The Best an MMO has to Offer. Galactic Edition. Part I

This is a reprint from my MMO blog on guildportal.com



In this Part I of what I think a game should have in order to be a success, I will take a trip down memory lane to another world.

My life as a gamer began in 2003, when I was able to enter a world I had admired nearly my entire life. The following recounts "actual" events that took place in that game, told from a roleplay perspective.

Iari, the human, hailed from the small town of Keren on the planet of Naboo. She was a dancer; it was all she knew. She was very shy and not well suited to life on the stage, but she was even less suited to life as a fighter and felt that the cantinas were the safest place for her.

In time she braved the wilds of Naboo and found herself in the capital, Theed. There she met Icoup, the Mon Calamari talent scout. She soon joined his guild of other dancers and musicians: Entertainers United.

They hosted many parties for the growing towns near Theed. Outside of the main hall, party-goers could enjoy brawling, pet fights, and fireworks displays. Inside, they could be soothed by the guild's finest dancers and Nagalorn players while enjoying the refreshments of the bartender.


While working in the Theed cantina, Iari listened to the many tales of adventure told by her customers. As a Rebel in the Galactic War, she kept her opinions to herself, aiding the rebellion from time to time by secretly delivering information to rebel agents. However, these stories eventually began to make Iari yearn for something more than the confines of dancing halls. It was then that she began her training as a Rifleman.

She continued to dance. And she continued to pass information to the Rebels. Her training with rifles was slow but steady. She was pleased to find that others who were also learning the ways of the Rifleman could give her the training she required.

One night, as she entered the Cantina, she stumbled upon a fight between a Rebel and an Imperial soldier. The Rebel asked for help, and she could not resist. Not giving the danger to herself a thought, she reached down and helped him to stand.

The Imperial cursed at her, enraged. Before she could draw her weapon, Iari was on the ground, unconscious. The other dancers and entertainers gasped in shock, but none of them helped Iari. They understood the price of openly aiding a Rebel.

When she regained consciousness, she and the Imperial had a private, and very heated discussion. Neither of them would have believed what would come of that discussion. Though Iari was gentle and kind, she knew that living on Naboo as a Rebel was dangerous. As she could not leave the home she loved, Iari renounced her loyalty to the Rebellion, and became a member of the Imperial Army. She and the Imperial soldier remained friends long after, and she was an Imperial for the rest of her days.

She was making progress as a Rifleman and was close to mastering her profession. She still ran delivery missions, only this time for the Imperials. On such a mission, she found herself in Moenia, a gloomy town in the swampy southern hemisphere of Naboo. Moenia was very close to the Imperial stronghold where it was rumored the Emperor was in residence.



It was during one of these missions that she came upon a wookie creature handler. He had many creatures with him, all obeying his commands. She inquired as to how he acquired these creatures. He taught her many things about his life as a creature handler. On that day, Iari began training in Creature Handling while continuing her training in Rifles.

She spent less and less time in the cantinas now. She spent most of her days in the wild, finding and taming baby creatures. Iari's goal was to capture an elusive Narglatch cub.

Finally she found her Narglatch. She named him Zephyr, and trained him from cub to ferocious beast. He proved to be her most loyal protector. Iari was rarely seen without Zephyr by her side.


It was during her last visit to the cantina as a dancer that she met a woman who would change her life's path. The woman was shrouded in mystique. Iari could feel her calm and power from across the room. At first, she thought the woman was of the Jedi Order. But it was known to be a dead religion, with its members scattered across the galaxy, the order having been destroyed during the Clone Wars.

After watching the woman for a time, Iari gathered the courage to approach her. The woman explained that she was a Teras Kasi Master. Iari asked what Teras Kasi was, and the woman informed her it was a way of fighting. She would not say much more than that, however. Iari felt compelled to investigate elsewhere.

She found a trainer in brawling who informed her that Teras Kasi trainers would not consider anyone a potential candidate who had no experience in close range fighting. He encouraged Iari to study under him, and she gladly accepted.

She never danced on a stage again.

The next day she took Zephyr to Yavin. They spent the day hunting various creatures and the occasional rebel. She met a few Imperials who were being attacked and she and her cat gladly aided them before running off through the jungle. The cat no doubt could sense Iari's excitement at the new life she was embarking on. In order to become a Teras Kasi, she would have to give up her training as a Rifleman, and would no longer be able to use her weapon.



Through many days and months Iari trained in the arts of brawling and later Teras Kasi. While studying her new combat arts, she continued her Creature Handling. She met a Twi'lek named Ta, a fellow creature handler not as far in his training as she. She taught him how to name his creatures.



Iari's devotion to her studies proved successful, as she gained more and more abilities. Her proudest moment as a Teras Kasi artist was when her trainer gave her the secrets to healing mind and body through meditation.



She had many favorite mediation spots throughout the land. She discovered many places that seemed to have a history, places just begging to be explored and enjoyed.


While exploring the dangerous area near the Maulers Stronghold, she came across a shocking sight: a Jedi! She knew that this man had trained hard, for it was not an easy path to choose. He was one of perhaps only a few jedi in the entire galaxy. Though she was an Imperial and knew the Jedi to be enemies of the Empire, he asked her to not reveal his presence to anyone. It was as though the bounty hunters could smell the ignition of his lightsaber, he'd said, and he was being hunted by them day and night. Iari respected his hard work and bravery, and agreed to keep his secret.




Her first guild of entertainers disbanded when its leader vanished. A few people tried to breathe new life into the guild, and for a time it worked. It was first disbanded and taken over by Taya, who was later encouraged to relinquish her control by Bowdon and the council. Bowdon took over the guild, and Taya remained the elected mayor of Caserta.



During its prime, the city of Caserta flourished as one of the only towns in the galaxy that welcomed both Imperials and Rebel sympathizers. The city had many crafters as well, and its builders helped to construct municipal buildings such a shuttle, city hall, guild hall, hospital and cloning facility, banks, fountains and parks, and mission terminals. The city also had a large militia, of which Iari was a member.

People could often be seen there, resting after a day of adventuring, enjoying each others' company.



Of course the members of the town, and all of Naboo, were sometimes called upon to protect the palace. Across political and city borders, the people of Naboo would answer that call, for no gain other than the pride of defeating a common enemy. And perhaps for a nice new title.



Eventually, political strife tore apart Iari's home of Caserta. The leadership split, new leaders took over, and the town became dominated by Rebels. Iari and her friends Ta and Merthos fled to Dantooine. There they formed an Imperial guild, and founded a new town near the Imperial Outpost. They called it River's End.



The town enjoyed a brief period of prosperity, but the winds of change were fast approaching for all in the galaxy. Strange rumors were being whispered.

Among the rumors: The Order of the Teras Kasi was to be outlawed. By that time, Iari had reached the level of Master, and was as deeply committed to it as she had been when she'd first agreed to begin her training. Equally disturbing was the rumor that creature handling would be outlawed as well.

By this time many of her friends had begun disappearing, seeking new worlds. She spent many days in the wilds of Dantooine with her faithful cat and her newest pet, her beloved Hamadryad, or "Hamy".



One night she went to the hill overlooking her town. She looked out over a beautiful Dantooine sunset as she contemplated how much her world had changed in such a short time.



Not long after that night, the Order of the Teras Kasi disbanded, and Creature Handlers lost the ability to train and fight alongside their pets. Iari was never seen again.

Coming Soon: The best a Game has to Offer Part II, Norrathian Edition