30 Days: Favorite Gaming Moment

This is one of a series called “30 Days of Video Games“, an exercise on daily writing.
Follow the link for the full list.

I made reference to this an earlier post, but where that post was about the addiction and trauma in my life, this is going to be the uplifting side of the coin.

It is April, 2000.  For a few months now, I’ve been living back in the Bay Area, rebuilding my life, and spending a lot of time on the PvP forums, chatting with other fans of the comic, enjoying a golden age of sorts of gaming times & humor.  A few of us had started gaming together in random games, and one member in particular and I became friends and took the step to meet each other at the Metreon – then an “urban entertainment center” owned by Sony, now, a shopping mall in downtown San Francisco.

“I have something to tell you,” she said, before we left our computers to go meet in the real world.  “I have a boyfriend.  He asked me to tell you that.”  I don’t know if she remembers that line.

I laughed then, and I still laugh today.  It’s been 14 years since the erstwhile Token Female Gamer1Update 2016: TFG has hung up her writing spurs to focus on Twitch streaming.  You can find her as “The Jungle Queen.” entered my life, but she’s been one of my best friends, and meeting her has led to some of the best moments of my life, both gaming-wise and not.  Meeting TFG led to a conversation about EverQuest, which led to the idea of us starting a guild.  We took to the forums, gathered our friends, and in that April, formed The Fourth Wall.

4W, as we began to refer to ourselves, was more than just a guild.  It grew into a gaming family, a group of people that still manage to keep in touch, though the guild has drifted apart after so many years.  4W had more than its share of drama, but even through the tough times, the bonds of friendship held.  It was truly a joy to explore Norrath with the members of Fourth Wall.

The names are seared in my mind, and will be for all time.  Tolsia & Gaedan, the ill-fated lovers, were the bards that TFG & I played.  Dalakar & Kirilith.  Dedpool, my in-game brother.  Arshraam. Einkaran. Kindira.  Sagus, Hopshaus, Wazabi, Matzah, Vastistas the fallen, Holt, Xaaz, Naanaan, Kharlyn, Chrosite, Tiiomon, Xaffythe, Talonus, Mantrius, Khraelin, Ruann, Vaugerant, Anolis, Detesu, Felessan and Barlypop.  Many would join later; Fuurfuut would become one of the best guild leaders I have ever seen when I stepped down. Xilasrn was a brand new player that we took under our wing during a GM event – he joined the following day and has been one of the best gaming friends I’ve had. Eenae, Xaos, Elissa, Mikal, Satiya, Spicer.  Jete, my dear, dear friend.  Kerussk, who has been a constant in my gaming life.  The air is thick with the memories surrounding those names.

Some of the more specific memories, though…

  • When TFG & I were just wee bard-lings, we met Dalakar on top of “Orc Hill”, a popular place to gain experience for players in Kelethin.  We managed to die many, many times during the course of the night.
  • TFG, myself and a few others stumbled onto a dark elf camp while running to Mistmoore. With TFG’s bard down, our high-level bard friend Isabo ported in with her friends and wow’d us with their uber lootz.
  • Fourth Wall decided that the best way to spend our time one day was to strip out of all of our armor and ‘raid’ Crushbone, a low-level dungeon. The “Naked Crushbone Raid” lives on forever in 4W lore.
  • The Halfling Brawl.  We created a buttload of level 1 halfling warriors, turned in our PvP books and had an epic free-for-all in Misty Thicket.
  • Running into a zone and /yell’ing “HUZZAAAAAAAAAH” and having half the zone yell it right back.
  • The love song of Deddy & Isabella.  While running across Anatolia (this was a major undertaking, ports were not always available back then), Dedpool & Isabella fell in love while Dalakar & I, playing our bards serenaded them in-character.  Their wedding was one of the first big 4W events.  Gaedan punched the priest.
  • Elissa winning the “Pinwheel of Doom” during a GM event that was being “camped” by members of one of the elite guild.  “This is my BOOMSTICK!” became instant 4W lore when said uber player complained on the server forums.

Oh, the memories.  I can never thank 4W enough.