Just saying...

Pretty goddamn excited about this event. Its rare nowadays I get the KR bug being old and busy. But i walked outside today and caught that summer smell and instantly thought about the event. Then got really giddy like i did in those first few years (starting back in 98).
Im gonna get nostalgic...hang on folks

Admittedly some of the magic of KR has gone away over the passed few years. It was always there in the early years with players like Chris Kane, Roger Thrash, Dominic, Jeff "Da Moatbeast" McClean, Mike Urmey, and some others because the Roleplaying made the game, not the skills. Reason being, No one really had skills, we had crappy silver taped boffer weapons, a heart for acting, and a healthy fear of NPCs like James's true warlock.

"Dude..he's got speed cast and perfect aim."
"What the hell does  that mean/"
"He can look at you and kill you."

Everyone heard about Roger falling face first in the mud and REFUSING to stop the game. he just hold his breath until someone moved hi IN GAME.

Dominic telling NPCs not to get up when they died until he made a prayer to Galladell over EVERY BODY cuz thats an "in game thing"

Mike Urmey coming to the or when it was 110 degrees out wrapped in a blanket and shaking from the "cold" because an ice elemental made an igloo around his statehouse.

Kristen Muldowney crying when reading the last thing Klarington ever wrote and getting so choked up I started crying.

The 15 minutes of silence when garrison died and matt sammartine laid in a wet muddy field trying to hold his breath so the town can mourn over him.

The list goes on. 12 Years is a long time for anything. For a fake world to have experiences that you can never forget leaves quite an impact.

I met friends..real friends that I have had since my start and some new ones along the way. My partner and hetero life mate Sean Kimmel, little Sean Mahoney, Brain, Tom Tiz, the Blockus clan, etc etc are all KR people. The new ones like Joe and Mary Beth (the most dynamic duo I have met...better than batman and robin..and better looking), Doug, shannon, angel..I mean damn the list goes on.

ALL this from one smell walking out of my house. And not the one that comes out of Matt Quagz Blanket after not washing it for 14 KR years either.

I watched people grow up, go to college, get jobs, have kids of their own. Had some pretty hard splits with friends from here, but that happens too. Its crazy to think that its been that long and the one constant thing that can take me out of a funk and away from life is this game.

For that, I have to say thanks to all those people who made this passed decade + really life changing.

Just remember kids, its a game. If you get your leg broken, GET THAT BROKEN LEG. If you get insulted, BE INSULTED and for god's sake if you die..make it the most memorable death ever...and plan the most kick ass funeral of course.

People won't remember you for being the level 100 dude that never died, but they will remember the level 1 guy/girl who died face down in the mud and refused to be moved because it killed the mood.

I don't remember what level Roger, Mike, Dom, Chuck Z or any of those cats were. I DO remember one moment that they all had that made me keep coming back to KR so that one day I can wow someone with RP the way they did me. Some people did it with words alone. I still remember the FIRST person to talk to me at a KR event was Chris Kane. I was playing my celt. We got attacked by goblins and he turned and said:

"You ready highlander?"
The tone brought me right into the game.

This all just kinda spilled out. I know it jumps a bit but that's what happens when emotion spills ya heard?

All this from getting a summer smell on my damn porch.

I still have the director's accolade trophy on my mantle. Its right there with teacherof the year/month awards and poetry trophies. Out of all those awards the kr one is the one i LEAST think i deserve cuz I can never live up to the greats. But I try.

I dunno. I guess I'm done.
I'll see you guys on friday. Love ya all, new and old.
Let's make this one pretty f'n memorable.

Ok for Now,
Judge

Just remember that all the stuff you said above, you've done for others.  Remember Heiwa, the 1st level Monk, whose greatest weapon was a cup of hot tea?  Yeah - his biggest memory is frikkin' Presmerga and his Manor.

We all play this game, not for the phat lewtz, not for the kill score, not for the gold count - but because of each other.

Judge you do bring that sense to us newer players, and I can say that without worry that I will be contradicted.

My first game was two years ago in October, and in the first half hour of the game, my in game best friend died from drinking poison, and I talked to Pesmerga.  I still bring up the fact that I talked to him and found out about an hour later who I had talked to, only to start shaking and asking why he had wanted to talk to someone like me.

I fought next to Eathan Archangle the day he died, and we thought we lost him forever.  You may not have known me, but knowing who you were only two hours before that, I still felt the impact of that character even taking one death.  So many others knew him so much better than me, and yet seeing him go down and the impact on the field was enough to bring out real emotion in not only the people that knew him well, but someone like me who only talked to him once before that.

I am glad to see that you had a good time when you were new to the game and indeed the game was new, because you definitely bring that to the game for all of us now.

Thanks Will. I appreciate the sentiments. very much. Thanks for any0one who read this. It was not to have people tell me I'm that guy for them so dont think i was fishing for compliments lol. I do appreciate it though. it was just to rant a bit about..well..the game

it's so true though man! you've impacted the life of my first character so very much (Pracika went witch hunter because Pesmerga was the cause of her husbands death 3 events into KR!) and also, one of my favorite and most exciting NPC shifts was when I got to play one of your exploding children! I was very excited. And getting to interact with you is always a pleasure! There are so many people that make this game awesome Judge, but you are definitely one of them for me!

In Nomene Old-School quod Kimball quod Spiritu Bean.

Amen, Judge

Been a hell of a decade+