HEROIC REALMS

I just spent a weekend at a game of NERO in Massachusetts and...well...I want to thank everybody who plays and helps out with Heroic Realms, but I especially want to thank Keith for a few things that I have been taking for granted at his game.

1) All out dedication - I can see now why Keith is a stickler about us staying in game. At NERO, before every single MOD (small or big), the NPC leading us in would stop us at the entrance and say, "Okay, let me explain out of game what's going on here..." and would proceed to tell us where we were, what we were doing there, and how many creatures of what type to expect. This was every NPC from the GM down! By evening Saturday, I had flipped in and out of character so many times that I couldn't remember which I was at any given moment during the night and next day. Keith, I am sorry for every OOG slip I have ever made in HR that has pulled somebody else out of character, and thank you so much for the amount of dedication that you put into bringing your characters to life.

2) The fees and play area - Okay, I know that we all have our complaints about the rugged terrain and the hill of death or having to go down to the Dragon's Spine and whatnot, but this was a point that was actually pissing me off ALL weekend: I paid $75 entrance fee into NERO, an additional $30 for the required yearly membership, and on top of that you must pay for the food there. The play area that we get for this rather hefty sum comes to MAYBE 3 acres, the end result being situations where the players are going "to a distant land" and they get there in 5 steps, usually without any explanation from the NPCs. Again Keith, thank you for not only running a game out of your own pocket, but for allowing us to play on your land and for taking the time to turn that land into an actual world and not just a space to run around with boffer weapons.

3) Weapons and control - I brought several of my foam latex weapons to NERO with me, and they were outright banned because, "There's no way that you can control those!" When I offered to fight against a group of people to prove I could, I was told, "It's obvious you can't use them so you can't!". I found out later that NERO has a permanent ban on the foam/latex weapons. They could have just told me this, but no, the GM chose to be an asshole to me. Keith, again, thank you for trusting your players to be safe with weapons that so many seem to find objectionable.

4) Setting - Okay, I understand that NERO rents a campground and has to work in a limited budget, but seriously, I think I saw all of about 5 props that belonged to the game. Everything else was made and brought in by players (and I'm talking elaborate stuff like old parchment treatises, large banners, etc.). Again, I understand that they operate on a very limited budget, but after 20 years, you'd think they would have a few nicer things than a 25 cent vending machine "diamond" that represents an amazingly rare humming stone that has been sought for years. Keith, thank you for sacrificing so much of your personal finances on unique items, masks, and special effects.

5) The players - actually, this was a surprisingly nice thing because, while there were cliques there, they were welcoming and helpful for the most part, as were the individuals. For all of the new people there, the players went out of their way to make sure that we were included in things, explained things to us, and generally helped us out in almost every way they could. I learned on Sunday morning around midday that this is not normally the case but, because of the amount of things going on during this game, they had needed the extra help and they do this by "tricking newbies into being meat shields". I cannot tell you how much that pissed me off, but it also made me realize what a wonderful game we have here because we take new people in and essentially say, "You're going to help us out and we are going to help you out because, if we don't do that, then we are probably both going to die." For working so hard to be inclusive of all who come in (even the occasional Toromite), I want to thank everybody who comes to play Heroic Realms and request (yet again) that we work hard to keep this ideal firmly in place.

Yes, while I had fun while I was there, it was really more the fun of seeing some excellent make-up on people and practicing my combat skills without having to hold back much because of the uber-soft boffers they gave me. Keith, Bobby, Chris, Ian, John, and all of the players of Heroic Realms - thank you for making this game such a wonderful experience!

Chad/Orogom, thanks for your personal feedback experiencing another LARP such as NERO. We certainly appreciate you recognizing the differences and/or similarities of both larps. It has been our intent to create a safe larping experience whereby people can come and enjoy a fun filled adventure or two and of course, "Be the Hero!" Experiencing other larps and recognizing the pros and cons can certainly remind us what is important as well as what we are getting out of a particular larp overall. Despite some of the cons you've mentioned, I am glad you had fun nonetheless. If nothing else, at least you were able to acquire a measureable experience that will help you in the creation of your larp.
Again, thanks for sharing your experience.

I may not have ever been to another LARP and I certainly cannot say that I know the kind of experience that Chad/Oro spoke of...

But I certainly agree with his sentiments of thanks. The amount of work and resources you put into the game to make it fun for us is incredible. And I absolutely love the way you were able to make the world seem real and fun and welcoming.

As someone who had never LARPed before, what Chad describes would turn me off to the idea completely. But HR was my first LARP and I now miss it incredibly when I cannot come and enjoy the monthly adventures.

You do an amazing Job, Keith and everyone else! I'm glad that this was the introduction to LARPing that I received.

Thank you Eliora, and everyone else as well. Over the years, you all have been really supportive. Many of you have donated props, your time, and certainly your interests toward making HR the game that it is today. Most of all, I appreciate your collaboration with one another. This creates a real welcoming environment that is felt by all, certainly new comers!

Now get your butt back to the game Eliora; Smirl misses you!

Indeed i must agree with Oro on this. Which is the reason I have been attempting to convince some Nero Players i know into trying out HR. That and i am tired of hearing them complain about the pathetic hitting. (In all honesty, I will admit I dont agree with the light hitting, but then I heard the horror stories of the other larps out there and how light they are asking people to hit, and the weapons are almost pillows with handles! In otherwords, Nero is to HR as HR is to SCA in terms of hits.) I will attempt to complainless about the light hits, now that I have seen what others are doing.

Likewise, Keith, you're the best for putting so much effort into your game. It's because your game is so in depth that I want to invest my own time and money into getting my costume just right or trying my hardest to act my part in the world, and help out whenever you need a spare NPC. I'm hoping to stay with your game for as long as I can, because this is the most fun I've had in years. I really feel like I'm part of a grand adventure at HR.

I have been to a few larps, and they all have their pros and cons. Some have too much fighting, some dont have enough, some have limited role play and some will ignore you entirely for your first year or more. And that isnt an entirely bad thing in those games because for your first three levels your a sitting duck for anything that comes out because there is no balance between the mobs and the player base. I am pretty assertive in finding role play. Thats my gig, I love to rp. In many games you have to be if you want to even be glanced at by an npc that isnt trying to kill you. IMO HR has struck the best balance I have seen in all of the above. If you are lacking anything in your game play, its just a matter of putting yourself out there and making your wants known without necessarily saying anything. Most of the face charas that come out in HR will rp with anyone who tries to, hell for me, the entire relationship Laurelin has with the Awethorns was because we were posed with a decision to fight or rp... and rp worked out beautifully.

Another wonderful thing about HR is the GM reads the chara history you worked so hard on and Eureka! takes cues from it to write plot tailor made for your character. This is the first game thats ever happened for me! I mean, you would figure its an obvious direction for any plot writer to take seeing as the player wrote it to establish him or herself in the world, yet oddly, Keith was the first to take it seriously.

But there is one thing no GM can predict or make happen and that is the commradery of his player base. Its nice to larp in an environment where everyone from what I have scene gets along and conducts themselves like adults. (Wellllll most of the time =P ) Some of you have no idea how different that single factor can be. I played a game where you had to worry more about the players killing you than the npc creatures! And if you did die, there was a good chance you would get dragged off into a dark corner and robbed by the very person you just died protecting.... and leave you there to die. For anyone who thinks they saw the god of judgement alot, in one game I played, you could feasibly see him 10 times in a single game and lose your character.

So things to remember about HR as compared to other games for me is:

1. A game where players work together in a productive environment as a team leading to a sense of individual and group accomplishments.
2. A game where the players are the focus over NPCs
3. A game where you can walk into town and jump into as much or as little action as you want, its all up to you.
4. A game where "death" doesn't look more like a basketball score than a character sheet.
5. A game where NPCs do more than just grunt, groan, hack and slash... they role play
6. A game where rp continues between games actively, allowing you to connect with your character really whenever you want
7. A game where the NPC's and GM do the things they do to entertain you, not fluff their ego. (Though sometimes certain Toromites hold long grudges for being locked in a fire realm *cough* even though he knows I adore him oog!)
8. A game that lets players be the hero (not the NPCs that have to come save the day) and helps players achieve these things without necessarily handing it to them on a silver platter.
9. A game without boring ass court and annoying taxes!
10. A game with a great cook! (Thanks Stark!)

Worth the price of admission... oh wait, we don't pay a $65 admission fee...

Wow...I'm never going to NERO. I'll stick with Heroic Realms and happiness, thank you!

Oh don't worry Keith, Eliora will return for Halloween, just as I promised she would. Besides, I know Smirl misses her and I would hate to not return. It's just too much fun!

Why else would I praise the work you have done for this game so readily?

Yes, then you can see Artha, now with 100% less girly screaming. Hurry back!