Gretch was asking about Saga's history lately, and it made me realize we probably don't have a clear document anywhere. Then I thought about making one and I realized we probably couldn't write one anyway. The history of any guild is inevitably individual.
There are so many new folks here I thought it might be nice to start a topic where we can share, a little more, some sense of what you've joined. No one has a monopoly on the truth (tm) of what Saga's all about or where we came from. But maybe hearing from a variety of people will create a mosaic oral history that's as close to the truth as it's possible to approach.
For myself, I joined a guild called Starspun near the end of its heyday. Starspun was a guild formed by a half elven ranger called Ankles Dirtyfoot and a number of folks still lurking these boards who certainly deserve the opportunity to tell the story their way. At that time I was the officer of an upstart and short lived guild called The Traders' Union. Now seriously, there is no reason at all The Traders' Union deserves to be remembered by anyone. It was one of those silly little guilds started by a clueless well intentioned fellow named Fletch (never joined us here) and populated by other clueless well intentioned people who had no idea what was required to really make a guild work. I was one of those people and ended up holding the bag when Fletch couldn't level past his teens.
I made a few friends in Starspun and thought it might be nice to join a guild that knew what they were doing and so I worked on orcastrating a merge. And the only reason The Traders' Union remains worth mentioning is because that clueless effort gave Saga (I'm getting there) a few of our stalwarts - most notably Namae who's still serving as XO (Executive Officer) to this day. I remind myself of this fact every once in a while any time I'm inclined to dismiss those newbish guilds of newbies. You never know the gems they might have in their ranks just waiting for a chance.
Starspun was, unfortunately, in its last days already because it was a rather individual effort (meaning, it was largely Ankles' own thing) that included too many people with their own ideas of how the guild should be run. There was a brief transfer of leadership there, and then in deference to Ankles' feeling that Starspun was her name (valid) we reformed under a new banner, and under the elected leadership of our first guildleader Tuppen - still with us and known here as Allen. We've been having elections every since, and have successfully avoided the idea that Saga belongs to any one person as a result.
We called ourselves Saga after a vote on potential names. We had some alternatives but I can't remember them. Some were Latin. I voted against Saga because I thought it unlikely we'd even get it. In EQ1 days guild names were global unique. We had to be literally the only guild anywhere named Saga. But so we were.
All of that sounds rather cold and administrative. I admit, I think of things that way, sometimes. But of course it was the people who made it something special. Saga was always based conceptually around The Tiger's Roar (the inn in Highhold Pass). As Luclin and then the planes opened up of course we didn't get there much. We joined The Fellowship, which was an alliance of good/neutral guilds and we did some raiding and end game stuff with that bunch. We were cutting our own throats to do it with no Necromancers. God that was a pain. But we did. I'm pleased when I hear that the Sky raids I used to lead were considered a highlight by some.
We were a medium sized guild within The Fellowship. The real heft came from The League of Honor. I always respected the fact that they (and we, too) made end game possible for smaller guilds by inviting them to participate. That's something I think is important and I'd like to see more of the same in SWTOR.
I burned out sometime into the planes. Tried to come back at one stage and it didn't take. The magic was gone. That's how it is, as we all know.
I wish I could say I remember the epic fights, but I frankly don't. I was confused a lot of the time about the end game in EQ1. I wasn't much of a gamer back then, in terms of skill and comprehension. But I remember running aid stations at Crushbone. I remember once being asked to help rescue the corpses of some higher end raider who got nailed in Fear. That was fun. I remember infiltrating cautiously into Castle Mistmoore, and that's where I started to know folks who became Saga. I got my first real robe in there. It was blood red and I wasn't wearing newbie green anymore. I felt legit.
That doesn't remotely capture it. It was a feeling more than anything. But they're good memories, and I'm glad I was there.
Hopefully other people will come by and share their own impressions.
I was taken by storm.
A member of a RP guild called The Council in Horizons, I was their librarian and very quiet Elven Ranger, Tira l'Arc (french for arrow =)
Saga showed up enmasse. Wow. The stories, the role play, the camaraderie and the hilarity. Berend (Allen) quickly moved into leadership. I was so grateful to have him there in the end.
As quickly as Saga moved in, it moved out. Horizons was a troubled game, but one I loved. I met Blaek there--and we plan to marry this June :)
The Council, after Saga left, was a void. It's hard to explain. Like a crowd of funny, fun folks sweeping through, stopping a moment then leaving the crickets in charge with a soft scraping of wings.
When Horizons finally failed us, Blaek (Halagren back then) and I arrived at Saga's door step, just before the launch of EQ2. Halagren brought me into EQ1 so I'd have some reference. I'd been playing Asheron's Call I and II while everyone else I now know was enjoying EQ2.
I know I was accepted into the guild before launch. That was huge. I was a big participant on the boards and I was known from The Council. It was a little tougher to get Halagren in, largely because he's the quieter one.
In any case, ever since then I've been a part of Saga in some way. I've read lots of stories from the EQ1 days and the reminiscences posted here over time--almost to the point of thinking I was there too.
For me, the Guild and Group called Saga is a group of friends, many of whom I've had the pleasure to meet at some point.
I like to think we remain welcoming and friendly.
I was in the Order of Antondwer for some years in EQ1 on Vazaelle server (since rolled up through a server combine into Drinal-Maelin Starpyre.) Though Saga was on the RP server Fironea Vie, it was a guild I certainly was aware of through the boards, and the specialty, trading and lore sites. Some folks here today in Saga were in the Order back when and transferred to Saga, which is awesome because I don't feel so weird to be still gaming after all this time :)
The Order was founded by Betti Bighearted, followed by Talanye, Tuvan, and I led it briefly after Tuvan left and through the process of coaxingthrashing the guild into choosing Zordrak. Soon after I left EQ1. Zordrak organized a contingent of Order and friends to try EQ2 together, I was in EQ2 for a bit but it didn't hold me.
Now, I found my way here years later, to find a guild I remember and some members who I've played with back in the day! These are the quirky orbits life navigates us through.
I was at the Starspun formation in EQ1 but went solo for a bit when Starspun disbanded, so missed the Saga formation. Joined up a little later in my EQ1 days.
Quote from: Scrib on December 07, 2011, 10:23:22 PM
I was at the Starspun formation in EQ1 but went solo for a bit when Starspun disbanded, so missed the Saga formation. Joined up a little later in my EQ1 days.
Was Dragnil in Starspun? I remember him from Saga, but I didn't encounter him prior and so it never tweaked. Or was that a different character?
He was. He played a wizard named....Aerion (I think).
Yes, that's right. My first Starspun character was Arion (human wizard). He didn't last too long before being replaced by Ahriahn (high-elf mage). Dragnil replaced Ahriahn when Starspun disbanded.
My story with Saga is mostly back and forth, kinda like always returning home after trying something new.
My first offcial contact with Saga was through the fellowship on FV. Back then I was in a guild named 'Band of Dreamers' and we were one of the small guilds participating to Fellowship events (Kael Drakkal assault was the first one I thinik). My un-official relation with people of Saga (then Starspun) dates back as far as FV Day 1 and meeting an enchantress named Alora in GFay. I was playing a wizard named Deneteth back then.
The Dreamers disband over a big ego drama and I applied to Saga as the Familly was starting the Sky Raid experiments. I distinctively remember that because my first 'potential recruit' moment with Saga was helping porting groups back to Sky after a wipe on Island 1 ^-^ Joined after my acceptence quest (Vil, I still remember our hour long interview on Luclin, it's sort of part of my Saga DNA).
Some discord over using Necros for raids but nothing serious, real fun in Fear raids. Discovering Luclin with Tuppen. I quit for a few monthes when the Plans came out, then came back for Dungeons of Norrath, then left EQ1 for other realms. End of part 1. One thing I do remember well of the late moments in EQ1 was Ak'Anon festival and loosing (hard) a PvP fight with my in-game girlfriend over a nice caster robe the guild won in a loto.
Other realms then EQ2 when Desert of Flam launches. Back to the Family as Deneteth. Lots of fun exploring Dungeons with Namae (thanks for being there my friend), Noamut, Flann, Anaris and many other I apology for not remembering the names. Burn out faster unfortunately than on EQ1.
Then Vanguard. Titia rises from the dirty streets of New Targonor and joins Saga. Many new friends (Lyrima, Bou, Bahladar, Beren, although I'm pretty sure we met on FV,...). The game was different. Some form of Fellowship was founded but ended up in guilds merging to maintain survival, Saga accepting many declining guild members in its ranks, only to finally merge itself with Strength and Honor (I liked SnH peopel but leaving Saga for them was a difficult moment). One Saga-classic moment there... on the board: Bou was finally cought by her past and faced trial, many members of the Familly tried their own way to free her. I don't believe we ever had another so intense and improvised written RP session as a guild since (but I lack a large chunck of timeline after VG so I might very well be mistaken). Oh, I also remember the "Tonight at Saga's" posts based on the RP we had on the Saga Tavern channel.
Titia lives also on EQ2 (again) since early 2011 but not much to say about that period.