionados. They are not necessarily the same players

a slightly more approachable booth, inviting gamers

that turn up regularly to the local Barcraft, or spend

to lounge around on its oversized cushions and sign

hours finding the optional meta build. A substantial

up for the Red Bull 5G tournament. Inspired by 5 v 5

number are casual players and many of the games

martial arts competitions, the Red Bull 5G tournament

on show across the floor will be familiar to them.

also opens up competitive gaming to the public. With

Overwatch, Rocket League, Hearthstone, and Street

none of the trappings of professional gaming, the UK

Fighter are relatively young games, all represented in

Red Bull 5G tournament pits north against south in

these tournaments, but with a huge casual player base.

one of five games. Players can sign up, choose a game,

Bringing new titles to an event like McM can be full of

and start to progress towards the tournament finals,

risk and James told us briefly about how ESL managed

potentially making it from their front room to Japan.

their roster.

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Just opposite a rather imposing ESL auditorium sat

Both the ESL Premiership Finals and Red Bull 5G

James: The way I look at this is by asking how you

between the two stands across from each other. It’s

define an e sport because every game is competitive.

about getting people involved. Talking about getting

Then looking at when it becomes an entertainment

people involved. What sort of feedback are you getting

platform with people playing live and with commentary.

from Overwatch?

We look at it and see that any game could be an e sport. You could play Pokemon Go e-sport. I don’t know how

James: We will see. It’s interesting because our first

it’d work, but you could probably do it. You need to look

league here was League of Legends and that was a no

at that community and it’s desire to watch, create, get

brainer because the amount of League Cosplay at McM

involved and play. What 5G are doing is great because

is incredible. I’m sure I’ve seen a few Tracers around

they are taking these five disciplines and going out to

already.

the global final. Feature

After a ludicrously short hunt, I found legions of Tracers Another reason we would choose a title is because of

and flocks of Mercy patrolling the floors of McM, a clear

a publisher. They identify the community, and they

demonstration of the astronomical success Overwatch

actually want to support the game and push it forward.

has achieved. With over 20 million players in its first

Ultimately, whatever game it is, each game will get

five months alone, this competitive co-op has a huge

to a certain size based on the commitment from each

fan base that absolutely came out in force for McM

community. There are times like this, like the Guild

London. I spoke to James a bit more about introducing

Wars 2 Pro League, with the investment that was put

tuning that interest into the ESL Premiership.

behind from ESL and NCSOFT. What we were trying to do was see how far could it go and how big could

James: Overwatch is an interesting one. What we’ve

it grow and with the numbers that came out of that, a

found is that the UK does have a pre established e

decision was taken not to continue with that format.

sports scene centered around CS:GO and League of

That doesn’t mean that they don’t care about the

Legends on the PC side of things but there seems to

community. It’s just the fact that it got to that level.

sometimes be an unwillingness to push it forwards. So we added Hearthstone earlier in the year because

Gaiscioch: I suppose that’s part of the synchronicity

there are some good UK players and that just bloomed

into a huge success for the UK premiership. We started

million concurrent viewers for big League of Legends

to see numbers and commitment and really great

or CS:GO matches, the production levels were just

entertainment out of that, which we hadn’t expected.

going out of this world to the extent that the world looks at it and goes “what the hell’s going on here?”.

As a result we took a look at a fresh new game for the

It obviously grabs a lot of attention, but meanwhile

premiership specificity that will get a new audience

we are absolutely, fundamentally, across all of our 15

in. So Blizzard is obviously making Overwatch with

offices throughout the world, continuing to work on

e-sports in mind. It’s the first game they’ve had an

that grass roots game. If we lose that grass roots nature

e-sports expert within the development team while

then we loose the heart of e-sports. This is testament

building the game and I think competitively it’s doing

to the work that ESL does. The fact that we’ve been

extremely well.

growing the premiership over the last two years, the UK office is about four years old now, and we just need to create a space where, from the Contender Series and

season, so this is it’s first final and what we are hoping

going on into the Premiership is an opportunity for

to see is that continued commitment from a fresh

people locally to find a career, potentially, in e-sports.

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We only added Overwatch in the UK Premiership this

audience. Already we are seeing the pro scene riddled with UK players, which is testament to the grassroots

Right now, if you are a top team in the UK Premiership

of the game.

you’re still not full time, you’ve still got a job, although you’re actually earning some good money. There are a

Without that invested grass roots, e-sports risks

few more leagues popping up in the UK recently, which

alienating itself from its player base and ESL already

is great, but it still has quite a long way to go. That

works hand in hand with the growing e-sports

said, we are starting to see some real development of

community, hosting tournaments at Epic LAN, the

that career path extending. The winners of today, for

National University E-sports League, and even opening

example, in the League of Legends tournament will go

up their studio facilitates at ESL’s new UK studio in

on to have a qualifier slot in the LCS. Earlier last season

Leicester. Based on James’s comments, the Contender

we saw MisFits go on to get through the qualifier stages.

Series is just a part of ESL’s push to bringing e-sports

I know they changed names but that achievement is

back to its base.

super important.

James: So actually the grass roots is completely

Still, developing that career path relies on continuing

endemic to our plans. That’s exactly where e-sports

to grow interest in all levels of e-sports. As traditional

came from in the first place. ESL is over 20 years old

media fails fairly ubiquitously to tap into e-sports

now. It started in Cologne back in the day and has

potential, new ways of turning casual engagement

had quite a few changes over those years, as you can

into genuine interest are necessary. Tapping into the

imagine. When it first started out it was all about

infectious culture of participation that permeates

people just playing together at a grass roots level and

comic con’s seems to be working for ESL.

then eventually finding the best players. Are events like comic conventions the right place to The real change more recently has been that streaming

grow e-sports or should tournaments like the UK

has been becoming very popular so the viewership

Premiership and the Red Bull 5G series be spending

started going out of this world, mainly centered around

more time focused on growing the best of existing

Twitch’s popularity. When we started seeing the

talent? Let us know what you think. 35

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Pressing play a new way with the UK’s SpecialEffect charity By: Ed “Screenager” Orr with Mark Saville, part of the SpecialEffect team to talk about this amazing organisation.

latest charity stream. We had a fantastic response to

Could you introduce yourselves for our readers and tell us a bit about what you do at SpecialEffect?

our Extra Life event and all we really did was sit and

I’m part of the small Fundraising and Communications

play video games. All our supporters do the real good.

team here whose privilege it is to shout out to the world

Games have an amazing power to do good and it has not

about the magic that our therapists and tech experts

gone unnoticed by charities. One of the more regular

are working with people with disabilities.

Here at Gaiscioch we are busy recovering from our

names on the gaming calendar comes from the team at SpecialEffect. SpecialEffect is a charity set up to provide access to video games for everyone, whatever their ability. They can regularly be seen at UK gaming conventions showing off some incredible technology from chin controllers to voice activated games. With so much good will after our own event, we sat down

What was the impetus behind setting up SpecialEffect and what does SpecialEffect do? SpecialEffect was started ten years ago by our founder and CEO, Dr. Mick Donegan. He’d spent many years of helping very severely disabled people, and was hearing time and time again that they were desperate to play 37

games - not just to have fun, but to interact and be included with their family and friends. He was amazed

Wow, that’s tricky. It’s always a privilege to bring the

to find that no-one else was providing the kind of

magic of gaming back into people’s lives, but there’s

personalized support that’s vital to the success of our

also a real freedom in offering that kind of life-changing

work, so he started the charity.

support without having to charge anything for it. If we

Are there any specific types of technology that you use frequently or indeed pioneered? We’re pretty much led by the abilities of people who ask for our help. Sometimes we might see someone Feature

who’s lost the use of a hand, so we might recommend a suitable one-handed controller for the games they want to play (that can be a challenge in itself), or we might

putting up barriers, and that’s not something we want to do. It’s a crazy business model – our equipment is expensive, many of our staff are specialists and the one-to-one work is very time consuming, yet we don’t charge a penny. But thanks to the amazing support we’ve received so far, our doors are still open despite a huge rise in demand.

we do have a great deal of experience and expertise in

How much effort does it take to organise and run events like Gameblast and One Special Day? How many people are involved?

eye-controlled tech, and part of our work overlaps into

We have a team of three or four people who throw

helping people who’ve had a sudden and serious injury

themselves into the organization of these events, and

to gain independence through eye-control.

much of it is about getting the momentum going. We

see someone with muscular dystrophy who needs a combination of voice control, foot switches and lowforce mini joysticks to boss their titles. Having said that,

What was your first gaming marathon like? Ha! These days I get to sit in with everyone else’s fundraising marathons, and you get to know when the wall will hit, and how to plough through it. The feeling of elation when it’s all over is a real buzz though.

do that through our social media, exhibitions and networking, and once the word is out there it’s all about the lead up to the event itself. Interestingly our first GameBlast in 2014 was organized and run by just one person here, and the only costs were the time spent, plus some leaflets and a couple of banner stands. It ended up raising around £70,000 which was beyond

What was the response like when SpecialEffect began raising funds?

wonderful as we could tell everyone that virtually none

The response from traditional funding bodies was cool,

Does running and promoting a video gaming event differ from other events?

as gaming was going through a particularly bad phase of publicity at the time. But over the years the response from the gaming community has been incredible. It’s a community and industry that immediately gets what we’re trying to do, and many individuals and companies have responded with support for our work in many ways, from running marathons to donating revenue from game sales.

What has been your most memorable experience so far? 38

told people they’d have to pay for our help, we’d be

of that went towards organization – it all went towards helping people to game again.

That really depends on the event. For example we’re in the middle of organizing a classical concert as a fundraiser and the networking for that is, er, vastly different.

It’s already happening. Several large charities are

Yep, definitely. I could point you to the very table in

biggest gaming marathon weekend event though, and

our local pub where our fundraiser and myself first

it has the direct appeal for gamers to help others less

thought that the event could be the gamer’s equivalent

fortunate than themselves to game as well.

of Children in Need. It was about the third pint in, I think.

already running gaming marathon events, for example,

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Are events like Gameblast essentially the evolution of the telethon?

and fair play to them. GameBlast is still the UK’s

For anybody planning to take on 24 hours of video games do you have any survival tips? Loads. We’ve put together a document at http:// www.specialeffect.org.uk/gameblast16/Gaming%20 Marathon%20Pointers%20V2.7.pdf which covers a whole bunch of stuff.

What’s next for SpecialEffect? Our ultimate aim is for everybody, whatever their

Anything. You’re right about a careful choice of games,

disabilities, to have access to video games. We’re

and also we find that the banter and personalities are

getting there one person at a time.

a draw, along with any raffles, giveaways, forfeits, etc. It’s all about having as much fun as possible.

We’ve seen SpecialEffect branch out beyond gaming marathons into more traditional real world events like marathons. Do you think we’ll see more charities starting to creep into the realm of video games in return?

You can find out more about Special Effect and what they do at http://www.specialeffect.org.uk/.

Gaming for Good The power of video games is more than gear progression

Feature

By: Ed “Screenager” Orr Too regularly video Games seem to

platforms look set to outperform

Work into social learning and

go hand in hand with bad publicity.

console revenue, now and in the

cognitive theory suggest that media

Mainstream media regularly reports

future. (Gaming Revolution; Ipsos

violence of various forms can

on the ills of the controller culture.

Connect; Kharpal) Even a quick

have an impact on its audience,

Shootings, moral decay, mindless

glance at the Gaiscioch roster shows

with definite neurological effect in

violence, all once blamed on pop

the majority of players are firmly in

children. (“Social Cognitive Theory

music and television, are now

their midlife. (“About the Gaiscioch

in Relation to Media Violence”)

transposed on video games. Tabloid

Family”) These facts alone hint at

While this appears to suggest that

headlines create an impression that

a demographic that is worlds apart

classic media stereotypes might

gamers are withdrawn from society,

from the red top stereotype.

have some merit, video games are

tethered to the television, and can

not simply a precursor to a tragic

be found drowning in moral squalor

As gaming demographics change

and violent end. Just as public

as pre pubescent teenage boys fill

to better reflect society, the stories

health

the air with expletives.

they

hold

advertising, and soap operas raise

the potential to influence their

important civic issues, many of

In reality, these stereotypes can

audience in an incredibly powerful

today’s developers leverage games

just as easily be attributed to the

way. With countless studies already

as a powerful tool for change.

public’s perception of an emerging

attempting

media format, rather than fact.

tendencies to pixilated violence

Titles such as Depression Quest,

Statistics routinely show female

(“How Video Games Change Your

Social

gamers make up around half the

Brain”), it is clear that video games

Divided, and This War of Mine are

current gaming market and mobile

provide a truly powerful experience.

just a tiny selection of titles that

tell

change.

link

These

campaigns,

commercial

aggressive Justice

Warrior,

Jimmy

use narrative to challenge players,

themselves

encouraging them to think about

design

optimal

effectively influence change as they

issues beyond the fourth wall. Story

outcome when players engage in

build communities with others.

is vitally important in this approach

positive behaviour. Games like the

In short, they have the power to

to inciting change. Playing for

Sim City franchise can arguably

teach good citizenship. (Kahne,

Real: Video Games and Stories for

educate users on the social impact

Middaugh, and Evans)

Health-Related Behavior Change,

of taxes, services, and social change

identifies the importance of story

while

and

framework.

their world. This sort of civic and

(Baranowski et al.) Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s has long

social engagement is also a core

been used by traditional media to

component of Massive Multiplayer

tackle issues relevant to society and

Online Role Playing Games. In

shape the way we think. While this

persistent worlds, interaction is

largely overt move to tackle many

not just desirable but essential

of societyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s problems can prompt

for players running the hardest

response

dungeons and battling the deadliest

from some quarters, with the mere

dragons. This led to the evolution

mention of social justice on social

of guilds and online communities.

media, it represents a growing shift

Players who have run a guild or

in gaming to acknowledge that it

been invested in these communities

can do more than just entertain.

are far more likely to demonstrate

the

combustible

goodness.

provides

they

casually

Their

construct

high levels of civic engagement. Some

games

take

MMORPGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s have taught countless

surreptitious approach, fortifying

gamers how to budget, plan, lead,

communicate,

negotiate,

and

Outside the front room Outside the front room, a growing cluster of new games, built for the real world, also do good. Pokemon Go launched in July 2016, reaching tens of millions of players and quickly became the most profitable mobile game of all time. (Little) As

Feature

rather

narrative

just the latest entry in a massively successful franchise, this title has massive penetration in the wider market and, as a result, the ability to influence a wide audience. Gathering Pokemon is a core mechanic of this game, but rather than send an avatar out into a digital wilderness,

players use an augmented reality app in the real world. Upon release, stories quickly spawned of gamers venturing outside for the first time in years, conquering anxiety, co operating, and rediscovering their local community. In a further move that encourages human interaction, the developers of Pokemon Go! are set to introduce a buddy system. No more wondering who you are really Feature

playing with. Equally, Zombies, Run! is another example of an app built for the real world that gamifies positive behaviour. By encouraging players to get out and run from a horde of zombies, it encourages an active lifestyle and prepares us all for the apocalypse at the same time. These games continue to grow in popularity and in some ways they highlight one of the more pressing issues in games doing good: how to empower gamers to make the same difference in the real world as the

digital realm?

take off. Streaming sites provide a platform for events to broadcast

Games and Giving For

some

gamers,

they

are

able to do this through acts of charity.

Organisations

SpecialEffect,

such

Operation

Supply

Drop, and Extra Life affect change through games. We spoke to Mark Saville from SpecialEffect about the work that they do, in this issue of Gaiscioch Magazine. SpecialEffect uses video games to create positive outcomes in the real world, and empowers gamers to help make that change. Over the last ten years, SpecialEffect has helped gamers of all abilities to play video games, creating

everything

from

one

handed controllers to fully voice activated systems. It is incredible to see in practise. The ubiquity of broadband connectivity and the rise of video streaming platforms has allowed these charities to really

from, spreading a message and engaging with a gaming audience. This has virtually reinvented the charity telethon. Now, instead of celebrities on television, content creators can regularly be found across sites like Twitch sharing their antics and generating donations. These gaming marathons have raised 17.4 million dollars for charity in 2015. (conditt) The impact of video games on charities is already significant enough to entice causes we might more readily associate with bake sales than video games to get involved. Macmillan Cancer Support launched their own gaming event in 2015, called Game

Changers.

challenges

players and teams to complete a gaming marathon and ultimately help relieve the pressures of cancer victims. We spoke to Macmillan

Cancer Support about the charity’s

quick to leverage a mature and

where

conversion from coffee mornings

highly lucrative market.

common, affordable, and do not

to Call of Duty in this issue of Gaiscioch Magazine.

micro

transactions

are

compromise the game’s existing model, this type of charity branding

not only generate astronomical

is likely to become more and more

Changers

revenue but represent an audience

common.

has seen an incredible up-tick in

that is uniquely disposed to parting

donations since its conception,

with cash for virtually nothing. In

If the growth of video games has

almost tripling since launch. The

game item shops are rife in modern

taught me anything, it is that

creep from cakes to keyboards

games and microtransactions are

developers, publishers, and gamers

has allowed them to tap into

an accepted part of many business

will continuously surprise us. Video

gaming’s potential for good and

models.

players

games have a massive unrealized

demonstrated that videogames have

of Robocraft generated over 14

potential and with each leap in

plenty of room to do even more.

thousand dollars for the Able

technology we see new ways of

With Americans already spending

Gamers charity. By purchasing

doing good. The impending arrival

more time in virtual worlds than

a special charity bundle players

of mainstream VR will continue

watching

(Flanagan),

donated a portion of the purchase

this trend as games continue to

gaming is an astoundingly large

cost to Able Gamers. In return,

tell stories, break down barriers,

commercial

players were rewarded with a

change behaviour, and have a

are

variety of in game items, loot, and

positive impact on the world.

beginning to understand the reach

cosmetics branded with the Able

of video games, some are becoming

Gamers logo. In an environment

Macmillan’s

Game

television,

charities

market.

Just

MacMillan

Recently,

the

Feature

Online gaming communities do

References •

“About the Gaiscioch Family.” Gaiscioch Magazine 25 Sept. 2016: 196. Print.

•

“How Video Games Change Your Brain” BBC 16 Sept. 2015 Web

•

Baranowski, Tom et al. “Playing for Real: Video Games and Stories for Health-Related Behavior Change.” PMC US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health (2008): n. pag. Web.

•

conditt, Jessica. “Twitch Streamers Raised $17.4 Million for Charities in 2015.” engadget.com 2 Nov. 2016: 1. Print.

•

Flanagan, Mary. “Making Games for Social Change.” (2006): 13. Print.

•

Gaming Revolution. Internet Advertising Bureau UK, 2014. Web.

•

Ipsos Connect. Gametrack EU SUmmary Data 2016 Q1. Interactive Software Federation of Europe, 2016. Web.

•

Kahne, Joseph, Ellen Middaugh, and Chris Evans. The Civic Potential of Video Games. MIT Press, 2009. Print.

•

Kharpal, Arjun. “Mobile Game Revenue to Pass Console, PC for First Time.” cnbc.com 22 Apr. 2016. Web.

•

Little, Riley. “Report: Pokemon GO Paying Player Total Has Dropped 79% Since Peak.” gamerrant.com 12 Sept. 2016: 1. Print.

•

“Social Cognitive Theory in Relation to Media Violence.” Scribd. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Oct. 2016.

Feature

Warframe with Angerbeard By: Bill ‘swordandkeyboard’ Owens

How did you get into Warframe? Well, I am a founder of the game, so I’ve been around since the start. That being said, the game today is vastly different than the game I backed so long ago. It’s become something huge and wonderful. Not just the game, but the community around it is definitely one of the best and most welcoming gaming communities out there. What really brought me back to the game was the quest The Second Dream. It was such a beautiful lore bomb that hit me at my core, and dragged me back to the game. Finally being able to connect at least some of the pieces of the storyline was fantastic.

Twitter: @angerbeard1 Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/angerbeard Angerbeard is a variety streamer and channel has over 13,000 followers.

Channel Schedule: 8PM CST to 12AM every night

What question would you ask yourself if you were new to Warframe and what would your answer be? If I were new to the game, I’d probably ask how to get

What does it feel like to be a Warframe streamer?

all the sweet weapons and frames that there are in

I’m a variety science fiction streamer, but I do

play the game, enjoy yourself, collect resources and

wholeheartedly support Warframe and the team at DE.

find blueprints, then build to your heart’s desire. The

I have nothing but love for them. They are a team that

wiki page has a plethora of knowledge of the game,

legitimately loves what they do, and they care about

including where to find all the pieces to whatever you

the community they’ve made. Even if I’m not officially

want. The greatest thing about the game is, they do

partnered with them, they’ve always been warm and

make it challenging to get items, but not impossibly so.

welcoming to me.

Even a casual player will have plenty of resources in a

the game. And to answer that, I would simply reply: Play the game. That’s it. That’s all you have to do. Just

relatively short amount of time to make some of the awesome frames and weapons. 44

Feature

Guild Wars 2

Contents Merry Adventures with Gma Fog

the case of the Shanghaiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d Chicken

Guild Wars 2

Merry Adventures with Gma Fog in Guild Wars 2 By: Esther (Gma Fog) Foley

Many gamers find map clears

to do and explore while helping

Drifts, Lornarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pass, Dredgehaunt

tedious and slow in Guild Wars

beginners

Cliffs and Brisban Wildlands.

2. Gma plans to make it fun and

and the zones on the map. These

exciting by trying to teach us some

weekly adventures are in one of

You might be asking, what is a map

good skills; finding fun creatures

the

areas:

clear and why is it important? A

to take on; and instigating funny

Divinityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

Reach,

Queensdale,

map clear is an adventure around

comments and puns. It is all family

Hoelbrak,

Wayfarer

Foothills,

one of the zones above. There are

friendly conversation. Gma Fog

Rata Sum, Metrica Province, Black

Waypoints (Transport Area), Points

basically began events a few years

Citadel, Plains of Ashford, The

of Interest (POI), Hearts (Quests

ago, leading lower level map clears.

Grove, or Caledon Forest. Our

in the zone), Vistas (Views from

She keeps her followers amused

leader has added higher level areas

above and below) and Hero Points

while doing the event and has the

now, putting them in an organized

(a challenge to get points to train

claim of not leaving anyone behind.

rotation. They are Diessa Plateau,

your skills). These areas are needed

Sometimes there is a frustration of

Fields of Ruin, Blazeridge Steppes,

to complete the map.

wanting to get this done quickly,

Kessex Hills, Gendarran Fields,

but she points you at more things

Harathi,

with

following

learning

beginner

Hinterlands,

skills

Snowden

conversations and puns that come

points (XP) to level up your

out of our mouths.

character and you also receive

Getting ready for the event Gma Fog has her scheduled events

items upon zone completion. [A

Gma knows some easy ways to

on the Gaiscioch Calendar [http://

full world completion took Gma a

move around in a map clear so

www.gaiscioch.com/events/]

year to do on one of her characters,

you don’t miss any POIs, Vista’s,

posts the event in map chat before

“Mistocracy.”]

map

Hearts or Hero Points. She has a

the start. She has 2 scheduled events

completion you will receive coins,

certain way to go and with the help

on Monday afternoons and Saturday

experience, 2 random pieces of

of her followers, we clear the map

mornings and all are welcome to

equipment, 1 transmutation charge

smoothly. We don’t always finish a

follow and enjoy the antics. As she

or 1 black lion chest key, 40 random

map in one week. There is too much

is getting ready, Gma meets us at

crafting materials, 20 map currency

fun before profit. When you travel

a specified waypoint. She posts the

or random ingredients available

with Gma Fog in her events, you

waypoint in map and guild chat. It

in the zone. This is dependent on

know the zone that is being cleared,

is a process that is planned as she

which zone you clear. It can be a

but how you are getting there is

prepares the route she will take

grindy chore or you can travel with

part of the adventure. We run,

in that week. When she types the

Gma Fog in her event.

fight, morph into mossheart, table

name of the waypoint in chat - click

dance, have jumping contests, roll

on the name of the waypoint and

In this article, I will go through

on the ground laughing, test out our

it pops the map up to show where

Gma’s

new wings and, of course, farm for

the waypoint is. When you click on

crafting supplies.

it you will be transported to where

method

For

map

clear;

things she tries to teach us, other fun things we take on and funny

Guild Wars 2

A map clear gives you experience

and

Gma will meet you. 49

Guild Wars 2

Once we meet at the waypoint

perimeter of the zone we are in. We

a screenshot of all of us dressed in

Gma Fog puts down a hero

find the first things to come our way.

green.

banner,

Points

Usually, there is a waypoint next to

(XP), and food. Yes, she feeds us!

the heart. We will get close enough

We proceed to work on our hearts

Food gives us health and XP for

to the waypoint to open it on our

and take side trips for close POIs,

fighting. Sometimes we have an

maps and off we go for whatever

Vistas, and Hero Points. Vistas are

overabundance of food to eat as

quest is upon us. Gma Fog reads

sometimes tricky and if a follower

more than one of us will share at

the instructions and gives hints

gets frustrated, Gma will encourage

the same time.

on how to get them done at a swift

trying again, but sometimes for

pace. Sometimes our heart will

other reasons with lag or jumping

Our leader will make sure everyone

have us morph into the creatures in

issues, she will put down a port with

is ready to go by using a squad

the area. This one particular time

her mesmer to get you to the vista,

“Ready Check” and announce it

we had to morph into a mossheart.

if necessary. A “ready check” will go

verbally in our voice channel. We

Gma called us all over toward the

out to make sure everyone received

will be called to come to the green

end of our heart per suggestion

their heart before she moves on.

arrow when you are ready or come

from one of her followers. She took

Gma’s motto is “Never leave anyone

for

Experience

to her tag (which always seems to be purple). Now the fun starts! As we head out, she will go clockwise or counterclockwise 50

around

the

behind.” Gma Fog teaches us some basic etiquette when in a group, which is good to know for any group, not just Gma’s. Let’s look at a few of these tips to see why they can help. This is where the comedy comes into play.

Lesson 1: Stick like glue to the commander: So why is this important? In larger events, if you are together, you can stack your powers and heal each other in a battle. Commanders tags and will shout for powers like static fields, might, water, etc. On a funny note, the picture below will show how seriously the great crew adheres to Gma’s command.

Lesson 2: Learning to Stay together: The Phrase “Herding Cats” comes to mind. Everyone gets so excited about finishing a heart or farming, that they wander off. That is when Gma calls everyone to come to her tag. It is usually purple and now she is able to put an arrow next to her for keen views. A recurrent example of learning to

below:

Lesson 3: Ask Questions and Communicate:

Follower - There is an event “HERE”

If you don’t ask questions, you don’t

Gma

learn. Sometimes the inquiry helps

Gma - Where is Here?

others too. Maybe you can find out

Follower - Where I am

a trick or a faster way of completing

Gma - UH where is that? I see all

something. No question is stupid.

the blue dots but it is kinda hard

A few examples Gma thinks are

seeing where YOU are.

important are:

She will remind others to find

-When someone is not ready to go

where you are on the map and find

or if you are falling behind.

Gma Fog. Which direction are you

-If Gma Fog misses a POI, remind

from her? At times, we hear “That’s

her before we pass it.

not our direction come back and we

-Offer help with the hearts and

will catch it next time.” If we are

vistas when you are done. The

working on a heart - and it isn’t in

faster we help each other, the faster

the area of the heart, we stay and

we can move on. Make suggestions

finish what we are doing. If it is

if you find a trick to get the heart at

close and is something “Grand” like

an easier pace.

a Champion, Gma might tell her

-Let her know if you found a

troops to follow and do the event

shortcut to a vista or know where a

and we will come back to finish the

goodie chest is in a cave.

Guild Wars 2

will call for you to come to their

stay together is in the conversation

heart. Gma usually calls for a break after one hour to get up, walk around and get a drink or snack. It is for our health she does this. We don’t want 51

Guild Wars 2

blood clots due to sitting too long..

Map. Sometimes we have big events

map, our resourceful leader will

At this point, we rest our character

pop up and we join with other

think of something and take us on a

in a spot. Sometimes we table dance

groups to take on a Champion. Gma

side adventure. Where to go, where

just because we can.

Fog tries to give suggestions on how

to go? What do we do with the time

to stay alive and we go for it.

left? Usually, there is an important

When everyone is back from their

lesson to learn in some way. We

breaks we continue down our merry

If we have lots of time left, because

find things to do in our Guild hall

path to progress further into the

we only had a bit left to do on a

and in Tyria.

Since we received

our wings, we find a fun place to fly around and learn how to glide. One of the most fun glides to experience is in Lionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Arch off the Lighthouse. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a long run up but a smooth glide in the clouds.

Speaking of flying. Just recently

Gma also started having “Themed

them off in the guild hall. Here are

we practiced flying through the

Events”. Sometimes they are during

a few pictures of the fun.

doorway in Hoelbrak.

her map clears, but can be separate I think the most fun we have is the

Guild Hall is a great place to

moment thought and she will say,

conversations during her events.

adventure, too. In the Gaiscioch

“Well let’s find our favorite mini.”

We just chat and things pop out of

Na Rall guild hall, there are Lots

Others have been Pet or minion

our mouths that can beg funny or

of stairs and buildings. Places to

Day; Learn to Fly Day and holiday

we have a facepalm moment. Gma

see like our Memorial for fallen

fun. She doesn’t usually announce

has tried to keep a collection of

guild members, Foghladha’s Office,

them, it just seems to happen in

some of these. A few of these funny

Kitty’s kitty statue, a jumping puzzle

conversations before we start or in

quips and quotes are below.

and much more. One time when we

guild chat. One time, the evening

were in guild hall we found a bubble

after one of her events, Gma Fog

Two charrs talking: “I have the foot

to jump into. It looked like we were

put up a special event for a firework

in mouth disease - No you have Paw

in mid-air. Laughter and joking

show on the 4th of July. Everyone

in Maw disease!”

burst forth.

brought their fireworks out and set

Guild Wars 2

fun times. It is a spur of the

In Queensdale, fighting the bears after the bee hives - “The bear event, it’s unbearable.” Wayfarer Foothills heart where you have snowball fights with the children - “It started with the snowball event and the snowballs went downhill from there.” Gma: My chicken beeped - Bri: I thought chickens clucked - we thought we might have to grill or roast you to tell us what you were 53

cooking.

That was over and above laughter.

will gladly help them through the process.

Somewhere on our adventures JR:

In response to one of the followers

“There is an event here where I am

dying during a Tamini Fight -

As you see, it is an adventure

dying!” - GMA: ‘Okay, We have a

“Tamini’s are meanies”

running with Gma Fog. You will

dead person.”

know that the antics of Gma Fog’s Gma was up on a vista and asked “If

Merry Adventures are enlightening

At the beginning of an event - Gill:

anyone need a port come to me” -

and fun. We do get map clears

“I ate my spinach burgers before

Answer: “Wine please.”

finished and the followers do end

my dessert of Omnomberry bars.”

up with a zone completion chest. It Gma, an asuran, was standing in

might take a few weeks, but it is a

We were farming lettuce in the

front of a huge norn named Tiny -

blast.

Beetleton field - “Let us have

“Tiny isn’t so tiny.”

lettuce.” When time is almost done, Gma Guild Wars 2

Fighting

the

veteran

bore

will thank us and tells us where

Queensdale - “The bore is not

we will meet the next week. In a

boring.”

day or so after the event, she will post it on the website with the new

In response to fighting grubs - An

information for the next week.

unknown follower says - “Gma is

If there is time left, she will stick

grubbing it.”

around a few minutes to answer questions. If someone needs help

Someone brought up the Hamster

with the Gaiscioch website to

dance song and then another put

claim the event for guild fellowship

the song on over the voice comm.

points or want to join our guild she

Guild Wars 2

Cookie and Misty and the case of the Shanghai’d Chicken By: Gpa (Cookie La Boomboom) & Gma (Humble Misty) Foley So there we were, just walking

My companion, “Humble” Misty, a

trained as an engineer but pressed

through Gendarran Fields, minding

Norn Chef of great renown, and her

into service as a Cook for a Charr

our own business and enjoying

companion snow leopard, Foggy

warband

a nice peaceful walk through the

Mist, were ambling along as I jogged

incident a while back. We’ve been

countryside. We had started the day

trying to keep up. My almost five

travelling together through Tyria

at the Vigil Keep and were making

and a half foot frame seemed hardly

with a charter to discover new

our way down to Almuten Estates

adequate compared to Misty’s over

foods and recipes for the Court of

and then on to the shops around

eight foot stature, and a comparable

Queen Jennah. We have a second,

Cornucopian Fields in search of

difference in stride length made

classified mission as well. I could

fresh produce and ideas.

sure I got my daily exercise. I’m

tell you what it is but then Foggy

known as “Cookie” La Boomboom,

would have to eat you.

after

unfortunate

We had just come over the crest

few well-chosen insults, at the back

crates of prepared chickens for

of the hill above Newbeach Bluffs

of a quickly receding Longboat,

the Vigil Keep kitchens, and now I

when we saw four Pack Dolyaks

it seemed anger was the more

have nothing to show for it. I bring

grazing alongside the road below,

probable motivator. The longboat

along a bottle or two of rum in case

wearing empty pack frames and

was pulling strongly, oars dipping

I run into a scallywag, but this is the

dragging

rigging.

as it headed for the harbor entrance

first time they ever cleaned me out

Something didn’t look right. My

at the Brigantine Isles. “Hello?”

entirely! They usually show up in

hand slipped to the grip of a pistol,

I called, and quickly ducked as a

ones or twos, but today there were

and from the corner of my eye I saw

rock whizzed past my left ear. “Hey!

eight or ten of them.”

Misty smoothly bring her Molten

We’re friendly!”

straps

and

Guild Wars 2

Longbow to the ready.

“You are lucky they didn’t take The woman on the beach looked

you too. I hear the Jackdaws are

Foggy Mist inclined his head

us over and apparently decided

into kidnapping and ransom.” said

toward the beach, and listening

we were not a threat, then back at

Misty gently. “The Cutthroats are

hard we could hear the sound of

the boat, now clearly out of range

even worse.”

someone shouting, whether in pain

of projectiles both physical and

or anger was hard to tell. We moved

verbal. She sat down heavily on the

The woman stood and brushed off

cautiously toward the beach until

beach and began to sob with her

the sand, then turned toward the

a figure came into view. From the

head in her hands. “Those dratted

Dolyaks. “They usually don’t hurt

way she was throwing everything

pirates made off with my entire

folks much unless there is nothing

in reach, as well as more than a

shipment!” she sniffled. “Eight

to pillage, and they got their pillage

today,” she grumbled. “I just wish

what’s happening and try to get

heading to the Brigantine Isles

you had come by a bit sooner. We

your shipment back, or at least fair

in a leaky boat, Foggy stretched

could have given them what for, and

payment.”

over the bow looking like a toothy

I might still have my shipment.”

This was news to me, as I didn’t

figurehead, Misty rowing with long,

think walking into a major Pirate

deep sweeps of the oars, and me

“Four against eight or ten still isn’t

base in the middle of the day with

sitting in the stern bailing as quickly

great odds. Someone might have

the aim of taking things of value

as I could with my hat substituting

gotten hurt.” I asserted helpfully.

away from the Pirates had been

for a bailing bucket. My boots were

on my schedule. I quickly checked

already swamped. It would be a

That got me looks from both of the

to make sure. Nope. Wasn’t on

close race between the rising water

ladies that suggested silence might

there. “Erm, Misty? Can I have a

in the boat and the approaching

be the best form of helpful for a

moment?”

shore.

Misty joined me a few feet away

Two thirds of us made it. As the bow

“Something must have the pirates

and took a knee to get down to

rode up on the bank Foggy leapt

dander up. There’s been smoke and

face-to-face level. I opened my

lightly onto the shore, followed

fire glow all around the Brigantine

mouth to speak and she stepped

by Misty making a single bound

Isles for a couple days now. I thought

into the opening. “Listen,” she said,

from her seat in the middle of the

they’d be too busy with their own

“if something is going on with the

boat. The stern, on the other hand,

problems to bother with my little

Pirates then we need to know what

compensated for the bow rising by

shipment today. This isn’t usual for

it is. Our mission demands it. If we

dipping sharply and the transom

them.” said our new friend as she

can help Anna out in the process

went full submarine on me. I was

began to round up her Dolyaks and

then so much the better, but we are

up to my neck before I could move,

stow the loose rigging. “I’m Anna,

going to do this. Now go find us a

and ended up dog-paddling to

by the way. From Applenook.”

boat.” She reached out with a finger

shore clutching my poor abused hat

and tapped my chin to close my

which was now no more soggy than

“Misty, Cookie, and Foggy here,

mouth. Hard to get the last word

the rest of me.

exploring.”

with that one. Or the first. I went to

while.

Misty,

scratching the big cat’s ears. “So

find a boat.

We began moving around the

you think something is up with the local Pirate clans?”

outcropping toward the bay, Foggy Misty

“There’s something going on. Like

returned

help

Anna

slinking silently in the lead, Misty

organizing the Dolyaks for the walk

following warily, keeping to the

back to Applenook.

shadows and clefts of rock, and me

I said, they aren’t acting normal,

squelching along noisily in the rear

or what passes for normal among

“Thanks” said Anna, “Oh, and be

not particularly caring who saw me,

Pirates.

rattled,

careful if you open those cases. We

as a good fight might help me dry

desperate, almost scared today. Not

pack an Ice Imp with each case of

off and improve my mood. The air

at all their normal bragging bully

chickens to keep them frozen in

stank of smoke and something else,

selves.”

transit, and they can be a bit testy

acrid and foul, that stung the nose

when you let them out.”

and throat. There was smoke rising

They

seemed

Misty pondered a moment, then stated confidently, “We will go see

Guild Wars 2

explained

from somewhere ahead. An hour later the three of us were 57

We came to a Pirate tri-barrel

as every hair stood on end, his tail

they had no weapons in hand and

cannon

the

went straight up, his back arched,

intended no harm.

harbor entrance. Foggy sniffed

and every tooth became visible as a

the air and his tail signalled the all

combined hiss and snarl came from

“What’s going on here?” was the

clear as the turret remained inert.

deep within his core. A second later

obvious question. It took me a

We started down the narrow beach

he disappeared in a streak toward

moment to realize that I was the

toward the harbor buildings. As

the open door, Misty following a

one who had asked.

the harbor came further into view

few steps behind.

turret

overlooking

Guild Wars 2

it became obvious something had

“I’m Hoy,

First

Mate

the

indeed been troubling the Pirates.

I was still trying to figure out what

Silver Scabbard,” said the skinny

Almost everything in sight was

was going on when a streak of fire

pirate, ”and this here is Vast, our

burned or burning, and there was

cut across the beach just in front

Quartermaster, and Marge there is

nobody moving anywhere we could

of me and a shadow flickered over

the proprietor of this establishment.

see. There was burning wreckage

my head. My pistols were out in a

You’re safe in here, this building

at the docks. Blackened ground

flash, and came up to target a flying

was originally a brig. It’s solid and

marked where buildings and tents

nightmare as it passed. There was

won’t burn. We’re kinda happy to

once stood. The thatched roof of

a click and fizzle as I pulled the

see you. We thought we were the

one of a very few remaining shacks

triggers, a whisp of white smoke

last people on this blighted island.”

was throwing oily smoke into the air

rising from one barrel. Of course.

as fire glowed through the windows.

My powder was as wet as I was. I was

“What

still standing there being disgusted

else, and what in the mists is that

The only building still standing

with myself when a familiar arm

flying blowtorch thingy?” I asked,

relatively undamaged was a stone

extended through the wall of fire,

my sharp intellect and superior

structure with a slate roof that had

grabbed the front of my tunic, and

command of language showing

a sign reading “Copper Doubloon

yanked me off my feet and through

clearly.

Saloon” over the door. As we looked

the flames. My feet touched ground

the thick iron door opened, and a

once or twice over the 30 yards or so

“That ‘Thingy’ is a Wyvern, from the

tall skinny pirate was motioning

to the doorway of the Saloon, where

Maguuma Jungles.” Misty stated

frantically for us to enter. He didn’t

Misty released me while I was in

flatly, “The real question is how it

appear hostile. In fact, he was

mid air with my feet trailing well

got here.” She looked pointedly at

looking decidedly more scared than

behind the rest of me. The landing

the First Mate, who squirmed a bit

scary.

was quite undignified.

then sighed and sat heavily at one

happened

everyone

of the tables I had not knocked over

Misty nearly tripped over Foggy

When I picked myself up off the floor

with my entry maneuver.

as the big cat froze, eyes scanning

I could see that the door was bolted,

skyward over the harbor. The Pirate

with Misty and Foggy standing with

“Well, you see, the Silver Scabbard,

glanced toward where Foggy was

their backs to the wall in a defensive

we called her ‘The Scab’, wasn’t like

looking and his eyes got wide, and

stance. The other three in the room,

most pirate ships. We used to sail

his motions even more frantic. We

the thin pirate, another rather

with the Penzan Pirates and we’re

paused, undecided whether this was

rotund pirate, and a dark-haired

not really into all that loot and

a trap or invitation. Foggy decided

woman dressed as a barmaid, were

pillage stuff. We prefer to sing and

for us as he suddenly doubled in size

enthusiastically demonstrating that

dance and party, but we serve an

important role as traders between

into the hold and the thing started

of it and then it got real quiet for a

the various Pirate clans. We travel

snapping at him and thrashing, so

while this morning.”

here and there picking up what

he smacked it on the nose with the

folks have extra and trading for

flat of his sword to show it who was

“We figured if we could just hold

what others need.”

boss and commanded ‘down boy’.

out until the thing went away we’d

Apparently Wyvern don’t speak

be okay, but we needed provisions.

“We were out in Maguuma when

much Pirate, ‘cause it didn’t react

Almost all of the food on the island

Captain Yarr, our esteemed leader,

well. Poor Cap’n Yarr.”

except what little is in the root cellar

came across some folks that had

of this building was destroyed, so

captured this thing. It was out

Both Pirates rose, doffed their hats

we took the only boat we could find

cold when we got there, but from

and placed them over their hearts,

that was seaworthy and went to the

what they described it could really

cast their eyes skyward, and said in

mainland. We found a merchant

be useful as a weapon, for towing

unison and in reverent tones, “May

with some provisions, but she

the ship if we were becalmed, or

he sail the mists on gentle breezes,”

wasn’t too happy about sharing

for cooking a big barbeque. The

before returning to their seats.

with us and we didn’t have time to

Captain figured we could train it.”

negotiate.”

“The folks that captured it said it

decide to abandon ship once the

“When we got back to the island,

had quite a taste for rum, and had

fires got going, and once that thing

though, that thing was on the prowl

consumed several barrels from a

broke out of the hold it was pretty

again. We three grabbed cases of

shipment they were transporting,

much every man for himself. A

provisions and headed in, but the

which accounted for it’s unconscious

couple minutes later the powder

rest of the crew mutinied on us

state at the time. We happened to

blew, and that was it for the Scab.

when we weren’t looking and took

have a bit of spare rum in the hold,

That’s the top of her mast sticking

the longboat and other provisions

so we made a trade.”

out of the water in the middle of the

and headed North to another Pirate

bay out there.“

base that has some caves to hide in.

“Now Captain Yarr was a pretty

Guild Wars 2

“It didn’t take long for the crew to

That left just the three of us, and no

good Pirate captain, but didn’t

“Before we even got to shore the

way to get off this island until you

always make the wisest decisions,

Jackdaws and Cutthroats who saw

came along. Do you have a boat?”

particularly after sampling the rum

what that thing did to the poor Scab

he asked hopefully.

being traded to make sure it was

up-anchored and set out for who

‘of the best quality’. If he had been

knows where. The few of us left on

“Not so much.” I wrung out my hat,

entirely sober he may have seen the

the island gathered here while that

adding to the puddle gathering at

risk in confining a fire-breathing

critter rampaged around tearing

my feet. “So what do we do now?”

critter in the hold of a wooden ship

things up and burning everything. It

adjacent to the powder magazine.”

ate every Moa and most of the Crabs

Misty looked around the room, and

on the island and tore apart every

everyone looked back at her. She

“We were almost back to the

hut and tent, apparently looking for

took a deep breath. “Okay, so we

harbor here when the thing woke

rum. We stacked all of the rum from

need to get rid of this thing. How

up. It was a bit agitated at being

the Saloon here outside hoping it

can we kill it?”

confined, and the Cap’n figured it

would pass out again. It seemed to

was time to start training. He went

work, because it licked up every bit

Vast, the Quartermaster, spoke up. 59

Guild Wars 2

“Don’t try to shoot it, it will just

back in the Saloon. The Tri-barrel

coast was clear for the moment. We

make it angry. You won’t like it

Turret did appear fully functional

dashed out and down the beach,

when it’s angry. It can dodge most

with the exception of ammunition.

setting the cases against the cliff

anything you can shoot at it, and

Misty said she had found little other

wall and starting a pry bar on each

most things just bounce off its hide

than twisted metal and charred

lid. Misty nocked an arrow on her

even if you can hit it.”

wood. The cellar had yielded a few

Molten Longbow while I chambered

crates of citrus fruit, some herbs

a net round in my Shotgun. We

“I think the cannon turret still

and spices, and a case of clear

were as ready as we would ever be.

works,” said Hoy. “It should have

liquid that Marge called “Tickle-

It didn’t feel very ready.

enough firepower to put a dent in it.

Ya”. Apparently it had the effect on

We have a problem though. There’s

some folk of leaving them rolling on

Misty looked at Foggy and uttered

powder, but no cannonballs left.”

the floor clutching their sides, as if

the command, “Challenge”. Foggy

they were being violently tickled,

took an aggressive stance facing

Marge spoke up. “Maybe we can

after consuming a couple of glasses.

the bay and roared with a ferocity

bait it, then hit it while it’s sitting

Marge explained that it was distilled

that caused the hardened pirates to

still at close range.”

from cactus juice in her homeland.

take a step back as it echoed off the

Apparently the Pirates didn’t care

far cliffs. Within seconds, another,

Misty thought for a few seconds

much for it, preferring the classic

higher pitched roar responded, and

then

rum.

a black winged speck appeared,

shrugged.

“We

need

inventory what we have to work

moving fast across the bay.

with. Vast and Marge, check out the

“Here’s the plan,” said Misty, once

root cellar. Hoy and Cookie, check

they had compared notes. “Fire and

“Hold,” Misty commanded. “Wait

out that turret but be careful, that

Ice don’t mix. We will take the cases

until he’s close.”

thing is still out there. Foggy and I

outside, and try to bait that thing

will recon the rest of the area and

into coming close. Then we open

The black speck grew into a winged

see if we can find anything useful.

the cases and let the Ice Imps loose,

nightmare with disturbing speed.

three against one. Hopefully they

Misty’s bow began to twang, but

Vast started to open one of the three

can weaken or slow it to the point

the beast twisted easily to avoid her

cases sitting on the bar.

we can bring it down.”

arrows. It did serve to slow the rate of approach, however. Foggy was

“Wait! Don’t open that in here!”

There were a few dubious looks

still growling and hissing, keeping

Misty shouted “The Merchant said

around the table but nobody offered

the creature’s attention focused. It

they packed an Ice Imp in each

an alternative plan. We decided to

was still out of range of my shotgun.

case, and we don’t need one of those

set up down on the beach, with a cliff

flying around in here throwing ice

to our back for protection and water

shards everywhere.”

in front in case we needed to make a hasty escape or self-extinguish.

Vast looked at Misty and shrugged,

I could see the glow in it’s eyes as it closed the range. It’s maw began to

then bowed to Marge as they headed

Misty took one case, while we

toward the root cellar.

paired off on the other two. Foggy

Thirty minutes later we were all

“Ready!” shouted Misty.

open…

took point, checking the wind and

“NOW!” A slight pause, then,

sky for any sign of the Wyvern. The

“Down!” Misty dove to the ground.

The three cases popped open and

something in my somewhat addled

Just as Misty called out, “Loaded!”,

three blue streaks shot out with

brain made a random connection. I

the Wyvern reappeared over the

shrill shrieks of outrage. Marge

stumbled to the case and hefted one

top of the cliff and executed a quick

and the pirates leapt aside and

of the chickens, not seeing chicken

diving turn to line up for an attack.

down on their faces as the Imps

at all. “Cannon,” I croaked, while

emerged. While I was pondering the

grabbing a second frozen fowl and

Hoy

significance of the word “Down” in

stumbling toward the turret a few

the cannon barked, sending a

Misty’s command it occurred to me

yards away, still trying to get my

supersonic fowl to do battle with

that I, along with Misty and Foggy,

feet free from the net. Misty and

a rampaging reptile of the air. The

were between the Imps and the

Hoy seemed to catch my drift and

Wyvern twisted in the air, avoiding

Wyvern. Probably not a good place

grabbed a couple fowl each. Marge

the projectile, but I noticed the flare

to be. A second later and I wasn’t, as

and Vast looked confused, but

of nostrils as it caught the scent

the shaft of Misty’s longbow caught

shrugged and each grabbed a case,

of burning chicken. In a flash the

me behind the ankles and swept my

dragging them down the beach.

Wyvern had reversed direction and

feet from under me. I landed flat

called

out,

“Firing!”

was in hot pursuit of a hot meal, Misty used her height advantage to

belching flame as it tracked its prey.

of me, and the shotgun discharged

try and stuff the first of her chickens

It didn’t take long for the Wyvern to

straight upward.

down the maw of the cannon.

cut across the trajectory of the shot and intercept its target, munching

From this vantage point I was

“It won’t fit!”

able to see an outstanding bit of

twice before swallowing and turning back to its original target. Us.

choreography. The three Imps shot

I drew my trusty chef’s knife, a

forward in unison, caught sight of

former Charr cub’s dagger, 12” of

I had another idea. It happens

the Wyvern, advanced another few

razor sharp steel, and with four

sometimes. “Hoy, pull 20 degrees

feet, then abruptly shifted to full

quick slashes removed the wings

left and fire!” The cannon traversed

speed astern until they smacked

and legs from one of the chicken

and

hard into the cliff face. They then

carcasses I was holding, then flipped

chicken downrange. The Wyvern

switched to vertical ascent mode,

it up to Misty. Her arm disappeared

immediately changed course to

accelerating rapidly up the cliff

up to the shoulder as she rammed it

intercept.

face, half rolled as they reached

home. Two more limbless chickens

I looked back at Vast and Marge

the top, and shot off to the North.

followed in short order.

and shouted, “Find me something

belched,

sending

Guild Wars 2

on my back, knocking the wind out

another

Fortunately the Wyvern decided to pursue them rather than us, and pulled up to skim the top of the cliff. Particularly fortunate for me, as my net had reversed its departure trajectory and dropped over my flailing body. As I struggled to free myself from the net, I happened to look at the open case of frozen chickens and 61

Guild Wars 2

to stuff in a chicken to bring

“Ghost Peppers! That should give it

it! Chicken!” I threw her a carcass,

that thing down. If we run out of

a kick!”

and she bent over the empty chicken

chickens or he runs out of appetite

case, stuffing handfuls of ice crystals

our respective geese are the next

I held a de-limbed carcass out and

into the body. As it filled she lifted

things to be cooked. Hurry!”

he stuffed the entire handful of

a bottle of clear liquid and poured

peppers into the cavity. Into the

it inside, then plugged the opening

The two took off at a dead run back

cannon it went, and was soon on it’s

with a Lime. She tossed the loaded

toward the Saloon.

way for a meeting with destiny.

bird to Misty, who rammed it home. The Wyvern went into a full stoop

continued

Misty

Unfortunately, Destiny seems to

dive, wings back, wind screaming

Hoy

like spicy food. The Wyvern gulped,

over its form. The cannon barked

continued tracking all over the sky,

looped, and spouted a flame twice

again, this time directly on target.

aiming anywhere but toward the

the length of any we had seen

The Wyvern didn’t even dodge, it

Wyvern, maximizing the distance

before. It accelerated vertically,

simply snagged the projectile from

it had to travel, and the time we

and now there was flame behind as

the air and bit down.

gained, for each tidbit it consumed.

well as in front of the beast. Great.

continued

hacking,

packing,

and

We were well into the second case

It rolled out and dove at us once

The result was nothing if not

again.

impressive. The Wyvern’s eyes

of chickens by the time the other

squinted shut, its head tucked down

two returned. Vast reached me

“Fire and Ice!” It was Marge that

and in, and it’s wings came up to

first, with a gloved handful of pods.

spoke this time. “I know how to hurt

completely cover it’s head. A shriek

of agony was heard as the beast

I sniffed at the drink while munching

ceased to fly and became a ballistic

a chicken wing. “Hey, isn’t this the

Once I could force my watering eyes

projectile. It impacted the cliff a

same concoction that brought down

open I saw Misty looking amused

good fifteen feet above our heads,

the Wyvern?”

and Foggy looking confused, trying

and fell to the ground writhing

to discern the source of my agony.

in agony. A flurry of pistol shots,

“Pretty close,” said Marge. “I just

I didn’t see much in the way of

knives, swords, claws, and fangs

dressed it up a little like we did back

sympathy for my sorry state.

assaulted the disabled creature.

home.” “And that’s why.“ I rolled toward

A few moments later it was over.

I took a sip. It was pretty good. Salty

the voice and saw Marge, hands

We were standing, looking at the

sweet, with a touch of bitter, the ice

on hips, shaking her head, and

carcass, and wondering what to do

giving it a very different texture.

grinning like a Skritt in a tinsel

next, when Vast reached over to give

“That’s really pretty good stuff. It

shop. “It’s called a brain freeze. You

a huge hug to Marge. “Margarita,

doesn’t seem to hurt humans.”

will recover, eventually.”

considered using bad booze as a

Marge grinned, “Just as long as you

I had serious doubts.

weapon?”

don’t...”

you are a genius! Who would have

Marge struck an indignant pose,

I belted back half the glass.

clear and crisp except for the

hands on hips. “It is not bad booze.

thunderstorm in my head. Misty and

It’s perfectly good booze if you use

Marge were puttering in the kitchen

it the right way. You just have to

head tried to hide between my

and good smells were wafting

be careful, is all. Now what are we

shoulderblades, my hands came up

through the room. Hoy and Vast

going to do for dinner? All the rest

to hold my exploding head together

were straightening up, sweeping

of the chicken is frozen, and I don’t

and a screech of agony escaped my

and clearing the broken furniture

think I want to eat that thing” She

mouth as a solid spike of ice ran

from the day before. Foggy was

pointed at the crumpled beast.

up through the roof of my mouth,

supervising with a critical eye and

through my brain, and into the top

occasional low growl. I supposed I

of my skull. I rolled up in a fetal ball.

would have to get up off the table

Misty smiled as she looked at the

eyes

squinted

shut,

pile of leftover chicken limbs. “I

Guild Wars 2

The following morning dawned

where I had spent the night.

think I can whip something up from

Faintly, from far away, I heard, “...

these Shanghai’d chicken chunks.”

drink it too fast.”

An hour later we were gathered in the Saloon, munching on chicken legs and wings in a dark, sticky, sweet and spicy sauce, the smell of ginger and garlic hanging in the air. A fruit salad offset the richness of the chicken, and strange looking drinks of crushed ice with saltcrusted rims sat in front of us. 63

Over breakfast, some kind of crispy

debris and started cleaning up what

by. Hoy’s little boat had occupied

fried chicken with gravy, we decided

was left. We fashioned makeshift

much of his time, and he had

that Misty, Foggy, and I would stay

oar locks, and Hoy lashed a yardarm

found a Captain’s hat somewhere

a few days to help make the island

from another ship in place as a

that he now proudly sported. We

livable. Hoy and I set out to find

temporary mast. It floated, which

couldn’t find any intact sailcloth,

some way to build a floatable boat,

at least meant we had a way off the

so we had taken the leathery wings

Vast went scavenging through the

island, even if it wasn’t pretty.

of the Wyvern and lashed them

wreckage for anything useful, and Misty and Marge had their heads

Vast turned out to be a pretty good

Surprisingly, that actually worked

together

something

scavenger, and by the time Hoy

and gave the little craft a decidedly

or other, twittering like a couple

and I wandered back to the Saloon

unique, and somewhat sinister,

of teenage girls. Foggy seemed

he had a growing pile of usable

appearance.

preoccupied with reducing the

lumber and building materials. He

rodent population of the island,

had found a pretty good collection

The next day Misty, Foggy, and I

which

of tools scattered around, and had

took our leave. Hoy ferried us south

the framework of a modest building

to the beaches above the Hamlet

well underway.

of Applenook, as Misty wanted to

discussing

had

emerged

once

the

Guild Wars 2

Wyvern was out of the picture.

to the makeshift mast as sails.

Hoy found a small Ketch that had

check in with Anna. It was too bad

been beached. It’s superstructure

Within a couple more days we had a

that our adventures had failed to

was mostly burned away, and the

workable bunkhouse and enough of

recover her goods or anything of

masts were missing, but the hull

the docks had been cleared to allow

value.

seemed intact. We cleared away the

a ship to dock, should one happen

We found Anna in the market,

on the road, then. New adventures

bay. “She’s not very big, but she is

selling melons and a few vegetables.

and new recipes await. As I caught

quick and maneuverable. I added

She smiled and waved as she saw

up, Misty handed me a warm hand-

this little thing I think you will like,

us approach. Misty waved, then

sized packet of crispy pastry that

Cookie” and he stepped down hard

drew two heavy bags from beneath

smelled of apples and cinnamon. It

on a bellows set in the deck beside

her tunic and tossed them to her.

wasn’t such a bad day after all.

the wheel. A gout of flame erupted

Anna’s eyes widened as she opened

from the figurehead, jetting several It was a few months later when we

yards ahead of the craft. There was

Misty looked at me with a little

happened back through Applenook

a chorus of “Oohs” and “Ahhs” from

smirk and whispered, “I did find a

Hamlet, and Anna insisted that we

the other passengers.

few things when I went out before

accompany her making a delivery

we took on that Wyvern, among

to the Brigantine Isles. There was a

“Wait until you see what Vast and

them a couple of bags of Doubloons

new dock North of town now, and

Marge have been up to.” He beamed.

where a Pirate shack once stood.

docked there was a sleek black ship

“Once that beast was out of the way

I didn’t think it would be good to

with Wyvern-wing sails, a Wyvern-

the rest of the Scab’s crew came

tempt our hosts while we were still

head figurehead, and “Wyvern’s

back and we put them to work. Now

in Pirate country.”

Demise” lettered in gold leaf on the

we have a real enterprise going

bow. It was barely recognizable as

here. The Jackdaws came back

the wrecked Ketch we had salvaged

and tried to take over, but Marge

not that long ago. A very proud

served them a free round of our

“Go find us some provisions.”

looking, although a bit more stout,

secret weapon in large frosty mugs.

She tossed me a couple of sooty

Hoy was standing at the wheel,

It turns out a Pirate just can’t resist

Doubloons. “I need to speak to

shouting orders at a couple of

draining a frosty mug in one go.

Anna for a moment. Privately.”

crewmen as they stowed cargo and

We disarmed them and sent them

directed passengers aboard. He

packing when they could stand up

“Ok.” Such a master of witty

spotted us coming up the dock and

again. No trouble since.”

banter I am. I began wandering

waved enthusiastically, motioning

the market, keeping one eye on the

us to join him. As soon as we were

As we entered the harbor we could

conversation going on in the back

aboard he shouted at the crew to

see the docks lined with craft large

of Anna’s stall. A fair bit of arm

cast off, as he had a schedule to

and small. There was a bustle of

waving was going on, with some of it

keep.

activity, and there were several

“Oh,” was all I could come up with.

directed back toward the site of our

Guild Wars 2

the first bag and looked inside.

buildings under construction. A

recent adventures. Some serious

“I make four trips a day now, just

prominent shop on the waterfront

discussion, and a look of some

to keep up with provisions and

sported a large sign announcing

concern on Anna’s part reflected

tourists,” Hoy announced as soon

“A Hoy & A Vast, Provisions and

by a bit of excitement on Misty’s. I

as we were in earshot. “No pirating

Souvenirs”.

gathered a few provisions and was

required, except for dressing up and

stowing them in my pack when

acting the part from time to time.”

Misty whistled. She pointed down

“That’s kind of a sideline business for us. It seems folks just can’t get

the road to the South. Foggy came

The little ship had caught the

enough of either Pirate or Wyvern

alongside her as she set pace. I once

wind and was now cutting a broad

lore.” Cap’n Hoy chuckled.

again had to run to catch up. Back

wake as she skipped across the 65

Up the street, which hadn’t even

greeted Marge, or Margarita as she

is booming, we get visitors from

been a street last time we were here,

was now known.

all over, and even the Vigil makes

was a brightly lit place where the

regular visits now. We started with

old Copper Doubloon Saloon used

“We have a fresh shipment of

your Shanghai’d Chicken, then

to be, and it sounded like there was

chicken, and lots of produce,”

added a Tickle-ya Lime Chicken

quite a party going on. As we walked

Anna said. “You folks are keeping

Breast when we ran out of just

up we could see that covered patios

Applenook busy all by yourselves,

wings and legs. Now we have over

now extended on all sides from the

and without the Pirates harassing

a dozen items on the menu, and I

original building, and there was a

us things have never been better.

have all of you to thank for it.”

crowd not only inside but waiting in

I also brought you a half dozen

the street. The building was freshly

apple pies, just to see if there is any

A great meal, a bit of entertainment,

painted, and a large sign announced

demand.”

and a good night’s sleep followed.

Guild Wars 2

that this was now Margarita’s

In the morning as we made our

Silver Scabbard Cantina, the Silver

“You can bet there is demand, but

way back to the ‘Wyvern’s Demise’

Scabbard part being the nameboard

if Hoy and Vast know they are here

to resume our travels I stopped in

salvaged from the old Scab’s wreck.

I doubt there will be any left for

to the ‘A Hoy & A Vast’ shop and

the paying customers!” laughed

picked up a new hat. It would have

Margarita.

been a jaunty take on a pirate hat

Misty laughed. “I told her that a few good recipes and a fresh look would

with a big feather, if pirates wore

help the place, but I didn’t expect

“How are the Imps working out? I

jaunty hats with big feathers. It

this much of a change so fast!”

saw the frosted mugs.”

suited me. Even Foggy sniffed at it with appreciation.

Vast was manning the door, or

Margarita turned to us and grinned,

blocking it, depending on your point

“We have a whole family of Ice Imps

And with that, we were off to our

of view, and energetically waved us

living in the old root cellar, keeping

next adventure.

in. There was a band in the corner,

us stocked up on ice crystals,

playing something that I couldn’t

frosted mugs, and anything else

place, but it had a catchy beat. Even

that needs a good chilling. We feed

Foggy was bouncing a bit with the

the Imps the kitchen scraps and

music. There were a full company of

everybody is very, very happy with

Vigil troops around one of the big

the arrangement. We let the Imps

tables. Marge appeared and headed

out at night and they streak around

their way, carrying a half dozen

lighting up the sky and often point

frosted tankards, and caught sight

folks in our direction.

of us, motioning with her head to

meet her in the kitchen area. She

“Ale in a frosty mug is popular

almost beat us there as we pushed

with the military and sailing folk.

through the crowd. She promptly

Our secret weapon is very popular

hugged and kissed the cheek of each

with the civilian crowd, although

of us, even the big snow leopard

we serve it in a smaller glass and

that I swear I could see blush in

with a warning. They have taken

response. Anna was beaming and

to calling it a ‘Margarita’. The town

Guild Wars 2

Shanghai’d Chicken Ingredients

and where to find them: 2-4 lbs Chicken wings and/or legs from the cannon ball scraps. Cookie’s Food Pack: •

1 tablespoon oil (peanut, sesame, olive…)

From Saloon’s root cellar: •

1 tablespoon fresh chopped ginger and garlic

•

1 chopped onion and red bell pepper [optional]

•

¼ cup honey

Misty’s Food Pack: •

1/3 - 1/2 cup soy sauce

Directions: 1. Get out your wok or big skillet. 2. Lightly oil the pan. 3. Add ginger and garlic. Brown for 1 minute on high heat. If you are using optional ingredients, add them with the ginger and garlic. 4. Then add the chicken scraps and brown on all sides. 5. Once they are browned, add the soy sauce, honey and then enough water to cover the chicken. 6. Keep on high heat and let it all boil down to a sticky sauce. Usually takes 20 - 30 minutes to cook down. 7. While it is cooking down get your favorite rice or noodles fixed to serve with the chicken.

Outside well: •

3 - 4 cups water (enough to cover the chicken)

RIFT

Contents The Telara Saga Returns

New Players Guide to RIFT

Guide to RIFT Currencies

The Nightmare Saga - Act I Walkthrough

RIFT

The Return of the Telara Saga

aunched in 2011, the original Telara Saga series was a public community event hosted by the Gaiscioch Community which drew the attention of hundreds of players from the Faeblight shard. The first season pit the Guardians against the Defiants in an epic drive across Telara that led to the Siege of Meridian. In the final battle more than 800 warriors clashed before it was revealed that Regulos had used the Dragon Cults to provoke a war between the Guardians and Defiants. This was an attempt to reduce the strength of both factions and leave Telara vulnerable to attack. The second season kicked off seeing the Guardians and Defiants unite as one and lay siege to the Dragon Cults. In their epic campaign across Telara they took down the most ferocious foes found on

70 70

Terlaran soil sending the Dragon Cults back into hiding. Nearly four years have passed since the Guardian and Defiants joined forces to fight in the Telara Saga and a new chapter is about to begin. In Season 3, a new threat emerges in the form of an comet hurtling toward the world of Telara. The Guardians and Defiants must unite again to combine their strengths and avoid the destruction of Telara. They strengthen their ranks and prepare an assault on the Ascended Tenebrean construct that seeks to devour us all. Can the Telarans save their world from utter destruction or will it fall like the worlds that came before. Join us for this epic faceoff against Ahnket and save Telara from destruction.

The Event Details

Raffle Prizes

Launching February 4th 2017 at 6PM PT, this 10-

Platinum Prizes

week campaign will include content for both players

At the end of the series 5 platinum key will be awarded that can be used to acquire:

who have access to the new content and players who do not. Over the campaign we will introduce players to various types of content ranging from

REX

crafting rifts, zone invasions, raid rifts, great hunts,

Starfall Prophecies

strongholds, nightmare rifts, and epic open world

(Standard Edition)

raid bosses.

Orphiel Farwind

This event targets difficult achievements, desirable

(Dimension Item)

loot sources, and gives players a look at some of the large scale content available in RIFT. At the

Assorted Items

end of each event a raffle for bonus loot will be

(valued over 100p)

held awarding players with a chance to win 26 and

Gold Prizes

28 slot bags, epic dimension items, REX, a copy of Starfall Prophecies and special prizes.

At the end of each chapter 5 Gold keys Will Be Awarded that can be used to acquire:

Participants will be encouraged to register at the TelaraSaga.com to become eligible for the Weekly be sent to Faeblight characters via in game mail.

Assorted Items

Cross shard mail is not possible so participants

RIFT

28-Slot Bags

Raffle and Grand Prize Raffles. Raffle prizes will

(valued over 25p)

who live on another shard will need to create a new character on Faeblight and level them up to level 15

Silver Prizes

to receive their raffle prizes. Once they have their

At the end of each event, 4 Silver Keys will be awarded that can be used to acquire:

prize they can transfer their level 15 character back to their home shard.

26-Slot Bags

Voice communication is provided by Gaiscioch on their Discord server at http://gsch.info/ce. All are

Assorted Items

welcome to join for voice instructions, socialization,

(valued over 10p)

and some good laughs. Instructions on how to download, install, and connect to discord can be found at: http://gsch.info/discord This event will be broadcasted live on Twitch.tv (http://gsch.info/twitch) and YouTube Gaming (http://gsch.info/youtube).

•

Winners must have a character on Faeblight to receive their prizes.

•

Registration to TelaraSaga.com is required to become eligible to win prizes.

•

Participants must claim participation on TelaraSaga.com during the event to be eligible. 71

RIFT

The Dawn of Adventure A New Players Guide to Rift By Althea â&#x20AC;&#x153;Briseadhâ&#x20AC;? Damgaard

hether you are new or returning to the game after years of play, there will be questions that occur. Sure some of the things are standard MMORPG, but how do you find them or do them. This guide was written to describe what you will see in the first ten levels of the game.

W 72

Character Creation There are several steps to character creation. The first one is to decide if you want to be a Guardian or a Defiant. The great thing with the game now is that in PvE outside the main cities both sides can play together and be in the same guild. When we started this game we were primarily Guardian, but later started a Defiant guild. We could not even talk to each other in game unless we used a private channel that we created. No more worries about that! I made a character from scratch for this guide and put her on the Guardian side.

The next step is to pick your race and gender. The three

After this you will reach the screen where you can

races of choice will appear on the left and with models

adjust the character’s size, coloring, etc. It’s a pretty

of both sexes. The choice you pick will have random

standard setup that uses a grid to click on or a sliding

starter avatar in the center of the screen for you to

bar to change things. If you are not into toying with

check out. Don’t fret! You will have options to change

your character looks you can chose from several presets

the look, but not yet.

to get running in the game faster.

What is your calling? This is better known as class in

Once you save your character you will be entered into a

a lot of games. Your choices will be: Warrior, Cleric,

cinematic with the history of the Guardians or Defiants

Mage or Rogue for the standard game. If you have the

based on which side you chose. If you are here for the

Primalist Calling Pack, Primalist will be a fifth option.

first time, this can be fun to watch, but like most games, hitting escape will end it and put you at the start of the

Each calling initially allows you to choose three roles

game.

that you can focus on to support a group. The possible roles are Tank, Damage (DPS), Support, and Healer. There is a way to have all four for any character, but you need to add the Dream Soul Pack to the game. The available preset builds are recommendations and can be a good tool to learn from, but you can also create your own. So pick your purpose from the ones open for your calling and game setup. More information about how the Soul Tree works within a role is described later

Let’s talk some about these before I dive into the actual game play. One of the first things to check in your graphic settings is what quality video is set. Despite my system, it decided to set me up at low quality without a lot of

RIFT

in the section called “The Fun of Leveling”.

Settings and the UI

distance. That will explain some of my pictures, since

system menu and choose edit layout. All items that you

I was not playing in ultimate mode when I did my run

can move will be highlighted. Simply left click on the

for this guide. Thus, I tell you now.

item you wish to move and drag it across the screen.

RIFT

Release the mouse button when you have it where In game, click on the computer icon on the bottom left

you like. The window with the save button can also be

to pull up the system menu. Choose settings – video –

dragged around so it is not in the way of what you are

advanced. The settings window should now show near

moving. Each window can also be resized with drag

the top a slide bar from low to custom for the video

options.

quality. Each “min” to “ultra” choice has a preset. If you tweak any of the preset options on a quality choice,

When you have the layout the way you like, click save

it automatically changes it to a custom setup. I think

and you will be returned to game mode. If you do not

that is a good thing so you know if you are truly playing

like what you did, you can hit escape. You can also

with a preset quality or not. If you find a custom setup

use the edit layout to return to the default settings by

works for you, it’s a good idea to note your settings

hitting reset.

somewhere in case you need to reset them. If you want to get to the settings from the character select screen, it

To add further action bars to the game, go to settings

is the settings button at the bottom of the screen.

and chose interface and then action bars. To adjust what bars you see on your screen click on the drop

Another thing people like to do is rearrange their UI. I

down menu for bottom and side. You can have up to

found I needed to do this when I decided to add more

7 at the bottom of your screen and four on the side. I

action bars for faster access to my skills rather than

prefer to have one on the side for skills I do not use in

clicking to change what bar I was looking at.

combat and at least two on the bottom for higher level characters with more skills for faster ease of keying or

Click on the computer icon on the bottom left for the 74

clicking in commands for fighting. The main action bar

will also scroll through several by clicking the up and

Many other settings are available to change the colors

down arrows on the right. This is a good place to put

of things if you do not like them and to change the

skills you will want to use, but only for specific non-

keybindings. I will let you explore the other options in

combat times so you have time to move to it and have

settings on your own now that I helped you get your

all the associated skills ready for use. My suggestions

feet wet with some of the primary things players like

are there for things to think about as you play.

to change.

Game Store A shopping cart icon is included in the menu icons at the bottom left of the screen. A window will appear that will allow you to search for both in-game and out of game items. There are several ways to pay for items and each will list all options available and their costs. Some of the payment options are based on the characterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s actions in the game and items they have accumulated through quests and closing rifts. Each character will have a different amount of these in game materials to shop with. Credits are an account wide item that can be bought with real cash. RIFT 75

Questing

You can also sign up as a patron (subscription) through this window and gain those extra perks. You will see what some of the perks are as you play, but one example

Once the opening cinematic is completed, your

is a bonus to the experience points (XP) and the cash

character will appear in the game. In front of you

you get for your quest rewards. Personally, I think

should be an NPC with an icon over their head that

you can level fast enough playing the game, especially

is green with ‘!’ in it. This icon signifies the NPC has

doing instanced adventures, without this added perk.

a new quest to give to you. Right click on them and a window will open where they will tell you what they

Playing the Game

would like you to do and what your rewards will be if

Now that I shared the character creation and some of

Your mini-map in the upper right hand corner, and

the main setting options, let’s get to understanding how to play the game.

you complete the quest.

the full map that you can pull up by pressing ‘M’, will show the location of your quest objectives either by highlighted circles or star-like pinpoints. If a point is off the mini-map it will be at the edge of the mini-map with an arrow pointing the direction from where you

RIFT

are.

Another thing to note about the map is that any area that your character has not explored yet will be grayed out. Once you have traveled far enough into an area, the map will light up to show the terrain. The map in the picture supplied here is in the starting area of the Guardians outside the initial tutorial phase. The quests will not always have you handing in quests to the person that you acquired them from. Some will have you acquire items on the way or some will simply tell you to go talk to someone else. Complete all the quests as you go, to ensure you do not miss anything. In the beginning, a lot of the quests also teach you how to 76

head icon on the bottom left or pressing the ‘L’ key. The

but will pop up as an icon under the minimap with a

menus on the bottom left will have a letter on the right

bag icon in its center to click to claim your rewards.

RIFT

play the game. Some quests don’t have a hand-in spot,

To know where to hand in a quest a blue circle with a checkmark will appear on your map and over the head of the NPC you must talk to. Right click on them to initiate the dialogue to complete the quest. Some quests will have you chose an item from several before you can click on the ‘Finish’ button. Simply left click the item you would like, to highlight it. Items you cannot use will be overlaid with red. Quests that are in progress will show in a list on the right side of the screen with some simple information about them. If you hover over the little circle with the checkmark in it on the right side of the quest name you will see that left clicking it will bring up that quest in your quest log and right clicking will mark it on your mini-map if it is not already there. The other way to get to your quest log is through the player menu via the

if there is a hot key for them. Side note: If you do not like the initial keybind settings in the game, you can click on the system icon and chose “key bindings”. A window will pop up listing all of the items you can bind to a key and will show their default

open action bar slot to save having the quest log open.

Interacting With Your World I already stated that you right click on an NPC to talk to them. This right clicking also works to interact with

initially.

other objects in the world. There will be plenty of things

As you level and explore you will acquire quite a few

has sparkles on it can be right clicked and something

more quests. They will show up in your quest log under various headings to help you find them by type. I like that there is a “profession” header so all my crafting and ‘gathering’ quests are there, out of the way of exploration and special quests.

that ‘sparkle’ in the game. Anything that looks like it will happen. Some will be notes you can read on monuments or tacked to a wall. Some of them are related to quest items you must pick up. There are also tons of collectibles that will show up as random shiny spots on the ground or as sparkling objects. Sparkles

In the following window, I have the quest log open to compare what I have equipped to what I will get upon completing the quest. A ‘replacing this item’ section will appear on the equipped items info window and tell you the attributes that will increase or decrease and by how much. In this case, I will have a much better staff when I have completed this quest. You can see the same

RIFT

item comparisons by hovering over the item choices on the quest dialogue window when completing the quest,

are a good thing in this game. or hovering over items in your bags. In the quest log, you will also see two rows of boxes at the bottom. This is where all of your quest items will go. They will never mix with your regular bag inventory. Some of them will be items you will have to ‘use’ during a quest and you have the option of moving these to an 78

One thing to interact with that does not sparkle is the mailbox. It will be marked on the mini-map with an envelope icon. Each faction has their own design for their mailbox. I had not played in four years, but I had mail to check out on my new character. I am not sure what a new player might see, but it is a good idea to check your mail as soon as you see a mailbox. The one

will be discussed in another article. Make sure you right click on any downed enemy that has sparkles on them because they have loot. To check out your loot and any items you chose as quest rewards you will need to open your bags. To do this, you can either press ‘B’ for bags (I might change this to ‘I’ for inventory like so many newer games) or click on the bags slotted in the boxes at the bottom right of your screen. To equip an item that is in a bag, right click on it. This also works with bags if you have an empty bag slot in the bottom right. Make sure you are paying attention if you are replacing an existing equipped item by comparing the item windows that will come up when hovering the mouse over the item in your bag. You can also unequip pictured here is the Guardian style mailbox.

an item by right clicking it and it will appear in a bag.

Use ‘Tab’ to target an enemy or, if you have the time, you

Once you get to a town with a banker you can also use

can also click on the one you really want. Whatever you

the right click to move items in the bags to the bank

have targeted, from NPC to enemy, will have a glowing

and vice versa.

circle around its feet and an arrow pointing down at its To view what your character has equipped and other

in the game: green for friendly, yellow for an attackable

stats you can press ‘C’ for character or chose character

passive mob, and red for an attackable aggressive mob.

on the player menu. To see other information about

The red ones might decide to hit you first, so be wary.

your character you can left click on the menu items on

You will also see the target’s stat bar at the top of the

the left of the window to have their information appear

RIFT

head. There are three colors for the NPCs and creatures

on the right.

screen to the right of your stat bar. To fight with your enemy use the number keys associated with your skills on the primary action bar. As noted earlier with action bar setup, you can add more of these or shift through several that can appear on your main bar. You can also click on the associated skill icon on a bar to activate them, but I suggest you have the lock on the left of the main bar in the locked position or you might move them instead of activating them. You will need to unlock it again to change your skills around, but not to add new ones to empty slots. There are macros to help with your fighting, but that 79

RIFT

The Fun of Leveling

To sell items, talk to any vendor. Right clicking on the

The blue bar along the top of your main action bar will

item in your bag will sell it. There is a handy button

tell you the progress achieved to the next level. Your

at the bottom of the vendor window that states ‘sell

level will show at the top of your character window and

grey items’. This is the fastest way to sell junk items

also at the bottom of your picture on the stat bar in

you acquire from looting. Make sure you know what

the upper left of the screen. Whenever you level you

you are selling so you don’t accidentally sell an item

will gain points to use in your soul tree to acquire new

you wanted to keep. If you do mistakenly sell an item,

skills.

there is a ‘buy back’ button at the bottom of the vendor window. Right clicking on the sold item in the list will

When you first selected your calling and role within it,

return the money you acquired to the vendor and put

the game was set to automatically apply the points if

the item back in your bags.

you want it to. A box will pop up on the left to ask if you want to spend your points. If you want the game to pick

Now that you have learned about questing and

the slots for you, simply click it and it will automatically

interacting with your world, let’s move on to what

happen. However, you can see where it wants to apply

happens as you level and what important things you

the next point if you open the soul tree instead. You can

will have to pay attention to.

do this from the player menu or by pressing ‘N’.

You can assign your points your own way by left

souls used. There are a lot of guides out there about the

clicking on the item you want to buy. You have to work

souls and what they do, but many of the preset choices

from the bottom of the tree to the top. You will not have

can be a lot of fun.

enough points to fill in all three trees for the chosen role so check them out some to see what you want to do. All the items listed on a tree can be hovered over to see what it will do. This allows you to explore your trees

RIFTS! The reason for the game is the rifts! You will gain ascended powers to allow you to open tears. As you

from the start.

level you will gain access to lures that can guarantee

Most of the items to learn can be advanced with several

beginning you will acquire the ability to use a standard

can spend is the number on the right and the amount

planar lure. You will acquire this ability, open a rift via a tear, and have to close it by destroying the minions

spent is the number on the left.

that come through to complete a quest.

Skills in the root of the tree are automatically learned

During the fight the rift will go through stages. You

as you spend your soul points. If lit up, you can put the skill on an action bar. Otherwise, it will have a number, which is the points that must be spent in the tree for the skill to be available. Not all skills will automatically show up on your action bar when they are available on your soul tree. You can drag and drop any that you know to your bars as you see fit. A handy new skill list box will open up on the left of the screen (default location) when you manually make the choices

can see this in the upper right under the mini map. There will be a number at the top to tell you the stage it is in. Some of the stages have to be completed in a designated time and a countdown clock will appear in the middle. At the end donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t forget to click the bag at the bottom to claim your loot. You will get some planar treasures that can be used for currency, crafting and other great things.

of where to spend the points.

How do you find a tear? It will show up on the minimap

As you level, you will have the chance to buy more roles

area you have explored so far. It looks a lot like the

than the one you started with. Each role will have its own setup with three souls to use. If you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t like your build for any role, you can reset it and even change the

RIFT

points to increase their effects. The total number you

the type of rift opened and the strength of it. In the

if you are close enough and on the main map in any shape of the tear when up close. If you hover your mouse over the tear marker on the map, it will tell you the level, which will match the level of the map area 81

RIFT

it is located in. Rifts will scale to the size of the group

You will find quests to teach you about fishing on the

attacking them. All of them will be a public group that

way to the first major town. This skill will not count

anyone can join. You can fight in one without joining

as one of the three crafting professions you can have.

the public group, but you might find some synergy with

There are quests and achievements for fishing just like

others if grouped with them.

everything else in this game. The other one that will not count is survival (cooking).

Larger groups, like our guild, will open them most of the time with special lures and go rift hunting. There

Once in the first major town (Argent Glade for

are even special lures for crafting rifts, we started

the Guardian side) there will be several NPCs that

calling the events for these crifting due to a slip of the

will teach you about crafting. There are more than

tongue that has stuck for years.

three professions and your foraging (plants/trees), butchering, and mining will each take a profession slot.

So there is plenty to look forward to with rifts popping

I have plenty of crafting to figure out on the high level

up all over the place. Tears can even turn into a rift

characters that my account still has after four years,

without being opened by an ascended, but they can

but I decided for the purposes of this guide to do the

disappear, too. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be afraid to solo them due to the

following: foraging, artificer, and outfitter. This way I

balancing to players. However, never expect to be alone

had the best chance of acquiring items I might use and

by the time it closes.

then craft into items usable as a mage.

Crafting 82

Major towns and the home city for your faction, will have crafting stations for you use. The list of recipes

you can make will show on the left of the window. The

custom channels you can invite people to which can be

full recipe detail and the buttons to select how many

used for allies and friends not in the same guild.

you want to make is on the left. The numbers on each how many you need. The numbers will be red when you don’t have enough. The other great thing is that the total items available to use will include items in your bank. However, whatever you make will go into your inventory so make sure you have bag space for the newly created item(s).

Grouping You will not want to play alone all the time or only in public groups at rifts. Hopefully you came with friends

RIFT

item in the recipe will tell you how many you have and

or even know of a guild you want to join. Grouping is pretty simple in this game and there are ways for different levels to play together. Let’s start with the options you can find by right clicking

Other Helpful Items Chat If you click on the button on the bottom left of the chat window you can chose the channel to talk in and see what the ‘/’ command is. If you type /chatlist and hit enter, it will list all of the chat channels you belong to. One of the channels you will see first is the Level 1-29 channel that allows you to talk worldwide to anyone in that channel. This game uses tell instead of whisper to talk privately to another player. You can even create

on your character’s portrait on the status bar. On the menu you will find that you can make your group public, which is the default. You can make your group private and use the /invite ‘character name’ command for those you want in the group. The next option on the menu is to have sidekicking enabled or not. It is a good idea to have this enabled as it allows you to be bumped, up or down, in level to match what the group is doing. You can also set yourself to a mentoring level with 10 as the lowest and the highest being your level minus five. So my level 50 can mentor at level 10 to level 45. This 83

is great for people with higher characters to come help

in the game.

out new players in the game. As a new player yourself, you will not be using this option for now, but you will

Help Tips

encounter a quest to know how to do so at some point in your teens. Remember to turn it off when you are done with this tutorial quest so that you can continue fighting at your full level. There is a Looking for Group option that is in the Activities menu. It can be opened by clicking the second button on the bottom left that looks like a ‘play’ button (triangle pointing right). Depending on your level, you will find several things to group for. If you want to select only the dungeons you want to play in, click on Specific Dungeon at the bottom of the window. However, this requires patron status to utilize. Without patron status you can still see the list and the associated levels for the dungeons in the game. You can only enter the dungeons that have been unlocked by

RIFT

your level.

When playing a new character these will pop up all the time as you play. It appears as a question mark in a golden circle in the center above your action bar. Clicking on this will open a window with the information it wants to share. You can also find the tips in the Help Tip Encyclopedia, which can be chosen from the menu that opens by clicking on the ‘?’ icon on the bottom left of the screen. You can also search for issues, get unstuck, supply feedback and find a GM with this menu. An example of one that came up for me early on was that not all quests send you back to an NPC to gain your reward and work a lot like a rift for the reward claiming. You have to click on the bag in the icon just below the minimap. Due to the rifts and some quests like this,

Instant Adventures Instant Adventures are another option on the Activities menu that you will want to know about. These are great for leveling and will automatically set the character level to match. You must be at least level ten for this option to be available. There are three types of instant adventures that will scale from 1 to 20 players: Instant, Intrepid and Featured.

Guild Finder Press ‘G’ and you can search for a guild. Most created by players will request you send a message to get an invite. There is a generic one for both factions that is open to anyone, but most people do not join these. If

definitely get used to noticing what is below your

you know the guild you are looking for you can type in

minimap and above your quest list. It can be moved

their name and it should come up on the list. You can

with the edit layout I explained near the beginning if

do a far broader search to find one to join if you don’t

you know of a better place for this to show up, though

want to remain solo in the game and did not come to

the default spot has always worked for me.

the game due to friends. Of course, there is nothing like talking to people and finding a group to play with as you meet people that help with rifts and other things 84

Soul Binding and Porticulum Porticulum are the gates that let you move faster across

the world. You can bind your soul to any of these based

knows pinpointed with a bright green diamond in a

on what you want to do. One of the good places to bind

black circle. Hovering you mouse over the diamonds will tell you how much it costs to travel there. Left clicking on a diamond will automatically pay the fee RIFT

and transport you to the chosen location.

Conclusion This took a lot more to sum up than I anticipated and I know I did not touch on everything. However, I hope some of the information helped you further understand your soul is your home city for quick travel back there. Each porticulum has a person managing it and you have to talk to them in order to bind your soul. This

the game and will lead you to dig deeper. I truly hope you enjoy the game. I know I have in the little time Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been back, and most of that was to figure out this guide.

is another thing you will learn about through questing when you come upon the first one outside the little tutorial area where you start. To travel to another location, you must have already been there in your exploration of the world. Right click on the Porticulum Master and then left click on the Mathosia section of the map in the window. A map will appear with all the known porticulum your character 85

Show Me the Money! A Guide to Rift Currencies By Susan “Lakshmi” Warren

RIFT

Of the most confusing aspects of Rift for returning players is the huge

Which should you choose, and why?

number of different currencies. For

The answer depends on you. Are you

example, here are the rewards from

leveling gradually, already at the

one of several popular quests. In

level cap, or just “passing through”

addition to the typical cash reward,

to a higher level? What do you need

you’re also asked to choose from

to buy for your style of gameplay? If

one of four other currencies:

your current character doesn’t need a particular currency, can you use it to “gift” stuff to an alt?

First, Let’s Talk Power Creep Before we get to the answers for those questions, let’s talk power creep. By design, Rift is an MMO where “end game” gear and currencies are obsoleted with each new expansion. There was a big jump in power 86

at level 60 for the Storm Legion expansion, and another at level 65 for the Nightmare Tide expansion. All signs point to another big jump with the new Starfall Prophecies expansion. There

are

two

practical

considerations that result from

since many of their goods can’t be

Rift’s power creep design. First,

bought on the Rift Store.

you’ll earn a lot more coin and

Starfall Prophecies bring a new

currencies rewards at the highest level -- maybe 10x or even 20x

Void Stone is usually acquired

more than a level 30, for example.

as quest reward, or by running

Second, you’ll face much harder

Instant Adventures. It’s a bit like

fights as you level..

getting cash for Christmas from great aunt Rita: instead of getting

Taken together, these factors usually

Joe-random-quest-reward, you get

mean that it’s worth upgrading your

to go shop for something you can

gear as you level, since you’ll earn

actually use.

back the currency more quickly. But don’t go nuts with fancy gear at

From level 1 to 65, Void Stone is

level 65, since power creep applies

a very useful currency. While the

to Starfalls Prophecies too.

Useful Everywhere: Cash & Planarite That said, there are two currencies

Useful level 1 to 65: Void Stone

Rift Store has quite a bit of armor, way to increase your gear stats called Planar Fragments.

Cash

and Planarite are needed to infuse (upgrade) Planar Fragments to improve their bonuses.

cash (or store credits), there’s a lot more you can buy from Adventure Dealers using Void Stone and Planarite. RIFT

that are useful at every level from 1

weapons and accessories for sale for

to 70. Cash is the platinum / gold / silver coin you earn from most in-game activities and use to buy things from the auction house and many vendors. Cash is useful throughout the game, regardless of your level. Planarite is earned by fighting rifts and planar invasions. In addition to planar items — focus + essences, lures and planar skills — Planarite is used together with Void Stone to buy gear from Adventure Dealers. (More about them in the next section.)

Both cash and Planarite can be used to buy bound-to-account items for an alt.

Also, keep an eye out during your travels for Planar Goods merchants, 87

The level of the available gear varies

you

plan

play

by the location of the Adventure

Prophecies….

remember

currencies, most of which are easy

Dealer:

power creep? Even the very best

to understand. I’ll discuss a few

level 65 raid gear will be replaced

more in closing.

well,

Starfall

There

are

quite

few

Levels 1 to 45: Adventure Dealer in

by quest rewards by the time you

capital city (Sanctum or Meridian)

reach level 70. The pieces that will

Level 50: Adventure Dealer in

last the longest into the expansion

Tempest Bay

are trinkets, capes, necks, and

Level 60: World Gear Merchant in

weapons.

Typically the items sold for credits

Level 65: Adventure Merchant in

Abyssal Crusader Marks: Expert,

at helping characters “catch up” to

Marple Palace, or the Rift Store

Conquest, and Raid 1 gear Fragments of Madness: Raid 2 gear

We’re back to this picture, and the

RIFT

“which to choose?” question.

Credits are purchased with real money, and spent in the Rift Store. are cosmetic, convenience, or aimed

Tempest Bay

Level 65 Expert & Raid Currencies

Credits

Fragments of Darkness: Raid 3 gear These currencies can also be used to buy bound-to-account items for an alt.

the level cap. In-game cash can be converted to Credits by buying Rex from another player or the auction house. Credits are the only currency you may use to gift items to a friend via the Rift Store.

Starfall Prophecies: Celestial Remnants & Tower Fragments

Crafting Crafters earn Artisan Marks, Master Craftsman Marks and Grandmaster

As with past Rift expansions,

Craftsman Marks by completing

Starfall Prophecies brings a few

daily crafting quests. The marks

new currencies:

are used to buy premium crafting recipes.

Celestial Remnants are the new general reward currency, similar to

PVP

Void Stones Tower Fragments are the new raid currency Except for Void Stones, these are level 65 raid currencies which you can use to buy level 65 end game gear. If you don’t plan to play Starfall Prophecies, these can be worthwhile to gear up a character that will remain at the free-to-play level cap of 65. 88

new

PVP

currency,

similar

to Warmonger’s Marks, is also

Favor is earned by participating in PVP. Warmonger’s Marks are purchased for 100,000 favor each.

expected

Finally, a Few More Currencies

Events Seasonal

festivals

and

similar

events each have a unique currency and rewards in Rift.

RIFT

A Journey Through The Nightmare Saga Act 1 By: Benjamin “Foghladha” Foley

oming back to RIFT for the first time in 4 years felt a lot like trying to drink water from a fire hose. There was a wealth of new things, places, and activities that were quite a mystery for me. I asked Uncle Google about these things and found that over the years most of the good writers about RIFT had also departed, leaving very little information available to new and returning players.

Thus, I have decided to begin a new series of guides and walkthroughs for RIFT to help those new and returning players find the information they’re looking for. So to kick off this new series, I’ve decided to feature the Nightmare Saga story quest line. Why is this quest line so important? Because at the end of the second part of this quest line you will receive your own personal Orphiel Farwind dimension item. What’s so special about Orphiel? He talks when you emote to him, opens portals to strange places where you can fight enemies, collect a rare set of artifacts, and face off with some pretty tough bosses. It’s also one of the the most valuable dimension items in the game. 89

Part 3: This Can’t Be Happening In what is the most disturbing part of this Nightmare based quest line, you must investigate if you murdered a whole pack of corgis. Your first task will be to find your missing journal entries which have been scattered about leading you to the crime scene. Once you get to the crime scene, you are attacked and must fight off 6 Onir and then take on a ferocious Manifest Guilt. Now word of advice. This is meant to be a group stage of the quest and as a tank at level, I was unable to complete it. As a warden/sentinel I was unable to complete it. I

Act 1 Part 1: Of Dreams and Nightmares

ended up having to call in a friend to help defeat this foe. Save yourself time and bring a friend for this part of the quest.

By traveling to the Ghar Station Mem, you can find a lad by the name of Purgav north of the porticulum and up the debris on the right. He will offer the story quest “Of Dreams and Nightmares”. Purgav asks you to visit the new Ghar Memory Extractor outside of Ghar

RIFT

Station Rosh. Your destination will be just on the other side of the wall near the porticulum. You will need to head to your right after spawning, run outside the city gates and follow the wall on your right until you see the sparkles of success.

Part 2: Everyone’s Staring at You In this next step you’ll be challenged with several trivia questions in which you’ll need to have 3 right answers to complete the quest. If you’re anything like me, you’re absolutely clueless as to what they’re asking you and you will have to use a process of elimination. The good news is there are only a few different questions, and they ask them multiple times. So by a simple process of trial and error you can pass this test with ease. I answered the same question 3 times to complete this one. It’s pretty straight forward. Accept the quest, go to Gemini Bluffs and answer some trivia questions and back to Ghar Station Mem to speak with Purgav.

Part 4: Couldn’t There Be A Map? In what appears to be the internet’s least favorite quest ever invented, this quest has you searching an entire city for a Frustrated Dreamer. There are multiple tiers to this city and it’s a giant maze of teleporters. I spent well over an hour searching this city top to bottom before I finally broke down and scoured the internet for information. The best information I found spotted him in the Lost Knot region of Draumheim. So I sat and waited. Trying to do this quest without help would likely lead to premature grey hair and a lot of cursing. To ease the burden on you, I followed the Frustrated Dreamer until he crossed the coordinates 5670, 5901 which was an archway that had no alternate route through. His route circles the outside Margle Palace

Lost Knot, Draumheim 5670,5901

in a clockwise rotation. While it would be easy to run

Part 5: Rest and Relaxation For this part, you really don’t need a guide. This is a

and hallways there’s no telling which route he takes.

simple travel from one place to another. A bridge

He walks very slow so mapping his route would likely

between quests. Enjoy the journey as there is some

take more than 30 minutes. Which means he crosses

pretty scenery along the way.

RIFT

a counter clockwise loop, there are so many corridors

the archway about every 30 minutes. Once you speak with him, you will end up fighting him, so be ready for a fight. There are lots of easily angered creatures around so be mindful of where you choose to do battle. Once he is slain you will be sent back to Purgav at Ghar Station Mem. This quest isn’t what I’d consider hard, it’s just very time consuming waiting for the ghost to make himself known. It might be a good place to check your email or catch up on an episode of Game of Thrones while you wait. Best bet is bring friends and spread out around the

Part 6: Slow, Steady, and Stressful

outer ring of the city. The more watchers the faster you

Are you a fan of Mario Kart? Well this is going to be

complete the quest. If I made this game, the creature

your new favorite quest. In this quest you simply race

you fight would be “Manifested Patience”.

through checkpoints avoiding traps. Led by a trail of 91

power pellets, you simply have to cross all 10 of the

You let loose relentlessly in the empty tent to find

white circles on the floor. Avoid the black tar circles

you’ve released Smouldering Leavings all about the

and the orange fire circles along the way. You do not

place, so you must use your Sanitize skill (Skill #3) to

need to collect all the white orbs along they way they

clean them up. Once you’ve cleaned up your mess you

are only there to serve as a guide. You do however need

will investigate what caused this indigestion.

to walk through all of the glowing white circles on the ground. This is another very simple piece of this quest

Off in the hills to the north east, you will find a

line.

mysterious picnic basket that when clicked on will pit

Part 7: Why Would You Do This? At this stage of the quest line you have an easy go to Ghar Station Rosh and interact with various terminals. At first I thought it mattered what station you talked

source of your agony. Once you slay him it’s time to return to Purgav in Ghar Station Mem to collect your reward.

to but later i realized it progresses anyways. At some

Part 9: March of the Guffins

points you have to wait a while for the interaction to

This part of the quest can be done solo, however it

complete and at other times it is instant. Be warned

would go a lot faster with friends. First you will head

spamming the final terminal will cause the voice overs

to Ghar Station Tau where you will be riding off to 3

to talk over the main boss which makes it hard to hear

different locations in Tarken Glacier and listen to the

the plotline. So as you near the end of the goal, wait for

mischievous, conspiring Guffins discuss their plans

the speech to catch up.

for world domination. You will be discovered and be

Part 8: Give Me a Break In this part of the series, we must take part in a feast. RIFT

you against Indigestus, an elite creature that is the

You will first head over to Ghar Station Rosh and travel to the banquet. When you arrive at the banquet, you’ll give the food a taste and realize you need to find an empty tent and quick. Your stomach rumbles and you need a quick Bio Break (Skill #1).

required to kill these evil penguin like creatures. You will end up fighting 6 at a time and they are mostly ranged classes, so stacking them together can be tricky. After the third fight you will discover the Guffin Overlord, a giant ice dragon that has 3 primary attacks. The first is Frost Breath, which is an area of effect frontal cone that hurts a lot. The second is a Call of Ice, which can be interrupted and if it goes off, it will

stun those in the area. The Third is Icy Reflection,

It would have taken an hour or more to defeat them. So

which reflects damage back on the attacker. The trick

I called in a friend who can put out some damage.

I used was to interrupt his Call of Ice skill, wait for Frost Breath to begin casting, then run between his

The mechanic is pretty straight forward. It’s an

legs and attack from the other side. When he casts Icy

alternating boss fight where Atho casts an interruptible

Reflection I used any heals I had. The fight took awhile

skill called Energy Job which sends 8 orbs spiraling

for my tank but it was not what I considered difficult

outwards. His other attack is Flame Jet which is an

even for a solo player.

area of effect frontal cone.

Bringing a friend on this journey would be an

Cryrro on the other hand uses an interruptible skill

entertaining experience for all of you. This was yet

called Punishing Strike and a skill called Stone Feet.

another strange quest in this glorious quest line.

He also has skill called Death Pulse which is a pulsating

Part 10: The Last Place I Looked In this stage of the quest line you will be faced with pieces of you. You will fight 5 aspects in this quest. First you will face off with the Aspect of Despair, Aspect of Loneliness, Aspect of Rage, and the Aspect of Pride. Once you have slain the Aspect of Pride a yellow portal will appear. Enter it and you will be transported to a platform above the city where you will face off with the Aspect of Self. Upon defeating yourself, you will be speech before sending you off to see Purgav again.

Once you slay one of these you will realize that Atho is Asha Catari and Cryrro is Cyril Kalmer. I won’t give away the surprise as to who the big mastermind of all this was, you’ll have to find out for yourself! Watch the Video Walkthrough at: http://gsch.info/a/178006

RIFT

greeted by Lord Arak who will give you a long winded

area of effect.

Part 11: Nightmare Scenario This is the final part in the Act 1 storyline and has you traveling to Tempest Bay (Instance) through a portal summoned by Purgav. Once you arrive you find yourself in the throne room with a room full of dead bodies. Two hostile creatures stand before you, Atho and Cryrro. You will be granted a skill called Dream Prison which will put one of them into a trance for 20 seconds. Once it wears off you will not be able to use it on that creature for another 20 seconds. So you will find yourself alternating which one of the bosses you are fighting, placing the opposite into a trance. Now this fight was not one I managed to do solo. I probably could, however each of these creatures has 3.3 million health and I damage for roughly 2000 average. 93

2017 Puts Massively Back in Multiplayer By: Benjamin “Foghladha” Foley There’s a lot of new experimental titles on their way in

Out of the Mists

or will they fade into history as a neat idea? There are

In the last few months of 2016, we saw several games

so many beautiful titles on the horizon, but how many

get revealed in their late stage of development. They

of them will be functional as well? We take a look at our

seemed to appear from the mists. Let’s take a look at

top picks for 2017.

some of these new titles.

Preview

2017. Will one of them revolutionize the MMO world,

New World Amazon Studios

In Amazon Studios first MMO, New World is an open-

be interesting to watch this one progress, as many of

ended sandbox MMO that is set in a living, hostile and

the former ArenaNet developers who pioneered Guild

cursed land. While not much is known about the game,

Wars 1 and 2 have been spotted working on this project.

a reveal trailer was released, showing players will be

The end product remains a mystery as many details are

pitted against some supernatural terrors which will be

still locked behind closed doors. I suspect come April

an intricate part of building a thriving civilization.

we will hear more about Amazon Studios new title.

Changing seasons will be featured, being a new

Learn more at:

ambition I have not seen in many games yet. It will

https://games.amazon.com/games

Ashes of Creation Intrepid Studios Inc Revealed in December by Intrepid Studios Inc, this

activities in the open world.

new MMORPG aims to put the power of growth and expansion in the playerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hands by having them decide

The part that really caught our attention is that they

where to lay foundations for towns, villages, and

aim to put the Massively back in MMO. They aim to

castles. This game features a wealth of PvE and Opt-In

have thousands of players playing with and against

PvP including siege warfare.

each other in epic sieges and events. We have our eyes on this one for sure.

Cities will spawn up where players choose to group their houses together and their growth will depend on

You can learn more and subscribe to their newsletter

the amount of commerce and trade they can encourage.

by visiting: http://www.ashesofcreation.com/ Preview

Players can escort trade caravans and engage in PvP

Dark & Light Snail Games Years ago this game made a short appearance only to

project. Many of us that saw the original, know how

crash and burn a terribly horrific fate. The demise of

much potential was there if it wasn’t for some piss poor

the game would lead to the property being auctioned

business management and terrible customer service.

off in bankruptcy court. Snail Games saw the potential in this game if it was able to make it the right way and

Can Snail Games bring back a game that has such a

decided to acquire the rights to the game. They spent

dark cloud looming over it’s head? Or will the game be

the next 6 years building their own image of Dark &

plagued by its dark history. We won’t really know until

Light from the ground up.

it’s released but until then we are keeping our eye on

Preview

this one.

In the first trailer announcing the title, we saw a breathtaking new engine and a massive sandbox

Learn More At:

world. It will be interesting to see what becomes of this

http://www.playdnl.com/

Neos Land NeoJac Where has this been hiding? NeoJac has been working

just entered pre-alpha testing, however it appears to

on a medieval themed game for a little while now called

have some depth to their political and housing systems.

Neos Land. It is set in a high fantasy world which is

We will be keeping a close eye on this one and be sure

driven by the community. Like many other MMORPGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

to bring you updates as we learn more.

entering the market theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re putting the focus of the world on the players. They will lay claim to land, siege

Learn More At:

castles, and become pioneers exploring the uncharted

http://neosland.com/

frontiers.

vast regions of the game. The game world is filled with dungeons to explore, monsters to hunt, and castles to siege. Not a whole lot has been seen about this title that

Preview

Players are able to found settlements and explore the

Siege Warfare Makes it’s Comeback There have been a slew of attempts to capture that Dark Age of Camelot feeling in games. Few that have tried have succeeded. In 2017 we have many contenders throwing their gauntlet into the arena. Here are some of our top picks for 2017.

Chronicles of Elyria Soulbound Studios, LLC. One of our favorites we’ve seen grow from small

length of time can also be offset by character age, the

beginnings to epic scale, Chronicles of Elyria is to bring

number of loved ones near your fallen body, and your

a new spin to MMO gaming. In Chronicles of Elyria

status in the world. Kings will be much more likely to

you don’t play a single character. You play the life of

permanently die than that of the common folk.

a family. Your character will age and eventually die leaving their legacy to their next of kin, which can be

This game has a lot of ambition and it’s hard to tell

you, or you can opt to play a orphan. Each generation

what will become of this title. It’s either going to be a

wields the successes and failures of its past generations

smash hit that changes the shape of MMO gaming or

learning from experiences and growing their wealth

it will be a tragic failure. Regardless, I think this is one

through years of commerce.

game that we all must experience. There are so many really neat ingenious new features that I suspect we’ll

Additionally this game has a unique spin on death,

see popping up in MMOs for years to come.

where players are required to find their way back to their bodies from the spirit realm to be able to continue

Learn More at:

with their lifespan. Players can even experience

https://chroniclesofelyria.com/

Preview

permadeath if they do not find their body in time. The

Crowfall ArtCraft Entertainment The ambitions are set on high with Crowfall, who are

There is even a detailed kingdom creation tool that

creating the ultimate throne war simulator. If you were

allows your imagination to be unleashed. Create

a fan of Shadowbane you’re going to want to keep a

castles, rivers and the landscape of your kingdom. Then

close eye on this one.

invite your friends and guildmates. The guild system is actually quite massive. You can create your own nation

Crowfall features a wealth of PvP opportunities from

with your friends with their own hierarchy and coat of

open field fights to siege warfare. Each unique campaign

arms.

to think of crowfall is it’s like playing each individual

There’s a lot going for Crowfall and it’s been one we’ve

unit in a RTS game. Where the match lasts months on

watched grow over the years. We are definitely looking

end. Players fight for resources, siege strongholds, and

forward to this one.

Preview

has a lifespan and eventually will die. The way I like

change the shape of the world until eventually it ends. Learn more at: http://www.crowfall.com/

Camelot Unchained City State Entertainment Years ago Camelot Unchained’s Founder & CEO

Now while this format is a huge risk, and not many

Mark Jacobs created Mythic Entertainment and the

have tried this formula, Mark is confident that it will

breakthrough MMORPG Dark Age of Camelot. Since

be a MMO for a smaller tight knit community that

then he’s moved on and formed his own company,

absolutely love siege warfare. When we spoke with

City State Entertainment. Now he seeks to take the

him, he would rather have a smaller focused playerbase

best parts of Dark Age of Camelot and forge a new

than trying to please a larger scattered player base.

innovative approach toward the siege war.

Preview

It will be really interesting to see how this works out. Camelot Unchained is entirely focused on PvP and

If he can capture that Thidranki magic, lord knows I’ll

Siege Warfare with a secondary focus in crafting. While

be first in line.

there will be plenty of creatures to slay, these creatures will be used for farming resources that are used in

Learn More at:

crafting and upgrading fortifications. Characters level

http://www.camelotunchained.com/

entirely from player vs player combat and crafting.

100

Bless Neowiz Bless Studio About 4 years ago, I learned about Bless from a fellow

Bless is a beautiful game with a huge world to explore

Gaiscioch member from South Africa by the name of

and many really neat innovative features. Eastern

Wolvain. He stormed into my RaidCall room at the time

games haven’t fared well with our community, which is

and ranted and raved about this game like a child who

likely due to them being built with a 17-25 demographic

just got what he always wanted for Christmas. Usually

in mind and the vast majority of our community being

when members come to me with such admiration and

over 35. This is the last of the Eastern MMORPGs that

conviction I take the time to look into things.

are on our watch list and we wait in anticipation to see if this one will sink or swim. With so many others promising much and delivering few, we hope Bless can

major player coming from the east. It has depth to it’s

live up to it’s potential.

PvE content as well as a siege war. Early tests brought a lot of criticism. So much that the developers delayed

Regardless, we are keeping a close eye on this one

the release to rebuild the combat mechanic to be more

and will be sure to keep you updated on news and

inline with the experience they wanted.

developments.

Preview

Wolvain’s tellings were true. This does appear to be a

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A Return To Classic MMORPG Thinking Many of us miss the glory days of MMORPG’s. Back when dragons slayed us, loot was earned not given, and there were consequences for failure. These titles seek to bring back that classic feeling.

Project Gorgon ElderGame This title seeks to bring back some of the classic

crowdfunding sites and has been predominantly

adventuring feelings while trailblazing a new frontiers.

funded by it’s developers and fans of the game.

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There’s plenty of reminiscing old school content within

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this innovative title. It’s a blend of old and new that has

Learn more at:

been in development for quite a while by a small team

http://projectgorgon.com/

of passionate developers. It has popped up on various

Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen Visionary Realms Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re you a fan of the original Everquest? Did you love

they have gone to great lengths to ensure grouping is

the feeling of grouping up with some friends to seek

easy and natural.

out the depths of the deepest dungeon, slay the fiercest monsters. The camaraderie that came from sharing

What they hope to create is a new social experience that

adventures with friends.

is rooted in the core mechanics that made MMORPGs popular in the first place.

Pantheon Rise of the Fallen seeks to bring party combat Learn More at:

focus on group combat and is not being designed to

http://www.pantheonmmo.com/

be solo friendly. Most tasks will require a group. Thus

Preview

back into the focus. This game actually puts a heavy

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Wild Terra Juvty Worlds Ltd. Were you a fan of Ultima Online? Wild Terra brings

household items to towering fortresses. Players can

back the classic approach toward MMORPGs. It is a

build villages and castles anywhere in the world. Lastly,

massively multiplayer life simulator where you will

the clan war pits clans against each other in an all out

engage in castle sieges, survive harsh environments

battle for supremacy.

and be a part in a living world.

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This title has a lot of promise to capture that classic The game is based on 4 main pillars. Freedom, Survival,

MMO feel while bringing newer MMO concepts into

Creation, and War. The world is dictated by the players

the fold. It will be interesting to keep an eye on this one

within it. From rules and environments, all pieces of the

and see where it goes.

game are forged by players. Survival is key in this game as you will be hunting, taming, and doing everything in

Learn More at:

your power not to starve to death. Players will engage

http://www.playwildterra.com/

in a robust crafting system and build everything from

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To Infinity and Beyond! Space games are making a massive surge as well in 2017. There are many space exploration titles that are joining Elite Dangerous and EVE Online in the MMO Scene.

Dual Universe Novaquark I had a brief look at this title back at PAX West in

you need or lay siege to enemy fortifications to capture

Seattle, WA this past year. This is a space exploration

the prime real estate that has the materials you need.

and creation MMO that gives the power to the player. This one is definitely one of our top 3 Space Exploration Players can create everything from spaceships, space

games coming in 2017. We will be keeping a close eye

stations, to fortifications on distant worlds. You can

on this one.

even use your creativity to create space ships then sell them on the open market to turn a profit for your

Dual Universe puts a heavy focus on exploration and conquest. Resources will be limited and many times you

http://www.dualthegame.com/

Preview

designs.

Learn more at:

will either have to use politics to acquire the resources

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Star Citizen Roberts Space Industries The word Ambitious is a vast understatement when it

The reason we’ve been watching this one so closely is,

comes to Roberts Space Industries’ Star Citizen. In one

because it is being setup to be one of the most ambitious

of crowdfundings biggest successes in history, this title

games to be developed this century. It has a lot to gain,

has crowdfunded more than 138 million us dollars.

and a tremendous amount to lose. It will go down in

With those kind of funds being raised, the bar has been

history regardless, if it succeeds or fails and the long

set really high.

term effects of it’s success or failure will be felt by the crowdfunding community.

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Star Citizen has a lot to live up to. It is a full featured space exploration and conquest MMO that will have

We will be keeping a close eye on this one and hope

players traveling to the far reaches of the galaxy. This

it can live up to the expectations of the fan base. It

title blends 3rd person space exploration with 1st

is setup to be one of the most historical releases in

person shooter gameplay. Many have referred to it as

gaming history.

a Mass Effect style MMO with deep roots in the Wing Commander series.

Learn More At: http://robertsspaceindustries.com/

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Worlds Adrift Bossa Studios Bossa Studios, the studio behind fan favorites Surgeon

the endless FedEx questline. Players progress by

Simulator and I am Bread has been hard at work

accumulating knowledge and the game even enables

creating a MMO Sandbox Space Exploration game

players to create their own adventure.

called Worlds Adrift. Like many sandbox MMOs, Worlds Adrift presents a reactive world that changes

While Worlds Adrift doesn’t have space exploration, it

around players actions.

does have a limitless world you will explore. The planet is procedurally generated and generated through player

A great example of this is if you were to defeat a enemy

creations. Instead of space you travel the limitless

ship, it’s destroyed remains would crash into the planet

skies. It’s essentially a universe in a single world.

below and slowly rust over time. Players can then Be sure to keep an eye on this one. Bossa Studios is well known for bringing the sleeper hit to market and This is just one of the really unique features that caught

I wouldn’t underestimate the success of Worlds Adrift.

our attention. This title features airships, an in depth crafting system, and a freeform gaming experience

Learn More at:

that doesn’t require players to earn exp and chase

http://www.worldsadrift.com/

Preview

salvage the ship and use the remains to build new ships.

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On The Cutting Edge Several of the titles listed above are trying new concepts and ideas, however this list is compiled of a few that are going above and beyond to change the face of MMO Gaming.

Albion Online Sandbox Interactive GmbH On the bleeding edge of MMO concepts, Albion Online

If they succeed we likely will see dozens if not hundreds

in experimenting with the ultimate design for player

of clones popping up for years to come. Could they be

connectivity. Sandbox Interactive has created Albion

onto the next evolution of MMO technology? Only time

Online as a PvP and Crafting MMO that features a three

will tell. Albion Online is in their final beta stage set to

faction war and a wealth of territories and resources to

launch early 2017.

fight over.

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Learn More At: What makes Albion Online unique is, it allows players to walk away from their PC and grab their tablet to continue their adventure. It runs on Mac, Windows, Linux and Android with all players playing on the same master server.

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https://albiononline.com/

Shards Online Citadel Studios Citadel Studios has been hard at work at not only building a MMO, but also building a framework that

The base game captures a modernized approach

players can create their own worlds, rulesets, and

towards games like Lineage or Ultima Online. It

import their own art and models into their game. It’s 2

features PvP, crafting, and lots and lots of slaying

parts MMORPG, and 1 part game creator.

monsters. You can tame animals, create your own homestead and even explore the catacomb dungeon

Players can host their own shard on their own server

that changes configurations every few hours.

create their own ruleset, play style and story. Anyone

This is one we’ve been watching for quite a while and

that is big on modding, you know who you are0

look forward to seeing it’s release in 2017.

Neverwinter Nights mod junkie, is going to love this game. Your adventure potential is endless and as we’ve

Learn More At:

seen with games like Skyrim, Unreal Tournament, and

http://shardsonline.com

Preview

and connect it to the Shards Universe. Each shard can

Quake, if you give players the ability to create, you will not be disappointed by what is created.

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Hands On with Shu Challenge and charm with Coatsink’s latest Preview

By: Ed “Screenager” Or If you recognise the name Coatsink then there is a

Rather than drown under the consuming din of Comic

chance you may have already been perplexed by Esper

Con, Shu’s visual style is an impressive draw. Beautifully

or even survived a brawl with the Gang Beasts. In 2016,

decorated levels lead players through a variety of zones

this British indie studio releases another very different

as they race to save Shu and companions from an

kind of adventure called Shu. Set in a gorgeously

oncoming storm. The landscape’s angular shapes and

stylised world, Shu is the tale of a young girl and a

soft hues are in contrast to the bold colours of Shu and

desperate race to escape the danger of an oncoming

company, who seem to pop out of the foreground. The

storm.

quirky band of villagers that tail along behind Shu are, however, more than just charming accessories. They

Shu started out life as the brainchild of Secret Lunch,

are vital to navigating through the game.

another independent team of developers, when Coatsink came on board and put some wind in their

Each one of these companions augments a player’s

sails. The result is a charming and inventive platformer

abilities. Some enable Shu to blast through barriers while

that stands out as much for its mechanics as its visuals.

others allow players to operate particular platforms.

After years of refinement and feedback, I took a look at

Levels are adorned with obstacles and getting through

a rejuvenated Shu at McM London.

them requires giving at least a little consideration to these abilities and some accurate timing. Checkpoints

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are frequent, even in the less punishing stages of the game, and Coatsink have gone to great lengths to make Shu both accessible and challenging. Challenge comes in the form of an imposing mass of purple swirls and gleaming teeth. As the storm finally settles in, players are pursued across the remainder of the level by this force of nature. If players survive the pitfalls, bypass the barriers, and successfully navigate a level they still have to stay ahead of the storm front, or be consumed by it. Adding a time gate to the game clearly draws inspiration from a number of chase sequences, and it reminds me why I loved Crash Bandicoot so much. Coatsink has even gone as far as adding a timer for enthusiastic speedrunners. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s great way to add an extra challenge to an interesting title. Shu bears some resemblance to recent EA platformer Unravel. It throws a charming protagonist into an adventure where the environment is the obstacle. It is utterly charming and yet still manages to present a definite challenge without resorting to combat. Shu is out now on Steam and PS4, and will be available for PS Vita in early 2017.

http://coatsink.com/games/shu/

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Learn more at:

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Preview

A Breathtaking Adventure in Lost Ember By: Amanda â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sorenâ&#x20AC;? Carr In a gaming landscape as diverse as we currently have

see, you have everything you need to find your way to

today it takes a lot for a new game to stand out and get

Machu Kila - the city that shall answer all the questions

noticed. Mooneye Studios, a young and independent

that your mysterious companion raises. Along the way

game studio from Hamburg, Germany, have managed

you discover a story of loyalty, despair and betrayal

to do just that with their new exploration adventure

that led to the fall of a whole world.

game Lost Ember. I had the chance to talk with CEO and programmer,

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In Lost Ember, you uncover the secrets of a fallen

Tobias Graff, about story, music, themes and how they

civilization as a wolf that has to find his place in the

all work together to make an immersive and engaging

world. With the ability to control every animal you

gaming experience.

Before we get started can you introduce yourselves and tell us a bit about Mooneye Studios?

civilization with different animals. While your main

Sure! We founded Mooneye Studios about 2 years ago

great freedom and a lot of possibilities. You don’t do

after meeting in a game development master’s program

this alone, though. Your companion, who is the last

in university and working together on a couple of other,

soul of mankind and was once part of the fallen Inrahsi

smaller projects. The four founders are Max, who is our

civilization, guides you through his world and can show

concept artist and art director, our 3d artist Matthias,

you in his memories how the world used to look and

and Pascal and me as programmers. All of us worked

what happened to him and the people around him that

in different, bigger companies before and realized that

ultimately led to the fall of his world.

character is a wolf, you have the ability to possess every other animal in the world and with that, of course,

that wasn’t for us. We wanted to work on our own visions and have creative input that isn’t just tossed

It took us a couple of months to really define what

around 1-2 times and then ignored. When we realized

Lost Ember should become. We had a lot of ideas at

that we make an extremely well-functioning team, we

the beginning and worked on different prototypes.

started thinking about founding our own studio. And

The switch mechanic that should allow you to explore

then we did.

the world from different perspectives with different

Can you tell us a bit about Lost Ember, the story/lore behind it and how you come up with the idea? Lost Ember is a story-driven exploration adventure that lets you uncover the story behind the fall of an old

animals was one of the things we decided on the first. We were looking for the perfect world and setting for this a long time and then someday, after a few hours of brainstorming, we came up with this idea of a fallen civilization with a deep history that you uncover part by part.

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How long has Lost Ember been in development?

the atmosphere. This definitely was an important point

We’ve been working on it for about two years now,

in the development, as we finally had a clear vision

although we only could do that part-time and with some

of what we wanted to do. We started working not

breaks for a few work-for-hire projects that financed

with a fun mechanic in mind, but with an emotion we

Mooneye Studios until now. Now, with our Kickstarter

wanted to create. The setting, mechanics, animals, and

being as successful as it is, we can finally start working

everything in a certain scene came after that.

full-time!

Lost Ember gives off a vibe reminiscent to games such as Myst or Journey. What inspired you and how has that driven the overall development of the game?

Is it safe to say that the main focus of Lost Ember will be on exploration? Exploration and story, yes. We definitely want to make just wandering through the world as exciting and fun as possible. Our approach is offering a lot of possibilities with not only the different animals, but

Games like Journey especially were one of the

also a variety of ways the player can go and hidden

main influences for Lost Ember. We really liked the

areas or secrets one can find in the world. We definitely

concept of reduced mechanics and concentrating on

want to encourage players to keep their eyes open and

an immersive world and atmosphere. We didn’t start

read the environment.

off this way, actually. In the very first concepts Lost Ember had more typical Action-Adventure mechanics and even a combat system. But after playing Journey, Everybody’s Gone To The Rapture, or similar games we more and more moved towards a less mechanic114

based concept and had more time to concentrate on

With no player vs player or player vs environment interaction (combat), how does Lost Ember intend keep the player engaged and invested in

the game? Are you relying on a mix of environment, visual and audio to help tell the story or will players have a guide of sorts to help push them along? everywhere. Additionally, you have your companion

We tossed around a lot of ideas at the beginning and

that I mentioned earlier who can trigger visions of his

really liked the idea of playing the nature part of a world

memories that tell a more personal and deeper story.

that tells a story. The world itself as the protagonist. We

Both, actually. The story will be told over the

How important is audio in immersing and directing the player? Games in general only feel alive and believable with good sound and music. Especially in our game it’s very important because we rely on a great atmosphere. We notice that every time we implement a few new sounds or music pieces. It always feels a lot better after just a few small additions or adjustments and can change the atmosphere totally. And of course it’s crucial for the story as well to have professional voice actors that can transport the right emotions.

had different approaches to that and ended up liking

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environment through artifacts and ruins you can find

The core mechanic is the ability to switch perspectives to other animals you encounter along your journey. How did you come up with the idea and how hard has it been to implement the mechanic?

the idea of playing every animal in our world the most. Coincidentally, I played Driver: San Francisco a couple of weeks before that. A completely different game that had almost nothing to do with what we wanted for Lost Ember, of course, but they had this mechanic of switching into other drivers and completely changing the game with that. That gave us the idea that led to the switching mechanic in Lost Ember as it is today. The basic core mechanic was really easy to implement and didn’t take long. But of course the devil lies in the detail. We didn’t want to interrupt the game flow and just stopping the game while you look for a new animal 115

that bird now” and then becoming that bird, regardless

Lost Ember looks to be heavily inspired by Mayan culture. How has that culture helped define and shape the game and how does it tie into the overarching story?

of where that bird is relative to you or how fast you are

Yes, the Mayan and Inca cultures were definitely the

going. There is still a lot to work on to really achieve

main influences to the story and the world. Our author

that, like the camera behavior, timings, and animation,

Florens really dived deep into lots of books and articles

but I think we’re on a pretty good way.

about those cultures which helped a lot figuring out how

to switch into as it is done in Driver. We wanted a smooth transition that just seamlessly lets you continue in a different body. That means that you shouldn’t have to be perfectly aligned and face your target or doing anything else besides thinking “Yeah, I wanna fly with

How long are we likely going to spend with each animal?

their beliefs were and how they might have reacted to different events. That were all important questions in

will be animals that you will control more and others

creating our story and world and it definitely helps to

that you will control less. Not every area in our world

have real world examples of it.

on how the world looks. We changed a big chunk of the story recently and will have to adjust parts of the world to really fit that new story, so certain areas might become smaller or larger and with that certain animals might appear more or less often. Also, this depends on how you play the game. In most cases the animal you play as is really up to you. If you’re running through a forest as the wolf at first and Preview

like, how they would have lived and worked, what

That’s difficult to answer at the moment, because there

is inhabited by every animal, so it is highly dependent

different animals surround you, you can really switch into any of those and play as them. Of course there are areas that you can’t access with every animal, but in general there might be times you are a parrot more often than you are the wolf.

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an ancient culture like the Inrahsi might have looked

Visually Lost Ember looks stunning, almost as if the landscapes and characters stepped out of a painting and into the game world. How did you decide on this particular style and who is/are the artists behind it? It wasn’t what we planned for Lost Ember at first, actually. At the very beginning we thought of a more low-poly, minimalistic style. We gradually changed that trying to get to a look that we felt might better support the atmosphere we want to create. The more realistic quality with stylized forms and colors really

appealed to us and allows us to adjust the world to fit a

kickstarter. We actually talked to a lot of publishers

certain mood we want to create in an area.

beforehand and they all seemed really interested in

What tools did you use to create this? We don’t use that much tools aside from the typical tools from Adobe and Autodesk that are probably used in almost every game studio. Max and Matthias of course are highly dependent on their Wacom tablets and we use, for example, Substance to create or tweak a lot of our materials.

Lost Ember has stunning visuals but can you tell us about the soundtrack and if we will be able to get our hands on it? We were lucky enough to convince Craig Conner and Will Morton to join the team with our very first ideas and drafts. They produce the soundtrack of Lost Ember and are extremely good at what they do. They definitely bring Lost Ember to a new level. And yes, we plan to release the soundtrack along with the game, of course!

that we would not be able to work as freely as we do at the moment. The team dynamics really benefit from our policy that everyone’s concerns weigh the same and we don’t have to please someone who probably doesn’t understand the game and what we want to do as well as we do. With a publisher at this early point in the development, even if we technically kept creative control, that would change. If you’re financially dependent on someone’s “Okay” it doesn’t help creating a creative work atmosphere. The kickstarter will allow us to fund ourselves at least up to a point where we have made all the important decisions and the game won’t change because of someone external not liking a certain feature. And we might even get to our magic number of 350,000€ (that is ~390,000$) that would fund the whole game without the need of additional funding from anywhere. If you would like to learn more about Lost Ember, you can check them out at lostember.com or back them on Kickstarter https://www.kickstarter.com/ projects/1391673869/lost-ember Preview

You guys have launched on Kickstarter and to great success. What made you choose the crowdfunding platform over a traditional publisher? Is there a chance that if a publisher reached out that you would go that route instead?

working together. The downside for us was mainly,

We thought a lot about this before launching our

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Preview

A Comedic Immortal Adventure Begins in Yesterday Origins By: Benjamin “Foghladha” Foley I’ve always been a fan of a good choose your own

I will admit, this part had me scouring the internet for

adventure story. When I got my hands on my first

what needed to be done. I was stuck for a while on this

King’s Quest I was instantly in love with the Adventure

puzzle, and as a naturally gifted puzzle solver I think

genre. When I got my opportunity to go hands on with

the game could have used a little better tutorial system

Pendulo Studio’s Yesterday Origins, I was instantly

to help players learn how to combine the various items

charmed with witty humor and great voice work.

and people. The interface was confusing at first and took me a little while to figure out how the mechanics

In Yesterday Origins you begin playing John Yesterday

work. That said, the first part of the game was highly

who finds himself imprisoned for sorcery during the

entertaining between the conversations with the guard,

Spanish Inquisition. With a mysterious mark on his

and the famous pig you share a cell with.

hand and a possible relation to Satan himself, you find

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yourself in an awkward position right out of the gate.

Once you escape prison the mysterious stranger forces

Your first mission is to break out of prison with the

John to undergo a mysterious alchemical ritual that

help of a mysterious stranger.

doesn’t go according to plan. Fast forward to present

day, you find yourself losing your memory after every

to really figure out. The puzzles aren’t obvious and often

death. You are joined by your immortal partner

times you might find yourself looking up a walkthrough

Pauline Petit and are able to switch between the two

online.

seamlessly. Throughout the game you will be solving riddles, puzzles, and enjoying some of the best story

This isn’t a mindless game you can just breeze through.

writing i’ve seen in modern adventure games. John will

It’s a cognitive exercise of a game and will leave you

experience death over and over again, always returning

scratching your head at times. The journey is highly

to the age he was when he first died. You will be able

enjoyable though and you won’t be looking back on this

to experience his life over hundreds of years in search

one in disappointment. The story has some great witty

of an artifact that will allow him to repeat the ritual

banter to keep you entertained. If you love mysterious

correctly so that he no longer loses his memory.

adventure games, this one is a must play.

In my time playing Yesterday Origins I found it a very

You can learn more about Yesterday Origins at:

challenging game that requires a bit of experimentation

http://yesterdayorigins.com/

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Siege Warfare at its Finest in Tiger Knight Empire War

Review

By: Benjamin “Foghladha” Foley There’s nothing better than getting a group of friends

Netdragon and Oasis set out to capture this in Tiger

together to lay siege to a castle. Many games have

Knight Empire War which is set between 100 - 300

explored the castle siege as an element in their game

AD during the height of the Han Dynasty and during

design but few and far between have mastered the epic

the war of the three kingdoms. You can play any of

battles that took place and these towering fortresses.

the factions including the Han Dynasty, the Roman Empire, the Kushan Empire and the Parthian Empire.

Travel across Europe and you can’t go a few miles without seeing one of the thousands of castles, manors, or fortresses. In movies we see great epic battles with fearless warriors and tactical genius. How can game developers provide us with a remotely accurate historical depiction of what it was like to be on the battlefield? To deliver an interactive learning experience that is both memorable and also enjoyable to player?

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The Game Modes

giving their own flavor and each giving the excitement of battle.

There are several battle modes that include open field engagements, besieging fortified locations, and duels.

I really do enjoy the Epic War battles as they have some

While the focus of the game is on person vs person

cinematic flair to them. Each battle starts with each

(PvP), there is an “Epic War” mode that pits players vs

player dueling an opposing warlord while your other

environment (PvE) in epic castle sieges.

warriors watch. This gives your player the spotlight and puts them on stage for the duration of the fight.

I’ve played the game quite extensively over the past

This allows you to see how other players go about

month and can’t really say which mode I enjoy more. I

taking down the opposing warrior.

find myself jumping between PvE and PvP battles, each

Review 121

I recall one of my earliest fights, here I was, a young roman warrior with boots, a shirt and a few wooden

The Outlook

sticks. Loud were the drums of war heralding the

Knowing that so far I’m only scratching the surface of

champion I was to fight. Drafty my backside was, as

what is to come as development progresses, I can’t help

pants were loot I had not found. My team cheered

but be excited. I’ve always loved games like these ever

for me with proclamations like “Nice knowing you”

since Stonekeep and the days of Gothic, where being

and “This is how noobs die”. Regardless of my fans, I

a successful warrior takes more than just spamming

charged into battle against my mounted and armored

a button. In Tiger Knight, you have to choose your

advisory. I pulled one of my two wooden javelins,

attack based on the weapon you’re using, the armor

closed my eyes and hurled it in the direction of my

of your opponent, and the angle at which you attack.

foe. The crowd roared in excitement and I watched as

Everything comes together in a harmonious blend of

the lifeless body came crashing to the floor. My team

action and strategy combat.

cheered and was impressed by my skill, or luck. It’s moments like these that hooked me into the game and

Review

made me look forward to playing it.

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If you like games like Mount & Blade, Chivalry, Gothic,

For Honor, Kingdom Come: Deliverance, or a fan of

expansion. This game has a lot going for it and I look

the Three Kingdoms time period, this is a game you

forward to seeing where it goes.

should try. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a bit overwhelming at first and needs a better interface tutorial, but once you get into it and

Tiger Knight Empire War is available

figure out what things do, Tiger Knight is an action

as a Free-2-Play title on Steam:

packed, adrenalin pumping, thrill ride that will have

http://store.steampowered.com/app/534500/

you hacking and cleaving your way through the greatest battles in human history.

Learn more at: http://tk-en.oasgames.com/

Netdragon has built the perfect engine to present a cinematic and interactive look at the most historical battles of the second and third century. The great thing is that it can be expanded to include any number of military forces, tactics, and regions. They could even expand this west and have the perfect engine for

Review 123

Spend a Night out on the Town in

Yomawari: Night Alone By: Ed “Screenager” Orr

Night Alone is the latest title from Japan’s Nippon Ichi studio and published by NIS. Set in a quaint Japanese town, it follows the journey of a small girl as she searches for her lost sister and is a refreshingly different Halloween accompaniment.

Review

Horror games are often full of grunge and subdued tones but, despite a darkness that creeps across the screen, Yamowari: Night Alone is a visual treat. Artistic lead Yu Mizokami finds a great balance of cute and creepy with environmental work that reminded me of titles like My Neighbour Totoro, and character design that

pays homage to an innumerable number of Japanese alloween, it is a time for appeasing the spirits,

RPGs. The depiction of the central protagonist as a

flirting with ghouls, cramming in candy, and

cute, colourful chibi is intentionally deceptive, and

scaring the wits out of each other. Whether it

draws players into a child’s world.

is Halloween, Day of the Dead, Samhain, or the Bon

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Festival, cultures across the globe all have their own

This innocence is swiftly shattered through a series

particular perception of the supernatural. Yomawari:

of tragic events which kick off a story that is just as

unsettling as it is frightening. After setting out to find

game can be saved by returning to your character’s

her missing sister, the central character finds herself

home. As the only hard save point available, this proves

wandering the deserted streets of a small Japanese

fairly frustrating when saving requires a cross town

town. The game then begins to unveil a series of

trek for no discernible reason. This coupled with the

mechanics designed to really ratchet up the tension.

scarcity of re-spawn points, is a little inconvenient for a game centred around exploration and survival.

The town’s back alleys and empty streets are a series of narrow corridors, interspersed with an occasional

Narratively, Yomawari: Night Alone is fairly short but

street light. While the game’s early acts furnish players

very well put together. It has to be, there are no set

with an invaluable flash-light, the hum of a nearby

quests to drive you through the game. Instead, players

vending machine or glow of a street lamp still signal

are left to hunt down clues and explore the narrative

a possible moment of respite from the unseen threats

around town. The game is steeped in the lore of its

that creep around in the dark.

environment and finds players uncovering the darker side of its residents as they deviate from the central

The cloak of silence that envelops these little islands

story. The main arc can be completed in anywhere

of light is effectively oppressive. It reminds players

as little as a few hours, but take a look around and,

of how alone they really are at night and makes every

provided you do not wake the spirits, there is plenty to

sound significant as the tortured groans of yokai float

uncover.

down the street after players. The central character’s heartbeat thuds in your ears as giant eyeballs, skinned

Ultimately Yomawari: Night Alone does have its own

men, transparent phantoms, floating teeth, sewer

share of other issues. It is billed as a horror game, but

monsters, and a variety of fantastical spirits close

I found it deeply tragic, unsettling, and creepy. Players

in. Some attempt to creep up on you, some will not

looking for jump scares and zombie hordes might find

react until they hear your footsteps, while others

this unsatisfying, yet the game does not lack emotional

will unrelentingly chase down players until they find

impact. Gathering also feels a little like it could have

somewhere to hide.

been developed further, and some players may even leave the game a little confused about its message.

Avoiding monsters is far from trivial in the narrow Despite its flaws I loved my time with this title.

sight, an isometric view, and the various behaviours

After years of being desensitised to western horror’s

of malevolent spirits means death is certain. There are

distortion of the human form, the indescribable

no weapons to defend yourself against the wandering

creatures and unnerving atmosphere were a refreshing

Yokai, and no health bar. Get caught and you are dead.

change. The emphasis on Japanese henge and yurei

Several sections of the game involve long periods of

make this no Yo-Kai Watch. Do not be fooled by its cute

trial and error, as you work out how to avoid an array

exterior, this creepy tale will definitely raise your heart

of adversaries, making the whole experience both

rate. Yomawari: Night Alone is out now on PS Vita and

infuriating and incredibly satisfying to beat.

is also available on Steam.

While the game is not easy is is fairly forgiving of

Learn more at:

mistakes. Players that are caught by spirits can return

http://nisamerica.com/games/yomawari/

Review

streets of Yomawari: Night Alone. Limited line of

to one of the town’s re-spawn points without losing progress. Collected items are still available and the 125

Sims 4 City Life - Twilah in the City Preview

By: Nichole “Twilah” Quillen

126

Sul Sul!! Sim City 4 launched its third expansion, City

also a Myshuno Meadows Park, but it is for recreation

Life, on November 1st 2016 and I couldn’t be happier

only.

with the content. I’ve been an avid Simmer since the very beginning and have really enjoyed the way each

Twilah put a deposit down on an unfurnished 17

incarnation of Sims has evolved. This is a revolutionary

Culpepper House apartment and moved in. The first

addition to the Sims collection by finally giving us

thing my frugal Sim noticed was the new ability to buy

apartments and a metropolitan feel. Instead of writing

used appliances like the Yum Cooker stove (used), and

yet another “how to” guide, I thought it would be more

the Crisponix Budget Dee-Lux (used) refrigerator. To

interesting to walk you through Twilah’s first day in the

a struggling Sim just getting started in the Big City,

Big City.

these economic choices make a big difference.

I started by looking at the four new neighborhoods. It

Using her phone to find a job, I chose “Social media”

quickly became apparent that there was really only one

and was given an immediate assignment of Creating

a new Sim could reasonably move into, and that was

a Social Media profile, which can only be done on a

the Spice Market district. The city of San Myshuna held

computer. Thankfully I had the simoleans to purchase

three other neighborhoods that increased in rent from

the Immersive Bend computer, another new addition

the almost affordable Arts Quarter, the posh Fashion

with this expansion. Once Twilah’s Social Media profile

District and finally the penthouses of Uptown. There is

was completed she was officially an intern at Sim.tv!

Living in the city of San Myshuna also came with its

and some bizarre. You can have a haunted apartment,

own challenges like introducing yourself to people from

build on an earthquake zone, or be on ley lines for a

different neighborhoods, ordering food from different

higher chance of having babies to name a few.

food stalls and giving an apartment key to a friend. Like with every Sim neighborhood, the welcome wagon

I had Twilah ready to go to work the next morning

event began and I was greeting one of my neighbors

when I noticed another new option – she was given

within hours of moving in. Hanging out in my new

the choice to work from home! My daily assignment

apartment we watched some television and chatted. I

included levelling my video game skill and doing

could not help but feel the city vibe as trains passed

Mischief on five other Sims. Oh, what I wouldn’t give

by on the elevated tracks and people came and went

to have that career in real life. It took less than an hour

outside the windows. Though the apartment was about

of Twilah playing “Sims Forever” on her computer to

five floors up, I really felt the constant flow of the city

get the gaming skill to level two. After Twilah updated

outside.

her social media status and gained 20 more followers, she hopped in the elevator and went down to see the

Since my first day actually started in the afternoon,

city. This travel is seamless and adds a great vibe to the

Twilah soon said goodnight to her new neighbor and

game.

went to bed. Her night went undisturbed, but there are several things that can wake your Sim up at night,

The food stalls are what caught my attention first.

like noisy neighbors and ghosts. Ultimately you can

Going up to one I was given the option to order or

control these disturbances by moving loud neighbors

haggle, so of course I chose to haggle. My Chai Tea was

out of your building or changing the attributes of your

discounted from five to three simoleans! There were

apartment. There are many options, some beneficial

also some tables next to the food stalls which gave

Preview 127

Twilah an opportunity to greet different people and

from there. While at the bar you can order drinks, food

socialize. Twilah was able to perform some mischief

and socialize, so it’s really a great place to hang out in

by spreading outrageous rumors, scaring people and

your off time. You also get to choose what kind of music

tricking them with a hand buzzer. All of the Sims

you want to sing, and even the song. I imaging these

reacted with laughs and fondness.

choices will expand as Twilah increases her singing level.

Review

Using her phone to travel, Twilah then decided to go

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visit another neighborhood and meet some different

I had just successfully completed Twilah’s work

folks. Since karaoke bars are new to the City life

assignments when 3:00 rolled around and an

expansion, I decided to send her to Planet honey Pop

announcement popped up. The Spice Festival was

in the Fashion District. Karaoke is downright hilarious.

starting at Waterside Warble! I clicked the “attend”

Your Sim will start with a zero skill level and you learn

button and was immediately transported to the Festival.

This is one area where the expansion really shines,

In addition to the activities of the festival there were also

and gives a wonderful depth to each neighborhood. Of

some boxes sitting around that Twilah could rummage

course I was delighted that Twilah’s first festival was in

through for snow globes. These are a new collectible

her own neighborhood, which was transformed from

in City Life, and I was lucky enough to find a rare City

how it had looked when I left that morning. Not only

Bridge snow globe at Twilah’s very first festival.

were all of the food stalls open, but there were tables to taste different foods; herbs growing that I could freely

With a full belly, plenty of new friends, a budding

pick and add to my inventory; live musicians to watch;

career and rare snow globe tucked away, Twilah made

and even a Spice curry challenge!

her way back to her apartment. Updating her status on Social Media I noticed she was up to 80 followers. Not

Twilah tried the Spice Curry challenge, but quickly

a bad first day in the Big City at all. Overall I found this

failed, which led to her scampering to the public

expansion to be easy to understand, fast paced and an

bathroom – ewwww. It turns out you have to work up

entirely different feel from the usual Sim suburbs.

a tolerance for the spicy food by eating it. So beware the curry in the Spice Market until you have eaten several meals there. I did notice that you could learn new recipes just by ordering and eating them, which is improved over some of the previous versions of learning new recipes in Sims 4.

Review 129

A Deep & Emotional Journey into

Ori and the Blind Forest Review

By: Amanda “Soren” Carr

t first glance, Ori and the Blind Forest appears

everything from a hair trigger finger to intricate

to be a lovely tale set in a majestic forest filled

puzzle solving abilities and a healthy dose of patience.

with loveable creatures. However, we quickly

Progress is often locked behind the need to achieve

learn that appearances can be deceiving. The first 10

certain skills or abilities, however once you have that

minute cinematic takes us on an emotional rollercoaster

ability, it only further unlocks Ori’s world. No skill

and sets the stage for a deeply engaging tale involving

or ability is forgotten for long and the sooner you

Ori, our tiny lemur like hero. Of course things are

familiarize yourself with each ability the better off you

never simple and our intrepid little adventurer will

are. In the vein of Zelda or Castlevania exploration

have to traverse a huge 2D landscape to retrieve three

is highly encouraged. Often you will find yourself

stolen elements that have rendered the forest blind

revisiting area’s you’ve already been to get items that

and dying. I’m not going to go into detail as far as the

were unavailable on your first pass through.

introduction because I feel it’s something that players should experience and discover on their own.

As normal with platformer like games, Ori has a fairly reasonable difficulty that ramps up as you progress

Ori is a Metroidvania-style adventure that requires 130

through each area. They often end in a huge difficulty

spike, where a single mistake can be the death of you.

Ori responds wonderfully with the use of a controller

For instance, one of the skills Ori can learn is to reflect

allowing you the finesse to maneuver precisely how

projectiles and leap backward in the opposite direction.

you want. This is key for areas that require a high

The use of the skill involves surrounding awareness

degree of precision to traverse through. Whether

and crucial timing. Being one second late could result

itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s double jumping, gliding, wall climbing, or using

in the projectile not being reflected or you could launch

projectile reflection to travel to new heights, the high

ori into a wall of spikes or flying crows. In one of the

responsiveness of the controller makes a character as

games many heart racing moments, Ori must use the

agile and fast as Ori extremely fun to play.

projectile reflection to travel up a large tree as it fills with water. Miss one jump and the water will swallow

Aside from a great story and fantastic game play, Ori

you whole. Often these areas require multiple attempts

offers players an audio and visual treat. 2D landscapes

to succeed. It can be frustrating if you just want to move

build upon each other give the world a sense of depth.

on, so save and save often. That frustration however, is

Thick trees rise in the background. Embers from a

tempered quite nicely by the pure excitement and relief

fire crackle behind you. Wisps of fog gently rise and

you feel when you do finally succeed.

fall in the distance. Leaves float down gently in the

Review 131

foreground. There are times when the environment also

that not all enemies are what they seem and that help

comes into play. Soft glowing blue plants unfurl as you

can come from the most unlikely of places.

jut toward them forming a platform to climb or cross. The soundtrack accompanies the beautiful scenery

Ori and the Blind Forest is a beautiful, inventive take

and helps to breathe life into the environment without

on the classic Metroidvania game style. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ability to

overpowering it, giving the game a very traditional feel.

make players care about the forest and its creatures is nothing short of remarkable. Even with its above

The story itself is told through the actions of Ori as you

average difficulty with spikes that threaten to send your

explore and in rare instances, a narrator that chimes

controllers flying and your blood pressure through the

in a language the player canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t understand, similar to

roof, I would still highly recommend it to anyone who

games such as Okami. It helps to guide you in a general

enjoys platform style gaming. Currently Ori and the

direction without holding your hand. One thing Ori does

Blind Forest: Definitive Edition can be found on the

really well is giving characterization and personality in

Steam Store for PC.

Review

the forests creatures. Very quickly players will learn

132

Survive a Drugged Induced Utopia in

We Happy Few By: Amanda “Soren” Carr Wakey, wakey! And welcome to Wellington Wells, home of a plucky bunch of moderately terrible people Review

trying to escape from a lifetime of cheerful denial. So make sure to grab your Joy and turn that frown upside down! From the independent studio that brought you Contrast, We Happy Few is an action/adventure/survival/horror game set in a drug-fuelled, retro-futuristic city in an alternative 1960s England. The German’s successfully invaded and occupied England and left it in a pile of rubble. However during the occupation the residents of Wellington Wells all had to do a very bad thing. To calm their nerves and guilt - and forget what they’d done - the Wellies invented Joy, the miracle happiness 134

drug. Players take control of Arthur, a local Newspaper

you’ll need the right clothes and ‘Joy-full’ attitude

Censor, who decides he wants off the surreal ‘Joy ride’.

because the inhabitants of Wellington Wells don’t

As memories start to return and he begins to realize

take kindly to people who don’t abide by their not-so-

something isn’t right, his ‘Downer’ behavior tips off his

normal rules.

co-workers and he is forced to go on the run. Crafting is another key that will ensure your survival. For an action adventure game there is a lot more of the

Nothing in We Happy Few is given for free, instead

survival aspect to it than first meets the eye. Players

players will need to sift through debris and garbage

will have to keep an eye on hunger, thirst and sleep

for items that can be crafted into various things like

right out of the gate. It’s definitely not an easy thing to

bandages, water purifiers, weapons, clothing and

do when food is rotten and ponds are poisoned. On top

tools. Random quests to help out fellow Downers can

of that, being in the war torn outer slums also opens

also lead to some lucrative items to help you on your

you up to disease and a number of other ways that can

journey. Typical in a game with a fairly decent crafting

get you killed if you aren’t paying attention.

system, players will also have to be on their A game

with inventory management. A player’s inventory

While combat is an option, it’s not a great one and We

consists of a grid system so anything that goes in will

Happy Few goes out of it’s way to not encourage it.

have to be tetris’d in to maximize what you can carry.

Stealth and conformity are the way to go if you plan on escaping the city in one piece, because once you die

For those that enjoy the survival/horror genre We

that’s it. No restarts and no saving. As players begin to

Happy Few is a trip down the rabbit hole and a weird

stretch their legs and begin to explore they will realize

yet fun one at that. Currently We Happy Few is available

that blending in is a necessity and it isn’t as easy as one

on Steam as an Early Access release.

may think. If you want to travel through the more ritzy areas of town you’ll need to look the part. This means

Review 135

2016: A Wondrous Year of Genre-bending Titles By: RetchEWretched

In regards to gaming, 2016 has been such a wondrous year. From genrebending titles, to anticipated remasters; I feel like I’ve been spoiled. As it was hard to pick five titles, these five are the ones which stuck out to me the most.

The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim Special Edition

As someone who likes to modify their games, I was

Once in a blue moon, a game comes along that gives

very excited for the Special Edition of Skyrim. This

us such nostalgia and offers us more than just a pretty

version wasn’t just a face-lift, but an upgrade to a

worldspace. This is fun, whimsical, and it can be a

64-bit engine with various fixes. I enjoy modding my

blast for as long as you want it to be. Making friends,

games, and with over one-hundred installed already;

fighting monsters, exploring mines, extensive farming,

the world of Tamirel seems more lively and beautiful

festivals - it’s all there. Stardew Valley is one of my

than ever. Since it’s release, I’ve already put over

guilty pleasures.

eighty hours into The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim Special

Life

Edition.

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Stardew Valley

Dark Souls III

Darkest Dungeon

We returned, once again, to world’s of ash and ember.

A seemingly entirely new genre of Dungeon Crawling,

I’m an avid fan of From Software, and from the first

Darkest Dungeon smiles at you creepily while laughing

moment I started Demon Souls; my life changed forever.

at your pain. This is hands-down my favorite dungeon-

Dark Souls III welcomed me with High Definition bony

crawler of all-time. Stress can be good or bad thing, but

arms that squeezes tightly. This version of Dark Souls

know this - it will happen; making every decision you

had everything the fanboy inside of me could ever want.

make crucial. I love this game and with the upcoming DLC, Darkest Dungeon will be even more intriguing than it already is.

RetchEWretched

One of the most anticipated and hyped titles of 2016 -

Self-proclaimed prince of Non-Endemica, Retch E.

did not disappoint. Gore, blood, rip, tear, decimate. The

Wretched is an Irreverent, Non-Endemic variety

graphics are superb and the entire game is a non-stop

streamer with horror & Lovecraftian tendencies; and a

adrenaline rush with heart-pounding, sick soundtrack.

smile as big as his heart.

Life

DOOM

There isn’t much bad to say about this title. If you like a beauteous, action-packed gore-fest, I recommend DOOM.

Follow at: https://www.twitch.tv/retchewretched 137

Seven Years With Gaiscioch By: Althea “Briseadh” Damgaard

Life

aiscioch is a great gaming community that has

check us out. We love to be inclusive, not exclusive.

seen many changes over the years. It has always

Our main rule is “Daggers Out Not In.” I also love that

been based on how to make the community as

we have credos to follow that helps us stay on an open

a whole have more fun in a game. Not just our merry

and family friendly trajectory. As we level in the guild,

crew, but everyone that wants to come along. We even

which is an added perk you can utilize if you like, there

had enemies that loved to hate us because we gave

are new credos to agree to. The system has worked well

them some fabulous battles in open PvP. Some of them

to allow new members to join, feel free to check us out,

even joined us in later games because they knew they

and move up however they want. Even the leadership

would have a good time and things to do.

system allows for learning the ropes and becoming comfortable with how we do things. All of this has

There has been bad and good. Any long term venture

expanded greatly since my first day here seven years

will see both. The great thing about Gaiscioch is that we

ago.

have learned along the way. We are not a community for everyone, but we are open to anyone who wants to 138

Let’s move on to the tale of my adventures here.

my witch hunter and had fun as a scout rather than a warband leader. When the roleplay server was being closed we had the choice of two servers. I moved my guild to Badlands where Gaiscioch went. My guild dissolved as most of the people would not play on a non-roleplay server. Some of us wanted to play the game regardless. I went to help co-lead another RP guild, while a friend and member of the dissolved guild had already joined Gaiscioch. There are many great things to remember of our events and side adventures the following are only a few: •

The Start in Warhammer

Gullible. •

Our keep defense due to player collision that baffled enemies of far greater numbers.

I first heard of Gaiscioch while playing Warhammer. I loved the RvR of the game at the time and even had

Find the needle in the haystack and gain the title of

•

Stacking over one hundred players behind some

a few of the people in the roleplay guild I belonged to

trees and rocks and surging out on the tail of the

following me into the fray. I had the ability as the co-

enemy zerg.

leader of our little guild to claim keeps at the time. I remember several weeks where if I had the Order keep

What happens when roleplayers are chilling out waiting

in one of the elf zones, then Bloodmoon had the other.

for the defense tick on a keep to close the doors? Here

This rival destruction guild would always show up to

is an example. Mind you, we never did this when

fight when Gaiscioch was on the field. I doubt they

Foghladha was leading.

knew my tiny guild became associated to Gaiscioch somewhere in the middle of this fun.

I as Briseadh, who was a High Elf swordmaster, and another elf, whose name I totally forget, are standing on a low wall outside the inner keep gate chatting.

on the field and the warbands would start forming

Clanorton, a dwarf, walked up to the wall and said some

up. I quickly found them a great crew at organizing

quip about tall elves having to rub it in by standing on

community sized events where all were welcome. I

a wall, too. The short jokes started and the three of us

signed my guild up as a Tuatha guild and started being

were having a merry ole time in say chat. Everyone at

involved in their regular events. It did not take long

the keep could hear us and people start joining in. All

for me to become one of the warband leaders. Many

sorts of elf versus dwarf jokes abounded.

times we would be organizing five warbands at once via voice and in-game chat channels. I could be found

We had about three minutes, if not more, to wait for the

as Briseadh, Martan, or Arthine for most of these

defense tick when I say, “Oh, no! Bugman’s Brewery is

depending on which tier we were going to fight on for

under attack. Who will save the beer?”

Life

Gaiscioch always announced when they were going

the night’s event. A few times I even went out with 139

“We can’t let that happen. Save the beer!” Clanorton

could survive. Most members from this era remember

charges down the hill to the outer gate of the keep that

‘the bridge’. Logging into the game for the first time in

is still wide open to the enemy.

four years last month, I could still find that bridge on the map.

I add to the mayhem by saying, “Better help our friend or we’ll never hear the end of it.”

We grew large enough that we would raid the enemy city just to see if we could do what most said was

Next thing we know, we have an entire warband

impossible, kill the enemy leaders. We did it! Over time

following us across the map. We have a glorious battle

we acquired enough members that wanted to play the

and immediately resume the roleplay of having a drink

opposite faction. Ground rules were set so we never had

and cheering. We had saved the beer and the enemy

infighting. Gaiscioch is all about “blades out, not in” to

had never reentered the wide open keep.

the point we usually try to stay one faction in any game for the sake of no one claiming we spy, etc. In Rift, the

In the end, I wound up guildless on the Order side,

PvP never truly happened for us to worry about it. We

but did not join Gaiscioch at the time. Why? I was also

even made sure if we did an attack on an enemy city,

playing with other friends that were in Destruction on

the other faction pretty much stayed out of the way

another server. When that came to a close, in part due

waiting to see what would happen. Or we would be on

to the way the game was taken, most of us quit the game

the chars we could take along for the fun instead.

entirely. I had no solid contacts with Gaiscioch at the time and did not log onto the website after I stopped

During our time in this game we lost Oldroar, who

playing the Order side.

had been one of our greatest warband leaders during Warhammer. He played with us in Rift, but was really

Then Along Came Rift It was a few months after the game was out that I jumped onboard and decided to be serious about it. I joined a guild that I was having fun in for about a month or so, when Foghladha added a new feature to what has been the ever evolving Gaiscioch website. I got a newsletter in my email. Having had so much fun with them in Warhammer, I got back to the website and reconnected. In short order, I moved over to Faeblight

Life

with a polite note to the guild I had been a member of.

140

looking forward to Guild Wars 2. Unfortunately, he passed away not long before Gaiscioch got a crew into the game testing. I became one of the officers of the Defiant side and could usually be found on Ladasach. This lasted until just before Storm Legion came out. The game became nigh on impossible to play with my computer and network at the time. The joke for the longest time was that I had a moon network with how bad it could be. In frustration, I stopped playing at all.

people to meet and many crazy events together. We

On to Guild Wars 2

invented the term crifting due to the event leader

I was already a full time beta tester for this game, so

saying that by accident. It fit because we were going

I threw a lot of effort of learning the game better and

after crafting rifts. The antics of the group had not

helping Gaiscioch setup the website, including the

changed either. Now instead of looking for needles in

marketplace where we could order gear and items from

haystacks, we were jumping off bridges and cliffs for

each other. We had something similar for Rift, but

supposed achievements or just seeing if you really

everything had to be reprogrammed by Foghladha to

I’m so glad I made the change. There were many great

make it match the game’s crafting setup. I stepped into this game as an Elder of the Gaiscioch Community. Here is where a gaming company really impressed me. They learned about Oldroar, who had passed away before the game came out. The Sanctum of Rall server was created in his memory. They also added an NPC you could talk to in the Black Citadel about the history of Oldroar. He had always wanted to play a Charr. When they finally added guild halls, a memorial area was created and he got a spot with three other of our fallen. It’s sad to see players pass away, but like any family we made sure their memories would not die. Gaiscioch was the only thing that kept me in this game so long. I had the “Been There Done That” title on a so fast is I knew the game due to testing it so much,

Life

level 80 in seven weeks. Part of how this happened especially the last two months before it launched. I also had too much time on my hands while trying to figure out life due to being disabled by multiple sclerosis. The game mechanics of letting any level play together made gaming with each other far easier. Many great

141

events in PvE and WvW still continue weekly. I recently

made me wonder if I could even play the game with

rejoined the game this summer and go to a few events

a lot of people. I would go into AvA and lag so bad I

each month based on life and if I’m not busy with

could barely get back out to a PvE zone. By the end of

another game.

the summer things got better as my little telephone company replaced the DSL copper backbone with fiber.

Another game we wanted to try came on the scene and

A month later I had fiber in my house, while still living

I started testing that one.

in the boonies. I’m thirteen miles from the telephone company office in a township of a few hundred people

Elder Scrolls Online I love this game and played it regularly for two years until it also became repetitious to me. I still have it on my computer and have done some things on the play test server in the earlier parts of this year, mostly for magazine articles. I’m glad they added One Tamriel so that on the PvE side of things all factions can play with each other and be leveled to the zone they are in much like Guild Wars 2 PvE. We shall see how this helps the game. I was also an Elder for Gaiscioch in this game. I led

Life

a few events and have to admit the first few months

142

total. We don’t even have a stop light in our little village three miles from my home, and a cell phone still won’t work at my house, so I got lucky by being located close to the rural hub. Thanks to this great addition to my life, I was able to play the game quite well and finally got into AvA. By this time, however, a lot of people had left the game due to issues with the game itself that probably also added to the lag my bad network had added. Fixes did come, but not in a way to revive what we had at the start. Also, we started out so big we had to be in three guilds

and there was no in game mechanic for alliances or a

time. In Rift, we had no size issues on the guilds and

The Advent of Social Adventures

used a private channel. In Warhammer, we had both

Gaiscioch has always been about family values and

private channel so we could talk in game. Sure we had voice chat, but not everyone wanted to be in it all the

an alliance setup and private channel ability. That private channel is how I could keep my Tuatha guild in the loop with Gaiscioch when not in voice chat. So it was like we had three guilds because if you moved to another guild, it was like you had to make friends all over again with how large we were. However, a core remains that has truly loved the game and has the hopes that One Tamriel will breathe new life into it. I have yet to have the time to log on and see what One Tamriel is like.

atmosphere. Not everyone is going to like a game we move to. Not everyone is going to be happy with how one game may end when another begins. We have learned a lot from both great and bad things. It’s the ability to learn and change with how we handle games and move from one to another that has kept us going. It has taken time, but with Social Adventures as a part of the community, we have a new way to play together and make note of our adventures. Ever since Warhammer, we have had a participation and leadership setup that you could chose to use if you like. This allowed you to rank up in the family and learn how to lead if you so chose. Now if we have four or more Gaiscioch playing in any game, we can claim it and gain social points. The points give you levels for the social gaming, but also the game gets leveled as events are posted and claimed. It has been a great tracking tool of where we are playing outside our chapters and legacy chapters. I went to Black Desert Online to be the elder leading the social adventure there. This was both a fun and bad adventure for me. For one, the game is very demanding on the guild leader in the operation of a guild. Two, the guild limit was 100. We had the issue of having too many people wanting into the guild even with a 7-day inactivity period. Different things were tried, but in the end I “fried” plus my multiple sclerosis decided to relapse. It was not pretty and I had trouble handling the long run for everyone.

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things properly. I quit leading knowing it was better in

We still have a guild of people there, but for those of us who love node wars, we merged into another guild who had Tuatha ties with us through a prior game. This has gone well and we have had some great adventures. I’m still wondering how the guild leader hasn’t lost her 143

mind yet, considering what was added to the mix of the

Warframe, Ogres Must Die and a virtual table top of

game since I stepped down. Node wars, bidding on a

5th Edition Dungeons and Dragons to name a few.

guild house you get to keep for two weeks, and guild crafting have added to the mix of guild organization with many things only the leader can kick off. I find it hard enough to organize just my personal stuff in this highly integrated game. Social Adventures have allowed us to keep Gaiscioch members together in whatever game they wanted to

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play from WoW, Black Desert Online, Life is Feudal ,

144

We Have a Magazine Besides the gaming, we started a magazine, obviously. I love to write so have been on board with this project from the start at various levels. I’m now a senior editor. It’s all volunteer work and sometimes I wonder if we can pull it off, but this is Issue 11 and it’s been three years since we started. We not only talk about games,

but the people behind the games, whether players or game developers. Gaiscioch is always about community

Final Words

and that is what our magazine is about. I have no idea where the future will lead us. What This year we acquired press passes to PAX West and

games will we play? What will be in our next magazine

GamesCon as the most recent. We’ve been offered them

issue? How large will our audience be for our live game

to other events, but this takes people using their money

streams? How will the community continue to evolve?

and time to at least get there to use the press pass. Who

Stick around for the ride of your life. We’ll be sure to

knows where this will lead in the future as our team

have bumps, loops, and U-turns, but I don’t expect

evolves. Even with my disability I would love to be able

a stop. No matter what happens we learn, we grow,

to go to PAX East or other northeastern events. Life

we adapt. We aren’t perfect, but we know how to be

in general has not helped make this happen even if I

a family and have crazy adventures together, cliff and

wasn’t disabled.

bridge diving included.

You will find us covering games, events, Cosplay, life, fiction and inspiration in this magazine for some time to come. I know I don’t plan on going anywhere even if I wind up doing way less on some issues due to life. Working on this magazine has helped lead to some rather interesting opportunities in the past year, not only for me, but other members of our team.

Life 145

Life

By: Bonnie “Carwyn” Spaulding

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Me. a gamer? I am a wife of 33 years,

myself was pong. I played it at the

doing with the kids. At this time,

a high school graduate of 1977 and

local pizzeria while waiting for my

the only game that I played on my

a mother of four young adults (you

order to be ready. The simple black-

computer was Scrabble. It was a

can do the math to figure out my

and-white tennis like game looks

much-needed break from taking

age if you really want). I like to

easy enough that even I could play

care of kids.

play Scrabble, draw, paint, crochet,

it. I don’t think it was but I was very

drink coffee, and I adore chocolate.

good at it. The game was fun and it

When my son was a teenager,

Yes, I am also a gamer. It took me

kept me entertained while I waited

he enjoyed playing games on his

a few years to be able to say that. I

for my pizza. Several years later

PlayStation

did not think I fit the description of

I bought my brother a game for

World of Warcraft (WOW) was

what a gamer was.

his Sega system, video games are

launched, I bought the game for my

something he enjoyed so it seemed

son for Christmas. He was really

To me a typical gamer was a high

like the perfect gift. I never played

excited to get the game. The girls

school or college-age person who

the game with him but I did watch

and I enjoyed watching him play

was able to not only play the game

him on occasion. At that time my

his Undead Mage, Thorazine. We

but fully understand the strategies

life was filled with college studies,

thought his air guitar dance moves

and master it. I didn’t think I was

work and married life. Even if I was

were hilarious but even funnier

able to do that. Now my son on the

interested in playing them, there

was my son trying to imitate these

other hand, even with years of not

was little time to even think about

dance moves himself.

playing, he could step into the game

doing that.

and play my character better than I ever could.

and

Xbox.

When

I really don’t know why I started When my children were little, my

playing WOW. Was it curiosity

husband played a couple of different

that got me to pick up playing the

Although I didn’t become involved

first person shooter games on our

game? I don’t remember. When

with gaming until I was adult, I was

Mac. I wasn’t interested in playing

I did, I was starting from Square

aware of video games. My brothers,

them, but would watch him when I

One. I had literally no experience

husband and son played them. The

walked through the room and then

playing any games, that was worth

first game that I remember playing

I would go back to whatever I was

talking about. I remember trying

to play Myst on my computer and

I carried my social nature into my

providing information and strategy

be totally bored walking around the

game play. Whenever I log into a

tips for quests. We would swap

island not being able to figure out

game, the first thing I do is check

funny stories, puns and jokes.

what to do, when there was no one

my friends list to see who is online,

could count on these guild friends

to talk to. A social person’s worst

what they were doing and what we

when I was frustrated with a quest

nightmare. I had to learn how to

could accomplish together.

or lost in a zone trying to find a

navigate the starter zone and how

quest objective. I could count on my

to use my weapons to complete

I found the best way to find a

guildmates to encourage me, and

quest objectives.

consistent group of people to run

often they would travel to where

with was to join a guild. The first

I was and help me complete the

For me walking around in the starter

guild that I joined in WOW was

objective that I was struggling with.

zone and exploring the terrain

small. There were 10 to 12 young

made me feel like I was transported

men as members and me. These

There is a Swedish proverb, “Shared

into another world. I like having the

guys quickly became my buddies.

Joy is a double Joy, shared Sorrow

non-player characters or NPCs to

They helped me as I struggled with

is half Sorrow.” We didn’t just run

interact with, receive quests and get

figuring out how to play the game;

game content and laugh together,

rewards from completing them. I

giving me advice, and making me

we talked about supporting one

could see other people’s characters

gear. They were good company too

another

in the area too which I thought

as I worked my way through each

We rejoiced over good fortune,

was pretty neat. We only had one

zone.

weddings, new jobs, and births. We

account at the time, so my son and I couldn’t play together.

through

trying

times.

would pray for each other through difficulties

that played WOW, I didn’t think

mourned the loss of Guild mates

Eventually we did purchase a

there were many that played., When

and family members.

second account and I remember

my kids were younger, the mothers

the fun that we had running around

that I spent time with didn’t seem

Playing the game is fun. There

in the game together. My son

to appreciate my gaming. They

is a sense of achievement and

finished high school and headed

tolerated the stories I told them

satisfaction when objectives are

off to college. He stopped playing

about my adventures online and the

completed and bosses are downed.

WOW but I kept playing. I now

funny things that happened in the

It’s exciting to get upgrades to

have friends in the game that were

game with my online friends, After

armor and weapons. All this pales

a big part of keeping me interested

all, as far as they were concerned,

in comparison to the friends I have

in staying. I was becoming a social

there was more for a mom to be

made in the community of Gamers

gamer.

doing than playing online games.

that I am in right now. To quote

Over the years, I found I wasn’t

Foghladha “It’s not the loot or the

According to Wikipedia, a social

a minority. I befriended other

accolades you walk away with,

gamer is someone who plays online

moms in my guild and enjoyed

it’s the memories and friendships

games that allow or require social

running with them in the game.

that you cherish forever.” Memory

interaction between players. This

While completing quest objectives,

making times and friends are what

fit well into my social philosophy of

coffee

keep me gaming and make it easy

life. Why do something by yourself

and talking together on a voice

for me to say yes, I am a social

when you can do it with a friend?

program. We helped each other by

gamer.

would

drinking

medical

issues

and

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Since I didn’t know any other moms

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A Look inside the Gaiscioch Leadership System By: Benjamin “Foghladha” Foley

O Life

ne of the challenges I faced when creating the Gaiscioch Community is creating an environment where event leaders are empowered to run events on their own without my involvement. All the while keeping a checks and balances system in place to ensure the right leaders rise within the ranks, while the wrong leaders do not. What I created was a synergy between leadership and fellowship (participation). For a leader to succeed within the community they will need the support and respect of the people who follow them. What I created was the Honor Point System.

The Honor Point System Honor Points are divided into 2 tiers and a total of 6 methods to earn them.

Primary Tier •

Valor earned through leadership

•

Fellowship earned through participation.

Secondary Tier •

Discovery earned through logging discoveries

•

Lore earned through written text.

•

Artisan earned by filling requisitions for crafted goods.

•

Social

earned

joining

others

extracurricular activities outside of our primary chapters. All members have access to the secondary tier and fellowship the day they join. These can speed them along the process to becoming an event leader.

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Becoming an Event Leader

Discord, 1 hour before your event to help notify players

All members in Gaiscioch can lead events once obtain

into the site you can access the Event Scheduler one of

the rank of Lorgaire. By this rank leaders should know

many ways.

that your event is happening. Once you are logged

how to claim participation in an event. We require this for a few reasons.

For our purposes today let’s access it from the homepage under the “Events Calendar” section of the homepage.

A leader needs to be able to walk followers through

Simply click on “Schedule Event” and fill in the details

how to claim participation.

on the following form.

Impatient players would rather quit than put the work in. This filters the people we really don’t want in our community, especially leading our community into battle. Patience is one of our core attributes of a Gaiscioch member. Lorgaire is not a hard rank to obtain. It requires 1,000 Honor Points which can be earned through participating in a few events, writing guides, entering discoveries into our site, crafting goods for other players, or playing other games with our members.

Posting Your First Scheduled Event Once you’re ready to organize your first event, you will need to login to your Gaiscioch.com account. By scheduling your event it will be announced over

There are a few options on this form: • Public - Make the event visible to nonmembers. (No Login Required) • Share with SOR - Duplicates the event on the SanctumofRall.com site for those who play Guild Wars 2. • Community Hosted Event - These are for events that are not hosted by Gaiscioch but are important to the community. • Public Community Event - These are our public facing events that are open to all players in a game. Traditionally only used for events

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that have more than 50 expected players in attendance. These events will be announced on Social Media. You can setup your event to be a recurring event on a set day rotation. So if it is a daily event you can post it to recur every 1 day or if it is a weekly event set it for 7 days. Once your event details are filled out simply hit “Save Event”

The Leadership System Now it’s time to lead your event. For an event to be qualified to be posted there must be 3 or more Gaiscioch in attendance. Once you have the required number of participants you can log your event. The first thing you must do is click “Lead” on your Command Center on the homepage to get to the Leadership Console. Next you will need to select a game you’re leading your event in. You can choose from any

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of our current Chapters or select a Social Adventure.

If you’ve chosen a chapter you will be presented with up to 3 options for the type of event. Each of these has their own interface and their own objectives.

Lead an Instanced Adventure The Instanced Adventure System is designed for instanced dungeons and battles that range from 4 - 20 people. Instanced Adventures are chronological step by step events that progress through a series of events. Typically limited to dungeons or raids. To lead an Instanced Adventure click on “Begin Adventure”, select the adventure you wish to begin, then mark off the objectives you have completed after you have completed them.

Lead a Conquest Conquests are open field objective based events where you claim each victory on a battlefield. These can be open world bosses, castles in siege warfare, or one of many other game related objectives. Each game will have a list of the possible objectives and a guideline for claiming these objectives, on the right side of the page.

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To lead a Conquest click “Begin Conquest”, select

way players that joined late or had to leave early can

your event name, then mark off the objectives you’ve

claim a partial amount of time rather than the full time

completed. There are some objectives such as Guild

available. Once you have finished click “End Event”.

Wars 2’s Guild Bounty where you will face off against a Champion Creature. You will only claim the Guild

Earning Victory Points

Bounty, as the Champion is part of that Bounty Quest. The same goes for World Bosses. If a lesser claimed objective is part of a greater claimed objective you only claim the greater objective. Once your event is complete click “End Event” to mark the event as completed. You can always resume an event from the Leadership Console, however you will need to notify your participants that the event has been updated.

As you claim objectives certain objectives are worth more in victory points. Victory Points mark the difficulty and number of players required to complete an objective. There are 5 tiers of Victory Points: •

Basic - Single Group

•

Elite - Multi-Group

•

Epic - Raid Group

•

Legendary - Multi-Raid Group

•

Mythical - Involves 100+ players.

Each of these awards a different amount of Victory Points which go toward your Warlord Rank.

Warlord Ranks As you earn Victory Points you will gain a suffix to your Family Rank. There are 10 suffixes all of which are Gaelic words for colors. As you ascend the ranks your Family Rank emblem will change colors signifying your

Lead a Timed Campaign

prowess on the battlefield. You can see the complete

There are a number of events that do not have set

list of ranks and Victory Points required for each rank

objectives or a set series of events. These get claimed

by going to: http://gsch.info/warlordranks

as Timed Campaigns. These can be anything from roleplaying groups to charity rallies. This is also the only system that is accessible for Legacy Chapters.

Earning Tokens of Valor

If you like you can use this system for any type of

To become a Warlord in the Gaiscioch you must earn

event you like, however you will not earn badges and under a Timed Campaign. To lead a Timed Campaign select “Begin Campaign”, choose an event name, then mark of the duration of the event. If your event was 2 hours in length I suggest listing it as 1 hour then 2 30-Minute objectives. This

25 members lower ranked than yourself must award you a Token of Valor as a sign of their respect to your

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accolades for completing objectives if you claim them

the respect of the members. For the first warlord rank,

leadership ability. These can only be given once per player and only to players who are higher rank than the token giver. This system prevents the higher ranked members from 151

electing their friends to be warlord and puts the focus on winning the hearts of the newer members of the

Warlords vs Eldership

community. The higher up the ladder players go the

Leading in Gaiscioch is also not a requirement of

fewer members they can award tokens to. This provides

becoming an Elder. Our Eldership team are chosen

a perfect checks and balances to ensure the people who

by personality and actions, not by leadership ability,

become warlords of the community have earned it

or rank. Elders are chosen because they are nurturing

through hard work and admiration of the membership.

personalities. Like grandma who won’t let you go home without a full stomach. The elders are there to nurture

Leading within Gaiscioch

the community and put other people’s needs before

The way Gaiscioch is structured, helps drive away

decision makers. All decisions in the community are

selfish players and embraces those that look out for other players. It is designed to work as a automated filter of personalities. It encourages the personalities we want in our community, while discourages the personalities we want to prevent from getting into a seat of power. This has lead to 15 wonderful years of Gaiscioch with little to no drama within the leadership

point of blame if things go wrong. I learned long ago that while democracy seems nice on paper, in today’s world people can’t debate without having hurt feelings. Nothing drives a rift in a community like a voting process. In Gaiscioch I weigh the feedback of the players and watch the metrics

Leading is not for everyone and is no way required to

If things go wrong, there is only 1 person to blame and

is rather flat when it comes to having a voice. Even the newest member can have a voice and toss ideas on the table. Every player matters and is heard. You do not have to lead to feel your opinion matters.

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handled by myself (Foghladha). Thus giving a central

core of the community.

play a greater role in the community. Our community

152

their own. Additionally Elders act as advisors not as

behind the community to make the best decision I can. that’s the way I want it. I want the community to stay united even if it’s in the fact I messed up and read the situation wrong.

Vanquish Two Steps From Hell

Odyssey Taylor Davis

Smile Sizzlebird

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided Michael McCann

Elemental Ninja Tracks

Dragon Epic North

Escape The Thrillseekers

Club Embrace Armin van Buuren

Electric For Life 2016 Gareth Emery

Tune in anytime on Spotify at: http://gaiscioch.com/clubgaiscioch

153

Worth Playing Foghladha

Soren

1 Uncharted 4: A Thiefâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s End

The Last Guardian

2 The Solus Project

Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward

3 Ghost of a Tale

Fossil Echo

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4 Maize

DOOM

5 The Banner Saga 2 154

Final Fantasy XV

Top 5 Picks for 2016 Smitty

Screenager

Fortified

DOOM

Orcs Must Die! Unchained

Paladins

Vermintide

The Banner Saga 2

Overwatch

Eve Valkyrie

We Happy Few

The Last Guardian

4 Life

155

Worth Playing Eiahn

Sekkerhund

1 Black Desert Online

Overwatch

2 ESO: Dark Brotherhood

Battleborn

3 ESO: Thieves Guild

Star Wars Battlefront: Outer Rim

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4 Heroes and Generals

Megadimension Neptunia VII

5 Orcs Must Die! Unchained 156

Fractured Space

Top 5 Picks for 2016 Samethyst

Kitty

Resident Evil 0 Remaster

Overwatch

Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse

Stardew Valley

LOZ Twilight Princess HD

Sid Meierâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Civilization VI

Dying Light

Total War: Warhammer

Overwatch

Firewatch

4 Life

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he Gaiscioch Family extends far beyond the game. Our members have a very broad professional background extending from teachers to CEO’s. Our members are involved in the businesses, organizations, and government agencies below. We are very proud of

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our diverse community and support our members in all of their real life accomplishments.

158

Bethel School District #403

Dallas Center - Grimes CSD

Fabrication, Inc.

ABB Inc. - Robotics

Bishop Investment Services

Dane Massage

Fry Productions

ACE Network Consulting

Black Nova Digital

Decoy’s Dork Decor

Fujitsu

Addtech Controls

BNP Paribas

Dell, Inc.

Geek Squad/Notre Dame

Aditya Birla Minacs

Bollinger’s services

Department of Defense

General Mills

ADP Dealer Services

Boondocks PC Repair

DFW Honda

Gerald Blakemore, CPA P.C.

advantage metal Products

Bowman Consulting Group

Diebold Inc.

Global Exposition Services

Advent International Corp

Box Home Loans

DJO Global

Government of Canada

Air Transport International

Documatik Limited

GPC Company

Alachua County BOCC

BreakAway ltd.

Duke Energy

Great Wolf Lodge

All Smiles Orthodontics

Brilliant Bees LLC

DuPont Spruance

Harris Caprock

Allied Arts

Buchanan First United

Easter Seals

Harris Siding & Windows

Amercian Coalition of

Methodist Church

eBay Enterprise

Hawk Paranormal Scientific

Healthcare Recruiters

Bypass Mobile

Edict Systems

Investigations

American Express

Calumet Park School District

Edward Jones Investments

Hawt Websites

American Red Cross

132

EFFIIS

HCL Axon/Fortis BC

Ankara State Hospital

Campus Crusade for Christ

Eley Guild Hardy Architects

HDD Broker Inc.

Apples & Arrows

Cardomain Inc

EMC

Hillsouth

Apptricity

CareFusion

Exterran

Home Trust Company

ArenaNet LLC

CEB

Facebook

HP/Vertica

Arizona Supreme Court

Cerner Corporation

Faellin Angels Realm LP

Humana Cares

Army

Chinook Pharmacy

Firestone Building Products

Hunton & Williams

Asialink Realty Pte Ltd

City of Elizabethtown

Fitzgibbon Hospital

I.B.E.W.

AT&T

ClarkBetty.com

Flagstar Bank

IBEW Local 1141

Atlantic Bay Mortgage

Cogeco Cable Inc.

FLASH

IBM

Atwater Aloha Floral

Collateral Intelligence

Florida Cancer Specialists and

IGT

Barclays

Comcast

Research Institute

Indie group with friends

Barrister Global Network

Coram Deo Academy

Flypaper Studio, Inc

Infor

Baylor University

CSG International

Food and Drug Admin

Inserso Corporation

Beck et al. Services

Cubic Corporation

Franchise Update Media

Insitu

Becton Dickinson

Culinary Institute Virginia

Franchising.com

International Paper

Bernard Simulacao Gerencial

CW Technology

Freeport Welding &

Isolation Equipment Services

Nova Engineering, Inc.

Self Employed (NS Vine)

Tweddle Group Techologies

TRANSPORTATION INC.

NYPD

Sep

UC Davis Childrens Hospital

Jasmine-Dragon

Odessa College

Shaw Inc.

Unique Useables

Johnson Surveillance, LLC

Office Essentials

Siemens

United BioSource Corporation

Kazmarek Technology

Ohio EPA

Signature Transcription

United Parcel Service

Solutions

Oklahoma Military Dept:

Services

United States Army

Kenedy’s Cakes and Donuts

Construction and Facilities

Signs Manufacturing

University of Akron

Inc.

Maintenance Office

Corporation

University of Central Florida

Kingsley Associates

One Point Home Health and

Simply Floors

University of Florida

Konecranes

Hospice

Skyline Construction &

University of North Carolina

Kroger

Panasonic Avionics

Restoration

Charlotte

L’Anse Creuse Public Schools

Corporation

Smithbucklin

University of Utah

Leslie’s Pool Supply

Panther Energy Company

SoftFile DCS

US Army

Lightyear Network Solutions

PCM Inc.

SolutionSource

US EPA

Lincoln Loop

Pender County Schools

Sony Online Entertainment

US NAVY

Logic Technolgy Inc.

Pink Zebra Home

Southwest Airlines

USAF

Looking for one

Placer SO

Spectra Tech Inc @ ORNL

Vantiv

Los Angeles DHS

Polaris

Spencer Gifts

Verizon Conferencing | Verizon

Lowe’s

Premiere Inc

SplitZero Designs

Business

M&S Technologies

Professional Medical Writers

Staples

Video Game Auctions.com

Made Men Inc.

Promise Keepers Canaa

State Farm

Vishay Intertechnology

Magnolia ISD

Proteus Europe

Steris Corporation

Waelwulfas dotOrg

McDonald’s

Quantum Security &

Steve’s Computer Rescue

Walmart

Media Bridges

Innovations

Stevens Transport

Washington State Dept. of

Mercedes Morgan Photography

QuikTrip

Stevens-Henager Online

Early Learning

Micro Center

Radio Shack

Stewart Lender Services

Washoe County School District

Microsoft

Ref-Chem

Stewart’s Market place

Waterbury Public Schools

Mind Wrack

Regional Manager for UPS

Sutton Creative Studios

Wayne Russell Search

Mississippi Museum of Natural

Reid Hospital and Health Care

Talaria Press

Consultants

Science

Services

Target

We Do Windows Computer

Missouri State University

Reinsurance Group of America

Technicolor and Throw the

Services

Mobile Fire-Rescue

RescueTime, Inc.

Gauntlet Productions

Weibel Services

Mobile Sports Chiropractic

ResolveIT Computers

Techpath

Welcome Home Design

Montana State University

Retired

Techtell inc

Wellcare

College of Nursing

Robot Entertainment

Tellepsen Builders

Westmark Industry

Moran sheetmetal

Rogue Community College

Texas A&M University

Whole Foods Market

Muler Pasific Labelindo

Rogue Photos

The Boeing Company

William S. Frates II P.A.

National Aviation Academy

Romine CPAs & Associated

The Last Frontier & New

Williams Buick GMC

National Title Network

Round Table Media LLC

Phoenix Casinos

Wireless Advocates

Nav Canada

SanMar Corp.

The McGraw-Hill Companies

WIS International

Navy Federal Credit Union

Scentsy

The Mirage

Wizards of the Coast

New Life Church

Scentsy, Inc.

The North West Company

WSP

Nextek, inc

Schlumberger

The Sawmill Ltd

www.SKLURB.com

Nine Dots Studio

Schneider Electric

The Ultimate Software Group,

Xerox

Nokia Siemens Networks

SDL

Inc.

Xyvid Inc.

Norfolk Southern Railroad

Seagate

Theres’s No Box

Yellowknife direct charge coop

Notnat Technology Services

Seagate Technology

Tool Using Monkeys

Zappos

Nova Engineering

Self Employed

triumph

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ITI INTERNATIONAL

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