Interview: Auldring #14

Firewire: We are meeting in-game as goblin and human in a peaceful way today. Would that be something that would be possible for Auldring IC?

Auldring: It would certainly be possible, though improbable. His clashes with the Horde prior to the truce would make any meeting with them tense.

Firewire: I'm not totally up to date to the WoW lore. Could you tell us a little about Auldring's clashes with the Horde? Maybe some highlights, and also tell me a little bit more about this "truce" you mentioned. Is the truce official lore, or server/realm lore?

Auldring: Well, I hope I don't put my foot in my mouth here, but as a man of Arathor, Auldring has seen his fair share of fighting with the Forsaken in particular, so whilst he might have grudging respect for the noble tauren warrior, or the strong orc fighter, the Forsaken, and by extent, the whole Horde, have his contempt and hostility. In a grinding war of attrition that has been going on for many years, there aren't really any "highlights" so to speak.

And as for the truce, I believe since the Siege of Orgrimmar there has been a truce between the Alliance and the Horde that is official? Whether this will remain the case I don't know, and how seriously others on the server take it is up to them, but personally, I see it as an absolute barricade between any hostile actions against the Horde.

Firewire: Is peace between the factions a thing that Auldring would welcome?

Auldring: Well, that would certainly depend on some pretty extreme circumstances. A far greater threat to the safety of his family and household would have to arise for him to put aside his differences with the Horde.

Firewire: What are Auldring's goals in life. What does he want to achieve?

Auldring: Quite simply, he wants to be safe and secure, to prosper and to leave behind a good future for his children. Everlasting glory and renown would be the cherry on the cake ...

Firewire: So if there are children, is there also a wife in his life?

Auldring: There is indeed, Auldring is happily married.

Firewire: To a NPC, or a real player?

Auldring: A real player.

Firewire: How long have you been playing WoW, and how did you get into role-playing?

Auldring: I've played WoW for seven years. *Has a small panic attack over the amount of money spent then moves on* I've role-played for four of those years and truly, role-play is the only reason I continue to pay my subscription. Sure PvP can be fun, and occasionally I'll drop into LFR, but the role-playing community here on Argent Dawn is great. Lots of special people here.

Firewire: Why did you start role-playing? And who or what helped you to start with it?

Auldring: I remember idly flicking through the role-play forums one day and seeing a thread by the Three Hammers. Reading that got me super psyched to role-play with them, so I made an alt, joined their guild, and promptly forgot about that alt. I believe it got to level seven. A few weeks later I made a second character, leveled him up and joined the Blades for Hire on Defias Brotherhood. Amazing community, excellent officers, and I wish everyone I met there luck wherever they may be. They taught me most of the lessons you need to learn early on. My second guild after them was the Stormwind Regiment, also on Defias Brotherhood. I totally speak without any bias at all here when I say that they were the best guard role-playing guild ever.

Firewire: What made you switch to AD?

Auldring: I switched over with a couple of friends after a role-playing story line came to a close on Defias Brotherhood. Together we planned to make a new guild over here, The House of Strathmore. We did that, one of my friends leading that guild with myself as an officer at first, but eventually I ended up leading the guild when the first GM took a break from the game.

Firewire: If you break it down, what's the story of your guild?

Auldring: Well, this is a new guild. Its story is pretty simple. A human household community trying to get away from Arathor due to the losses sustained there. Seeking a new life with prosperity and peace.

Firewire: Why is it hard to get away from Arathor?

Auldring: Well, we're trying to think realistically. Financially, abandoning our homes is a big risk, yet the threat of the Witherbark trolls, the Syndicate, the ogres, and the looming Forsaken just over the border all make it worth that risk.

Firewire: Could you tell us about your favorite RP event, or your favorite story line you played in WoW?

Auldring: My favorite event was an impromptu one that happened down in Surwich. After an off-hand remark about a gnomish security team installing some gadgets in a house, we turned it into a night's worth of tripwires, booby traps, lions in pits and a shark-infested cellar. It was very silly, but very fun. Maybe you had to be there.

Firewire: Are there any RP events you look forward to?

Auldring: Hm ... good question. To be honest I'm a little out of the loop. I would love to be involved in any kind of RP events in the future to be honest, but there are none in particular I look forward to.

Firewire: Playing WoW I very often run into guys playing girls (including myself). What do you think is a reason why people play opposite gender characters?

Auldring: I haven't done so myself, but there are many reasons. One thing I see and love on Argent Dawn are the powerful female characters. Warriors, politicians, healers, mages, you name it, they are here. I think that is a big part of it, trying to portray powerful archetypes. As well as that this is a universe where we can portray whatever we want to. That must be a large reason why people explore other genders in role-play?

Firewire: People that don't play WoW or videogames talk about the terms Real Life and Game. How do you think about that? Would you say playing WoW had something to do with your real life or not at all?

Auldring: I think on some level, role-play has an element of escapism for everyone. Whether you're just bored and want a fantasy world, or for some other reason, we all come here to lose ourselves in this universe for a while, you know?

Firewire: If you could change the game to improve the RP experience, what would you change?

Auldring: Inter-faction communications would be a must. I'd love that. Other than that ... I don't know, more customisable options for armor. That's my final answer!

Firewire: Three short ones at the end: Favorite place to be, favorite tavern, favorite NPC.

Auldring: Favorite place to be, too many. This game has lots of special memories for me location wise. I like the Pig and Whistle in Stormwind, you can sit there and just listen to role-play, its pretty great. I guess that answers the first two questions :P

And favorite NPC ... it's got to be Gamon. Say what you like about him, he has dedication.

Firewire: Is there a person (or more) that you would like to see me interview next? And do you have a question you'd like to see answered by that person?

Auldring: Testaros, if you haven't caught him yet. Funny guy, good guild, and he's amazing in bed. Disclaimer: I haven't had relations of any kind with Testaros.

Firewire: Anything else you'd like to share or to add? Any shout outs?

Auldring: Shout out to my guild, I suppose, for being the best on AD (not biased). To Callistia, for being the best co-GM and partner anyone could ask for. That's about it.

Firewire: Thank you so much for your time and this interview. It was a pleasure to talk to you.