Rilla sits at a small table, across from him - a grim reaper like skeleton. Obviously, the two have a nice rapport, as they are just chatting in general when the camera starts to roll.
Rilla: Today I interview Skallagrim, a good friend of mine, and a seasoned Arena fighter. Hello, Skallagrim, for those out there that don't know you. Tell us a little bit about you, and your Arena career.
Skallagrim: Howdy Rilla...we're friends? LOL. Sorry had to do it. As for me, I have always been an avid role-player, but I always felt like the stories were incomplete. Something was missing in the conflicts of the characters. Because of this I stopped for a while, maybe a year or so, disillusioned with role-playing in general when I stumbled upon a site that had an active arena. I lurked there for a while, asked questions of the "vets" and finally worked up the courage to ask one of the "vets" to be my sifu, or mentor to teach me T1 text dueling.
Rilla: Yes, we're friends. Best friends, you skeletal twat. Alright, so tell us where that took you. Any Arena accolades to speak about?
Skallagrim: Well after a few fights I scored my first win and joined what's known as the Grand Tournament, a collection of some of the best "old school" fighters that has tread the various role-playing sites and arenas since the first part of this century. My record as a GT fighter at 4-3 has me placed as the 23 best among 295 registered fighters.I have been in one official GT tournament the 2008 one, I advanced to the quarter-finals but had to drop out due to a car accident which took me away from the fight and role-playing in general for a year.
Rilla: Well, I bet they missed you. Ranked 23rd out of almost 300 registered fighters? That is quite impressive. I'm ranked 170, following two unscored fights and one lose against the #30 ranked fighter, TwilightShade. So, you make your way to RoleplayerGuild and our small, humble community of fighters. What did you think?
Skallagrim: Honestly. I came here because of our discussions. I have always been a teacher, I like to pass on my knowledge of text dueling to others. I browsed the old site a while, lurking and watching the fighters. I found that there were some very good fighters, and a handful of decent fighters with potential and the rest had no idea of fighting in the sense that I know it. That lack of knowledge of a working system, one that is still used fairly regularly, led to a slew of rapid posted one or two line fights that held no excitement for the reader and led often to discussions(read arguments) and ultimately the fights just died.
Rilla: Indeed it was one of our conversations after we met on Gateway. I was probably really good, so you had to stand up and watch me, /egostroke. Now, to the meat of the matter, the Nexus of Worlds Multiverse. As some understand it, OldGuild had several incarnations of a multiverse, you were around for some. What did you think of them, and what do you think caused them to fail?
Skallagrim: Yes I was enthralled by your skillz...LOL. The Nexus of Worlds Multiverse is a throwback to the old school arena mutiverses that I grew up in, so to speak. I had been here for several of the iterations, the one helmed by you was a good attempt but it lacked the PvP (player vs. player) aspect that an arena MV should have. It was not your fault because I fully backed that attempt and wanted it to succeed. It was the mentality of the players and that is the same issue the other two attempts had. The arena is a part of the role-playing community, but the collaboration among the players is to tell the story of their characters through conflict. Not meaningless, random combat but combat that advances the characters individual stories, combat that generates rivalries and allies who shape the ongoing and growing mythology of the character within the backdrop of the meta-story of the MV. The MV providing locations for the combatants to face off
in, locations where the presence of the characters help generate the canon of the MV.
Rilla: Where do you see this attempt, one that you are heading up yourself going, in the next 2, 3, 4 months?
Skallagrim: Ah. That is a tough question. As with all role-plays the initial honey-moon phases is where everyone is giddy and excited, but their desire to continue wanes. I cannot tell you how it will go. I am trying to lay the foundation so that the players themselves realize that their characters are important players in the MV. That their characters, their choices will drive their own stories forward. Stories where they have the opportunities to develop deep and complex characters through conflict. Perhaps some will join the meta-story and drive that forward, perhaps they will choose to ally themselves and face off capturing locations and holding them for either good or nefarious means.
The best I can hope for is that with the players currently involved, the system used, and the ability for anyone who is a decent writer and willing to work within the framework of very basic rules can jump in and have a blast. Engaging in combat that allows them the freedom to explore the darker side of their characters in a setting pitting them against the greatest foe in role-playing, another player.
Rilla: Are there any extra tips, advice or words of wisdom you may have for the newer RPers/GM that you'd care to give when it comes to the Arena/Multiverse/Characters?
Skallagrim: Hmm. The best advice I can give when it comes to roleplaying in general is to ask questions about the roleplay. In the arena asking questions saves a lot of headaches. If you know the parameters of the fight, the tier or power level of the characters in the fight and agree on a set of rules for hits and damage, things will go much smoother and the overall experience will be better. Especially for someone new to the arena.
Rilla: What has been your best fight both off-site(Off RPG) and on-site(on RPG)
Skallagrim: My best fight off-site has been against Circ and Lmaentations. I lost to Circ in the GT and through a bs call lost to Lamentations in a high tier throw down. My next best fight off site is against the same person I would consider my best fight on site, some jabroni named Rilla.
My first fight against him off-site I won because he walked into a trap, my next fight on site against him we fought to a draw because neither one of us could actually gain an advantage. Although my next best fight on site was against Melonhead, whom I might add is one of the most argumentative Englishmen I have ever met. He was rough when I faced him, always arguing points, still learning the ropes but over time he has become one of the best fighters here.
Rilla: Who do you see as having the most potential in the Arena currently?
Skallagrim: Honestly the one I see having the most potential is Melonhead. He has come along way. His writing has become more fluid and with a good opponent he can elevate the action quite well.
Rilla: Do you see the Arena as a viable section for any roleplaying site to have?
Skallagrim: Arenas are going the way of the dinosaur. Unless the writers who enjoy the PvP nature of arena role-playing learn to incorporate more storytelling it will eventually be gone. Long gone are the days of fighters traveling to other sites to fight, building stories through their combat.
My Nexus World Multiverse setting in the arena is trying to recapture that type of combat role-play. Several settings, a meta-story and the freedom to make almost any character they can dream up.
The players thus far are still learning what they can do. Hopefully once they get a handle on how multiversal combat goes they will start crafting their own stories; inviting others to become allies or enemies and growing their characters in a dynamic, ever changing setting.
Ultimately the success or failure of any arena is finding dedicated role-players who enjoy both collaboration and competition. If a good, vibrant arena community catches on they can be as viable, as elegant and as enjoyable to read as any other section.
Rilla: There you have it folks, a great interview from my Arena Mentor, Skallagrim. Thanks for being here, Skallagrim. And good luck to you. I hope everything goes well.
Skallagrim: It's been a honor. But still... friends? HAHAHAHAH. We're going to have to actually finish a fight sometime, you know that right?
Rilla: I hate you sometimes. And I'm going to kill you.
The show fades out as Rilla and Skallagrim shake hands and go back to chatting.
