What got YOU into CoA?
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god i don't know how many years it been for me. my first character was Edward Lupin. i had others during that time but Ed was always my constant. I liked how i felt that players actions always had a constant affect in the world. I also liked how things were always IC. Everything was balanced and there was always people on. there were times you couldn't even get into the server because there was so many people on for events. What really got me was the factions. I got into the Wyvernwater militia and i had some fun times. my character was actually saved by one of the militia when Wyvernwater was destroyed. I also liked how epic gear was something that was hard to find. That and the active dms made this place my home to this day
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I'm not very fond of the MMO stereotype of "kill things, take stuff, level up, kill bigger things, take better stuff, rinse, repeat". I was looking for something that could give me the feeling of an old-school pen-and-paper setting like Mystara's Known World. But, in the end, what it really came down to was that CoA was the only HAK-free server (at the time) with a population above 0. Didn't exactly get that found that "classic gaming" feel that I was looking for, but CoA has come pretty close from time to time.
My first character was "Bel Inconnu" (which means 'the fair unknown'), a generic elf ranger with amnesia. After a few days of 'testing the waters', decided that I'd liked the atmosphere well enough, that I wanted a proper back-storied character.
I imported (re-created) one of my pen-and-paper characters from another setting, "King Dirk the Defender". I expanded his back-story to explain how a Norse-like king ended up in penniless in Arabel (a witch forced him through a dimensional Gate). It made sense to me, at the time, because both Mystara and Forgotten Realms have published canon connections to each other.
I then started creating multiple characters and droppping gold in a SUPER SECRET corner of a street so my cleric of LURUE (I had no idea about any gods) could buy a full plate and tower shield by picking up all of this gold they had 'found'…..
I was then magically teleported to a strange place called the DM Chat area
Something similar happened to me. Since I was quitting Bel, no reason to have all his stuff go to waste (it wasn't much really, maybe 500 gp worth of treasure & equipment, at best). I stashed it in a corner of the Temple of Chauntea, logged on with Dirk and picked it all up… Didn't even get to close my inventory window before poofing to DM chat.
A few more days went by, and a DM came up to me, explaining that he loved the back-story, and the way I was playing Dirk... but... in CoA's version of the Realms, rune-gates aren't canon (I don't recall who it was, but this particular DM was familiar with Mystara). After some brain-storming back-and-forth, we decided that he was, instead, a powerful tribal chieftain from north of Damara... Renamed him "Dirk the Outlander", he fell in good with the monsters of Gromfia in the Hullack... and the rest is history.
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I was banned for cheating. It wasn't until after that I realized how much I enjoyed watching all the players talk and banter. When I came back after a few months with a new copy of the game I joined house fezznick and was hooked. We built a soup kitchen!
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Lets see I used to play a very long time ago under a different login name. It was back in V3 I believe. I used to use the login name of Zapht or DLZapht. A friend had dragged me to the server claiming I just had to try it cause it was the best. My favorite Character then was my cleric of Helm City Guard LT. Rynn Ballard. She was mean and bad ass lol think I got her to lvl 7 once highest level I had ever been lol. I remember the DM's Moloch, EntrophyMu, Snakes, Mithrandir, Cake (I think that's what it was.) Had my run ins with Mol and Entrophy a couple times and reminded of the rules but straightened out with Rynn. Had so much fun with the whole IC. Friends made it even more awesome. Friends Like Tink, Xal, Krystia Kross, and so many more whos names flit in and out of my memory. Then rl changed things changed and I disappeared from CoA for a very long time. Popped in a couple times for like a week at a time thoughout the years. Then something just triggered in my memory and I came back thought I would start fresh since Arabel was hardly recognizable to me anymore. Became Valkyrie and here I am playing my main Tarlee testing a couple other builds and working on a concept I hope to someday soon to turn into the DM's for approval. I didn't realize just how much I missed Arabel till I came back and had Tarlee literally chance on some plots and a couple dm events. Sure I am a bit selfish wanting cool loot for my toon or to at least make her look uber but think I will save that for my concept I cant stop thinking about. CoA gives me my sanity from my life of kids. I forgot how the players of CoA really do feel like family Dm's and all. Thank to everyone.