MisterJingo

Having stumbled across an article for DAoC in some now forgotten magazine, I made sure I was at the shops ready to buy the game on its day of release.

Being a student meant that I could play some seriously unsociable hours. It was during one such play session, as I soloed spiders in Black mountains south, that I grouped up with a scruffy looking scout by the name of Jamagei. He seemed like a great guy, and after hours of fun I was invited into his guild and so began my journey as a Griffon Knight.

I soon learnt what a fantastic and friendly bunch of people GKs are, and in my years since DAoC - many guilds and games later, I am yet to find a guild with such an open and welcoming atmosphere. But that's getting ahead of myself.

Going against my better judgement (people from the internet being mad axe murderers and all) I decided to go to a real life guild meet at Arianna house. At first I thought my fears were warranted as Doc, an old guild member, had arrived with chain mail vests and various DAoC-esque props. These props included a substantial supply of mead which he freely shared - so after a glass or four my fears were well and truly allayed, and I discovered Gks are just as fantastic in real life as they are in game. Arianna did a fantastic job of entertaining us all.

Due to my studies it took me an extraordinarily long length of time to get my first 50, drunkenly deleting my characters one night didn't help in this journey.

Some of my fondest memories of being in the guild are of grinding barbs and vigis in the barrows for many (many) hours. Such tedious game play was actually fun with GK groups. Later groups saw us taking on the catacombs and on to the princes in darkness falls.

A few years into DAoC my playtime became patchy, but I still caught up with the guild through their website and attended another meet at Ozwaldo's gaming cafe.

In the years since leaving DAoC and now (right this second as I type these very words out, listening to 'All The Young Dudes' none the less... but I digress) I have tried most MMORPGs that have hit the market. During that period I've joined many guilds and as I previously stated, none of them have felt as welcoming and friendly as Griffon Knights.

As the release of WAR approaches, many ex-Griffon Knights have found their way back together, ready to take on this new MMO. I have a good feeling about this game and the renewed guild. My hope for the future is that GK flourishes once more, and that new people discover what a guild can be. Here's to WAR!