Gods And Heroes: Community Spotlight #003 - pixiecrack

What is your in-game/message board name?
Pixiecrack

Wow, that's, ah, pretty unusual there. Where did you come up with a name like Pixiecrack?
When I was in highschool I loved pixiestix. There was an off brand that sold basically the same candy in a test tube which one of my friends named "pixiecrack". Years later, it struck me as an amusing name, reminded me of childhood nostalgia and is never taken in any internet context. I like that because it standardizes my web presence since I have the same name for everything.

Real Name?
Danielle M

Where do you live?
Oakland, CA

Awesome, how long have you been playing MMO's?
On and off for 4 years. I started with DAoC and really loved their RvR combat system.

When did you join the Gods & Heroes community?
A little over a month ago. I had been watching the website for almost a year, but I tend to avoid online forums because of time sink issues. My excitement over the game overcame my reticence.

Well we're glad you've overcome your forum fears! You've been pretty active lately, so you think there's something we could improve on (and yes, we have user signatures coming soon)?
Hmm. I don't think I have enough experience with forums to criticize, maybe the option to upload your own userpic instead of choosing from the predetermined list. I love seeing what people choose.

How did you find out about Gods & Heroes?
I was doing a random Google search on Rome. I was preparing to host a Rome themed dinner party We made garum--fermented mackerel juice--in our laundry room and got people to eat it. (Mackerel + salt + heat lamp + 3 months=YUM)

And you didn't get evicted?
We rent a house so no one knew. It smells very strongly, but is not as unappetizing as you would think. It tastes almost exactly like thai fish sauce (or ours did). It has a lot of MSG in it and so is kind of addictive. One of our recipes was to soak a rabbit in it for two days before stuffing it with nuts. That was the saltiest thing I had ever eaten.

Will you make some for us? If we get sick though I'm afraid you'll have to answer to the wrath of many gamers.
We still have some left (I occasionally just cook roman food for dinner now). I would be more than happy to mail some to PE since you're right across the bay. Just send me an address. And no, no one [has] gotten sick.

Hmm, I don't think I'm brave enough to try. So, when you get Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising, what class will you be and why?
I will be a priest. I enjoy the game experience of trying to heal efficiently. I also like the more community-oriented aspects of the character.

What god will your avatar follow?

Juno! I tend to gravitate towards conservative and culturally "normal" characters. I really like the idea of serving the goddess of morality and the state.

So do you see yourself as a role-player and if so, would you refuse to heal, say, a shifty Rogue that's been injured stealing something or doing something equally immoral?
I see myself as a role-player, but I am always conscious that not everyone in a group has the same role-play standards. Assuming I was already in a group with said rogue I would heal them but constantly berate them for their ill-spent life. I am very aware that even on an RP server there are a lot of people who are hostile to role-playing for some reason, so I only let my role-playing affect my in-game choices in situations where those who are in turn affected are RPers too.

What excites you about Gods & Heroes the most?
The quests/storylines. It looks like a game that is going to break the mold of "generic medieval European fantasy MMO."

So while you wait for Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising, what other MMO's are you playing?
I am currently playing WoW and finished up City of Heroes. I liked City of Heroes because of its unique approach (no loot, different genre) but spent more time designing characters than playing them.

So now, what non-MMO games are you playing?
Right now I am playing no other computer games. I am a pen and paper RPer and also a LARPer. I just finished writing a LARP (a role-playing game where you dress up and walk about) for a convention Memorial Day weekend. It ate all my free time, so I haven't even been able to visit the boards for the past week. (remedying that now). Now that I have my cyber-life back I am hoping to check out Elder Scrolls: Oblivion

Did you win at the LARP? Throw some lighting bolts for victory?
Well I was running it with my fiancé so I wasn't competing. The players as a whole took the game in a strange direction. I think people had fun, which I suppose is what constitutes a win for a GM. In general since it is a 25 person game we have multiple different victory conditions for different people.

What is your favorite game of all time?
Assuming you mean computer game, Planescape: Torment. There's nothing like D&D variant where you can get from lvl 10-11 by having a philosophy conversation in a bar.

Major bonus points for that answer right there! I loved the idea of tattoos as inventory items. Who was your favorite character?
In concept I liked Dak'kon because of his back-story and complex relationship with the main character. I also really liked Mort because I always imagine him following around the mentally unstable guy wondering whether this was the "I'm going to get you killed by being stupidly gallant" version or the "I'm going to get you killed by being a raving psychopath" version. My favorite minor NPC was the old granny who berates you for being an adventurer and goes off on a tirade about how useless they are.

Great answer! So now do you think Superman could take Mars (the god of war)? Why?
I think it is Apollo [that] Superman needs to be worried about. Presumably as the god of the sun he could alter its rays and rob Superman of his powers. Then Mars would punk him. That's right: if you mess with one of the gods you mess with all of the gods (unless they happen to be having an argument that week, are in the middle of a stupid dare, or are cheating on each other with their respective siblings/spouses)!

Holy cow, you just out-geeked half our game design team! Double bonus! You totally rule now. However, Superman got his powers from the sun, and I just don't think Apollo is man enough to shut down the sun all together or at least in a significant enough way to hinder the Man of Steel.
True, but he wouldn't need to turn the sun off, just change the color/nature of its rays to a Kryptonian pallor.

Pffft, sorry, but I'm afraid Apollo's got nothing on Superman. But that's okay, you're still cool in our book! Anything else you want to share with the Gods & Heroes community?
This community has been great, and has made me rethink my "no forums" policy. Also, the pic I sent in is about 2 years out of date, but seemed appropriate since it is computer-game themed.
I can't wait to play the game with y'all.

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Thank you so very much, pixiecrack. Your choice of Superman vs. the gods aside, welcome to the boards, and we really enjoyed getting to know you a little bit better!

Until next time,

Deodatus out!