[TOR] Welcome gretchgamer! {RC}

[Gretchen]

What guild are you?
Applied to the Saga TOR guild through the TOR website widget.  A few minutes ago!

Please write an introduction to your character, including name, race, gender, class, alignment, god(if any). If you tradeskill or have other talents, please include those as well.
Name to be determined, but it'll have a Gretch or Gretchen in it somewhere
Race to be determined.
Gender female.
Class Smuggler.
Alignment: Chaotic Good.
God: freedom.
Tradeskills: very yes.

Do you have alternate characters (horde or alliance/freeport or qeynos) on same server?
I enjoyed most of the classes during beta weekend, will probably have various alts, maybe even a Sith or two.

What Roleplay games have you participated in?
The most RP-prone games I've played were EQ1 and 2, Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, and Ryzom.  If you want a list of all mmoRPgs, that would be a long list.

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Please answer the following three questions, IN CHARACTER:

Tell us of your past.
My father wanted me to be a civil servant and marry a nice man, but I could never sit still long enough to listen to that for long.  The moment I could get up among the stars, I sought my freedom and my fortune in the spacelanes.  It's been a mixed bag of nuts so far but I get by, staying out of trouble, mostly.  I mean, out of big trouble.  Little trouble, that's what keeps life entertaining...and profitable.

What hobbies and directives do you presently have?
I enjoy making things with my hands, and using those things to do other things.  I'm good at what I do and if I'm not, I'm not telling you about it.  My directives are to stay free, stay mobile, and have good times.  If that helps the Republic at the same time, that's not a problem.  I don't think the Sith appreciate my hobbies.  Or my directives.

Where do you see yourself in the future?
Ord Mantell.  I got a shipment of weapons to carry there, should be a good profit.  Bit of nonsense with Separatists going on there from what I hear, so I'm hoping to conduct my trade quick and clean and get clear of that mess.  Here's the crates, thanks for the credits, pleasure doing business.  My ship just got a fresh refit and I don't want any blaster marks on the fresh paintjob.  Besides, simple delivery, what could go wrong? 

[Vilidius]

Hi and welcome!

Just so you don't feel ignored, I wanted to let you know that we're now transitioning from our pre-launch applications process to our post-launch process.  And we don't know exactly how that's going to work just yet, so there might be a brief delay.

In terms of your application on our Guild HQ over at the SWTOR site, I understand that today is the date everyone is supposed to get sorted.  I haven't been able to make the site load in a day or two.  I think they're getting bombed under the traffic of everyone downloading the client.  So we may not get you in there.  But worst case scenario, that simply means you need to join us manually rather than get presorted.

Give it just a bit and we'll be right on things.  =)

[Gretchen]

Oh, absolutely, not stressed about it...it's a busy time for a brand new game and a brand new branch of a guild.  I had noticed the TOR site congestion, and since the end of the beta weekend, the usual response from it I had seen (when it wasn't displaying as down for maintenance) was "can't retrieve page due to load."

Before launch, after launch, it's all good, the game isn't going away, it hasn't even started yet.  I'll keep checking these pages as pre-order early play rolls out to see what the target server is going to be, or if it isn't settled by then, I'll just pick one and start with a Sith alt, which I fully expect to have and wouldn't want to be on, on the same server I have a guilded Republic character.  For that matter, I am unclear as to the eventual limits on characters overall, if the beta was any indication, it seemed like you could have 8 characters of any side on every server.  What the actual limits are, no idea.

Being tense about early play is most important in a "race to the top" and that's not a priority of mine.

As an addendum in case the answers on the TOR application widget become obsolete, why I'm here.

I have a friend who also applied to Saga but she may not be able to play as she found out her laptop wouldn't run the beta client.  Still, when she said Saga, I was like, Saga, for real?  And I had to look this guild up.

I was in EQ1 back before the first expansion (Kunark) briefly as a woody Ranger (everyone plays one eventually) then for good as an Iksar Monk when Kunark launched.  I was on Vazaelle, where the top guild was Caer Cadarn, a European guild.  Saga was one of those guilds that you heard talked about on other servers, doing this and that, it was a guild you heard of even if they weren't on your server.  So when I heard this guild was not only still around but in TOR I had to look into it.

I was in a guild (Order of Antondwer) which started out very small, doing roleplay and cultural activities like holding language teaching faires in East Commonlands, back when it was deafening in there due to the sales spam being shouted from EC Tunnel.  I spent a lot of time working as an Iksar to gain "good race" faction and eventually would delight in hanging out in Kelethlin teasing the woodelf newbies, who would have two questions: (1) "what exactly are you, lizard lady?" and (2) "run quick, the guards will kill you!"  It was too fun   I don't even want to think about how many muffins I fed Pandos.

From language faires in EC, we ended up working with other guilds in an Alliance of similar small guilds to do planar god raids and some Gates of Discord content, building interguild relations and having a ton of fun.  The years took the toll though and as pressures of level and gear built, the drama crept in and eventually, it all had to eventually end.  It was quite a fun evolution though and all the games I've been in since, I measure by comparison to Everquest, my first and best loved MMO.

I also was deep into tradeskills from smithing and cooking to dyes, and I've loved mastering crafts ever since.

So yeah, it sounds like I've been in and around online gaming pretty much in parallel track with Saga though we had not intersected.

[Mixxi]

Oh my gosh. I was in Order of Antondwer. They were my very first guild. Saga is actually based in a great degree on the Order of Antondwer (since two of the first Saga/Starspun-ites were former Order members). I was Thorni/Thela.

For those who have heard me tell the story a zillion times about eating the batwing crunchies during my first scavenger hunt--THAT was the Order of Antondwer.

What was your character's name? And *HUGE HUGS*. Any person from this guild is GOLD.

[Jasyn]

This thread suddenly gave me a severe case of the warm and fuzzies.  Very pleased to make your acquaintance, gretch!

[Jhared]

Good luck with joining, Gretch! Hope you get in, but if not there is always Vifi and her axe.

[Catri]

Shhhh, Sotof, you're scaring away the new recruits! Welcome , Gretch. Pay no attention to Sotof. Vifi does not have an axe to threaten people with, no, really, not at all. 

It's good to see another Smuggler joining.

[Vifi Sunfell]

Welcome! Don't pay attention to them. I never pay attention to "the voices."

O HAI!

[Vilidius]

Okay, the SWTOR site started working again.  And this is the last day to shoehorn people into the pre-launch guild.  So don't think we're easy or anything, but I went and approved your application there.  Unless something surprising happens at this stage, I think that brings to a close our pre-launch recruiting phase, and anyone further will meet us in game.

Welcome!

[Tys]

Welcome! Look forward to seeing you in-game.

[Rumze]

Welcome! Remember no eye contact or they will attack.

[Vilidius]

In case I wasn't clear, btw, I'm a sucker for history.  Everything Gretch just said above ... to me that's what Saga is really all about.  That's what any MMO, at its best, is about.  To one degree or other we're all trying to recapture that same magic.

Even in the times I haven't been playing any game.  Even when I'm removed from MMOs entirely, I'm proud to have been a member of Saga.  And long after the lights turn out on SWTOR, the sense that we did something decent together and made the game and the community better for being a part of it ... that's important.

I actually wasn't being easy when I admitted Gretch on the spot.  Anyone who holds to those values is welcome.  And damn, am I excited about SWTOR now.  Let's get the party started already!

[Gretchen]

It's a small gamer universe as it turns out thanks for the welcomes!

@Mixxi
I was Sauria Soulfarer, Iksar Monk, eventual guild banker, raid puller of entirely too many mobs at once, the guild leader was Tuvan, eventually when things just got too uber for our own initial principles, Tuvan turned the guild leadership over to me.  I did not want it and used my merciless raid puller instincts to prod the guild into holding an election (a mix of carrots and sticks) and they chose Zordrak, a fine fellow Iksar.  I happily transferred leader to him and that was about it for me and EQ1.  Zordrak eventually led a band of Antondwers and other members of our alliance of small guilds to form up in EQ2.  I tried EQ2 for a bit myself, but after doing the Iksar conversion/betrayal quest from Freeport evilside to Qeynos goodside, I was a bit miffed that the npcs in Qeynos still spat at me on the streets, I didn't stick in EQ2 for long. (the faction work I had enjoyed in EQ1 didn't really have as much fun in EQ2, and in TOR though there is discussion of playing "lightside or darkside" regardless of Sith/Republic, there doesn't sound like initially there will be any kind of "Sith joining the Republic" quest.)(Muffins for Yoda?)

I was excited to try Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, as it was by the folks from Verant (who did EQ before SONY ate it) and it promised to resurrect "The Vision (tm)" and it was a good fun game.  I spent some time there monking around and messing with diplomacy, but I've had gamer wanderlust and it's been new games periodically for quite some time.  Being in a guild of congenial folks makes a huge difference.

[Askari]

Welcome aboard!

It's always great to have more "old timers" from the EQ days to help us keep these young whippersnappers in line. 

[PinkRose]

Welcome gretch.
Thank you so much for filling out the roster card.
As the Master of Initiates, we will be in touch. I'm on the road now, so look for a PM once I get home.

[Gretchen]

fun fact: Antondwer as a name came from the concept of a uniting of the continents of Antonica and Faydwer.

I need to forage around the boards and find a thread about the history of Saga.

[RavenMiles]

Welcome. 

[Mixxi]

I was Sauria Soulfarer, Iksar Monk,

Sauria! The last time I remember seeing you was at one of the guild meetings on the hill above the Butcherblock docks. The sun was glinting off your scales...  I always thought you and Coriss should have had little hatchlings together.

the guild leader was Tuvan, eventually when things just got too uber for our own initial principles, Tuvan turned the guild leadership over to me.

Tuvan Truearrow! I actually got to meet him at the San Francisco EQ Fan Faire. Betti Bighearted recruited me way back when at the West Freeport gate--I miss her too. And Thorokin--the FIRST female halfling warrior that inspired Mixxi. Uwei the Firecaller is in Saga, too, so you'll see another familiar person here.

Welcome, welcome. Just when I thought SWTOR couldn't get any better...

[Vilidius]

Until recently I've been thinking of Saga-TOR in terms of putting the old band back together - with a lot of strong new blood of course. More and more it's starting to feel like we're building a superband here...

Now all we need is a social cause to rally around, and our vocalists can trade off on the power solos.

[Sigil]

Welcome aboard.