Spotlight #4: Iago Boom

Rinna · Posted: Wed Feb 14, 2007 4:28 am Post subject: Spotlight #4: Iago Boom

I. The Basics

Real life first name: James (or Jim)

GC Forum handle: Iago

Age and/or birthday: December 21, 1977

Where in the real life world do you live? St. Louis, MO

What type of work do you do? I work in an Arcade.

What other hobbies or activities do you take part in, other then playing MMO’s? I'm a movie buff. I write. I collect comic books (yeah, you knew I was a dork when you met me in SWG).

How long have you played MMO’s? Other than free-trialing a few and cancelling, I started with SWG at launch.

What is the main MMO you play? SWG

Main Character name: Iago Boom (and Iaggo Boom)

Guild: KRETL

Secondary/other Character name(s): Jart Yryllyn, Binaca and several on other servers I occasionally visit.

How long is your typical gaming session? 5-6 hours

What does a typical gaming day consist of for you? Organizing junk, destroying fighters, running quests, killing things, RP and drama...not necessarily in that order or equal quantities.

II. Your Main Character

What is your highest character level in your game of choice? Jart is a CL 90 Jedi (and Iago will soon be 90)

How did you choose your main character's name? SWG's random name generator spit out something Bom (or something) then Iago something, so I combined the two.

What race and profession is your main character? Rodian Entertainer (Musician)/Smuggler's Alliance Pilot

What do you like the most about the profession you have chosen for your main character? Helping and entertaining others through game mechanics and socializing.

What faction is your main character? After almost four full years as an Imperial, Iago is now a Rebel.

III. Most/Least Favorites in SWG

(If these do not apply for your game of choice, please answer with the closest approximation for the game you play.)
What is your favorite player-owned ship? My KSE Firespray, the Sobrette. Why? People tell me it handles like a brick, but it feels right for my flying style.

What is your favorite ground vehicle? Probably my brackaset, Spock, or my AT-RT Why? I like the difference between being a short Rodian and riding a tall mount, and the AT-RT has sentimental value.

What is your favorite expansion? JTL Why? SWG wasn't complete without it. I love space.

What is your favorite planet? Mustafar Why? It's not very "iconic," but I love the quests, there.

Who is your favorite NPC? Tough one. Fett's the easy answer, but he's kinda boring. Watto was pretty amazing, when I first saw him. I like the guy in the Wayfar cantina that plays rock paper scissors for credits. Why? He actually plays rock paper scissors for credits...that's just sad.

Which expansion do you like the least? ROTW Why? I wasn't much of a pilot when it came out and there were a lot of things I couldn't get to because of it. It was frustrating, at the time, and, now, I haven't had time to get through the rest of it.

Which planet do you like the least? D-planets. Why? Dantooine is freakin' purple, it rains too much, it's full of creatures that kicked Iago's butt, before entertainers were non-aggro and the lag, there, used to be insane. Dathomir is hell for driving, it rains too much, it's full of things that like one-hitting entertainers (prior to the no-aggro). D-planets suck....and Naboo is too pretty and has Gungans, so it sucks, too.

What was your favorite Star Wars movie? ROTJ Why? I love the whole scene with the sail barges and the battle in Deathstar II is almost as good as the one in ANH. Ewoks are cool compared to Gungans.

Who was your favorite character? Crap. I'll go with Solo. Why? He, after a time, exemplifies a lot of qualities I admire, and still stays suave and roguish...and he ends up with the girl. He's a big part of much of the humor in the original trilogy.

Who was your least favorite character? Dooku. Why? Darth Tyranis? Really? Darth I-have-4-lines-and-they're-all-lame is more like it. Lucas really followed up Maul with this schmoe? Jar Jar was more entertaining.

What are the most credits you have ever spent on purchasing a single item for one of your characters? 9mil for my KSE, I think. Oh...I bought Bril an Ewok Hologram for a lot more than that. Gurg, keep that price to yourself.

Do you have an item you no longer use but keep around for nostalgic reasons? If so, what is it and why do you keep it? Most instruments are basically throw-aways, but I've had a few specially made for me and I keep them. Also, I stole Max Rebo's nalargon, back before SOE had a clue how to keep players off admin in Jabba's palace. I have 2 of them, I think. One is on my Yacht.

Describe your favorite period of Star Wars: Galaxies (Pre-CU, CU, NGE, etc.) and what you liked the most about it. CU. We ran gurk missions in large groups and everyone had a role that worked for them. 2 smugglers (including me) ran interference with stuns, the BH's and swordsmen tore through things, the combat medics and CH's pulled stuff, healers would heal and run for their lives....and we had a team that knew how to do its job. Now, everything's too easy and each profession is too versatile to have a role. Pre-CU was lame as far as combat goes. If a naked entertainer can solo tough areas with a doc buff, there was no point to even going out to do quests.

IV. Roleplay and MMO’s

What game brought you to Role Playing (RP)? SWG.

How did you get into Roleplaying? Blame Alonzo. He hired Acantho, Deuhe, Krinav, Pisces, Zyre and myself and The Kreetles were born. He forced me to register at Tales a long time before I started actually following it.

Have you played tabletop RP games before moving to MMO’s? If so, which ones? I believe I've played one session of D&D (some version or another) and Shadowrun. They were fun, but I never knew anyone into them enough to play again.

What other MMO’s have you played? I played about two weeks of EQ, two months of COH, two or three months of WoW, a month of Sims Online, a couple months of Anarchy Online and tried FFXI. Looking back at this list...the reason I tried most of these were females. I'm gonna have to ponder that.

What do you get out of playing your MMO of choice? Ummm...it's as close to living in Star Wars as I can get, right now, while spending time with good friends. Plus, once a Kreetle, always a Kreetle.

How would you “sell” roleplaying to someone that has never tried it before? What are the benefits? Hrmm...sell? I usually just grab the nearest RPer and attract some attention. Iari and I make a good team when doing this. Getting into an argument while tossing around some subtle humor usually gets people interested in RP. If it's entertaining to watch, imagine how much fun it is to be involved.

What was your favorite event or story arc? Well, I've not been directly involved in many. I enjoyed partaking in the space portion of Replicant Wars II, but the biggest role I've had was when Jerrel and Whar threw together the Slave Arc that drew together Temple, Nocturnus and TTF into a single event.

I convinced Yala and some of the other girls to act as Iago's slaves, so they could get into the slave auction (end game of the event) as buyers, which would position them well for the rescue that Iago was warned about. In the end, it was a great deal of fun crossed with some in depth RP and utter chaos.

How long have you been an RP’er? I'm not sure, really. There're too many ways to answer it, so I'll limit it to my MMO experience. I'd say I've been RPing since early 2004 - not long after The Crazy Roba began having regular events.

What do you like best about RP’ing? I can't answer this one. I can't not think as my character or react as he would. It's the only way to play.

What type of RP ‘role’ do you prefer portraying with your character? Troublemaker. Mayhem Artist? I like being a character with good intentions that isn't necessarily a hero or villain.

What kind of RP story arc would you most like to be a part of? I'm not picky. If Iago, Jart or Binaca have a role to fill, I'll do my best to fill it. If a role is optional, I have enough fun as an extra while on the sidelines. I tend to RP in conjunction with story arcs or around them, so they affect what is going on with my character, but I don't affect the arcs themselves.

What would you like to see more of when doing RP? Cooperation, Communication and cookies.

Which other community member do you like to RP with the most? Why? There are a few. Mainly ones that can play off my fast-paced, unplanned RP and have fun with it. People that can't roll with verbal punches will resort to violent RP. I can live with that, if they are doing it in conjunction with my RP, but the "I win" button is too easy with an entertainer making shots at you with only his wit to defend him.

Do you have any ideas for future RP story arcs that you would share? Arcs? We could make an arc around a missing hairbrush. As long as people are interested in taking part, the arc will be a success. Galaxy-spanning crusades against the darkest of evils don't make a story arc. Participation and fun are the key elements.

I think everyone involved enjoyed Oniss's Tales-post-only story arc about noodles. We, as a community, can be creative and have fun with whatever we choose to do.

Describe your best RP experience from playing Star Wars: Galaxies? Crap...why do all these questions involve me turning on my memory? The dang thing gets flustered when it's been asked too many questions and then it fails...horrendously when it's most needed. Tomorrow, when I'm asked to remember something important at work, and I respond, "False, because there are no bones in ice cream," you'll regret this...after you've stopped laughing.

I'd say all of my experiences with -ONE-, as Jart, were excellent. Things didn't always go as I wanted them to, but I enjoyed them and there were very few times when I wasn't impressed with the minds behind the characters I interacted with.

If you could give a new player one bit of advice based on your game experiences, what would it be?
Never hesitate to ask for help if you need it. You might get turned down, sometimes, but there is always someone willing to lend a hand. ...but don't be Burbo.

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Rinna/Rinna'
AVANT/KRETL
Doctor~Dancer~Kreetle With a Gun