Who, what, when , where, why?

[Strylian]

I love seeing a game with an older crowed. I feel a little bit like I am at Alamaze anonymous and it is my turn to stand up and tell about my story and my addiction. Lol

Hey Everyone, my name is Nick. I am 48, married and have a 23 year old daughter. I am a Merchant Marine and I transport fuel up and down the east coast of the US by tug and barge. I am one of those guys that environmentalists love to hate.

I am originally from Minnesota although I now live on Long Island in New York. Just outside of New York City.

My cousin is Brekk and we have been competing at games since we where one. We both played a couple games of Alamaze back in the late 80’s and really loved the game. But right in the middle of one of our games I got called to go to bootcamp early and Brekk and another friend used my poor Rangers like their personal canon fodder in their quest for victory.

A couple months ago he called me up and said “Dude Alamaze is still around” and I said I’m in. Now here we are. I am not kidding when I said I enjoy the older crowed. We have been gaming all our lives starting with dice, books, and your imagination.

Now it seems like online gaming is all about connection speeds, reflexes, or who can buy the most gold.

I love that this game is a mental game and takes for thought and strategy.

I am a veteran also. I served in the Marine Corps as an artilleryman in Desert Shield/Desert Storm. With good old Storming Norman.

I want to wish everyone a Happy Memorial Day weekend and for me I always like to take a moment to say a prayer on Memorial Day for all those who gave their last devoted measure in defense of the ideal that is America. From our military and law enforcement, to those who died standing for civil rights and protecting the honor of all that is good about our nation. God Bless then all.

[Ashgar75]

I love seeing a game with an older crowed. I feel a little bit like I am at Alamaze anonymous and it is my turn to stand up and tell about my story and my addiction. Lol

Hey Everyone, my name is Nick. I am 48, married and have a 23 year old daughter. I am a Merchant Marine and I transport fuel up and down the east coast of the US by tug and barge. I am one of those guys that environmentalists love to hate.

I am originally from Minnesota although I now live on Long Island in New York. Just outside of New York City.

My cousin is Brekk and we have been competing at games since we where one. We both played a couple games of Alamaze back in the late 80’s and really loved the game. But right in the middle of one of our games I got called to go to bootcamp early and Brekk and another friend used my poor Rangers like their personal canon fodder in their quest for victory.

A couple months ago he called me up and said “Dude Alamaze is still around” and I said I’m in. Now here we are. I am not kidding when I said I enjoy the older crowed. We have been gaming all our lives starting with dice, books, and your imagination.

Now it seems like online gaming is all about connection speeds, reflexes, or who can buy the most gold.

I love that this game is a mental game and takes for thought and strategy.  

I am a veteran also. I served in the Marine Corps as an artilleryman in Desert Shield/Desert Storm. With good old Storming Norman.

I want to wish everyone a Happy Memorial Day weekend and for me I always like to take a moment to say a prayer on Memorial Day for all those who gave their last devoted measure in defense of the ideal that is America. From our military and law enforcement, to those who died standing for civil rights and protecting the honor of all that is good about our nation. God Bless then all.

Very well said.  Thank you for your service as well, and thank you for never forgetting the sacrifice of so many.

[RELLGAR]

God bless our fallen defenders of the USA.

[DuPont]

The Bahamas doesn't really have any armed forces to speak of, but my Dad joined the Canadian army to fight in WWII. He could have joined the UK army, but the Limeys treated people who came from the colonies as being somewhat inferior (despite the fact that his father was from the UK). He was at Monte Casino among other battles.

[Strylian]

The Bahamas doesn't really have any armed forces to speak of, but my Dad joined the Canadian army to fight in WWII. He could have joined the UK army, but the Limeys treated people who came from the colonies as being somewhat inferior (despite the fact that his father was from the UK). He was at Monte Casino among other battles.

Your Father went out of his way to do the world a great service.

That Limey attitude is why we gave them the boot back in 1776.  

I often think about the courage of the men in the Revolution. These guys where committing high treason. There was no going back. If they lost they would all be executed. They believed in something though and they where willing to risk everything to get it. It is truely inspiring.

[Ry Vor]

Wow, great thread guys. 

This Memorial Day, let's take it as more than a day off work.  Remember.

So, I was an Air Force brat.  Dad a career officer, WWII Pacific, Korea.   Conceived in Japan (made in Japan), born in Hawaii, then Dad was in the Pentagon during the Cuban Missile Crisis, then off to the front of the Cold War in Germany, final tour in San Antonio at Kelly, where all the B52's get serviced or did then.  So when I was 10-12 there were always B52's flying overhead.

Retired in South Florida, so that's where I grew up, just missed the draft (ended right when I was to register), drinking age was 18 right when I turned 18, went to U of F, just when it was gaining a reputation as an actual educational institution rather than the foremost party U.  Go Gators!
 
I wanted to study the mind, but that wasn't really practical, so ended up with the most practical undergraduate major:  Accounting.  Yuck.  But, I got my choice of stations, which was Coopers & Lybrand in Fort Lauderdale.  Then 11 years in healthcare finance, then 8 years in Blockbuster, ending there in 2003 as Treasurer.  Company went to sh... when I left.  Just sayin'.  

In my late 20's, I designed Alamaze.  Just as a personal challenge.  Most know the history afterward for the game.

So thanks for the kind remarks on Alamaze.  I did pretty well in my finance career, but the thing I  most associate myself with, outside of raising my two girls (both D1 Soccer captains) is Alamaze.  Not too many games going 30 years on, right?  

My brother Phil took over Alamaze at the same time I had licensed to RSI, early 1990's, all that was peaceful.  My career was full time and Alamaze needed someone full time.  Phil loved Alamaze and as many of you know, Phil loved to talk, and we talked Alamaze for hours every week.  Especially when I was doing 2nd Cycle,  all those years ago.  I'll just say, there was a lot of thought and care in Alamaze, I'd be dubious that another game got so much attention to detail.

Ah, what caught my eye in this thread is you guys are all pups.  49?  Dread 50 if you wish, but then you'll enter your prime Alamaze years.  

[The Painted Man]

Now that Ry Vor has chimed in I am sufficiently inspired to add my own introduction.

Apparently I'm the young blood here at 41. I'm a tax partner at a Seattle-based accounting firm and run our San Diego tax practice. I'm a native San Diegan, born and raised and with no intent to ever leave, no matter how much my wife may like Austin, TX. I grew up gaming, anywhere from the old King's Quest and Bard's Tale games to Ultima, Ultima Online, and sort of got tired of the online gaming somewhere around the early StarCraft days.

I first discovered Alamaze in 6th grade, courtesy of my buddy Adam (who some of you may recall as bluefile2) and we played it while it was with RSI for as long as we could make our allowance stretch far enough to keep those agonizingly slow turns coming. Dropped it around the time I got to high school and didn't find it again until the early 2000s when I was interning at my first firm. That was when I truly fell in love with the game, in large part due to Phil and the player that taught me the ropes, Dave Kuykendall. I got the joy of those long talks with Phil and the most commonly sent text between my buddy Adam and I was "Call Phil". Nothing like trying to get him to run turns early. Dropped it again and rediscovered it here. I played the occasional second cycle game and then dropped it again. I came back recently to see that 3rd cycle was not just up (it had been only loosely spoken of when I played), but that it was ending and 4th cycle was now all the rage. I got lucky and got to play in the last 3rd cycle game, so I haven't officially missed a cycle yet, and am now on my second Maelstrom game.

I've gone through my share of online personas over the 30 years or so that I can recall. In no particular order: Kinslayer (after a dragonlance series), Abel, The Deliverer, PokeMaster, Love Biscuit, and now The Painted Man. The current name is based on the Demon Cycle books by Peter V. Brett. Good reading, for the most part. It's no Malazan Book of the Fallen, but what is, really?

I think that's it. Much has changed between 2nd cycle and today; I look forward to making a lot of rookie mistakes.

[Ry Vor]

Outstanding.

Way to go, The Deliverer.

It is a warm feeling that so many loved Phil, and I can tell you, he loved you back.

[Draugr]

Ashgar very interesting and so similar to myself.   My first name I took on in Alamaze was Jumpingfist also an Everquest Monk I use to really enjoy playing,   I also played ultima growing up Ultima 2 being the best in the series.  I played Ultima on-line a lot as well until Everquest basically took over.   I grew up in San Diego and joined the Navy.   After the Navy I came back to California and got a job in Silicon Valley where I met my wife.    Oh I also turn 49 later this year.

Draugr, 

Awesome, by chance do the guilds Birds of Prey, or Shinning Alliance mean anything to you.  I knew of a Jumpingfist on our server, Prexus/something or other.  Jumpingfist was a top notch monk and puller in many raids.  

The rest of Alamaze, I love hearing the history and back ground and thank you to everyone who has served in the military/law enforcement.  I believe everyone serves in their own way, but it is clear that there is support and respect on here for everyone and I love that.  To know that Wookie might be our wisest in the group is awesome.  I would love to see some younger guys join this community as Alamaze is chess on steroids with D&D thrown in.  Hopefully I can help to impact our player base.  I love the game, this community and if I can grow it I will.  

Good hunting to you all.

Birds of Prey sounds familiar.  I may have even been a part of that guild at one time.  My first character was my monk but I had two other level 60 characters.   An enchantress and a dark elf cleric.   The cleric was on a second account.  I can remember pulling for Fear raids and playing my cleric at the same time.   I for sure do not miss all the camping required in Everquest.

[Strylian]

Ashgar very interesting and so similar to myself.   My first name I took on in Alamaze was Jumpingfist also an Everquest Monk I use to really enjoy playing,   I also played ultima growing up Ultima 2 being the best in the series.  I played Ultima on-line a lot as well until Everquest basically took over.   I grew up in San Diego and joined the Navy.   After the Navy I came back to California and got a job in Silicon Valley where I met my wife.    Oh I also turn 49 later this year.

Draugr, 

Awesome, by chance do the guilds Birds of Prey, or Shinning Alliance mean anything to you.  I knew of a Jumpingfist on our server, Prexus/something or other.  Jumpingfist was a top notch monk and puller in many raids.  

The rest of Alamaze, I love hearing the history and back ground and thank you to everyone who has served in the military/law enforcement.  I believe everyone serves in their own way, but it is clear that there is support and respect on here for everyone and I love that.  To know that Wookie might be our wisest in the group is awesome.  I would love to see some younger guys join this community as Alamaze is chess on steroids with D&D thrown in.  Hopefully I can help to impact our player base.  I love the game, this community and if I can grow it I will.  

Good hunting to you all.

Birds of Prey sounds familiar.  I may have even been a part of that guild at one time.  My first character was my monk but I had two other level 60 characters.   An enchantress and a dark elf cleric.   The cleric was on a second account.  I can remember pulling for Fear raids and playing my cleric at the same time.   I for sure do not miss all the camping required in Everquest.

I never played Everquest. I know a lot of people did. I was an Ultima Online, Ashron's Call, Dark Ages of Camelot, and World of Warcraft guy. But I agree with Ashgar you get tired of  all the camping and farming you had to do to accomplish anything. I do misDark Ages of Camalots huge Kingdom vs kingdom battles even if they where brutal on your cpu.