E-Samurai Interview: Willow
[04/30/2002] [The Interviewer] What would you say is Amtgard's single greatest purpose?
To have fun. To meet new people and enjoy ourselves in what we do. You are a Flame knight. What are your thoughts on that belt? It is a belt that, in my eyes, deserve a lot of respect. It takes a lot of work to get to this point. This isn't easy to do and you have to be devoted and want to do what you do. Any white belt should be given for good reasons and should be held with respect. There will always be that one sour apple that gives the white belt a bad name. This is probably a belt that requires the most thought on how to get there. Every time you need to go one step further. With the other belts, you can see the next step. With service you have to think about what the next step will be and will it be enough. In my eyes no-one should work only for a belt. The selfish attitude looks really bad. Everyone will have that moment in time but it should fade in time as a person matures. It is often said that there are too many knights. If you had complete control over the game, how would you fix this? If there are too many knights and there are people in the game who don't deserve it, I would bring them up for review to see if they fit into the idea of an ideal knight. While no-one's views are the same, I do believe that people can agree upon how a knight should act and what they should do after they get their belt, as well as how to get to that belt. For those that don't meet the ideal and are found to be bad knights, I would bring it to a vote within the peers to see if he/she should be stripped. Do you think there are too many knights in Amtgard? I think some bad decisions were made when making knights. Some people didn't deserve them... but if they deserve them, then I welcome them to my level. I think too many people strive for it, when that is not the reason a person should get it. Zulu spears. Good, bad? No opinion. What's your single fondest Amtgard memory? Meeting people at events. Anyone in particular? No. What's your worst Amtgard injury? Twisted knee and pulling the muscle in the front of my thigh... yes, I did this all at once. How? Um, let's see... the muscle was already strained and then, during the two-man tournament, my foot was stepped on as I twisted, pivoting on my foot. Do you remember who stepped on your foot? Sanchez. What is the greatest misunderstanding people have of Goldenvale? That we are just an illusion.... How so? Up until about 2 years ago it was always "Goldenvale who? Where's that?" People spend a lot of time talking about what makes a good knight, but there's other belts out there. What makes a good squire? Someone who is willing to learn as well as teach. Be there to stand by and defend their knight, even when they know that perhaps they were in the wrong- at least make it more positive than negative. A person who has patience. A person who is willing to be out there and not just sit on the side always watching, or never coming and still expecting to get something Who do you most admire in Amtgard and why? Amren. He has great advice and knows quite a bit about this game. He has strong opinions with facts to back them up. But most of all, it's his advice and being a mentor. He has listened to me when I need to talk and get advice. He has helped me when I don't understand or know what I'm doing. If you could visit three (and only three) kingdoms, which three would you pick? Why? Wow. Hmm. The Burning Lands -- to see what the 'founders' are like and how they play, what they expect. Neverwinter, cause they are the other kingdom on the east coast. Umm, and... Dragonspine, just cause. Do you have anything you'd like to say to the readers of e-Samurai? Come to GE4! :)
[ Willow is the Prime Minister of Goldenvale and the original creator of the list of Amtgard knights. That list can be found at http://www.amtgard-wl.com/ikknightslist/default.htm. Willow is also the autocrat of Great Eastern 4, which has a website at http://greateastern4.tripod.com/. ]
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