Once Upon…

I’ll just leave that title there and see who a) speaks Spanish and b) gets the joke(s).

Thanks to Rowan of I Have Touched The Sky, I have been nominated for the Liebster Award, which means that I have been given explicit permission by another blogger to bore you all by talking exclusively about myself. Thank you !

I jest, but I am grateful. We all enjoy sharing a bit of ourselves or we wouldn’t be doing this. But for me its a genuine treat. In my vocation, rarely do I get asked about me. Usually, its the other way around, and the rare question directed at me is a question about the nature of my community. So, while I detest chain letters and glurge, this one seems to have the proper context and fun attached to make it something more than it is.

I checked the OFFICIAL RULES to make sure I was doing this right, although there are apparently several variations, so it may not be quite the same as you would see in other places. But enough intro, here we go:

11 Random Facts (completely different from other random facts I’ve given you before):

1) If I could make a perfect day from all the places I’ve lived, it would look like this: Georgia Mornings, Florida Days, Carolina Afternoons, California Evenings, and Tennessee Nights.

2) I listen to Dubstep. Like, a lot. Currently I’m hooked on Feed Me’s new stuff. Is that weird for a thirty something? Probably. But as a drummer, I get caught up in the beats and rhythms pretty easily.

3) I’ve written articles for this blog on five different computers: three laptops and two desktops.

4) I’m the only pastor I know that has a model of a Rifter sitting on his desk. Its a conversation starter. Or ender.

5) Dr. Pepper is my drink of choice.

6) I am a part time collector of rare old books. My most recent (and currently oldest) acquisition is from 1814.

7) I am a graduate and proud alumni of Oglethorpe University. Go Stormy Petrels!

8) I still have my warm up jacket from JV soccer. I’m not sure why other than it actually still fits and is warm, so I hate to pitch it.

9) I’m an excessively picky reader. I read only the authors I like and then only the books or series of theirs that I think are interesting. Despite that, I never seem to have a shortage of reading materials.

10) Before I started writing this blog post, I spend an hour counseling a Grammy-nominated artist on the loss of a close friend. Because in Nashville even the famous people put their pants on one leg at a time.

11) My dad was an engineer and my mom was a math teacher, so it was obvious from a young age that I was destined to do something as far away from numbers as possible.

And now, on to Part Two: Rowan’s Questions –

Why did you start blogging?

My comments on Wilhelm’s blog were getting to be too long-winded.

What is the origin of your blogging name?

Harbinger = bearer/herald. Zero = nothing. I bring you nothing new. And if I do, you can be pleasantly surprised. Set the bar low, I always say.

What was your very first MMO character and why did you choose that race/class?

High Elf Magician, EQOA. While I didn’t play Everquest Proper, I did know a great deal about it, and I had the d20 books for it, so I knew all the classes. I loved that the Magician was this guy who could get you things. Summon supplies, gear, monsters, and yes, even weapons and armor. A magical jack of all trades. And it touched on my favorite DnD spell, Mordakainen’s Mansion (sp?) which summoned this extraplanar house. I always loved the idea of having everything you might need right at your fingertips, even if the cost was that you were not as (relatively speaking) powerful as some other classes.

Did you stick with that character as your main as long as you were playing that game? Why or why not?

For the most part, until a series of developer changes nerfed the class. In those days, camping was king and with a lot of classes, you needed to do something well. Originally, the Magician schtick was the best summoned pets. The changes basically meant that now Necromancers had the hardest hitting pets…and they had a resurrection spell as well (a nice backup if your healer goes down). So nobody wanted me in group in a game where you could really only level by group camping. So I rolled a Bard and a Shadowknight and played them for a while. I enjoyed both, but never as much as the Magician class.

What is your favorite zone in any MMO?

Too many to name honestly. I love lots of different places. The one I probably miss the most though would be that starting island in EQ2. It really was a fun little zone with a great deal of charm to it.

What gaming innovation are you looking forward to or hoping for most in the next twenty years?

Full realization of cloud based gaming and improved periphereals/control. I’d love to be able to use my cell phone to play all my regular games. But I need to be able to have reliable connection and also reliable control without a mouse. If we can make those things happen, I could start leaving my laptop at home and be a happy camper.

What is your favorite pastime besides video gaming or blogging?

I enjoy boardgames with family and friends, as well as reading. Love painting miniatures as well, but this section of live, with the kids at the age they are, well, its just not a hobby I can really do – I don’t have time or space for it. Once the kids are out of the house and/or I’m retired, I will probably pick it back up.

What house would you be sorted into: Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, or Slytherin?

I have no idea. I’ve never read a single line of Harry Potter. I think I did see the first movie, and I’ve seen a scene here and there of some of the others. Yep, time to get out the torches and pitchforks. If I had to answer, I guess I’d say Ravenclaw. My son assures me that’s his favorite and that they are “the coolest.”

What is your favorite holiday?

Veteran’s Day. Which is actually Armistice Day. Which is actually St. Martin’s Day. Which is also the saint’s day of a) Martin Luther and b) Soren Kierkegaard. The respect shown to our veterans, the salute to peace, and the inclusion of (and derivation from) three of my favorite theologians all together. Love it.

What is your favorite vacation spot (or dream vacation)?

I love Callaway Gardens. I’m not sure I can describe just how at peace I am wandering through the woods or on the beach there. If I could buy a house or chalet there, I would do it in a heartbeat and make it my second home.

What brings you joy?

Oh, lots of things I suppose. My kids and my wife do. Getting to be a pastor does. Playing some of these amazing games, most of which I could, as a kid, only dream about, also qualifies. Mostly though, just being alive gives me joy. Life is broken, to be sure, and I know that first hand. But because of that (and not in spite of it), I love it even more.

And now on to Part Three: Nominations –

I hereby nominate:

1) Flosch. Missing in Action for 4 months now. You must come back and blog more my friend. Your views and posts are always a welcome read. Maybe this will get you rolling again.

2) Ysharros. You will write a wall of text and you will like it. And so will we.

3) Kirith Kodachi. Put down the EVE client and slowly back away. Then answer the questions.

4) Psychochild. Because I have to call out someone actually in the industry. Its in teh rules. I think.

5) The Scree. Because now that he is done designing his guild for a game that won’t be out for another three years or so, he needs something to do.

Part Three-Two: My Questions –

1) Do you have a favorite sexual fantasy? Would you like for it to be fulfilled?

Haha! Just kidding.

I took that from The Book of Questions, where I am stealing some of these (real) questions from as well. Hope you enjoy:

1) What, if anything, is too serious to be joked about?

2) Would you rather be overdressed or underdressed at a party? Why?

3) If you could actually live in one of your MMO character’s homes, which would it be? It can also be one that your character doesn’t directly own, but that is available in the game.

4) What is the best compliment someone could pay you?

5) Which NPC would you enjoy having dinner with? Could be from an MMO, or it could be from a book/movie/tv show.

6) If someone offered you a substantial sum of money to stop playing MMO’s forever, would you take it? What’s your price point? A million? A billion? Nothing?

7) You get a VIP pass to spend the day at a developer’s offices, hang out with them, form inside contacts, see some stuff behind the scenes, and get cool swag. Which developer is it that you are going to?

8) You and your friends get sucked inside an MMO. The bad news is you are stuck here for 24 hours (of real time), the good news is you have unlimited lives. What MMO are you in and what are you doing while you are there?

9) What’s the first movie you remember watching in the theatre?

10) A Magic MMO Genie appears and grants you the power to host a private server for one MMO of your choice: past, present, or future. Will you take him up on the offer, and if so, what game do you choose and why?

11) Best Campy 80’s Sci-Fi: Flash Gordon, Buckaroo Banzai, Ice Pirates, Outland, Megaforce, Runaway, Masters of the Universe, or some other one I’ve forgotten?

There ya go. Thank you again Rowan for the blogging opportunity. Tomorrow: Either some SWTOR reflection, another installment of Dominions, or maybe something else. Depends on how I’m feeling.