why do i feel so much regret why do i slam my fist down on the thought of what was and what should be. What happened to this game ? What happened to each other? Why cant we be the family we use to be. Why do i deny myself the pleasures of my long lost friends based on a game that would view me (and others) more as a dollar sign then as family ? Wont you all just come home cant we all just go back to the way things where. ( i am afread that some people will just delete this because they don't want to face the facts)

This message is not to be deleted.

---

Brian H Harvard, Owner
Mythical Journeys, LLC
860.478.5954

Tiff,

First I preamble this with speak only for myself and the "you" in here is not directed at you but more the royal you.

I miss you, as well as many others not at the game. A myriad of people have a myriad of reasons for being the way they are. I feel like I could go on for hours on the topic but I will keep it to a page or two.

In the end it is a matter of trust. If you don't trust either the owners, staff, or other players then your experience will be sour.

If you can not accept that people make mistakes and give them a chance to make amends then the situation is doomed to failure. If your pride stands in front of your compassion and understanding you will be disappointed.

That being said people and things change. It sucks and it's inevitable. All you truly can do in the end is roll with it and affect change where you can.

I wish MJ was like it was before things went south for a while. It won't, but with players caring about the fun of other players, staff caring about the fun of players and staff and management giving good people the tools they need to succeed and lead them it can be better than it has been.

It will take a lot of people placing a lot of pride and hurt aside and I don't believe everyone can do that. I lost my IG best friend and person I enjoyed RPing with more than most to this. I just hope in the end many or most people can set those things aside and come back together.

Until that happens I will continue to come to MJ with hope and a desire to entertain myself, other players and staff. I hope you do the same.

-Vance

remarks deleted on my own accord, by me.

- Endre



Edited 1 times. Last edit at 11/18/11 12:41AM

Actually, I'm fairly certain that MJ raised their prices a year or so ago...

---

Priestess of the Ancestors
Sushonuja of House Tenjou
Effectively Bondsman in Eldyrwood

It was 2008.

---

Brian H Harvard, Owner
Mythical Journeys, LLC
860.478.5954

Tiff -

I know I'm nowhere near the old guard. I caught the last season of MJ1, and have mostly been here for MJ2. I think the "good old days" were a long time ago, and people change as the years go by.

I'm too close to it all right now, and I can't say objectively how much is that the game has changed (and isn't so thrilling that I have to put it ahead of everything else), and how much I've changed (and no longer want to sacrifice other things for a larp). But I do feel that when this campaign ends and it's time for MJ3 it'll probably be my turn to bow out and fade away. I'm mostly coming because there are a few good friends I never seem to see outside of game, and a few storylines that I really want to watch unfold. ...but I'm gettin' too old for this and I live too far away and I seem doomed to work jobs that demand weekend hours so getting to game is harder and harder.

...If you miss people who are gone, it might be odd to post to this board. Are the ghosts still reading our messages, or have they found other games/ other commitments?

best,
Adrienne

To be honest, I don't think the game has changed cause of money or management. The game has changed cause some of the best players this game has seen do not attend anymore.

When I first started playing waaaaaay back in 1999, I met some of the most helpful and selfless players and cast this game would ever have. People like, Bob Fagan, Jenny Basil and Larry Swedis just to name a few. These people were not only great role players, but they were more than willing to help any newcomers fit in and guide them along the way. That is where the family aspect came into play. Everybody played nice back then.

Now the game is a bit more ruthless. Tensions build up before the bonds can be formed and that causes the game to lack the "family" aspect that is being mentioned here.

As to why those people no longer attend? I am pretty sure each have their own reasons. But I do not think any one single aspect broke the game apart.

I have to agree about the present game having lost something. Just look at the registration. MJ used to be the game everyone missed events at their other games to attend, cast and player alike. Nowadays if there is another event going on, our numbers are terrible. I can't say when specifically the game started going down hill but I think even the owners/management would agree that it has gone downhill.

I think to MJs credit they have acted after realizing the downward turn. People getting more involved in the specifics, actively recruiting old players for the Saturday initiative. These are all actions of owners and managers who legitimately care about their end product, and I'm thankful for that.

That being said, I personally feel that not enough is being done to address the problems. That is what I would love to see this post turn into. Not a complaint forum about the obvious loss in the quality of the game but what suggestions do people have to improve MJ?


In my opinion, we need more cast. I loved the old games when cast number routinely matched players or were within at least 10-20. I even remember being outnumbered once. Recently I remember certain days at game where cast numbers were in the single digits. The numbers of cast greatly affects the game. Not only in the obvious, the directors can't do a damn thing if they have no numbers to run plots.

Again, in my opinion there is a great deal of favoritism that goes on. Some cast have favorites that they routinely write and give plot to, throw in game benefits to, and generally make super players. Its incredibly frustrating to see the same people get cookies over and over again when the people working hard on lots of other things get overlooked.
My final issue comes with the issue of cast dealing with player complaints. It seems very much the paradigm of if you complain enough you get your way. Rather than actually investigating problems cast just takes people's words for things and act (sometimes rashly). One specific situation resulted in a good friend of mine being asked not to come back to game because players were complaining too much about him killing them and talking trash while doing so. Instead of looking into it and maybe finding out it was simply people not wanting to die, and being embarrassed by not only being physically dominated but being told how bad they are (not my style but to each their own); they remove the player. In my opinion you can't pander to the people who complain always, at some point tell them to step up and deal with it, it is part of the game.

Thanks for a great post, Dave. Same for everyone.

Just a comment about your good friend. What he tells you the reason was and what the real reason was are clearly two different things.

---

Brian H Harvard, Owner
Mythical Journeys, LLC
860.478.5954

Hello Everyone,


I've been reading this thread as a (soon-to-be) brandy new player, and brandy new LARPer. I guess it does have me concerned that it might not have the "pazazz" that I've been told about. The person who got me interested has described MJ as an incredibly dynamic and deep game in which everyone is dedicated to the cause, and help create said feeling. I won't be going to my first event this weekend with this all in mind, however. I'm going to formulate my own opinions about how MJ did, and about how they make me feel. I don't want to push any buttons, please don't think I am, but mayhap MJ hasn't taken as much of a dip, from an outside perspective. I guess as a new player I'll be able to see how newer players get brought into the game, and if any family-like unity is still present for us.

Maybe MJ just needs a spring of new players to inject a new feeling into the game. New blood might root out and cure the ailments of older, mayhap jaded feelings. New players don't know what was, and can help create a great game with no prior knowledge; they might be able to bring it back up to what you all remember it as. As a new player I'm going to try my best to interact with all that I can, and have a great time while I'm there. I really want to create those bonds that you've spoken of; I want to help stimulate the game and be part of exciting twists. Maybe new smiling faces will help what everyone is looking for; perhaps it will reunite people and rekindle that spark that seems to have dwindled to some players of old. I surely hope that it will, for those who feel like things have taken a turn for the worst.

I look forward to my first experience this weekend, however. I'm excited

Having a surge of new cast would really help us out, too. Just putting that out there.

I think there is a lot the players can do to help turn things around. When I first started playing (I want to say it was 2008) the quality of player driven things was much higher. It seems as if since World of Evil, player groups have fallen apart.

The militia used to be a good size and patrol. Hafltain was a big deal and not something desperately driven by a couple of players. The Mages Conclave was much more active in town and a lot bigger.

I'm not saying in game groups aren't doing well and trying hard, its more they are a shadow of what they once were. We have lost a lot of players and cast and that's a huge factor.

Another issue I see with the game if that for some characters, its very hard to progress along their desired path. Teachers are few and far between. Some crafts, like weaving or lapidary, are very easy to find a teacher for. Other players have never had a craft lesson. I have seen a lot of work from the cast on this recently, and its definitely getting better, but there is still room for improvement.

I also feel like some of the blame needs to be shouldered by us players. I have been trying to learn to teach a craft and have not had a craft teaching lesson in a long time. I am sure there has been at least one craft lesson in the past three games, and I was too busy to notice.

I also agree that there is favoritism that goes on, but I am not sure the reason is as clear cut as "I want to write for my friends". Some players are higher ranking in the town then others, and they get a lot of world-level plot. Other players, like me, get a lot of personal plot. And some players are lucky if they talk to a cast member the entire event/season.

In my case, I attribute it to my motivations for going to a larp. I LOVE getting into trouble and doing stupid things in game. I love the consequences and the role play challenges they present. I do my best to get others integrate into the plots I find to make them explode into something bigger. The newbie plot I volunteered for last spring I am still paying dearly for! But on the flip side, I tend to get pushed aside from the major world plot and be completely ignorant of the main things that occurred during the event. I actually went on my first non-open module this past Spring 3 and I've been playing MJ about four years. Previously I had been to Brugge, to the Asylum and to a couple big gate battles. So, it all balances out. If it isn't balancing out for you, let cast know.

---

Maille Thatcher
Second to the Master of Coin, Eldyrwood Magus Conclave

"We sleep, but the loom of life never stops, and the pattern which was weaving when the sun went down is weaving when it comes up in the morning"

Hi Jarrod!

Welcome to MJ! Despite all our griping, Pendaan IS a rich and detailed world with loads of history, politics, magic, conflict, depth, and possibility. Eldyrwood itself is also a very strange town, and there is lots to see and do and be part of. Don't be afraid to take the first step or make the first move and talk to people.

Do let your imagination loose - it's not a 4H camp, it's not a bunch of 21st century people in costumes and facepaint, it's not a live-action video game where the goal is to complete the level and gain as many points as possible. It's an alternate dimension, an alternate you, an alternate everyone, and everything is real. The actions we take (and don't take) influence today, tomorrow, and the cycles after. Live the life to the fullest.

have fun, see you in game
-Adrienne (aka Parsley)

We gripe because we care and want MJ to be the best it can be!

---

Maille Thatcher
Second to the Master of Coin, Eldyrwood Magus Conclave

"We sleep, but the loom of life never stops, and the pattern which was weaving when the sun went down is weaving when it comes up in the morning"

There is good and bad in every game. Though I was not part of MJ1, I have been with MJ2 since the start and it is still the only game I play, the only game I pimp to all the people I think want to try LARP'ing, and have stories to tell my co-workers for days after an event... I do think the down slide in numbers became evident with the "World of Evil" Plot line, or at least that's when I notice there were fewer people. And I agree smaller numbers changes the dynamic of a game and MJ is used to being a huge game. In some ways it still is, I know of games that have less than half the number we see. But while things are changing a bit, and many folks resist change with all their might, in this one player's opinion, it is still the best game around and I have made many a great friend from being a part of it.

~ Janice

---

Arch-Wizard Emmeline Quinn
Kaerramos Tower, Chancellor to Eldyrwood
Citizen of Eldyrwood

I want to thank all of you for your post the whole point of me starting this is for the exact reason dave C said i want people to open there minds and mouths and speak there mind not just on what they missed but what they think is going wrong to be constructive brain H has been very accommodating by allowing this post to continue i know he too wants the game to get better. This is not so post to be a bash mj post but a cry for help the only reason why i have not placed details on things is manly due to my lack of participation with MJ over the past year or so. I started MJ when i was 16 im now 29 i gave this game as many of us have many years of my life and i wouldn't take it back for the world i just wanted to voice my concerns i wanted to try to bring back hope to the old players and a promise to the new all the points everyone has made have been both intelligent and constructive i hope the staff/owners and players will really look at these post and work together to make the game not even as it use to be just better then it has been because thats what mj use to be about right advancing always evolving. I plan on going Perm staff ill be returning in the spring. I will not give up hope and i pray you all do the same together we can make this game amazing maybe even more amazing then it once was but thats only going to happen if we listen to each other both players owners and staff and work together

Everyone!


Thank you all for your glorious, and supportive, feedback! You have instilled a higher level of excitement into me now, I appreciate it (Parsley, Maille, Emmeline). I'm dying to see what the glorious town of Eldyrwood is like!

I understand why you are giving constructive criticism, and am glad that MJ is a higher level of event than others. I'm also glad to know that owners and staff are monitoring and listening to what the players have to say. It says a lot to how it is ran, from a business and entertainment perspective. This is similar to how highly successful video games are ran as well: A game is created, feedback is given by players, the next game has most of their suggestions. Of course not everyone can be pleased, but that is natural with anything. People are far too diverse! Which isn't a bad thing, it's the spice of life, lol.

Jarrod,

One suggestion is to come early (or stay late) and help setting up or cleaning up. You get to meet and know people out of game (and you get UP).

--> Dave (Grayman)

---

Johann Grayman
Order of the Open Hand
Chosen of Eloth al-Nur

Im am not one to post often and when I do it is not as important as i state now. I have LARPed a long time. Previously with some of the owners a LONG time ago then when they started MJ1 then I got married and had kids. Real life prohibited me from doing what i loved the most. ESCAPE from the reality we all spend the rest of out lives in. Let me say It is the PEOPLE that make this game so important. Since MJ2 in game and out I have lost many friends and i keep trucking along hoping and knowing something else will eventually come along. I dont get alot of plot, but I also dont harrass those people that work their fingers to the bone to get us plot as much as others do. However i also do not complain when i do not get it, I rather roleplay with that plot hook then wander off into the woods to save their long lost pet bobo.
I also on a personal note have been dealing with anxiety and depression and I have to fight with myself at times to come to game. I have trouble being around crowds and it gets real tough at times. BUT i love you guys and feel like you are family, good, bad, ugly you name it, even my in game enemies i know will have my back if something should happen. Life changes Things happen. It is up to you to make things better and keep it going. I look forward to seeing you all at least 6 times a year even if i have to drag myself there kicking and screaming.

See you all soon

---

~Washu

Guardian of Felnar
Citizen of Eldyrwood
Seeker of that which is Lost
Second Eldest Gryswald Son ? ...
"Wo shang mei er, mei xin, bian shi tou"

Jarrod P Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> Maybe MJ just needs a spring of new players to
> inject a new feeling into the game. New blood
> might root out and cure the ailments of older,
> mayhap jaded feelings. New players don't know
> what was, and can help create a great game with no
> prior knowledge; they might be able to bring it
> back up to what you all remember it as. As a new
> player I'm going to try my best to interact with
> all that I can, and have a great time while I'm
> there. I really want to create those bonds that
> you've spoken of; I want to help stimulate the
> game and be part of exciting twists. Maybe new
> smiling faces will help what everyone is looking
> for; perhaps it will reunite people and rekindle
> that spark that seems to have dwindled to some
> players of old. I surely hope that it will, for
> those who feel like things have taken a turn for
> the worst.
>
> I look forward to my first experience this
> weekend, however. I'm excited

this could very well be true i liked the way you ended this post my intentions where never to scare any players away it is simply to make a point and have ideas shared to all the new players don't let our words make the judgment for you the only way to know is to see it for yourself like i said this is not ment to take more people away from the game but to bring more back people make mistakes we are only human i just wanted to see if anyone felt the same way i did and hopefully if we bring out our deepest issues that staff and owners alike will view it as an opertitiy to grow perhaps they themselves never saw these issues and perhaps some of us where to scared to say anything i am so happy that people are finally opening up and i can only hope the owners, staff and players listen and learn instead of be defensive and negative there has to be some merit to these issues when so many other people seem to see the same issues




Edited 1 times. Last edit at 11/17/11 04:35PM

Just a note im sure there are more people out there that wish to say something but for some reason feel they can't or wont if you have something to say e-mail Brian H or Eric T with your concerns no one should be afraid to voice there thoughts but in case you feel a little timmied i know its important to express yourself and im sure brain h will agree ( please stop me if im wrong ) but even if its in an e-mail or facebook saying something is better then not only one thing i would ask please please make it constructive they want to here your thoughts but not your negativity remember this is about making the game better now pointing fingers

Let me say that most of my concerns can be found in my pels. However for a long time until recently it's felt like writing those concerns in the pels has been whistling in the wind, and I think that was a huge contributor to why it felt for a while like the game no longer cared as much about it's playerbase to me. I know I'm not the only one who felt that way either. That being said I'm delighted to say that the last season or so has seen some improvements and I'm really hoping to see that trend continue.

E

I do miss MJ I used to play Hue Bighammer It was larger than life, amazing, and my First LARP

I my problems started when I attended another LARP called Realms of Adventure run by someone who left MJ for similar reasons. I am not sure why Brian was monitoring their forum's; but he commented in-person about a quote i made. The first time I ever missed an event in 3 years they send down my god to dedicate me; while I was attending an enemy LARP. I will always bitter about this fact. At the time if you weren't inner circle you were a dollar sign. I still LARP with RoA and i am happy to actually be part of a family who doesn't treat me like a Dollar or talk about some make believe dream site.

Camp Sacajawea in NJ is owned by a LARP it has approx 4 LARPS using it and is being modified to be specifically for LARPS.

I don't mean to hate on MJ, will always be great full for the years I spent there.

(Edited by Brian Harvard.
note: sorry Jeffer, you can be upset at MJ for whatever reasons you may have, but I am not going to allow you to post negative posts here then try to solicit players for other games.)



Edited 1 times. Last edit at 11/17/11 08:39PM

This is not meant to offend anyone.

I read through a lot of these massages and while I agree with some things, I would also like to point out some basics. Memory is a funny thing and we tend to remember the good things and forget any of the bad things. It is like remembering an old girlfriend, after a bit of time (years) you look fondly on the time you had with her and some cases forget a lot of the bad things that annoyed you. This is what is happening with MJ 1. We are all building it up to be this amazing event and while it was a lot of fun; it too had issues and flaws. I have a lot of examples of players derailing, killing, attacking, blocking, hording, and every other offense that players of MJ 2 are being accused of. Many on the list only a hand full of people will know anything about, so it is not worth mentioning them, but if needed I will place them here.

To the point that MJ is a company and cares about money... Well MJ is a company and they better care about money. I pay them for an entertainment that I have invested 5 years into; if they go belly up after all my cash investment in my person fun; I will be pissed. I expect them to be intelligent about their spending and invest so that there is a future for this game. This family feeling we all talk about is created by the people who play not by the game. I created friends that are life long here and go into the weekend expecting to have fun with my friends (players and cast a like). Some of them I only see a few times a year. I pay for a world to be created and for my self to be lost in that world and forget all the issues I deal with on a daily basis (which is a lot at times). While a lot of costs in this world is going up, they are doing their best to keep their costs down and quality up.

Well just my thoughts at the moment.

Derik

15 years.

Has MJ changed more or less than, well, everything else in your life during that time? My life is pretty stable. I moved three times, finished grad school, worked two different jobs, got engaged, picked up some new hobbies and dropped some old ones. MJ moved twice (second time back into its old house) and restarted once. It's not surprising that there has been a lot of turnover. People change over time, people have new jobs or children that take their time, they go in new directions. That's not to say I don't want them back (I do!) but those are decisions people have to make for themselves.

MJ is also a big game,150-200 people per event. And look over time, just for MJ II (five and a half years) there are 365 characters in the database -- player characters, not counting cast at all -- only counting characters with at least 120 points spent. It's a challenge to know everyone, or -- slightly easier -- be known by everyone. The first game of MJ I, there were about 30 players. And more cast. Community is different with 60 people than it is with 100, and different again at 200. The sense of community is different now. It's not that people aren't nice anymore -- they really are -- or unhelpful -- but you do have to make a little more effort to talk to people outside of your own group. And the effort is rewarded when you do.

One of the challenging things about a big game is you know less about what other people are doing. And that means, in turn, that people know how so-and-so got rewarded, but not what so-and-so did to earn it. I definitely see group A complaining that group B gets all the rewards while they get nothing. And group B is making the same complaint about group A. We have a lot of plotwriters. 18 people wrote the plots for this event, more if you look across a season or year. We all agree that people should have to make an effort to earn a reward, and the more effort, the more reward. I can't guarantee that if we swapped plotwriters it would be exactly the same ratio for each group or each plot. It's hard to quantify that. But I assure you no one is getting anything without working for it. Even if it's not obvious to you how they are doing it. So many plotwriters also mean that, even though we each write the sort of plot we find interesting, it covers a lot of different ground, and there is room for a lot of different people to get involved.

The majority of our plot is not written for anyone in particular, at least when it starts.The plots are just things happening in the world. Waiting for someone to take the initiative and get involved. Could be you. Sometimes, such a plot goes out and player A immediately direct it to player B. And then in their PEL, player A asks why player B has so much plot. We just kind of shake our heads.

As for needing more cast -- ok, yeah, the numbers aren't what I consider bad but we could definitely use more! I would especially like to see some people with the player perspective, who have been experiencing a story and now want to try telling one... I'm looking at you guys. The Dark Side. We have cookies. And, seriously, the end of the fiend war (assuming you pull it off). What a great time to retire. Think about it.

Derek, I am offended and we shall have words tomorrow. JD, well said.

Juan

i have said my thoughts to those who needed to hear it



Edited 2 times. Last edit at 11/17/11 11:39PM

im sorry i didn;t include Paul d in all of this i can't express the deepest regret i should have brought him in as apart of this perhaps i just assumed he would be but we all know what that dose and now i feel like the jerk ( an ass )please contact Brian H Eric T and Paul D at owners@ctfaire.com



Edited 2 times. Last edit at 11/18/11 03:04AM

as someone who is wresling with emoitons and dealin with what has happened I have been affected .. I have been going back and forth on why to not come back or why to stay..... as some on who has a hard time fitting in I always feel like the odd one out even it if im not its a flaw im working on kinda like the feeling someones always talking bad about you behind your back even though there not. that said its hard for me to feel the "family " part but over there years I have slowy becomeing more comfortable. I am comming back I will see how it goes how im feeling and give it the best posible chance I can to see where I fit into game again not only did I lose FI but mostly I lost a friend in ANDY not that that can change it cant and that what it is for mwe change its scary its hard and you feel like now i have to start over. I hope I can come back and jump in and love it but people can help us if we dont talk . That being said cast has been better at bring in new cast and helping them move forward in there "cast " life but maybe also put out there for those of us who feel like we need some etxra help and i for one am going to grow big girl conads and ask for it myself sorry for my rant and hope to see you all at g ame and try to make the best out of and awfull situation.

Sarah Marshall

Good thoughts, Derik. Your insight is, well, insightful.

Cast could write all the plots in the world, but I don’t think that is going to solve the problem. It comes down to what people are willing to do to effect change. To everyone who has posted on this board, or read the posts and thought about posting – what are you willing to do to bring back that old magic and make it feel like a family again?

I came to MJ1 late in the game, but I remember it fondly. And yes, I am one of those people who feel that MJ has lost some of its magic. But I don’t think it’s because MJ is a bad game by any sense of the imagination and I do agree with Derek that MJ1 had some of the same problems. In fact, I think that MJ2 has one of the most dedicated and passionate teams working on this game that I have ever seen.

I don’t think that most people are aware of how much work is done between events, but it is a lot. At the end of the day though, MJ is supposed to be fun for cast too – it’s not supposed to feel like work. But, with how many of us that there are compared to how many players there are, what that means is that we just can’t do as much as we’d like to, and want to – and these people do a lot let me tell you. But for a game of 100 players on a low day, we need more cast to make our game better and to truly give everyone that personal touch.

I also think it’s important to note that I have been told that MJ1 went through the same downtime. According to some people who were at MJ1 from the beginning, there was a time when many players and cast started leaving and the game got an influx of new people who revitalized the game. I think it’s just a part of the natural lifecycle of a game. Is it sad? Absolutely! You see people you really love leave something that you’ve all been doing together for years.

And for me, that is the issue. I realized that a large part of the reason that the magic isn’t as strong for me anymore is that some of my dearest friends just don’t attend the game anymore. They’ve moved on. And they were a large part of that magic for me. Recently some of them have come back to run through the woods with us and let me tell you – that ‘old’ magic was back.

So what does that mean? Well, I honestly don’t know. I think MJ will have its heyday again, I truly do. But some of you may not see it. I think that we all need to be kind to one another and remember that this is supposed to be a game. It’s supposed to be fun. It’s supposed to be magic. I think there is a lot more competition among one another in this game, I don’t see folks working together as much. Used to be, breakdown at the end of the event was when everyone would stick around to swap stories while we cleaned up just so that the weekend didn’t end. It was the time to be with your friends and be a family.

For me, I'm going to make a point to introduce myself to at least three people I don't know this weekend and ask them how they are doing.




Edited 1 times. Last edit at 11/18/11 11:26AM

Amber L Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>I think that we all need to be kind to one another and
> remember that this is supposed to be a game. It’s
> supposed to be fun. It’s supposed to be magic. I
> think there is a lot more competition among one
> another in this game, I don’t see folks working
> together as much. Used to be, breakdown at the end
> of the event was when everyone would stick around
> to swap stories while we cleaned up just so that
> the weekend didn’t end. It was the time to be with
> your friends and be a family.
>
> For me, I'm going to make a point to introduce
> myself to at least three people I don't know this
> weekend and ask them how they are doing.

I like the way you think. simple, practical, and proactive. I'm the shy one, but I'm also going to introduce myself to at least three new people and ask how things are going.

Haha, I have no choice but to introduce myself to new people lol. Great, simple, proactive plan however!!!

lots of good stuff here, I have been working on formulating a response like, I am certain many of you.

however, Amber and Adrienne's posts made we want to jump in real quick and say this.

You think the community is gone? You think that there is no more "family feeling"? Do you truly think that is something that totally is a "top down" or "environmental" thing? Let me ask you this, what have YOU done to help the community?

Hell, forget "the community". That is a big and daunting thing which will scare off most of you. Lets try this, What have you done to help YOUR enjoyment / involvement in this community? When was the last time you went out of your way to talk to someone who was not in your group?

take a tip from these two and strike up a conversation with a stranger. Maybe you will make a friend, maybe you will make an enemy, maybe it will only be a passing 2 second conversation. But no matter what I can guarantee you will start to feel more community than if you only talk to the same 6 people in your group this event again like the last dozen events.

This is Sooooo true! I posted earlier in the thread about loving this game and I think one of the main reasons is the character to character interactions. I too once was annoyed about a variety of the items folks complain about and very much felt on the outside and not overly involved, but I did something about it... I joined in game organizations like the bardic guild, mage conclave and the militia, I became an in game teacher of wizardry, and I look for ways to interact with players new and old. Is this easy? heck no! I have a rather large shy streak especially when it comes to people I don't know... but the pay off of pushing the comfort boundaries to say hello and interact with someone new has been totally worth it and made the game so much better for me.

One example, a few years ago I express (all be it in a way I felt came across rather awkwardly) that I wanted to know a certain character better and she invited me to join her for the evening with her friends in the woods. I was terrified to go as I knew nothing about these folks except they were excellent fighters and "old players". But the night was one of the safest and not to mention fun. And though I don't regularly spend time running around the woods with them, I know their names and faces and feel just that more connected to the world we all play in.

Want family and friends? Go get them! Get involved! You'll be amazed at what you find. And I'll put it out that anyone looking to role play come talk to me in game... just be warned you will likely get stuck talking for a time about all kinds of interesting and fun topics like Magic, Music, or the history of our town.

~ Janice


Scott T Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> lots of good stuff here, I have been working on
> formulating a response like, I am certain many of
> you.
>
> however, Amber and Adrienne's posts made we want
> to jump in real quick and say this.
>
> You think the community is gone? You think that
> there is no more "family feeling"? Do you truly
> think that is something that totally is a "top
> down" or "environmental" thing? Let me ask you
> this, what have YOU done to help the community?
>
> Hell, forget "the community". That is a big and
> daunting thing which will scare off most of you.
> Lets try this, What have you done to help YOUR
> enjoyment / involvement in this community? When
> was the last time you went out of your way to talk
> to someone who was not in your group?
>
> take a tip from these two and strike up a
> conversation with a stranger. Maybe you will make
> a friend, maybe you will make an enemy, maybe it
> will only be a passing 2 second conversation. But
> no matter what I can guarantee you will start to
> feel more community than if you only talk to the
> same 6 people in your group this event again like
> the last dozen events.

---

Arch-Wizard Emmeline Quinn
Kaerramos Tower, Chancellor to Eldyrwood
Citizen of Eldyrwood

Gosh... To those of you I met back during MJ1, can you believe it's been over 10 years already since I met you? I started as cast, and was for almost 2 years. I loved meeting everyone, learning the game, and just had a blast being able to fight with so many people in a safe way. Prior to MJ, I had never heard of LARPs, nor did I know of boffer combat. Initially, I enjoyed going so that I could pass whatever aggression I was feeling prior to an event, in a safe and constructive way. I made friends with so many wonderful people during that time, but I realized that I knew maybe 1/3 of the people at the game, and realized that my best bet to meet the rest was to become a player.

I had intended to become a player right from the start, but it took me that long to finally take the leap into the unknown. I was extremely fortunate to fall into the wonderful group of people on the player side that made the game fun for me. I know we were all a bit sad when MJ1 was anouncing the end of the arc, and the looming reset, but many of us stuck around despite the end of the game.

I must agree with others, that if you actively seek to expand your horizons, the world will be fuller, and more entertaining. I came into MJ2, having read all the new lore that came out just prior to event 1, and I will confess, it was a lot to swallow. The reason there was so much, is that our awesome plot team took that time, along with all the contributions players made to the lore at the end of MJ1 with where they are going, etc... I've seen many signs of those relatively small stories as the catalyst for some of the most common things in MJ2, that you'd totally never know about unless you were there in the old days.

Sure, there were logistical issues here and there, the occasional unsafe combatant or location, the long walk here or there, losses to our community, and so on and so forth... But I chose then, and continue to choose now, not to dwell on the small trip-ups and little things that might grab our attention in a negative way. Life happens. We aren't perfect, and things can happen. But many great things happen as well, if you pay attention to the larger picture. I built Angelo to be a 'people person', and I think it is because of that, that I know so many people here. I don't get a lot of plot, but I do have friends that occasionally need help on theirs. I think this has been the secret to my fun all these years...

I will be honest, it is not always easy being the "good guy". There are times that I had a very hard time deciding what to do or where to go when bad stuff happened. There were moments in my time playing Angelo, where my chosen path might have been altered significantly from where he is now. These were because of awesome plot-writing, and our amazing cast with their ability to role-play so well. The biggest "wow" that I've ever gotten at MJ was when I got pulled into a plot completely unaware of what it was, or where it was going. I made so many new friends, and an entire section of the world was opened to me like a book. The part that really got me... we did a very good deed, despite how difficult it seemed, and we were rewarded. That was one of the first times that doing the right thing was rewarded in some tangible in-game way. I've noticed more of this in recent years, and I think it is a fantastic trend. I have trouble counting the times now, where Angelo has been given SOMETHING just for doing the right thing. Granted, most of the rewards are minor, but gifts are always amazing to receive, and they always make you feel good about having done what is right.

The secret to my having fun has been, for quite some time, to help others have fun as well. Ultimately, I have decided to give back to this game, and to my friends and family in this community, by switching over to perma-cast after the Arkenstone gate battle. Of course there will be regrets down the road, but I feel that it is right for me, for a number of reasons. I want to help improve the experiences of all, even just a little bit at a time, and I feel this is the best way to do that.

On an aside, and in the truest sense of the spirit of coming full circle, I'm bringing one of my best friends back to MJ after almost 6 years away. He is the person who first told me his stories over 10 years ago, and originally got me into this great organization - DJ Archambault.

Tim G

Anyone else feel like they're reading ee cummings?

As one of the ghosts of MJ past that has been in larp retirement for about 7 years, I look back fondly on my MJ days. There were lots of times I felt more furious than pleased and many times used and abused, but as a whole, the experience was fantastic. There are certain realities to spending time in a fantasy world that must be accepted. NONE of it is REAL and as such, both the IG and OOG ways in which situations are handled are often blazing new sociological ground. My advice is to have some patience and some tolerance. People don't always make good decisions and lets face it, there is no better place for a lynch mob than with a group of armed and armored people in various induced mental states of balancing reality with fantasy. This is doubly true with a game that pushes the limits on costuming, props, scenics and dynamic plot lines. Here are a couple items I would like to offer:

1. MJ has had its time at the top. Few games have set the bar as often as MJ has. Love it or hate it, MJ is near the top of the foodchain. Everything that achieves the #1 place eventually falls. It is impossible to perpetually stay at the top, but this is necessary. Its not the fall that is important, it is how you get up. Every time I got to a point where I thought I couldn't take it any more, things would turn around. Though I have been gone a long time and many of you probably don't even know who I am, I would go back to MJ in a second if it were not for geographic constraint. Sure I have butted heads with staff and ownership, but at the end of the day, logic always prevailed. maybe not the logic I would use, but logic none-the-less.

2. Beware your warm and fuzzy memories of grandeur. If you pick a point in time and compare things to it often, you will most definitely be disappointed. Things have an odd way of looking better in hindsight and to compare the present to it doesn't have much chance of a fair shake.

3. The game like life, is what you make of it. Go in negative, live negative.

4. Be the change you seek.
.
5. Don't complain about a problem without providing a solution. No one likes to be rewarded for their efforts with bitterness, hostility or complaining. As a very dedicated cat member, I can't tell you how many times I lost my mind over the crappy way the players responded to what we were trying to do. Casting ishis at times a thankless VOLUNTEER job! It is incredible the drain on you physically, mentally, creatively and financially. The ones who keep doing it despite this do it for love. I personally was part of the GWA and we ran several plots with costumes, props and environmental controls that I will still take the Pepsi challenge on. The downside was despite all of the work and investment, very few people even got to experience it due to poor coordination with the other plot writers and staff. The reason I say this is only to remind those longing for days gone by to remember why you larp in the first place. Thats why I made the fire plane, the Fortress, the trebuchets and the crazy costuming. Love of the game. Don't let the periphial issues cloud the purpose.

Thanks for all the memories and for letting me be a part of it. Hopefully some of this is useful.

Gary Smith
MJI Class of 2000-2005
Proud Member of the GWA

Racynth nema'Drako
Gaius Eromus Scipio
Ursis Mazrith, Paladin of Myraak
Chuck the Miner
Korem
General Lionel Caedrus
and 5 million Trolls, Goblins, Death Knights and more!

For the record, I miss ya Gary.