Okay, here it goes.....
* A large part of my fun is based upon the people I hang out with, so having a great team is absolutely key to me having a great time! Go, Blythedale!
* Melleth suffering through an extensive and lengthy interview.... all while keeping his cool and answering questions intelligently. Welcome, Melleth!
* Really getting to know Garathon (and Brian, the player) better. Ivan really has great expectations for him.
* The wave battle with trolls swinging "Vertigo" was both a tough fight and fun to role-play. I especially enjoyed being held back from the battle by the sarr - Parduc's friend... I'm sorry, I forgot your name!
* The good: Sleeping almost 10 hours Saturday night...... the bad: missing the awesome wave battle in the mod area.
* Learning a little about Telohk's homeland and their culture. Fascinating. Who comes up with this stuff? Whoever wrote that race packet is a genius, IMHO.
* Seeing Squire Ignatius coming into his own as a leader and not just a righteous zealot/soldier. The character growth is subtle, but noticeable. And maybe he (Brian) didn't consciously plan it; I don't know. But I like it.
* Seeing Rasq after all these years. I hope you come back again soon, Jimmy!
* Getting stuck on the wrong side of the stream with Ithica, Ren, Tien Tien, and Sir Daniel. There are some gorgeous areas to explore and despite almost killing both Ren and Tien Tien trying to jump the stream at one point, we all managed to return safely after being found by half the town.
* Hanging out at the Healer's Guild. I'm not a healer, but gawd, they have fun in there. I want to be an honorary member just so I can hang out there more. Just talking with Gwen, Zat, and Kerrigwen was a blast. Oh, and the treats! I think I ate 4,278 peanut M&Ms this week-end.
* The "dance off" with Tagen in the tavern. Tim knows just how to push Ivan's buttons and he goaded me into a dance off in an attempt to woo the gypsy Natalia (not Sheila Haswell). Though he easily defeated me, Natalia took pity on me and proclaimed Ivan the winner. No thanks to Garathon who I specifically told literally minutes before to get Ivan out any naive and/or embarrassing situations.
* Kotual, my giant orcish earth-caster! He's like a simple, gentle giant and he's always up for anything.
Anyone: "Hey Ko, we're going to storm a dragon mage's castle that's protected by 75 greater vampires."
Ko: "Okay."
* Almost going on the "stealthy guys" module..... in my clanking metal armor..... and bright white shirt. When I heard the cool hook, I was so jealous I wanted to see it for myself. I had to laugh when two of the people on the mod separately told me they were successful because they wouldn't let Daniel try to disarm any of the traps!
* Aven's awesome organizational skills. I mean, what other team has a six page member handbook for each person on the team? It's like working for IBM! I'm wondering when Human Resources is going to call me and ask me to fill out forms for my 401k.
* Hearing about the awesome Mage's Guild elemental modules. I kept looking at Garathon and saying, "Nathan's gonna be pissed that he missed that." I love when Plot gives special attention to groups like that. But I still feel bad for Nathan.
* Plot's ability to continue to plan long-range and throw out great stuff like the missing queen of Icenia and lack of a royal heir. Ivan spent literally hours IG wondering how this was going to affect Blythedale, Ashbury and, selfishly, even Ivan himself.
* Yelling down from the tavern window at Khorwyn to demonstrate his battle prowess one-on-one against a random troll and then watching him scramble as he gets instantly disarmed with the first swing.
* The Seven Virtues of Nobility. Chasity is included (sort of), so there, Sir Eros!
* Perwin's great desserts. And we have to wait until October for more of these treats? Not fair!
* Bowen the sword-and-board fighter! Forget the creaky knees and the fact that we're not 24 anymore..... we old guys have to stick together!
* Arranging an official interview with Walgar..... and he immediately gets drunk. Priceless.
* The great attitude and awesome dedication of the HQ staff, the Plot committee and the NPCs. Thank you.
--- Eric Stehle / Ivan Drake