Being Covian - An OOC Marketing Campaign

[Gregor Eason]

Being Covian - An OOC Marketing Campaign
Hi guys. So I’ve been chatting with the other Command doods and I thought this might be a nice approach to open our community up to some folks who may have never tried roleplaying or even playing UO before. With Endless Journey we could see a whole new batch of roleplayers join the community so I thought revealing the roleplayers behind our characters would be cool.

Below is a background of mahself! It would be great to hear about how you guys found yourselves living in Cove in this thread, and to share these stories with the rest of the online world.

Whilst this campaign will begin here on our OOC Board, I have intentions of pushing a few bios out on social media – so if you would prefer not to have your bio promoted please make this clear. However, I will check in with you if your bio is selected before publicising it.

I look forward to hearing your stories. Please feel free to use the questions I used, or if you’d prefer to take a different approach then by all means go for it
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What’s your name and where are you from?
Surya Bajracharya. I’m originally from London but now live in Norfolk with my wife. My crazy name is Nepalese in origin but I am also half-Irish.

Which character(s) do you roleplay in Cove?
I roleplay Gregor Eason, a former officer of Cove. I also have his grandson Serj Eason, a recent recruit to the Covian Army, as well as a few other small-time characters.

Where did your character name originate from?
Gregor just came out of nowhere but Eason was the surname of a soldier I was trained by at the British Army’s training base in Pirbright. Corporal Eason. One hell of a soldier. He was one of those inspirational 'Band of Brothers' types. Very skilled and tough, but also laid back and happy to help out recruits when they were struggling. In one instance, we were tabbing (marching hard with full equipment). A recruit from another platoon was struggling and he gave him words of encouragement, real fighting talk, to get up a hill. After the recruit dusted the hill he turned to me and said.. “You can push. You can pull. Or you can motivate.” And then he just wandered off. I was a TA soldier so the training was only brief but it was packed with gems of wisdom from this guy.

When and why did you start playing UO?
I started playing in 1999 after reading an article in PC Gamer (or was it PC Zone..). I was 14 and my Mum didn’t want me to play the game initially so I emailed the writer of the PC Gamer article asking him to convince her. The guy sent me an email back that I could pass to my Mum. I don’t have the email now, nor can I remember exactly what was written – but I do remember how he said he’d made wonderful friends in the game and it was definitely an adventure worth going on.

When and why did you join BoC?
I joined BoC in November 2004, just a few months after training with Corporal Eason. I don’t even remember how I was playing UO at that time. I think life had slowed down a little and I wanted a creative outlet. I had previously been an active roleplayer in the Crossroads of Yew community from 2000 until 2003 but between 2003 and 2004 I was heavily invested in my A Levels. And so I rocked up to find Cove occupied by an Orc horde (part of an EM-led storyline – EM, Event Management, Event Moderator?) and Baron Octiovus in need of soldiers.

What’s your fondest BoC memory?
There are so many to choose from. But I must admit I’ve always been a small story kind of guy, so it would have to be when I crafted a short murder plot in Cove. I wanted it to be as freeform as possible so I produced a dead body in Cove and roleplayed some suspects during an hour when other characters would be wandering within the town. However, the guardsmen took no notice. Apparently they were too geared up for war and didn’t consider a town murder to be important..! The only people interested were two Citizen characters, Jemmy the Rat (a teenager who occasionally dabbled in low-level crime) and Dellamona (a peaceful cook). I ended up playing out the story-line for these 2 roleplayers, bringing in clues and other characters. They managed to solve the case in the end. The murderer was found and they alerted the guardsmen, who had previously been aloof to the plot. The suspect resisted arrest violently and ended up being killed by the guardsmen, but justice was done. The 2 roleplayers absolutely loved this story that was interactive and crafted for them, much in the way a DM would design a D&D game – although this DM was faceless and unknown. I ended up logging on with Gregor Eason, who was at the time a high ranking officer in the Covian Army, and held a small ceremony to recognise the efforts of Jemmy and Dellamona when the rest of Cove ignored this incident. It was during this ceremony that Jemmy emoted something I will never forget..
*beams with pride*
It was at that point I realised we were all building something incredible together.

What was the most interesting roleplaying experience you engaged in?
Since returning, I have recently been roleplaying my character Gregor as suffering from the early onset of dementia. I KNOW. It’s deep and incredibly emotional territory, so I need to make sure I am sensitive to those who have friends and family that suffer from dementia. For the other roleplayers, it is something quite unusual to engage with. Whilst BoC and roleplaying in general is a lot about escapism, it is also a platform for experimenting with ideas and emotions. Just like any good drama it does put a mirror up and makes us think – wow, what would I do in this situation? And I guess, through roleplaying, you get to test those scenarios out sorta vicariously through your characters.

Why would you recommend roleplaying to someone, and on Ultima Online?
I would say have a quick read of our Roleplaying section and then dive in. You don’t need to join the guild straight away to roleplay – and with Endless Journey UO now has a sustainable free-to-play model. There are also other wonderful guilds on Europa (and other shards too!), like the Guardsmen Militia and the Vesper community. OR if you’d prefer just to have a little chat with some of the other players visit our Discord channel (we typically only text chat on here).

Roleplaying is a wonderful way to completely change how you game. UO’s mechanics are ancient but with a layer of intrigue created by wonderful characters and fresh story it transforms into an experience that is timeless. Furthermore, having played lots of other MMOs, there is something about UO that just makes it right for roleplaying. Maybe it’s the slightly angled top-down view you have as a player – it’s like a storybook that you can interact with and watch unfold. Despite efforts in other MMO worlds (although I’m sure there is plenty of roleplay out there), none have ever captured me like roleplaying in UO. And perhaps none ever will.

Surya/Eason

[Raiden Morana]

What’s your name and where are you from?
I'm Dave, I'm from Halifax in West Yorkshire, where I live with my wife and daughter, who some of you might remember being born... She's 11 in December!

Which character(s) do you roleplay in Cove?
My main roleplay character is Raiden Morana, former Grenadier Captain and Commander of the Covian Army. I have some peripheral alts but Raiden is the guy I love roleplaying the most.

When and why did you start playing UO?
I think I started playing UO in maybe 2003-4. My father in law actually put me onto it and I probably spent the first 12-18 months pretty much wandering around randomly, not really knowing what I was doing.

When and why did you join BoC?
I joined BoC in August 2005. A Covian patrol, including Sergeant Arc and Corporal Veldrin, rezzed me in Covetous, spent a few minutes RPing with me and one of them handed me a recruitment book. I went directly to the BoC website and forums and I was sold. Without really knowing it, BoC was exactly what I had been looking for since I had first started playing UO but I had no idea how to find it.

What’s your fondest BoC memory?
Like Gregor, there are so many to chose from for me. Doing a drunken conga through Trinsic for my Watchman's trial. Gaining entry into the Grenadiers, leading them and just making so many great friends both In Character and Our Of Character but I think the fondest moments was being promoted to Commander (And also being entrusted with the welfare of the guild as GM for 2 years) at the Freedom Festival that celebrates Cove's liberation from the orc hordes and following in the footsteps of two heroes of Raiden's, Gregor Eason and Erik Arkay.

Another fond memory and one that takes me back to how I joined BoC happened as we were all running to the Minoc moongate (before Cove had one) and I noticed a blue (non guilded/warred) player in the woods I was running through, they had just been rezzed by a wandering healer. I stopped, healed them up to full strength, roleplayed for a few moments, gave them a recruitment book, bid them a farewell and then met up with all the other guardsmen at the moongate.

A day or two later, that blue (Eve/Axiana) would enlist in BoC as I had and would go on to have a distinguished career as a guardsman, and also with a civilian character too. When Eve relayed that story to me, I was like, wow. And it really made me realise that how you roleplay your character and the decisions they make, really do shape them and bring them to life.


What was the most interesting roleplaying experience you engaged in?
Again there's so many to choose from but I would have to go for the Moot in Britain. All the RP guilds gathered under a ceasefire in Britain for the week and RP'd various events, both political and cultural. We were at war with the Guardsmen Militia of Yew at the time. At one of the cultural events, a huge baths I believe, I was sat with Hoagie, enjoying a pint and a pie and Raiden was shot by a Yewish archer. Now I had a decision to make in that split second, I could have armed up and gone after the archer PvP... But I decided to RP it out. I roleplayed dropping my pie and sagging to my knees, eyeing the arrow shaft that was embedded in my shoulder.

Of course Hoagie offered to pull it out before I slapped his hands away and the pretty Yewish Waywatcher that loosed the arrow came over all apologetic and tended to the wound and thus set of a storyline of intrigue and romance between two warring nations who pretty much hated eachother In Character. It was a huge risk taken by Raiden considering all he had to lose (In Character actions lead to In Character consequences) but it really did make for a fantastic storyline and it all stemmed from some random roleplay between two characters that had never interacted before.

Why would you recommend roleplaying to someone, and on Ultima Online?
For me, I think it's a fantastic way to meet new friends and build communities. To live out all your favourite novels and stuff on a computer screen and with EJ making UO free to play, there's really no excuse for not diving in and giving it a try!

---

What is your name and your profession?
Raiden Morana, Senior Guardsman. Former Grenadier Captain and Commander of the Covian Army.

How long have you lived in Cove?
Most of my years apart from a few winters spent as a gutter snipe in the capital and more recently as Cove's Exploring Officer in far off lands and Covian colonies.

What is your proudest achievement as a Covian?
Passing my Grenadier selection and joining Cove's elite unit, The Baron's Own Grenadiers and later commanding that unit and the Covian Army as a whole, when I was promoted to Commander.

What do you see as Cove’s greatest threat?
Complacency. Untrained guardsmen and our mortal enemy... Pandas!

What are your plans for the future?
To make sure the men are well trained and equipped to stay alive. To protect the Baronship and uphold The Covian Way.

[Gregor Eason]

Thanks for sharing, Raiden! (Although now I sound like I'm chairing an AA meeting). Great memories there - particularly the interaction with Eve/Axiana, showing the importance of putting ourselves out there and the consequences our actions can have. Plus the Moot sounded awesome! Indeed, it would have been very easy to just arm-up and go into PvP mode with that archer. The RP approach absolutely created an incredible story there.

[Leanne Martin]

What’s your name and where are you from?
I'm Sarah from Switzerland, turned 31 and live with my fiance together. She and I know each other since 3 years.

Which character(s) do you roleplay in Cove?
I used to play a long time with Ilyana Drachen, a mage recruit that made it to Commander, until I gave her a RP death. Nowadays, I mostly play with Leanne Melior, a scout as officer, and Ilyrana Qinlee, an elfen made recruit that follows Northern Avatarism.

Where did your character name originate from?
Ilyana was my favourite character in Fire Emblem 9 and 10 (Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn). She got her surname from the man she married IC, who was Lucas Drachen, a naughty fellow causing mischief all the time. Leanne was the name of the babygirl that was born around the time I created that character. I found it a pretty name and went with it. Melior is, again, a name originated from Fire Emblem. However, it was a name from a town, not a character.
As for Ilyrana... I was looking for some random generated fantasy names. At first, the generator gave me yet another Ilyana. I tried a few more until Ilyrana showed up. The similarity to my first BoC character was all that sold me.

When and why did you start playing UO?
Was around... 1997? My big sister bought Ultima 9 for the PC, and with it included was the UO install CD. However, we didn't start UO until about a year later. It was my first experience with interacting other people online. Everything looked so amazing. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing, found my self interacting with NPCs way more than I want to admit. But the freedom of what you can do is what kept me.

When and why did you join BoC?
I joined Cove in December 2009. I freshly subscribed again after a long break to UO and noticed a lot of recruitment banners around Haven. I gave it a try and read a leaflet and thought to myself, why not give it a try. I was warmly welcome by the Whalebiter sisters and Bersi. A day later, I returned to Cove and Raiden Morana enlisted me. I always loved roleplay. I became fond of it a few years prior on a Final Fantasy board where we used to write interactive FanFictions.

What’s your fondest BoC memory?
I really can't decide. There have been way too many. Most of them have to do with my former mentor Bersi. He taught me everything I needed to know about playing as a mage and always took me on interesting missions. Or a treasure hunt with Gregor Eason, where we landed on an island. He stripped completely naked to negotiate with the tribes. He told me to guard the ship. Three minutes later he came back running, still naked, chased by tribe people.
However, as I write this... I remember when I became Commander. Torrak Keres, the character being Commander before me, came up to me and told me to watch his siblings, Abigail and Leith Keres. He didn't want them to do anything stupid and I should keep them safe. It may sound like nothing, but this trust I received IC was extremely touching.

What was the most interesting roleplaying experience you engaged in?
At one point, I played as Ilyana to be pregnant. However, as the character who played the father stopped playing UO and Cove got suddenly attacked by Yew, I got knocked out. At this moment, I thought of having her a miscarriage. Not a long time before this happened, my sister had a miscarriage herself, and it was a very sensitive topic to me, and I'm sure also to other players.
Other players of course didn't know of my experiences with it and sometimes, guilds we were at war with, made nasty comments about it. This all happened In Character of course, but it still got through me sometimes OOC.

Why would you recommend roleplaying to someone, and on Ultima Online?
UO, especially Europa, has a wonderful RP community. Vesper Trading Company, the Guardsman Militia, Vesper Redguards, of course the Baronship of Cove, Duchy of Trinsic... They are fun, they know the game (I met RPers on Drachenfels who never achieved Grandmaster in any skill)... After so many years, I still remember so many wonderful moments. They made me log in almost daily and always managed to cheer me up whenever I was down. Sadly, some members passed away forever. But they have never been forgotten. This love to that breaks the digital world, is what keeps me subscribing to UO all the time again.
Last but not least, now that UO has a F2P model, it doesn't hurt to take a look at that crazy yet lovely bunch.

And why UO? Well, because it gives you absolute freedom of character creation. Maybe it has not fancy graphics, but in no other MMORPG you are able to fight a dragon (and die tryin') at the very moment you set your foot in game. Skills are completely free to choose. If you don't want to fight enemies and just craft things, you can. The game doesn't force you to follow a storyline. You create your own story.

[Gregor Eason]

Or a treasure hunt with Gregor Eason, where we landed on an island. He stripped completely naked to negotiate with the tribes. He told me to guard the ship. Three minutes later he came back running, still naked, chased by tribe people.

Must've been during my drinking days 

At one point, I played as Ilyana to be pregnant. However, as the character who played the father stopped playing UO and Cove got suddenly attacked by Yew, I got knocked out. At this moment, I thought of having her a miscarriage. Not a long time before this happened, my sister had a miscarriage herself, and it was a very sensitive topic to me, and I'm sure also to other players.

Sorry to hear about what your sister had to go through. I think sometimes roleplay is a good way to deal with troubling issues. It's like when I'm acting on stage and I get a difficult scene - you get the opportunity to purge the emotion.

After so many years, I still remember so many wonderful moments. They made me log in almost daily and always managed to cheer me up whenever I was down. Sadly, some members passed away forever. But they have never been forgotten. This love to that breaks the digital world, is what keeps me subscribing to UO all the time again.

To absent friends.

Thanks for sharing, Leanne!

[Gregor Eason]

Just as an additional note, I came across that article that got me into UO!
I have Mr. Adrian Selby from this March 1999 PC Zone article to thank for my vices haha!

http://www.pixsoriginadventures.co.uk/obsessed-with-ultima-online-pc-zone/

[Kelly Sanderson]

*Jumps on the bandwagon*

What’s your name and where are you from?
I'm Rachael. I'm from West Yorkshire (like Dave!) but I now live in Preston, Lancashire. I'm 26. I live with my boyfriend along with a syrian hamster called Navi and an african pygmy hedgehog called Amy.

Which character(s) do you roleplay in Cove?
I roleplay Kelly Sanderson, a Covian Corporal of the main block. I also roleplay Dalla Darkheart, our friendly neighbourhood craftswoman.

Where did your character name originate from?
My character name originated from my 7-year-old mind. It's all a rather sad and embarassing story, if I'm honest. Me and my oldest friend decided to make twins called 'Kelly' and 'Karen' Sanderson. That's the long and short of it. Karen was a trouble-causer and Kelly was the more reserved twin. We roleplayed within the Shirefolk of Yew for quite some time.

When and why did you start playing UO?
My older brother used to play UO in his attic bedroom back in 1997. I used to sit and watch him play. He played Marth in KT and I found it all rather fascinating. I remember seeing the City of Trinsic with all the gold and I fell in love with it all. I started getting myself an hour a night on his PC where he showed me the basics of how to play. I made my first character, Jamela - A mage. It is from there that I ventured out of Trinsic and discovered the Crossroads of Yew.

When and why did you join BoC?
I am unsure of when I first joined BoC. I think it was before the forum was properly made. So before November/December 2004. I have always been quite close friends with Octiovus' player, and he had been asking me for some weeks to come and join in with a project/concept he had started up called the 'Baronship of Cove'. CoY was slowly dying at this point and poor Kelly was still in a somewhat desolated Shirefolk of Yew. I had a bowcrafter called Ski Reller that was unguilded at the time and I wanted to make a story for her. I came to Cove.

What’s your fondest BoC memory?
I have many, many memories of BoC that I hold dear to me, but the one that always makes me laugh is Date Night with Vince Valentine. Vince Valentine was a treasured grenadier who never failed to make people laugh. Once I finally brought Kelly to Cove, Vince and Kelly soon had a fondness for each other. They went on a few dates, but one stands out above others. They went to the Trinsic Rose Tavern for dinner. The entire date was a complete disaster in every way you can think of. Being rude to the waiter, making accidental and awkward insults towards eachother and Vince accidentally flinging food everywhere (at people) and spitting at Kelly across the table. The roleplay was just fantastic. Kelly ended up marrying him.

What was the most interesting roleplaying experience you engaged in?
There have been so many. If we're talking groups, battles are always a great experience. Just the sheer amount of characters and the uniforms all running around fighting for their cause. As for a solo RP experience - When Vince died, I obviously had to roleplay Kelly's response to this. I wound up having her locked up for being crazy - She was running around barefoot in no uniform with no sense of direction... The grief drove her mad. That was an interesting phase.

Why would you recommend roleplaying to someone, and on Ultima Online?
In this day and age, we all know that there are better graphics and newer games available. However, I've played a lot of games in this 20 years and none has ever been as absorbing as Ultima Online (2D Classic Client for life!). You really have a chance to build your character with nothing else to distract you except other characters to help you along the way. Roleplaying has helped me through really rough times in my life where I just wanted to express myself. It also builds your vocabulary, your English skills and your knowledge of medieval times. I've tried to roleplay on various other games such as WoW, but this always draws me back to it somehow.

[Gregor Eason]

Awesome post, Kelly. I didn't realise you were a SoY veteran! That dinner date with Vince sounded hilarious.