DRAGONMOUNT

[Editor's Note: Ireond, our Humor Blogger, is filling in the role of Rotating Features Blogger because he wanted to share a more in depth look at A Game of Stones with the Dragonmount community.  He's been playing for awhile and has a better insight to the attractions of the game.  Fnorrll will return next week with "The Wheel Turns."]   A Game of Stones is a browser based multiplayer role playing game set in The Wheel of Time universe.  Currently in its eleventh version, players can choose a nationality and class and then go explore, fight, and earn money to their hearts content, or at least until the Last Battle.   The basic overview of the game: Character creation consists of choosing a nationality for your character, and then picking a basic class.  As you gain levels, you open the opportunity to build estates in wilderness areas, gain profession points which can be used to buy businesses in town and gain other bonus, and eventually gain the option to add more classes to your character.  Classes offer a skill tree with various bonus stats, and every level, you are given skill points to customize your character.   Players are ranked by experience, alignment, and Ji. Experience is a pretty standard affair, you attack non-player characters (NPCs) or players, and gain experience accordingly.  Alignment is how your actions have defined you in terms of leaning more towards the Shadow or the Light.  Ji is an interesting factor, and affects a fair amount of game play.  Each action you do brings you honor.  As you rise in honor, your standing in the game rises as well, but the true benefit is when you're a member of a clan, as your gain in honor carries over to them, allowing them to take control of the local towns.  Towns have shops where you can purchase gear and temporary bonus items, as well as restock your stamina; the clans can invest in upgrades, allowing you to gain bonuses from towns that your clan controls.  Lose the town though, and you lose those bonuses. Combat is limited by each character only gaining two combat points an hour, but you are allowed to bank up to a hundred, allowing you to walk away from the game for long periods, if you desire, and not falling behind.  However, movement is determined by stamina, which can be replenished by resting or using an inn at a city, allowing you to move freely completing non-combat quests if you wish. You can play with your stats, change equipment around, and hang out on the clan or world chat boards while waiting for combat points. The early game consists of securing towns for clans and leveling up your character.  You can compete in tournaments, build a commercial empire, or just run around completing quests.  Eventually the seven seals to the Dark One's prison will appear, and then they start breaking.  This is the point the current game is at now, but that means the fun is just beginning. You see, the Last Battle is coming.  Hordes of NPCs will be descending and doing their hardest to make sure the towns are wiped off the map.  Then players will be divided by alignment and fight for all creation. Then, the Age ends.  The next version comes out, where a new Age will unfold, and a new battle for creation will begin. Which side will you fight for? Swing by A Game of Stones and take a look.   I spoke with Tim Jensen, current programmer and administrator for "A Game of Stones."   Q: When did the game first start, and when did you take over?   A: I'm not sure on exactly when the game first started. I first started playing in the Summer of 2003, which I believe was towards the beginning. After a releasing couple different versions of the game, the original Creator, Craig Harrison, decided he wanted to move on and posted the source code online in May of 2007. I took the code, made a few modifications I thought would be nice and launched my first version in September 2007.   Q: What is the one aspect about the game you feel brings in the most players?   A: Honestly I'd have to give credit to the Wheel of Time for that one. I'd estimate about 90% of the vocal users of the site are fans of the books that checked the game out due to their love of the series. Though even if you haven't read the books, the game is still accessible. It's really a pretty standard RPG game with a Wheel of Time skin on it, though I've tried to get as many details right as I can while keeping the game balanced.   Q: What do you feel attracts first time players?   A: Beyond the idea of playing a Wheel of Time game, I'd say that it's the fact that it's an online game that can suck up as much or a little of your time as you want and you can still be fairly competitive. That's something I've tried to strive for with how the game is set up. Some people complain about the limited turns players are allotted, but to make up for it each person can have 3-6 characters. Keeping up with that many characters and fully taking advantage of all the game has to offer with each of them can suck up a lot of time if you let it.   Q: What do you feel keeps players coming back for each new version?   A: This one I have to give to the GoS community. They've kept the atmosphere of the game friendly but competitive. It's always interesting to see how things play out each version. Alliances shift from Age to Age and the new players and clans that pop up add a wrinkle into existing dynamics. Another thing I've tried to do is be responsive to what the players want for the game (within reason). Most of the changes that I have made have been at the suggestion of the players. With each version has come something new and I hope it the thought of seeing what's next keeps players coming back.   Q: If you had a tip for players that are new to the game, what would it be?   A: Don't be afraid to ask questions. I openly admit that my weakest point is documenting how things work, so the game can be a bit overwhelming for new players. Luckily, the existing player base is quite friendly to new players and quick to answer questions. I suggest joining an existing clan your first time through rather than creating your own. That way you can learn the ropes from the more veteran players and hopefully make a few friends in the community along the way.   Q: What made you decide to institute the last battle?   A: Two reasons. One, I originally planned to launch V10 in February of this year, so that would have been within 1 month after AMoL released so that seemed fitting. More importantly was the need that each "Age" of the game needed a firm ending. In previous versions, people would play for a month or so, then gradually let their characters fade into neglect. By adding the Last Battle, there's a point that everything is working towards so people know what's coming and how much longer things will keep going. Hopefully it will keep players engaged to the end.   Q: What do you see in the future for this game?   A: I honestly don't know. I hope the game continues to thrive. This last version has been the most successful yet since I've taken over, so hopefully the trend continues. I still have plenty of ideas on where the game can improve. So as long as people keep playing and I have time to work on it (thanks to my wife for putting up with me!), I'll keep releasing new versions.

Welcome back to another edition of "WoT If?", Dragonmount's weekly theory blog.  For this week, I want to look at the Aiel and how they might be repurposed after the Last Battle.  And as always:   SPOILER WARNING.  This will include content from A Memory of Light.  Please DO NOT read this if you have not completed the book.   When Rand holds the meeting at Merrilor, the Aiel were intended to be left out from the demands.  Since they followed him from the beginning, he wanted to show them he trusted them not to cause problems after the Last Battle.  Through Aviendha's second trip through the glass-column ter'angreal, we see this decision would have left the Aiel to a terrible fate.   Luckily, after Aviendha demands her boon from Rand—to be included in the Dragon's Peace—Perrin is able to come up with an idea to give the Aiel purpose on this side of the Spine of the World.     But with the repurposing, what else will change for the Aiel?  Where will their "home base" be?  How will they interact with one another?  How will they continue to grow as a People?   For the question about their home, I bet the Clans will distribute "home turfs" amongst themselves.  With eleven Clans, and fourteen nations (or seventeen, if you count the city-states and the now-blooming Malkier), it shouldn't be too hard to divide up the land.  However, they could also decide to be travelers, like the Tinkers, never in the same place twice.  This choice would let them be a little more free from the influences of the nations.  Perhaps they could even band back together with the Tinkers.  While the battle is raging, Raen, a Seeker of the Tuatha'an, begins to wonder about condemning violence.     With this knowledge, the Tinkers and the Aiel could rejoin, become one people again, but with two different branches.  If that happened, the Aiel who gave into the bleakness could come back to the Clans, and join the Tinker section, devoting their life to the Way of the Leaf to meet their toh.   As for how they would treat each other, their constant feuds with one another would need to end.  As the Clan Chiefs have spent so much time with each other since The Shadow Rising, I don't see this being as big a problem as they think.  In fact, Rhuarc actually says he will put blood feuds aside: "I have buried blood feuds for you, Rand al’Thor. I would not take them up again. I have friends now that I would rather not kill" (A Memory of Light, Chapter 6, "A Knack").   I don't think the Chiefs will disappear.  The Aiel need a structured hierarchy to follow.  But Societies might change, or morph, to encompass more attributes.  Maybe Clans become less important, and members can travel more as members of Societies—like they did in Rhuidean.  Maidens can be sent, regardless of Clan, to chase down bandits from Andor.  The Stone Dogs can patrol the Borderlands; the Seia Doon can protect the border with Seanchan.  They would be less likely to attack members of other Clans if they separated like this.   Maybe, they would eventually have Society Chiefs, instead of Clan Chiefs.  And the Maidens could have the first female Chief.   What about growing?  I see plenty of ways this will happen.  First off, is the new visions brought by the glass-column ter'angreal.  It isn't clear if the vision is different the first time, or not.  If it requires a second time, I think the Wise Ones—perhaps even the Clan Chiefs—will insist candidates go through a second time.  This testing is very important to them as a People.   With their firm belief in ji'e'toh, the Aiel need something to keep them humble, to keep them working, to keep them focused.  We saw when Aviendha went through the ter'angreal the first time that it was not a challenge for her.  It was nothing new, so it was not a test.  The Wise Ones and the Chiefs need to be the strongest of the strong.  If anyone who went through could survive—as everyone now knows their ancient past—the Chiefs are nothing special.  They need to wheedle out those who would crack under the pressure.  The second trip nearly shattered Aviendha, which shows it was an adequate test of her character.   Another thing they need to do is conquer the wetlands.  Not in the way of kings and dictators, but in the lands.  Any Aiel above the age of five can survive on their own in the Waste.  How many would be able to survive in the wetlands?  It's a different climate, a different terrain, different flora and fauna, different animal life.  Aviendha thinks about this as she arrives at Merrilor:     The Wetlands are a different challenge.  It's something else for the Aiel to work towards, to master.   I would love to have a story thirty or forty years from the current time, just to see how the Aiel have grown.  They have such an interesting culture, and it would be awesome to see them thrive in a new situation, instead of being beaten and surrendering to their life in the Three-Fold Land.   That's all for today.  Next week, we'll look at the walking dead and possible reasons they were returning.  Thanks for reading!

Hello! It looks like July is almost at an end, and it’s time for another Weekly Roundup!   We’re approaching the final round of the Wheel of Time Cage Match! You may, of course, continue discussion of last week's fights, but don’t forget to vote in the final match! And, while you are at it, who would win between Bela and Hopper or Bella and Jacob?   In the White Tower and Warders Social Group, the Blue Ajah is hosting Harry Potter Week! Join the Tower in Quidditch trivia, and keep a look out for more Harry Potter themed threads!   Of course, if the White Tower's Quidditch game is full, you can always join Quidditch in Shayol Ghul!   Do you hate your alarm clock? Do you wake up on your own? Or do you have fuzzy assistants to wake you up in the morning? The Wolfkin are talking about the best way to wake up.   Well, that’s it for July! A friendly reminder as August starts, don’t forget to sign in to your Social Groups! 

Round 4 has concluded, and again, the results are a bit surprising:   Tam defeated Galad Asmodean defeated Narishma   That moves us onto the Final Round:   Asmodean vs Tam   We also have a special consolation match, just for fun:   Bela & Hopper vs Bella & Jacob   Go vote for your favorite character and help decide who will win the title of Cage Match Champion!   Round 5 voting ends at 9pm EST, August 3, 2013.

TarValon.Net has selected a recipient to be awarded the 2013 Robert Jordan Memorial Scholarship.      Rachel is also the Senior Director of Operations at JordanCon.  Congratulations on such a wonderful achievement!

Hello, friends! The Wheel has turned all the way around to Thursday which means two things: it's nearly the weekend, and it's time for our Rotating Features blog!   This week I want to talk about a hobby of mine, and that is board games. Now I need to stress a few things here--firstly, by board games I don't mean Monopoly. There is a growing trend of geeky board games in various fantasy, science fiction, and other settings, and they are awesome. If you aren't yet a fan of gaming, watch this video.   Personally I'm really getting into the board game scene and have picked up a few of them. And one that I am really enjoying is Arkham Horror. It's not Arkham as in Batman, by the way, but a city or town in the world of renowned writer H. P. Lovecraft. You may have heard of one of his more famous works, "The Call of Cthulu." His writing is a blend of dark, Gothic science fiction/horror.   The game Arkham Horror is very immersive, as you control investigators in the city of Arkham. Portals to other worlds keep opening and various hideous monsters pop out and roam the city streets. You, the investigators, must arm yourselves, collect clues, close the gates, kill the monsters, and try to prevent the Ancient One--which could even be Cthulu himself--from awakening! It's really great fun, challenging, and almost like a role playing game. I thoroughly recommend it, although it may be a little off putting if you aren't used to playing these kinds of board games.   If that is the case, I really do recommend you to find your nearest genuine gaming shop and see what is out there. Settlers of Catan is an excellent, easy to play game, even better with the Cities and Knights expansion. There is also a very good Game of Thrones board game where you each play as one of the Houses of Westeros. There is literally so much to choose from. I haven't yet seen a Wheel of Time board game but there may well be one!   If you're at all like me and are a little bit geeky--which is in fashion these days, by the way!--you really want to get into tabletop gaming. And if you are, then try out Arkham Horror--I've fallen in love with it.   Have fun!   Until next time, friends!

Spoilers?     Rand:  I gave up a hand, got a wound in my side, and am slowly going mad from another man's memories in my head...   Mat:  Oh yeah? Well...  I gave up an eye, got hanged from a tree, and am also going slightly mad, but from SEVERAL men's memories in my head and some dice rattling inside of it...   Perrin:  I... uh...  gave up an axe, once ripped a few buttons off one of Faile's dresses by accident and... um... yeah.  I yield on this one... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------   Random thoughts from the Tainted One:   Honestly, when I think of the Snakes and Foxes, I really can't help but occasionally think of them as the Wheel's Waldorf and Statler:       "Why do we even watch the weaving of the Pattern?"     "Have you seen what else is on?"     "There's something else on?"     "My point exactly! Hohohohohoho!"   This of course, brings to mind the thought that maybe, a hilarious sketch for The Wheel of Time series could be done a la the Muppets.  Kermit as Rand, Gonzo as Mat, and Fozzie as Perrin:        Fozzie:  Hey Rand! I know how you can remove the taint...  You just gotta change the channel! Wakka wakka!

The First Age—a play-by-post role playing website—has just launched.  The site allows users to create characters that live in the First Age, the Age before the Age of Legends, in an alternate history taking place in our own world in 2045.The website's creator, who goes by the name Ascendancy, has this to say:      The site if full of information relevant to the current Age's politics and problems, including the monsters that inhabit the world from the Age before, everything from chupakabras to zombie-like rougarou.  There's even details about all the Ages between the Third Age—when The Wheel of Time series actually takes place—and our own First Age.  The fictional set up is incredibly specific and creates a rich environment for possible role playing.  There's even a warning that players may receive detailed instructions from the administrators to help shape the overall plot of the story, and provide plot twists.  Anyone is able to join The First Age and add their own character and tale to the Pattern as it unfolds.

Well, it is Monday, and you know what that means? It is Weekly Roundup time!   The Wheel of Time Cage Match is now entering the fourth week. You may continue to discuss the Week Three matches, but do not forget to vote in Week 4:   Asmodean vs Narishma Galad vs Tam   The classic Super Nintendo game Earthbound is now available on the Wii-U Virtual Console. Discuss the game, and the virtues of emulators, in the Movies and Games Discussion forum.    In other news, two of Dragonmount's members got married on July 13: Barmacral and Raena! To those who do not know the happy couple, Barm is one of our Admins, and Raena is the Keeper of the Chronicles of the White Tower and Warders Social Group. Congratulations, guys!   In the Role Playing community, some members of the Band of the Red Hand are meeting up with Tinkers. Will the Tinkers convince the Band members to follow the Way of the Leaf? Read and find out!     Well, that is about it for this week's edition of Weekly Roundup. See you next week!

We had an exciting week!  The Asmodean vs Alivia battle was neck and neck up to the very end.  Are you surprised who won?   Asmodean defeated Alivia Tam defeated Sulin Narishma defeated Siuan Galad defeated Faile   We are moving onto the semi-finals!  Here's the line up:   Asmodean vs Narishma Galad vs Tam   Help decide who will move onto the finals!  And if you've got more to say about Asmodean or Alivia (or the others), talk about in the Week 3 Continued Discussion thread.