I'm going to see this as a good opportunity to reinstate the ESE; Elf Smash Enterprises, clear victor over the AFC; the Aerie Fanclub. Bloody treehugging filth.
Ah, the ESE vs the AFC... Deconin and his love for Aerie! (not that my obsession with Imoen was any better...) Kensai mages... Dungeons and Flagons... the hundred thousand "I hate Anomen!" threads... I miss those days!
There is a part of me that would like that, but I am better known by this name now. I have since found the user name and password. All my EE games are associated with that account. But unless the two accounts could be somehow merged, I guess it is just best for me to keep using this one now.
My story would probably be too detailed for me to actually remember all of it, but I'll give the basics of what I know.
I joined the forum in mid-February of 2014 (although the forums say it was April 2013) after deciding that to get the best answers on my virgin voyage through the BG trilogy, I needed to be able to post my own questions. Like Nonnahswriter, my google searches had always led me here. I had never played BG before, but being an avid Let's Play watcher, I had enjoyed the series from a few Let's Plays, notably ones by Veriax, Kikoskia, and Squee913. I remember my true first play-through was a half-orc fighter who used the mace of stunning in BG1:EE, but I quickly looked past a BG1:EE character and created a character who would make it through the whole series.
Once I got here on the forums, I mostly stuck to learning more about the game, but slowly I began reading more and more threads and learning more about the different things people that loved the game did with it and within it. I started posting threads about themed team ideas and things like "have you ever played with an opposite gender voice set" but it wasn't even a month before I found it. @Blackraven 's written play-throughs. I believe Nelsey, his halfling bounty hunter was the first one I found, and it instantly inspired me. I thought "Hey, I'm pretty decent at writing and it's tons of fun. I already sort of role-play every character I make, why not go even further and share it with the world!" Thus Roisin was born. A solo female elven archer. I still have yet to finish her play-through, but that was the turning point. Now I can barely make a new character without trying to write down their journeys.
From there on out I began being involved in everything. I made a bug report, I had conversations via activity (including very silly things that Anduin and Crevs were sure to be involved in. ), I read written play-throughs religiously, I made threads based on other ideas and questions that everyone could contribute to, I made a poll series that was popularly received despite being the source of some controversy and accidental forum rule breaking, and I made a he** of a lot of friends. I couldn't even begin to name them all, nor would I, because I know no matter how long I spend at this, I'll always forget one of them. Suffice it to say that apart from a few individuals, I love everyone on these forums. Which is evident from my "Forum Fantasy: A tale of Forumites" thread, which is unfortunately closed at the moment due to inactivity, but will hopefully be reopened and continued in future.
All in all, I've made good friends, had good times, and absolutely love these forums, and I'll continue to show my ugly mug for a long time to come, Lord willing.
@Ravenslight, you might want to report your little accident with account creation to @Dee, just in case. They have pretty strict rules now that everyone is limited to one account. It probabaly doesn't matter if you've left the alternate account and name completely inactive for years, but I think that they ban people now if they catch them deliberately using two account names. That's just some friendly advice from an old fogey who loves you, dear. I'm known to occasionally get paranoid about following rules.
As for my own "forum story", well, I think I'll leave that for another time, since I'm still not sure what to make of this thread. I was one of the first "early adopters" of the EE project and have been participating in the forums for a long time. My profile info says June 2012. It seems longer, somehow. This forum has been my "home" on the internet almost ever since I joined.
I'm known for things both good and bad around here. I guess I would describe my forum personality as "mercurial", since I alternate between taking *everything* seriously and trying to approach topics as a "wise old man" or a philosopher, including in threads that are clearly meant to be jokes, to being occasionally very playful and trying to express my dry and rather cryptic sense of humor. ( @Shandyr will remember my early "Don't Worry, Be Happy!" phase in forum conflicts.)
I posted journalized BG runs since "the good old days" in the Bioware minimal reload thread started by @SapphireIce101, but I haven't been in the mood to do that in quite a while. I think my lost no-reload "Order of the Stick" thread was the last. @Gate70 was one of my inspirations over at Bioware, "back in the day", as well as @CharlestonianTemplar.
I guess @Shandyr was a major influence in getting me here and keeping me here. He and I were allies in the infamous "gay wars" that broke out early in the forum's history. When he banned himself not long after that time, I was worried that I had said something to him that might have influenced that decision. We got into a bit of an argument over the wizard slayer class, which he was defending at the time. I don't even remember all the details. A couple of days after, he banned himself. But he did send me a PM reassuring me that his decision had nothing to do with me or anything I said.
@LadyRhian has also been a very early forum member and a very good friend to me, giving me a lot of support through PM's over the years.
But anyway, I figured out through my interactions with those two and others that we had something kind of special here, in that the regulars were deep people, and were very interested in having and maintaining "a safe place" where people with love of Baldur's Gate in common could come and talk about just about anything without fear of flaming.
I have a lot of friends here now, and I really don't want to try to make a list, because I'll wind up leaving somebody important out. But I am very grateful to all of you who have become my online friends.
Okay, I guess I just told my forum story after all.
I joined the forum because of the game. If in 50 years someone would ask me, "What was the game that impacted you the most?", I would reply the Baldur's Gate saga without hesitation. Not only I played the games over and over, but they actually helped me improve my English, with all the lore and dialogues that are part of them. They opened my mind to a completely new world, the Forgotten Realms, with its story, characters and the books describing them. Last, but not least, they introduced me to the fantastic game that is D&D. I played, mastered, invented for my brother's and my sessions. All of this I owe to BG and its brethren. It just seemed fitting to be part of the forum So, if you're stuck with me, bring it up to Urquhart and his buddies.
From there, it was easy to start discussing about your favorite moments in BG, the character you like the most, who's the most powerful mage... I still hold true to Iolaoum, by the way. I am not very active on the forum, posting every once in a while (except when it came to this http://forum.baldursgate.com/discussion/30058/who-is-the-strongest-mage/p1) but I read and like much of it. I would cause a disservice to many if I mentioned one or even a few users whose works and opinions I appreciate. You guys are all great
Why did you join the forum? When I heard Baldur's Gate was being revamped I was very excited, and being an active member of other forums in the past, I knew I should join the forum when I saw it existed.
What did you do when you first joined? Made bad puns, made it obvious I think TuTu is garbage, gave blunt opinions and made enemies.
What, if any, were the turning points of your forum story? The seemingly overnight occurrence where I went from being the forum turd to being a forum celebrity. Still not entirely sure how that happened.
What is your favorite thing about being a member of the forum? That I'm genuinely appreciated here. It really means a lot. I also like the reactions, it's admittedly fun to rack up meaningless points. It is interesting to see how different posters get different ratios of reactions; I only get a few insightfuls because I don't give too many tips because everyone else beats me to the punch. I get likes because I'm funny from time to time. I get loads of agrees because I state strong opinions. Everyone's ratio is different and it's interesting to investigate, it certainly says a lot about a person's typical posting style.
What other members were important to your forum story? @sandmanCCL was the first guy to deem me as more than a turd, I think. @Brude and I had a lot of fun palling around early on, I wish he spent more time on here. @jackjack likes to stalk me in a flattering way, and occasionally says something really helpful and informative to me. I appreciate him. @BelgarathMTH and I had a rough start and a lot of disagreements but I feel like we both respect each other now and that's a great thing. @bengoshi reveres me for some reason, as do I him, so that's always good. As I'm sure people have noticed, @Kitteh_On_A_Cloud, @mlnevese, @LadyRhian, and @Jalily have always had an uncanny way of bringing out my worst traits. This is not to say that my actions aren't my own fault, however; quite the contrary. @CrevsDaak and I have had a lot of fun together and we're making a mod together. Enough said. I greatly enjoy having @Ravenslight, @Nonnahswriter, and @Mortianna around. It's hard to pinpoint exactly why (I'm an abstract thinker, specifics aren't my strong trait) but I don't think it truly matters! @booinyoureyes is bae. (Yes, I said "bae") We actually have each other added on Facebook.
What was your best experience on the forums? Hard to say just one. If I had to pick, I'd say my friendships with Crevs and boo.
What do you think now, looking back on your forum history? That I really should be more active and involved in the community today.
@BelgarathMTH@Ravenslight no need to worry. When multiple active accounts are detected we contact the person and ask him/her to choose one and then we close all the others unless they are being used to harass people or brake the forum rules then we banish all secondary accounts and send a warning to the main account.
Why did you join the forum? I remember joining because it was the only way to download a hotfix zip file for a bug.. otherwise i would of just continued lurking in the shadows.
What did you do when you first joined? Then i downloaded that file...
What, if any, were the turning points of your forum story? There was a poll by @SmilingSword called which non joinable NPC would you make joinable and why? I liked the idea of Umbar Hilldark alot and decided to share my thoughts on why... I curse @SmilingSword for luring me from the shadows, i return to them with haste.
What is your favorite thing about being a member of the forum? The free cookies.. what? Those are not free?? BUT THE MAN WITH THE FERRETS SAID!!
What other members were important to your forum story? @Ravenslight because she promised that she would spend time with me in the shadows if i joined her in the light with the others sometimes. Well she didn't promise with her words exactly. Her eye's do not lie tho..
What was your best experience on the forums? I read some strange story involving people adding three words per post to create sentences. I got several pages in before realizing that many of you were very insane. I feared i would be too if i continued reading.. it might already be too late
What do you think now, looking back on your forum history? I think i should of just stayed lurking in the shadows, you people are trouble..
I joined the forum in June 2013, which probably makes me one of the few people for whom the forum profile join date is actually accurate! I arrived as a complete noob to Baldur's Gate and D&D, and in fact had no idea there was such a thing as "Enhanced Edition". I popped straight over to the "New Players (NO SPOILERS!)" section and asked a series of questions, initially about the vanilla game I bought off GOG.
I was blown away by the response. All my questions were answered promptly and people were unbelievably friendly, welcoming and helpful, even though I was not even asking about the game that this website is supposed to be supporting! I was/am not a "forum guy", the only previous gaming forum I somewhat participated in was Blizzard's Diablo 3 forum, and that place was plagued by trolls, scammers and other undesirables, so to say I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the community here would be a huge understatement.
Hence as I completed my maiden voyage through the Baldur's Gate saga with the support of the community here, I started to contribute to the forum myself, mostly helping other beginners as I had been helped myself. It took me ages to even notice there was an "Off-Topic" section in the forum, but once I did, I began to participate in even more discussions, and found literally the only place on the internet where I can hold a debate about difficult and complicated political issues without igniting a flame war!
Alas the taint of evil hides in the dark corners of even the brightest places, and after tackling a troll or two (I forget the specifics), I was entrusted with the great responsibility of swinging the Banhammer of Justice as a member of the Fellowship of the Round Table (moderators will understand this).
Unfortunately this thing called "real life" steals days, weeks and occasionally even months, away from my time here, but I always return, for Baldur's Gate is a special game, and this community is even more so.
Be careful, @Blackraven , not to conjure up that which you cannot banish. ^_~
Erm, so... I think I joined in December 2013. In the short history of the internet, that means that I missed out on things "before my time" like Bhaaldog's posts (I find their blanks slightly mystifying and irritating in archive posts, like hearing half of a phone conversation). It would be around the same time BG:EE made its way into my life. I had played many years ago when it first came out, and I recall the game being a turning point personally in the history of my dad and I playing video games together. I was an only child, so I got to monopolize my parents' time a bit, and dad played video games with me. All through growing up, he would be better at them than I was, and sometimes I never finished the game, I would play through 70-80% of it and just watch him beat the final boss. Around the time of Baldur's Gate and Diablo 2, however, the tables turned: suddenly I was crafting better characters than dad was, learning complicated rules and navigating tricky talent trees for the long haul. It was the first time *I* beat the game, and dad didn't. Unfortunately, it also signaled the end of childhood, and of spending that kind of time with dad. He seemed to shy away from video games after that, and retreated back to more comfortable and familiar games like poker or spades, and that sort of closed out a chapter of my life. That's teenage years for you though.
Whew, I better speed up or this will get lengthy and too personal. So anyway, I estimate I had probably played 200 hours of BG as a teenager, maybe more (I'm a bad judge of time), had the slightest brush with BG 2 in college because my roommate played it. Money was tight for me, and I chose to spend it on Everquest rather than BG 2 (a poor decision in the longrun... Lord have mercy, Dabrien had over 100 days played). The main takeaway from my roommate Brian was that Stoneskin, Lower Resistance, Breach and Greater Malison (later, Time Stop) were the basic tools required for awesomeness, because at least one mage/sorcerer was required for awesomeness. Oversimplified perhaps, yet it does seem to work...
Anyway, I got caught up in the excitement of BG:EE, had a technical question or two, and it took off from there. I found some loveable kooks who like silliness that are dear to my strange heart (although I appreciate the more staid folk as well), and the community in general eventually made me feel confident enough to embrace an epic project (and I use the word epic literally) in the form of Veraka's Saga. I realized that no one (or very few) here was going to be too harsh even if I made a mistake, lambasted their favorite character or even left some out (the horror!), or if the mere premise of an epic poem about a Baldur's Gate playthrough was too ridiculous for this world.
I haven't left the forum, nor have I dropped the project. Life comes in waves for me: waves of interest, waves of depression, waves of downtime or lack thereof. The forum is still flagged as one of my two homepages, and I check the updates on the Adventure Y thread quite frequently to see when it might have more information or be released. You may notice gaps in Veraka's Saga of months between posts, and I have no doubt more posts - and gaps - will follow (it isn't writer's block; I already know how the general gist of the next stanza will go). If you're a fan, I apologize; if you aren't, null sweat (sorry, been playing Shadowrun Returns recently).
Anyway. Fun jaunts in silly threads, staying up to date about new releases, and in general appreciating the fandom of Baldur's Gate has kept me coming back. Urgh, this post ended up longer than I wanted to.
TL,DR: Rumfish.
(EDIT: Turns out it was December 2012, around the same time a lot of people joined up.)
@Naten said: What other members were important to your forum story? @Ravenslight because she promised that she would spend time with me in the shadows if I joined her in the light with the others sometimes. Well she didn’t promise with her words exactly. Her eye’s do not lie tho..
There is much I would do to bring a soul into the light, good sir. But as my mother once told me, too much time in the shadows with a gentleman has proven the downfall of many a good maiden. Come now, won’t you stay a while in the light with us?
There is much I would do to bring a soul into the light, good sir. But as my mother once told me, too much time in the shadows with a gentleman has proven the downfall of many a good maiden. Come now, won’t you stay a while in the light with us?
Perhaps a good maiden might enjoy a downfall or two. Your charms seem to be having some effect it would seem. I find myself wondering what it is about this light that makes you so passionate.
Hmmm let's see. I was having a casual chat to someone about old games and I was extolling the virtues of Baldur's Gate when they oh so casually dropped "oh, you did know they're releasing an updated version didn't you?". Jaw duly recovered from floor, I hit the browsers as soon as i could and stumbled across this lovely forum back in...late 2012...actually I'm thinking late august/ early september as it was just after my birthday...yep, so my profile says. I lurked for a little, then registered and lurked some more.
I think I asked a question or two, and quickly got hooked on reading @LadyRhian's D'Med roleplay adventures in Saltmarsh with her intrepid band of forumites. I contributed to a few topics here and there with no regularity spouting my love of wild mages, and my spruiking of an all-australian cast for any movie adaptation with the necessary casting of Russell Crowe as a Crocodile Dundee-ish Minsc - "That's not a hamster. THIS is a hamster!"
If there was any kind of turning point, I guess it was when i started posting in the fan creations section, and received some amazing feedback from the likes of @bengoshi and @lolien and had some wonderful conversations about creativity and writing processes with the ever-lovely and exceedingly talented @Blackraven, @Ravenslight, @Nonnahswriter and @deltago .
My favourite thing about the forum? Hmmm, it could be the respect just about everyone shows each other here. More likely, it's the amazing amount of talent on display, whether it be the aforementioned writers (plus @typo_tilly , @Lemernis, @Nimran, @kaguana, @Sniiiimon , @OlvynChuru and @Luridel, and countless more), artists, coders, translators, plus all those abilities people have in their personal and professional lives that they bring to play and share here. However, my very favourite quality about this forum is simply the inspired lunacy that flourishes here day after day. The "Neco is bored" thread is still probably my favourite of all time.
Then as now, I tend to have short, mostly friendly exchanges with people here. I think the first few I interacted with included the likes of @Permidion_Stark, @Dragonspear and @reedmilfam. From there, I've enjoyed short but memorable for me conversations with @Debaser (I still want to know what happened with your Blackadderesque blackguard!); @Wiggles and @HaHaCharade (congrats on your marriages!), @CaloNord (good luck on your impending one!), and have greatly enjoyed my interactions with @booinyoureyes , @Nimran and @wubble, all fine upstanding hamsters, ferrets and englishmen.
Off topic areas tend to remain my natural habitat where I can pop in with some ridiculous comment here and there. I post mainly for my own amusement, particularly when continuing my never ending playthroughs, and where I can like to continue to greet and welcome newer arrivals and help out where i can.
Ugh. this has turned into an essay, Apologies. The next post awaits!
Thanks @rufus_hobart ! March 1st will be our 4 month anniversary already (where does time go?). I very much enjoyed reading your forum story and look forward to seeing you out there as time marches on.
- I am living proof that badges work for forum member retention! If it wasn't for that badge we got for preordering BG1, I likely wouldn't have given these boards a second look.
What did you do when you first joined?
- I've been playing these games, like we all have, for many years. I've restarted Baldur's Gate far more times than I could ever hope to actually beat it. Many of my early purusals of the boards were to see if folks noticed the same things I did with gameplay, to see what they were fixing, etc. This changed into a lot of reports on bugs and things like that. I though it was neat finding something and getting it fixed. I'm sure @Jalily read a great deal of those early reports and associated screenshots. While some folks got angry that the game was a bit wonky at first, I kind of felt like I was giving something back to the game I'd gotten so much enjoyment out of. Other then that, I would chat here and there and make the odd post about something that was humorous or fun.
What, if any, were the turning points of your forum story / What was your best experience on the forums?
What is your favorite thing about being a member of the forum?
- Its a place where I can focus and learn more about something fun in my life, in a constructive and entertaining way. Its like if my job was actually fun!
What other members were important to your forum story?
- Well I was here for quite awhile and then I came back and met a lot of newer faces. I've never been a big talker (hard to believe right?) but I remember early good discussions with folks like @Quartz, @elminster, @Kristie83, and some others I just don't see enough of anymore. I've always had a ton of respect for @Jalily and @CamDawg (who is Mr. Icewind Dale). @bengoshi is probably the nicest guy I've ever seen on a forums @Melicamp is my favorite apprentice-turned-chicken of all time.
What do you think now, looking back on your forum history?
- So glad to have happened across this little space on the internet which has proved so impactful to my life in a positive way. My thanks to everyone.
Why did you join the forum? Because i would like to upload one of my drawing as my profile pic.
Otherwise i came here for reading playthroughs/journals. My first comments was made to give thanks for the members, who share their works with us. After reading much more through the one and half year i'm on these boards i still count @baldursgatecomic , @Moczo or @Draith012 as some of the most talented persons on these forum from the first several things i saw. But there are many good story, what i had not read yet, and there are always new faces with exceptional talent (like recently @Grum ).
What did you do when you first joined? See answer 1. Ok i read a lot and slowly imbibed the crazyness what this forum emits.
What, if any, were the turning points of your forum story? Hmmm. Hard to tell. Some turning points was i think: - when i tried to make a serious attempt on doing a portrait for @booinyoureyes and it seemed that people like it - the week, when i tried to get the combo breaker badge and with getting some neat badges i reached the top of the week leaderboard ahead @bengoshi for a short duration:) Of course at the end of the week ben was way ahaed of me. But surprisingly someone with even more might beat him: @CaloNord was also ultra active on that week. We had some good fun and friendly conversation that time. - the first roleplayed and journaled playthrough that i made. It was a huge new and exciting experience, and again, people seemed to like it. - the big attention what my portrait from Alveus got. To know that the devs and the actor like your portrait is awesome.
What is your favorite thing about being a member of the forum? I can interact with people all around the world, who like Baldurs Gate as much as i. I also can have discussion with the game developers themselves! I even have some chance to take part in the work to make this game better!
Your stories are so awesome that I went on and promoted them all! Maybe if there's really something that should be promoted, it's people's feelings and real histories about this forum.
It's so interesting and insightful to read about others' experience of discovering the depth of the forum. Also, every moment somebody else mentions this or that event and you remember how it was, it gives you a smile.
My story's pretty short and simple. I was a fan of BG after playing the original when I was young and one day whilst wasting time surfing youtube i found the teaser for BGEE. Cue freakout. A little digging whilst bored out of my skull during my networking class revealed this forum. I was a bit skeptical for a while considering that I've had a lot of bad experience with other forums and I was a bit reluctant to do anything rather than just wait for news. But as it turned out this place was very friendly and I ended up joining.
Sorry guys, due to a busy schedule I have been working on this for the past few days. Probably the only time I ever used the "save draft" feature on this forum! I apologize for it being so long (possibly my longest post ever) but I had to include everyone, and I'm sure I still missed people (sorry, truly) But here we go
Why did you join the forum? I found out Baldur's Gate was getting re-done by a friend of mine, and saw the forum for the first time when looking up news about it. I made an account that year but then didn't say anything for like 9 months.
What did you do when you first joined? Kinda funny... never intended to really write much on the forum, not having been part of any forum other that the unpersonal imdb. I just had a question about mods that I wanted to ask about. I just looked it up, lol, it was "will Valen and Soulafein mod NPCs be available in BG2?". LiamEsler was all like "nah, bro, but soon". And I was all like "damn".
What, if any, were the turning points of your forum story? I saw the meme thread. I thought it was hilarious. I started noticing that some forum people were funny and starting interacting with them on the meme thread and other things. Mostly just to get laughs, but eventually I got into the actual gaming aspect as well. If it wasn't for the memes though, I doubt I'd even have read any posts about "best spells" or "best NPCs", so that was definitely the turning point. I like a nice laugh.
What is your favorite thing about being a member of the forum? Pleasant people who share my interests. Never really had many friends who played Baldur's Gate in real life (my friends, at least the ones who do play videogames, mostly like Madden, Halo and that kinda crap) so it was nice to share jokes with people who shared my interests.
What other members were important to your forum story?
History first:
Almost everyone. When I started out it was @Foggy making #bhaaler memes that got m into this. Later found others there like homeboy @Quartz and my girl @Nonnahswriter . Then I enjoyed some funny posts @Anduin KidCarnival @Southpaw@Shandyr and @CrevsDaak that made me stay around. Something about a mummy's choice of headgear or some other nonsense that was hilarious. It was cool cuz everyone kinda had their role. We had a mummy gnome necromancer, a lawful good beholder paladin, a illithid monk, a shandyr being shandyr-like, a lord of chaos mage/thief of ambiguous gender and I was the faithful animal companion. We were like a full party of adventurers, and @mlnevese kinda oversaw that thread so I guess you can say he was our dungeon master Later on there was a time when @jackjack , who joined just around the same time as I did, and another poster named @nano spent a LOT of time here. We were like the three amigos, and whenever one of us showed up in a thread it seemed like the other two would follow. Those were probably the most enjoyable times on the forum for me, though unfortunately nano doesn't come round no more. Jackjack is like a boss celebrity bard here now though, and I'm sure you all know him. Around the same time I found out that @Metalloman was into heavy metal (and the good kind!) which was shocking considering his name. We started to hang out and share Iron Maiden tunes along with @laptopman666 . I discussed biology and politics with @Heindrich at some point. I encountered the amazingness that is @typo_tilly as well with her cute animal thread (I fit right in!). Read some things by @Coutelier about Aerie. Also did some roleplaying with @Kalesra 's places.
After that its been a little bit of everybody. Honestly, so many people here, but I'll give a shout-out to people who have really contributed to my enjoyment of the forum
@bengoshi I remember this guy from waaaaayyyy back in the meme thread. He didn't post as much, but his posts were all quality and friendly. We hit it off then but I never suspected that he would become an Archmage of foruming like he is now. A cool dude who makes you stay
@CrevsDaak Was slightly crazy at first, but has now learned to channel his inner lord of chaos into being super constructive. My first pal on the forum and a guy I really like having around. Wouldn't have been as active if it wasn't for him
@jackjack is my bro, and a true bard. He has great taste in, like, everything. He's a dude you'd want to watch a good movie with. Being a bit of a bard-lover myself, we have a lot in common and I feel like we'd be friends in real life outside of the forum.
@Anduin despite being an evil mummy-gnome this guy is hilarious. Probably the cleverest poster here and I give him immense credit for managing to keep playing one character on the forum while still keeping it fresh and amusing.
Another dude I love... lets just say if there was an "About Me" section on the Baldur's Gate Forums mine would read "In a relationship with @Quartz ". We share a lot of views, and the guy is like a brasher version of myself. Totally studly as well. Yaw!
@Nonnahswriter has been among the most pleasant people on this forum for a long time. Funny and nice. I usually dismiss fan-fiction (and by dismiss I mean laugh sneeringly at it) but Nonnahs actually made me see why some might find it appealing as a creative outlet.
@lolien The fact that you made me into a sexy dwarven rogue/fighter alone makes you a legend in my eyes. The fact that you roleplay a mushroom better than Toad ever could just goes above and beyond the call of duty. This guy single-handedly rejuvenated the forum when it was in a bit of a protracted lull, and his crazy posts about raps, stories, poems and his mushroom children have made the forum a better place to hang out in!
@Shandyr is my fellow conspirator. He is the right level of silly for me (which is absurdly silly). He has something I value: great taste. He watches the right shows and the right movies. That is awesome. Plus he always sends me cool hamster pictures. Hail Hydra!
@Metalloman and @mlnevese are both great moderators, who make it seem like fun to ban spambots. Mlnevese is a cool attorney guy who specializes in martian maritime law, while metalloman is a metalhead who worships Thor and stuff. Good moderation has made the forum a better, and the fact that they were joined by @Heinrich@Tresset and @bengoshi has helped contribute to why this forum is so awesome. May spambots scurry in fear of their righteous fury forevermore. Tresset also works hard on bugs, which is under appreciated. I like his pokemon and HoMM3 posts. I've also valued Heindrich's political posts, and regret that he is less active nowadays.
@elminster is a monster when it comes to racking up reactions, and its not hard to see why. He has contributed to the forum in pretty much every way. He's like a Swiss Army Wizard, ready for whatever you need Baldur's Gate-related: mods, bug identification/fixes, memes, funny Jan Jansen stories, cool pictures, strategy guides, walkthroughs, witty one-liners, spell rankings, puns... you name it, he's posted about it. It must be the hat.
@Ravenslight is a more recent poster whose contributions I have greatly enjoyed. She's a super sweetheart and very well-spoken. Her creativity makes me excited to try her mod. One of my favorite posters to talk to, and I make sure to read her posts carefully when I see them.
@Silverstar is a fellow furball, and has been fun to share gifs with. We met when he was rummaging through my trash one day, and have hit it off since. Good guy.
@meagloth began in my eyes for some reason, as Crev's partner in crime. I guess being of a similar age we grouped them together. Its fun to see people that young on the forum, because I honestly can say that I've seen meagloth mature quite abit over the year+ time he's been here. He and Crevs are the future and that is a good thing
@BelgarathMTH is a guy I spoke to a lot in my early days on this forum. Aside from just generally being a kind soul I find his discussions about the various NPCs enjoyable and enlightening. When I give his posts an insightful I really, really mean it!
@Blackraven joined about the same time she did and has been great with his playthroughs. I honestly don't really read many of those kind of posts, but his I occasionally take a peek at because he comes up with cool ideas.
@Elrandir is much the same. You can tell he loves to write and his injection of humor into his stories make them well worth reading. Good stuff!
@Isandir is a hell of an artist and a hell of a guy. The fact that he made a whole entire thread about positive things to balance out the "come share your woes" thread just shows you the kind of man he is. Never seen anyone deal with a troll with such dignity either. Class act.
@wubble is new to me, but apparently was here before my time as well. Regardless, I am very pleased that he has returned, since he is utterly ridiculous in the best way possible. I look forward to acquainting myself with him more.
@rufus_hobart and @Nimran are two more recent additions to the forum. One is a yeti (who is actually in my Icewind Dale party as my ranger's animal companion!) and the other loves ferrets (pfft, peasants). Both are great additions to the forums rich history of roleplaying oddball creatures for amusement, and have added a bit of fresh air to the mix.
@atcDave is a guy who doesn't get nearly enough credit, and the same goes with @the_spyder . These guys know their d&d history and their contributions are always insighftul
Some people I have not seen in a long time but were key contributors to me being here: @nano probably the forumite most likely to make me laugh out loud. Chilling with him/her and @jackjack was a blast! I'm sure Jack misses nano as much as I do @Sjerrie had some great memes and some really smart contributions to casting for the Baldur's Gate movies. Seems to post less these days, but when he does I usually take notice! @Aristillius is a penguin, which by itself is pretty dope. Add in the fact that he is also a stand-up gentleman and you can tell why I value his posts @BaldursCat one of the best contributors to the "cast the baldur's gate movie" or the "who would the npcs be in highschool" threads. Recently returned to the forum for a bit, which is great @KidCarnival was a hilariously creative forumite who was incredibly active even before I joined. His disappearance was a bit disappointing, and you can tell he didn't like the forum as much as he used to for some reason, but it was nice while it lasted.
The sad part: I'm sure I've missed many people who have contributed, which shows you the strength in depth that this community has. For those not mentioned: I'm sorry, don't take it personally. I ain't perfect and this message is already waaaaaaaayyyyy too long. Oversights happen .
What was your best experience on the forums? Sharing laughs and discussing what makes BG and its characters great with all the wonderful people here. I can honestly say that I people like @Quartz@jackjack and @CrevsDaak as well as others have brought me some great memories and are cherished friends.
What do you think now, looking back on your forum history? It was my first time participating on a forum. I have not looked elsewhere since. This means that I found the right place for me to kick when on the internet. You can call it my internet "home" even more than facebook in some ways. Honestly I never considered that people I met online only would be my "friends" but this place changed that. There have been many places on the internet where I have seen some nasty people, but I'd have to say that this is the best and probably the most mature online community I've encountered. And when I say "mature" I mean it in the "peeps are polite and well-meaning" sense rather than the "we are snobby sophisticants who are above playing the part of furry rodents" sense. Because everyone here is utterly absurd, and that may not sound like flattery, but I mean it as a compliment.
Why did I join, well, I'd been playing Baldur's Gate since around 2000, I would have been around 9 or 10 so I was naturally terrible but it was one of the first games I'd ever played so it left a lasting impression. It's always been one of the titles I've ALWAYS come back to, no matter how long I might be away on other adventurers I will always go full circle and end back at BG and Age of Empires II. Both of which thankfully now have a re-release to run on current OS. *Phew*
As with most of you I want a little nuts when I found out it was getting an overhaul and re-release and joined the forum as soon as I found out back in September 2012. I mainly wanted to keep and eye on things and scream inanely at my monitor if they went too far and moved into 'remake' territory.
What did I do when I first joined, literally one thing - I posted a thank you message in the Announcement thread, as did many others. Then I didn't say anything again for nearly 2 years. But I did lurk in the shadows a lot.
The turning point came for me in May, when after having posted about a bug with my inventory icons my fiancée and I had an insomniac night and decided to make a thread to talk to the lovely people of the forum, figuring there had to be others who couldn't sleep/lived in different time zones who we could chat to, figuring we all shared a common interest. Turns out it's been difficult to shut me up since then, so for that I do apologise. Profusely.
My favourite thing. . . hmm. . . there are so many things, mainly being able to interact with such a varied and diverse group of wonderful people in such a positive environment. This forum has everything from school teachers and library staff to ex marines, not to mention the dev team themselves. Just being a part of such a wonderful community built on such a beautiful foundation is great! Really keeping the spirit of BG alive and hopefully brining in a lot of new fans too!
Important people? All of you. You are all an important part of the community!! Though to list a few; @bengoshi, whom I probably consider to be my first friend on this forum, and one of the nicest most friendly people I've ever met! @Metalloman - who has broadened my music collection quite considerably and provided quite a bit of amusement over my time here! @lolien - Fellow Bhaalspawn parent whom I also consider a great friend! The True Nerd badge you crafted currently adorns my WIP mod folder on my desktop! @laptopman666@meagloth@Elrandir@elminster@booinyoureyes@Shandyr@LadyRhian@kiwidoc - Some among many of the people who've made me feel at home on this forum ever since I arrived and the among the reasons I'm still here, even when they write poetry on my wall! Oh and lets not forget everyone's favourite - @Anduin The first to highlight the dangers of discussing politics and keep me on my toes. Great people, all of you! If I listed all the people I want to we'd be here for days. It's already a post that is rambling and far to long.
Best experience? Wedding thread. Without a shadow of a doubt, a way for friends old, new and as yet unmet to see and share in that in a way that lasts longer then a moment. By the way, @TrentOster - Totally invited, there will actually be cake. . .
Looking back on my time here? I regret nothing. I look forward to a happy time with you guys for a long while yet.
I just read over my post... I forgot to mention my man @CaloNord ! The guy who proposed to his girlfriend on this very forum! One of my single favorite memories too! Man, I knew I couldn't fit it all
Edit: oh wow, he just tagged me as well... crazy timing! I thought he was gonna chew me out for forgetting about him!
Edit 2: also forgot @Kamigoroshi He's a "puddle" of fun if you ask me. "oozing" with class.
Edit 3: uh... I forgot about @Dungeonnoob as well. He's one of the coolest guys ever. Should be called DungeonPro.
Comments
By the way, how do you kill Kangaxx??
Thank you though!
I joined the forum in mid-February of 2014 (although the forums say it was April 2013) after deciding that to get the best answers on my virgin voyage through the BG trilogy, I needed to be able to post my own questions. Like Nonnahswriter, my google searches had always led me here. I had never played BG before, but being an avid Let's Play watcher, I had enjoyed the series from a few Let's Plays, notably ones by Veriax, Kikoskia, and Squee913. I remember my true first play-through was a half-orc fighter who used the mace of stunning in BG1:EE, but I quickly looked past a BG1:EE character and created a character who would make it through the whole series.
Once I got here on the forums, I mostly stuck to learning more about the game, but slowly I began reading more and more threads and learning more about the different things people that loved the game did with it and within it. I started posting threads about themed team ideas and things like "have you ever played with an opposite gender voice set" but it wasn't even a month before I found it. @Blackraven 's written play-throughs. I believe Nelsey, his halfling bounty hunter was the first one I found, and it instantly inspired me. I thought "Hey, I'm pretty decent at writing and it's tons of fun. I already sort of role-play every character I make, why not go even further and share it with the world!" Thus Roisin was born. A solo female elven archer. I still have yet to finish her play-through, but that was the turning point. Now I can barely make a new character without trying to write down their journeys.
From there on out I began being involved in everything. I made a bug report, I had conversations via activity (including very silly things that Anduin and Crevs were sure to be involved in.
All in all, I've made good friends, had good times, and absolutely love these forums, and I'll continue to show my ugly mug for a long time to come, Lord willing.
As for my own "forum story", well, I think I'll leave that for another time, since I'm still not sure what to make of this thread. I was one of the first "early adopters" of the EE project and have been participating in the forums for a long time. My profile info says June 2012. It seems longer, somehow. This forum has been my "home" on the internet almost ever since I joined.
I'm known for things both good and bad around here. I guess I would describe my forum personality as "mercurial", since I alternate between taking *everything* seriously and trying to approach topics as a "wise old man" or a philosopher, including in threads that are clearly meant to be jokes, to being occasionally very playful and trying to express my dry and rather cryptic sense of humor. ( @Shandyr will remember my early "Don't Worry, Be Happy!" phase in forum conflicts.)
I posted journalized BG runs since "the good old days" in the Bioware minimal reload thread started by @SapphireIce101, but I haven't been in the mood to do that in quite a while. I think my lost no-reload "Order of the Stick" thread was the last. @Gate70 was one of my inspirations over at Bioware, "back in the day", as well as @CharlestonianTemplar.
I guess @Shandyr was a major influence in getting me here and keeping me here. He and I were allies in the infamous "gay wars" that broke out early in the forum's history. When he banned himself not long after that time, I was worried that I had said something to him that might have influenced that decision. We got into a bit of an argument over the wizard slayer class, which he was defending at the time. I don't even remember all the details. A couple of days after, he banned himself. But he did send me a PM reassuring me that his decision had nothing to do with me or anything I said.
@LadyRhian has also been a very early forum member and a very good friend to me, giving me a lot of support through PM's over the years.
But anyway, I figured out through my interactions with those two and others that we had something kind of special here, in that the regulars were deep people, and were very interested in having and maintaining "a safe place" where people with love of Baldur's Gate in common could come and talk about just about anything without fear of flaming.
I have a lot of friends here now, and I really don't want to try to make a list, because I'll wind up leaving somebody important out. But I am very grateful to all of you who have become my online friends.
Okay, I guess I just told my forum story after all.
Don't worry, be happy!
Oh dear. That hadn't even occurred to me. Thank you for bringing it to my attention. I have sent @Dee a PM asking for advice in this matter.
All set now. Old forum name is officially closed.
So, if you're stuck with me, bring it up to Urquhart and his buddies.
From there, it was easy to start discussing about your favorite moments in BG, the character you like the most, who's the most powerful mage... I still hold true to Iolaoum, by the way.
I am not very active on the forum, posting every once in a while (except when it came to this http://forum.baldursgate.com/discussion/30058/who-is-the-strongest-mage/p1) but I read and like much of it. I would cause a disservice to many if I mentioned one or even a few users whose works and opinions I appreciate. You guys are all great
When I heard Baldur's Gate was being revamped I was very excited, and being an active member of other forums in the past, I knew I should join the forum when I saw it existed.
What did you do when you first joined?
Made bad puns, made it obvious I think TuTu is garbage, gave blunt opinions and made enemies.
What, if any, were the turning points of your forum story?
The seemingly overnight occurrence where I went from being the forum turd to being a forum celebrity. Still not entirely sure how that happened.
What is your favorite thing about being a member of the forum?
That I'm genuinely appreciated here. It really means a lot. I also like the reactions, it's admittedly fun to rack up meaningless points. It is interesting to see how different posters get different ratios of reactions; I only get a few insightfuls because I don't give too many tips because everyone else beats me to the punch. I get likes because I'm funny from time to time. I get loads of agrees because I state strong opinions. Everyone's ratio is different and it's interesting to investigate, it certainly says a lot about a person's typical posting style.
What other members were important to your forum story?
@sandmanCCL was the first guy to deem me as more than a turd, I think.
@Brude and I had a lot of fun palling around early on, I wish he spent more time on here.
@jackjack likes to stalk me in a flattering way, and occasionally says something really helpful and informative to me. I appreciate him.
@BelgarathMTH and I had a rough start and a lot of disagreements but I feel like we both respect each other now and that's a great thing.
@bengoshi reveres me for some reason, as do I him, so that's always good.
As I'm sure people have noticed, @Kitteh_On_A_Cloud, @mlnevese, @LadyRhian, and @Jalily have always had an uncanny way of bringing out my worst traits. This is not to say that my actions aren't my own fault, however; quite the contrary.
@CrevsDaak and I have had a lot of fun together and we're making a mod together. Enough said.
I greatly enjoy having @Ravenslight, @Nonnahswriter, and @Mortianna around. It's hard to pinpoint exactly why (I'm an abstract thinker, specifics aren't my strong trait) but I don't think it truly matters!
@booinyoureyes is bae. (Yes, I said "bae") We actually have each other added on Facebook.
What was your best experience on the forums?
Hard to say just one. If I had to pick, I'd say my friendships with Crevs and boo.
What do you think now, looking back on your forum history?
That I really should be more active and involved in the community today.
Nice thread, @Tresset!
I remember joining because it was the only way to download a hotfix zip file for a bug.. otherwise i would of just continued lurking in the shadows.
What did you do when you first joined?
Then i downloaded that file...
What, if any, were the turning points of your forum story?
There was a poll by @SmilingSword called which non joinable NPC would you make joinable and why? I liked the idea of Umbar Hilldark alot and decided to share my thoughts on why... I curse @SmilingSword for luring me from the shadows, i return to them with haste.
What is your favorite thing about being a member of the forum?
The free cookies.. what? Those are not free?? BUT THE MAN WITH THE FERRETS SAID!!
What other members were important to your forum story?
@Ravenslight because she promised that she would spend time with me in the shadows if i joined her in the light with the others sometimes. Well she didn't promise with her words exactly. Her eye's do not lie tho..
What was your best experience on the forums?
I read some strange story involving people adding three words per post to create sentences. I got several pages in before realizing that many of you were very insane. I feared i would be too if i continued reading.. it might already be too late
What do you think now, looking back on your forum history?
I think i should of just stayed lurking in the shadows, you people are trouble..
I joined the forum in June 2013, which probably makes me one of the few people for whom the forum profile join date is actually accurate! I arrived as a complete noob to Baldur's Gate and D&D, and in fact had no idea there was such a thing as "Enhanced Edition". I popped straight over to the "New Players (NO SPOILERS!)" section and asked a series of questions, initially about the vanilla game I bought off GOG.
I was blown away by the response. All my questions were answered promptly and people were unbelievably friendly, welcoming and helpful, even though I was not even asking about the game that this website is supposed to be supporting! I was/am not a "forum guy", the only previous gaming forum I somewhat participated in was Blizzard's Diablo 3 forum, and that place was plagued by trolls, scammers and other undesirables, so to say I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the community here would be a huge understatement.
Hence as I completed my maiden voyage through the Baldur's Gate saga with the support of the community here, I started to contribute to the forum myself, mostly helping other beginners as I had been helped myself. It took me ages to even notice there was an "Off-Topic" section in the forum, but once I did, I began to participate in even more discussions, and found literally the only place on the internet where I can hold a debate about difficult and complicated political issues without igniting a flame war!
Alas the taint of evil hides in the dark corners of even the brightest places, and after tackling a troll or two (I forget the specifics), I was entrusted with the great responsibility of swinging the Banhammer of Justice as a member of the Fellowship of the Round Table (moderators will understand this).
Unfortunately this thing called "real life" steals days, weeks and occasionally even months, away from my time here, but I always return, for Baldur's Gate is a special game, and this community is even more so.
Erm, so... I think I joined in December 2013. In the short history of the internet, that means that I missed out on things "before my time" like Bhaaldog's posts (I find their blanks slightly mystifying and irritating in archive posts, like hearing half of a phone conversation). It would be around the same time BG:EE made its way into my life. I had played many years ago when it first came out, and I recall the game being a turning point personally in the history of my dad and I playing video games together. I was an only child, so I got to monopolize my parents' time a bit, and dad played video games with me. All through growing up, he would be better at them than I was, and sometimes I never finished the game, I would play through 70-80% of it and just watch him beat the final boss. Around the time of Baldur's Gate and Diablo 2, however, the tables turned: suddenly I was crafting better characters than dad was, learning complicated rules and navigating tricky talent trees for the long haul. It was the first time *I* beat the game, and dad didn't. Unfortunately, it also signaled the end of childhood, and of spending that kind of time with dad. He seemed to shy away from video games after that, and retreated back to more comfortable and familiar games like poker or spades, and that sort of closed out a chapter of my life. That's teenage years for you though.
Whew, I better speed up or this will get lengthy and too personal. So anyway, I estimate I had probably played 200 hours of BG as a teenager, maybe more (I'm a bad judge of time), had the slightest brush with BG 2 in college because my roommate played it. Money was tight for me, and I chose to spend it on Everquest rather than BG 2 (a poor decision in the longrun... Lord have mercy, Dabrien had over 100 days played). The main takeaway from my roommate Brian was that Stoneskin, Lower Resistance, Breach and Greater Malison (later, Time Stop) were the basic tools required for awesomeness, because at least one mage/sorcerer was required for awesomeness. Oversimplified perhaps, yet it does seem to work...
Anyway, I got caught up in the excitement of BG:EE, had a technical question or two, and it took off from there. I found some loveable kooks who like silliness that are dear to my strange heart (although I appreciate the more staid folk as well), and the community in general eventually made me feel confident enough to embrace an epic project (and I use the word epic literally) in the form of Veraka's Saga. I realized that no one (or very few) here was going to be too harsh even if I made a mistake, lambasted their favorite character or even left some out (the horror!), or if the mere premise of an epic poem about a Baldur's Gate playthrough was too ridiculous for this world.
I haven't left the forum, nor have I dropped the project. Life comes in waves for me: waves of interest, waves of depression, waves of downtime or lack thereof. The forum is still flagged as one of my two homepages, and I check the updates on the Adventure Y thread quite frequently to see when it might have more information or be released. You may notice gaps in Veraka's Saga of months between posts, and I have no doubt more posts - and gaps - will follow (it isn't writer's block; I already know how the general gist of the next stanza will go). If you're a fan, I apologize; if you aren't, null sweat (sorry, been playing Shadowrun Returns recently).
Anyway. Fun jaunts in silly threads, staying up to date about new releases, and in general appreciating the fandom of Baldur's Gate has kept me coming back. Urgh, this post ended up longer than I wanted to.
TL,DR: Rumfish.
(EDIT: Turns out it was December 2012, around the same time a lot of people joined up.)
What other members were important to your forum story?
@Ravenslight because she promised that she would spend time with me in the shadows if I joined her in the light with the others sometimes. Well she didn’t promise with her words exactly. Her eye’s do not lie tho..
There is much I would do to bring a soul into the light, good sir. But as my mother once told me, too much time in the shadows with a gentleman has proven the downfall of many a good maiden. Come now, won’t you stay a while in the light with us?
I think I asked a question or two, and quickly got hooked on reading @LadyRhian's D'Med roleplay adventures in Saltmarsh with her intrepid band of forumites.
I contributed to a few topics here and there with no regularity spouting my love of wild mages, and my spruiking of an all-australian cast for any movie adaptation with the necessary casting of Russell Crowe as a Crocodile Dundee-ish Minsc - "That's not a hamster. THIS is a hamster!"
If there was any kind of turning point, I guess it was when i started posting in the fan creations section, and received some amazing feedback from the likes of @bengoshi and @lolien and had some wonderful conversations about creativity and writing processes with the ever-lovely and exceedingly talented @Blackraven, @Ravenslight, @Nonnahswriter and @deltago .
My favourite thing about the forum? Hmmm, it could be the respect just about everyone shows each other here. More likely, it's the amazing amount of talent on display, whether it be the aforementioned writers (plus @typo_tilly , @Lemernis, @Nimran, @kaguana, @Sniiiimon , @OlvynChuru and @Luridel, and countless more), artists, coders, translators, plus all those abilities people have in their personal and professional lives that they bring to play and share here. However, my very favourite quality about this forum is simply the inspired lunacy that flourishes here day after day. The "Neco is bored" thread is still probably my favourite of all time.
Then as now, I tend to have short, mostly friendly exchanges with people here. I think the first few I interacted with included the likes of @Permidion_Stark, @Dragonspear and @reedmilfam. From there, I've enjoyed short but memorable for me conversations with @Debaser (I still want to know what happened with your Blackadderesque blackguard!); @Wiggles and @HaHaCharade (congrats on your marriages!), @CaloNord (good luck on your impending one!), and have greatly enjoyed my interactions with @booinyoureyes , @Nimran and @wubble, all fine upstanding hamsters, ferrets and englishmen.
Off topic areas tend to remain my natural habitat where I can pop in with some ridiculous comment here and there. I post mainly for my own amusement, particularly when continuing my never ending playthroughs, and where I can like to continue to greet and welcome newer arrivals and help out where i can.
Ugh. this has turned into an essay, Apologies. The next post awaits!
- I am living proof that badges work for forum member retention! If it wasn't for that badge we got for preordering BG1, I likely wouldn't have given these boards a second look.
What did you do when you first joined?
- I've been playing these games, like we all have, for many years. I've restarted Baldur's Gate far more times than I could ever hope to actually beat it. Many of my early purusals of the boards were to see if folks noticed the same things I did with gameplay, to see what they were fixing, etc. This changed into a lot of reports on bugs and things like that. I though it was neat finding something and getting it fixed. I'm sure @Jalily read a great deal of those early reports and associated screenshots. While some folks got angry that the game was a bit wonky at first, I kind of felt like I was giving something back to the game I'd gotten so much enjoyment out of. Other then that, I would chat here and there and make the odd post about something that was humorous or fun.
What, if any, were the turning points of your forum story / What was your best experience on the forums?
- Meeting my wife @Kristie83 is the definate big one (http://forum.baldursgate.com/discussion/35090/hello-again-and-thank-you). Its funny because I'm not very talkative on these forums -- I read more than I say anything. But I guess I just pick the important conversations, ha
What is your favorite thing about being a member of the forum?
- Its a place where I can focus and learn more about something fun in my life, in a constructive and entertaining way. Its like if my job was actually fun!
What other members were important to your forum story?
- Well I was here for quite awhile and then I came back and met a lot of newer faces. I've never been a big talker (hard to believe right?) but I remember early good discussions with folks like @Quartz, @elminster, @Kristie83, and some others I just don't see enough of anymore. I've always had a ton of respect for @Jalily and @CamDawg (who is Mr. Icewind Dale). @bengoshi is probably the nicest guy I've ever seen on a forums @Melicamp is my favorite apprentice-turned-chicken of all time.
What do you think now, looking back on your forum history?
- So glad to have happened across this little space on the internet which has proved so impactful to my life in a positive way. My thanks to everyone.
Because i would like to upload one of my drawing as my profile pic.
Otherwise i came here for reading playthroughs/journals. My first comments was made to give thanks for the members, who share their works with us. After reading much more through the one and half year i'm on these boards i still count @baldursgatecomic , @Moczo or @Draith012 as some of the most talented persons on these forum from the first several things i saw. But there are many good story, what i had not read yet, and there are always new faces with exceptional talent (like recently @Grum ).
What did you do when you first joined?
See answer 1.
Ok i read a lot and slowly imbibed the crazyness what this forum emits.
What, if any, were the turning points of your forum story?
Hmmm. Hard to tell. Some turning points was i think:
- when i tried to make a serious attempt on doing a portrait for @booinyoureyes and it seemed that people like it
- the week, when i tried to get the combo breaker badge and with getting some neat badges i reached the top of the week leaderboard ahead @bengoshi for a short duration:) Of course at the end of the week ben was way ahaed of me. But surprisingly someone with even more might beat him: @CaloNord was also ultra active on that week. We had some good fun and friendly conversation that time.
- the first roleplayed and journaled playthrough that i made. It was a huge new and exciting experience, and again, people seemed to like it.
- the big attention what my portrait from Alveus got. To know that the devs and the actor like your portrait is awesome.
What is your favorite thing about being a member of the forum?
I can interact with people all around the world, who like Baldurs Gate as much as i. I also can have discussion with the game developers themselves! I even have some chance to take part in the work to make this game better!
What other members were important to your forum story?
People who share their perfect journals like @Blackraven , @Lemernis , @Nonnahswriter @and_many_more.
People who share their insanity and make a role play game from this forum, like @Anduin , @Shandyr , @booinyoureyes , @and_many_more.
People who are liking what i post like @jackjack , @Ravenslight , @Gotural @and_many_more.
And a day without @bengoshi here is always a less cheerful day.
What was your best experience on the forums?
Let me think. Maybe this.
What do you think now, looking back on your forum history?
I spend way too much time on these boards, and maybe i will regret it one day. But today is not that day.
Is it just me? I can’t get your (this) link to work.
Your stories are so awesome that I went on and promoted them all! Maybe if there's really something that should be promoted, it's people's feelings and real histories about this forum.
It's so interesting and insightful to read about others' experience of discovering the depth of the forum. Also, every moment somebody else mentions this or that event and you remember how it was, it gives you a smile.
Why did you join the forum?
I found out Baldur's Gate was getting re-done by a friend of mine, and saw the forum for the first time when looking up news about it. I made an account that year but then didn't say anything for like 9 months.
What did you do when you first joined?
Kinda funny... never intended to really write much on the forum, not having been part of any forum other that the unpersonal imdb. I just had a question about mods that I wanted to ask about. I just looked it up, lol, it was "will Valen and Soulafein mod NPCs be available in BG2?". LiamEsler was all like "nah, bro, but soon". And I was all like "damn".
What, if any, were the turning points of your forum story?
I saw the meme thread. I thought it was hilarious. I started noticing that some forum people were funny and starting interacting with them on the meme thread and other things. Mostly just to get laughs, but eventually I got into the actual gaming aspect as well. If it wasn't for the memes though, I doubt I'd even have read any posts about "best spells" or "best NPCs", so that was definitely the turning point. I like a nice laugh.
What is your favorite thing about being a member of the forum?
Pleasant people who share my interests. Never really had many friends who played Baldur's Gate in real life (my friends, at least the ones who do play videogames, mostly like Madden, Halo and that kinda crap) so it was nice to share jokes with people who shared my interests.
What other members were important to your forum story?
History first:
Later on there was a time when @jackjack , who joined just around the same time as I did, and another poster named @nano spent a LOT of time here. We were like the three amigos, and whenever one of us showed up in a thread it seemed like the other two would follow. Those were probably the most enjoyable times on the forum for me, though unfortunately nano doesn't come round no more. Jackjack is like a boss celebrity bard here now though, and I'm sure you all know him.
Around the same time I found out that @Metalloman was into heavy metal (and the good kind!) which was shocking considering his name. We started to hang out and share Iron Maiden tunes along with @laptopman666 . I discussed biology and politics with @Heindrich at some point. I encountered the amazingness that is @typo_tilly as well with her cute animal thread (I fit right in!). Read some things by @Coutelier about Aerie. Also did some roleplaying with @Kalesra 's places.
After that its been a little bit of everybody. Honestly, so many people here, but I'll give a shout-out to people who have really contributed to my enjoyment of the forum
@bengoshi I remember this guy from waaaaayyyy back in the meme thread. He didn't post as much, but his posts were all quality and friendly. We hit it off then but I never suspected that he would become an Archmage of foruming like he is now. A cool dude who makes you stay
@CrevsDaak Was slightly crazy at first, but has now learned to channel his inner lord of chaos into being super constructive. My first pal on the forum and a guy I really like having around. Wouldn't have been as active if it wasn't for him
@jackjack is my bro, and a true bard. He has great taste in, like, everything. He's a dude you'd want to watch a good movie with. Being a bit of a bard-lover myself, we have a lot in common and I feel like we'd be friends in real life outside of the forum.
@Anduin despite being an evil mummy-gnome this guy is hilarious. Probably the cleverest poster here and I give him immense credit for managing to keep playing one character on the forum while still keeping it fresh and amusing.
Another dude I love... lets just say if there was an "About Me" section on the Baldur's Gate Forums mine would read "In a relationship with @Quartz ". We share a lot of views, and the guy is like a brasher version of myself. Totally studly as well. Yaw!
@Nonnahswriter has been among the most pleasant people on this forum for a long time. Funny and nice. I usually dismiss fan-fiction (and by dismiss I mean laugh sneeringly at it) but Nonnahs actually made me see why some might find it appealing as a creative outlet.
@lolien The fact that you made me into a sexy dwarven rogue/fighter alone makes you a legend in my eyes. The fact that you roleplay a mushroom better than Toad ever could just goes above and beyond the call of duty. This guy single-handedly rejuvenated the forum when it was in a bit of a protracted lull, and his crazy posts about raps, stories, poems and his mushroom children have made the forum a better place to hang out in!
@Shandyr is my fellow conspirator. He is the right level of silly for me (which is absurdly silly). He has something I value: great taste. He watches the right shows and the right movies. That is awesome. Plus he always sends me cool hamster pictures. Hail Hydra!
@Metalloman and @mlnevese are both great moderators, who make it seem like fun to ban spambots. Mlnevese is a cool attorney guy who specializes in martian maritime law, while metalloman is a metalhead who worships Thor and stuff. Good moderation has made the forum a better, and the fact that they were joined by @Heinrich @Tresset and @bengoshi has helped contribute to why this forum is so awesome. May spambots scurry in fear of their righteous fury forevermore. Tresset also works hard on bugs, which is under appreciated. I like his pokemon and HoMM3 posts. I've also valued Heindrich's political posts, and regret that he is less active nowadays.
@elminster is a monster when it comes to racking up reactions, and its not hard to see why. He has contributed to the forum in pretty much every way. He's like a Swiss Army Wizard, ready for whatever you need Baldur's Gate-related: mods, bug identification/fixes, memes, funny Jan Jansen stories, cool pictures, strategy guides, walkthroughs, witty one-liners, spell rankings, puns... you name it, he's posted about it. It must be the hat.
@Ravenslight is a more recent poster whose contributions I have greatly enjoyed. She's a super sweetheart and very well-spoken. Her creativity makes me excited to try her mod. One of my favorite posters to talk to, and I make sure to read her posts carefully when I see them.
@Silverstar is a fellow furball, and has been fun to share gifs with. We met when he was rummaging through my trash one day, and have hit it off since. Good guy.
@meagloth began in my eyes for some reason, as Crev's partner in crime. I guess being of a similar age we grouped them together. Its fun to see people that young on the forum, because I honestly can say that I've seen meagloth mature quite abit over the year+ time he's been here. He and Crevs are the future and that is a good thing
@BelgarathMTH is a guy I spoke to a lot in my early days on this forum. Aside from just generally being a kind soul I find his discussions about the various NPCs enjoyable and enlightening. When I give his posts an insightful I really, really mean it!
@Blackraven joined about the same time she did and has been great with his playthroughs. I honestly don't really read many of those kind of posts, but his I occasionally take a peek at because he comes up with cool ideas.
@Elrandir is much the same. You can tell he loves to write and his injection of humor into his stories make them well worth reading. Good stuff!
@Isandir is a hell of an artist and a hell of a guy. The fact that he made a whole entire thread about positive things to balance out the "come share your woes" thread just shows you the kind of man he is. Never seen anyone deal with a troll with such dignity either. Class act.
@wubble is new to me, but apparently was here before my time as well. Regardless, I am very pleased that he has returned, since he is utterly ridiculous in the best way possible. I look forward to acquainting myself with him more.
@rufus_hobart and @Nimran are two more recent additions to the forum. One is a yeti (who is actually in my Icewind Dale party as my ranger's animal companion!) and the other loves ferrets (pfft, peasants). Both are great additions to the forums rich history of roleplaying oddball creatures for amusement, and have added a bit of fresh air to the mix.
@atcDave is a guy who doesn't get nearly enough credit, and the same goes with @the_spyder . These guys know their d&d history and their contributions are always insighftul
Some people I have not seen in a long time but were key contributors to me being here:
@nano probably the forumite most likely to make me laugh out loud. Chilling with him/her and @jackjack was a blast! I'm sure Jack misses nano as much as I do
@Sjerrie had some great memes and some really smart contributions to casting for the Baldur's Gate movies. Seems to post less these days, but when he does I usually take notice!
@Aristillius is a penguin, which by itself is pretty dope. Add in the fact that he is also a stand-up gentleman and you can tell why I value his posts
@BaldursCat one of the best contributors to the "cast the baldur's gate movie" or the "who would the npcs be in highschool" threads. Recently returned to the forum for a bit, which is great
@KidCarnival was a hilariously creative forumite who was incredibly active even before I joined. His disappearance was a bit disappointing, and you can tell he didn't like the forum as much as he used to for some reason, but it was nice while it lasted.
The sad part: I'm sure I've missed many people who have contributed, which shows you the strength in depth that this community has. For those not mentioned: I'm sorry, don't take it personally. I ain't perfect and this message is already waaaaaaaayyyyy too long. Oversights happen
What was your best experience on the forums?
Sharing laughs and discussing what makes BG and its characters great with all the wonderful people here. I can honestly say that I people like @Quartz @jackjack and @CrevsDaak as well as others have brought me some great memories and are cherished friends.
What do you think now, looking back on your forum history?
It was my first time participating on a forum. I have not looked elsewhere since. This means that I found the right place for me to kick when on the internet. You can call it my internet "home" even more than facebook in some ways. Honestly I never considered that people I met online only would be my "friends" but this place changed that.
There have been many places on the internet where I have seen some nasty people, but I'd have to say that this is the best and probably the most mature online community I've encountered. And when I say "mature" I mean it in the "peeps are polite and well-meaning" sense rather than the "we are snobby sophisticants who are above playing the part of furry rodents" sense. Because everyone here is utterly absurd, and that may not sound like flattery, but I mean it as a compliment.
Why did I join, well, I'd been playing Baldur's Gate since around 2000, I would have been around 9 or 10 so I was naturally terrible but it was one of the first games I'd ever played so it left a lasting impression. It's always been one of the titles I've ALWAYS come back to, no matter how long I might be away on other adventurers I will always go full circle and end back at BG and Age of Empires II. Both of which thankfully now have a re-release to run on current OS. *Phew*
As with most of you I want a little nuts when I found out it was getting an overhaul and re-release and joined the forum as soon as I found out back in September 2012. I mainly wanted to keep and eye on things and scream inanely at my monitor if they went too far and moved into 'remake' territory.
What did I do when I first joined, literally one thing - I posted a thank you message in the Announcement thread, as did many others. Then I didn't say anything again for nearly 2 years. But I did lurk in the shadows a lot.
The turning point came for me in May, when after having posted about a bug with my inventory icons my fiancée and I had an insomniac night and decided to make a thread to talk to the lovely people of the forum, figuring there had to be others who couldn't sleep/lived in different time zones who we could chat to, figuring we all shared a common interest.
My favourite thing. . . hmm. . . there are so many things, mainly being able to interact with such a varied and diverse group of wonderful people in such a positive environment. This forum has everything from school teachers and library staff to ex marines, not to mention the dev team themselves. Just being a part of such a wonderful community built on such a beautiful foundation is great!
Important people? All of you. You are all an important part of the community!! Though to list a few; @bengoshi, whom I probably consider to be my first friend on this forum, and one of the nicest most friendly people I've ever met!
Best experience? Wedding thread. Without a shadow of a doubt, a way for friends old, new and as yet unmet to see and share in that in a way that lasts longer then a moment.
Looking back on my time here? I regret nothing. I look forward to a happy time with you guys for a long while yet.
Cheers guys and girls!
Edit: oh wow, he just tagged me as well... crazy timing! I thought he was gonna chew me out for forgetting about him!
Edit 2: also forgot @Kamigoroshi
Edit 3: uh... I forgot about @Dungeonnoob as well. He's one of the coolest guys ever. Should be called DungeonPro.