E-Samurai Interview: Sponge
[05/18/2006] [The Interviewer] Please state your full name for the record. And where did you come up with Sponge?
Sponge Harkonin. I had the name before Amtgard. About three or four weeks prior to my first day, I had gotten the name. It was pretty much, "Hey, Sponge, what do you want us to call you?" I didn't think of anything right away, so the name was applied and stuck. Any titles in there? No. no titles. You've been playing this game for awhile now, when did you start? January or February, '95. Who had the greatest impact on you in your early Amtgard experience? Hmmmm. Who didn't? The old Green Dragons and Night Hawks. Wings, Dog, Cabal, Taldek, Ryoga, Wolvie, Corbin, Myadeeb, Tool. I wanted to emulate them. Chaos and Styx (EH) really taught me how to fight and how to play Amtgard, though. Which different Kingdoms have you called home? EH, IM, CK for a brief time, and now I guess you can say WL. What brought you to the Iron Mountains? Geography. It was the midpoint between Dallas and Seattle. I was moving to Seattle and timed it so I could hit the Iron Mountains for the weekend. I stayed for the weekend, was convinced to stay for Rakis by Cedric, Otter and Trillyon and didn't go to Seattle like I had intended. I went back to Texas for a while, but what brought me back was Eggman, Zumat, Folcwine, Bishop, MHOG, Thor, Leif, William and Giles. Who are some of your favorite people to fight against in Amtgard? I like the bigger scheme, so I like fighting the Bobs and the Rogues. Watching the group tactics of each unit unfold is the best. I really enjoy trying to come up with a counter attack. Individually, I think I have the most fun fighting Thor, Zumat, Spyn, Target, Rook and Clalibus. Are there too many knights in Amtgard? Yes, I think that there. The way knighthood was described to me is that it is a lifetime achievement award. I think too many people are getting belts too quickly. I've done belt counts before at parks and seen ratios of 1:1 and 1:2 for knights. That is just way too many. What would you say is Amtgard's single greatest purpose? Simply to provide an outlet for entertainment, fun and comraderie. What's your favorite weapon combination? Sword and Bored. I like just fucking around trying new things while I'm bored. (Editor's Note: Maybe he really did mean 'bored'. . .) What's your favorite class to play and why? Monk. No bullshit, no armor and only one method of escape. It takes a lot of skill to be a truly great monk, which I am not. If you could visit only three kingdoms which would you vist? Why? Mystic Seas/VSR - whatever it's called. Too many people I like that I don't spend time with. Rising Winds - I'm curious to see how they play Amtgard. Wetlands - that's Rogue country. What makes an awesome group (kingdom, shire, duchy, etc)? A loyalty to one another and a healthy sense of competition. What do you see in your Amtgard future? I really don't know. Maybe a better standardization of fighting, creating more fun to be had. Have anything you'd like to say to the readers of e-Samurai? Not off the top of my head.
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