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Vanguard: Saga of Heroes is a game that is being built around a community instead
of hoping that one will eventually populate it. This groundbreaking approach
to game development has been a catalyst for the growth of the community that
has flocked around it since the announcement of the project. So who are your
neighbors? What types of people and fan sites make up this virtual neighborhood?
Vanguard @ TTH plans to take you on a tour over the upcoming months as we highlight
a new site or community member each month. October’s stop is on a street
filled with activity!

  

RP Union is a site made for everything role-playing related. I picked them for
the first stop on the tour because of the large community they are gathering
on their forum. Role-play is active and on going. They have already begun to
schedule events where you can lose yourself in the world of Telon, if only on
the role-play forums. It’s a great way to pass the time as we all wait
for that day when we will set eyes on the actual Telon!

I asked Micajah several questions so that we could learn more about what RP
Union is all about. I hope you enjoy the answers as much as I did.

 

Question: What is the RP Union?

Answer: The RP Union is a collection of individuals dedicated to establishing
a role-playing community that caters to role-players both inside and outside
of MMORPG worlds.

Question: How was it created and what games is it currently in?

Answer: The RP Union was developed to be a central hub for role-players
interested in Vanguard. Originally conceived and organized by Lothlann, the
RP Union became what it is today through a series of events that included: a
trip to E3, a post by Brad McQuaid talking about a set of RP forums to post
on, purchasing server space along with a new domain name, and coding a new set
of message boards. As there hadn’t (and still hasn’t) been any official
forum dedicated to [role-playing], our first goal was to establish a comprehensive
set of message boards that will allow [role-player’s] to begin to develop
their characters that they will play in Vanguard.

While another RP Union was established for EQ2, we currently do not have any
sort of affiliation with them. Presently we are devoted to only one game: Vanguard:
Saga of Heroes.

Question: How does someone join RP Union?

Answer: To be an “official” member of the RP Union, you simply
need to register on our message boards. But anyone who promotes [role-playing]
within Vanguard is a member of the Union, whether they are registered on the
forums or not.

 

Question: Do you have to be good at role-playing to join?

Answer: No. Everyone has different abilities in writing, acting, and
thinking of through the minds of their characters, and all we ask is that individuals
TRY to role-play. We don’t expect everyone to be an amazing role-player
right from the beginning. With any new skill, it takes practice and participation
to become better.

Question: Are inexperienced role-players welcome?

Answer: Yes! Everyone is welcome at the RP Union forums and within
the town of Coldstream. Our theory is, if everyone is role-playing, people will
“do as the Romans do” and role-play with them. There will probably
be problems, but people will always get a chance to participate in the Union.

Question: What will you be doing in game?

Answer: Role-playing!

The RP Union plans to have a huge presence within the gaming world, especially
on the “Role-playing” server(s). Currently, we have plans to establish
an in-game version of our message board “town” called Coldstream.
Through Coldstream, we will be hosting our own in-game events that will include
marriages, festivals, dueling competitions, and quests. We hope to have a strong
relationship with the server GM’s and work hand-in-hand with the [role-playing]
community to provide a thoroughly beneficial experience for everyone involved.

Coldstream will also serve as a meeting place for role-players, both old and
new, and provide guilds with a place to call “home” if they do not
have an established city of their own. Providing a safe and pleasant atmosphere,
as well as a terrific place to advance crafting and diplomatic skills is the
goal for the completed Coldstream.

Even if Coldstream doesn’t rise up on the face of Telon, we still will
continue to host in-game events and will do our best to foster a mature and
friendly community inside the gaming world.

Question: Will you have out of game events as well?

Answer: Of course! Currently, we just finished our first official out-of-game
event, which took place on our message boards throughout August and into September.
Participants engaged in dueling contests, barroom antics, exploration and creation
of the town of Coldstream, and helped defend the town from a horde of trolls
and a crazed druidess.

At the moment, we’re taking a break from our scheduled events so everyone
can explore the various [role-playing] avenues available to them. One of our
members, Zerorocky, is beginning what looks to be a fabulous adventure set in
New Targoner. The writing in the posts has been fantastic, and everyone is having
a tremendous time.

To organize events, we are beginning to set-up an Events Calendar on one of
our forums, so members and non-members can look and see when the next official
event is coming up, and decide if they should participate.

In the future, if our member count rises and there is enough interest, we may
even have a RP Union In-Person Event. I may not come in chain mail, but I might
just purchase a big axe and a bottle of mead to carry around with me all day.

Question: What are your plans pre-launch?

Answer: Be as active as possible and continue to support role-playing
on the official forums and at the RP Union. We are bouncing around the idea
of creating a “main site” as well, but our first priority is to the
forums and the members.

Question: What is your favorite class and why?

Answer: My favorite class is the Berserker, or a Warrior-type class.
Often when I play MMORPG’s, I like to feel as close to my character as
possible, and I’ve never seen myself as a book-reading mage or a religion-bound
cleric, so I choose the melee fighter with the biggest axe and who packs the
most punch. They’re also extremely fun to role-play, especially if you
enjoy a good trip to the tavern, or acting out a character with rampant emotional/anger
issues.

Question: What class do you think you will play in Vanguard: Saga of
Heroes?

Answer: Berserker, as stated above. Although, I may try out the Druid
class just because a damage-dealing druid would be an extremely sinister villain.
*grins*

Final thought: I’d just like to thank Ten Ton Hammer for providing us
with an arena to speak about our passions. If you haven’t taken a look
at the RP Union, have a look, drop in, and let us know what you think about
[role-playing].

Finally, to all the employees of Sigil: Thank you for providing role-players
with a glimmer of hope. From everything I’ve seen and heard, Vanguard role-players
will be cared for and supported. You’ve given us a reason to band together,
and I hope, together, we can help restore the RPG in MMORPG.

Next stop on our tour of the Vanguard Community will be Vanguard Silky Venom.
Join us in October to learn more about them!



To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our Vanguard: Saga of Heroes Game Page.

Last Updated: Mar 29, 2016

About The Author

Karen is H.D.i.C. (Head Druid in Charge) at EQHammer. She likes chocolate chip pancakes, warm hugs, gaming so late that it's early, and rooting things and covering them with bees. Don't read her Ten Ton Hammer column every Tuesday. Or the EQHammer one every Thursday, either.

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