Llama (no that mini) interview: Sir Stile Teckel

It's been a long time since I updated this site with a new interview, but I wish to add today to my particular "Hall of Fame" to Sir Stile Teckel, noble warrant of the Order of New Britain Empire (ONBE), dugeon master of thecaverns.net, where Lord Baldrith, first member of my Hall of Fame, share his voice in the podcasts. Well, a nice guy.

So, welcome to the new season of the llama mini inverviews!

Q: First of all, can you introduce yourself and speak a little bit (well, or a lot, as you wish) about the work in thecaverns.net?

A: Thecaverns.net has become so large as a community and so much beyond what I had ever envionsed that to cover it fully would take a very long time. So I'll just cover a few areas. Thecaverns.net started out so I could talk to myself. Seriously, it's really what I thought I was doing! 

Ok so I knew Shroud would be a game I would become serious about. I decided I would skip to the chase and run a guild. I decided they needed a web page.. but it would be a LONG time before the game came out, a whole year! Keep in mind this was day 1 Kickstater.

So, I decided to make a guild web site and a blog on the same domain, so i Could use the guild portion in the future and have something to work on now... and I could ramble about the game on my Blog! Id been following Richard for a couple of years anyway, might as well put all that stalking material to use, eh?

I found this pic in thecaverns, and I just needed to share it.

Little did I know that I would reach a point one day where The Caverns was a community in its own right, who has at one branch or another worked with hundreds of people, potentially over a thousand! That I helped start something like that is many things to different people. 

For me its just outright humbling. I don't know why, but that is how it always makes me feel. Being asked to do this interview? humbling. As of right now I have published 2133 posts on thecaverns.net. Just the blog site mind you! The majority of those have been done by myself starting since the first day of kickstarter. 

Additionally its a maze of data with over 157 published pages of information on the site. I have tables with links to almost every guild website and resource related to Shroud of the Avatar that can be found on the internet. 

I maintain it all soley as for some reason its hard to find help with that sort of stuff *scratches head*. Yes *tears running down his cheeks* if anyone wants to help maintain any section or sections of the site, or help publish any type of article now and then.. truly they need but contact me... *coughs and snorts down some mucus grossly, clears throat and continues*.. I'll train them if needed.. I have references!

It has given me the opportunity to work on an amazing range of projects. Have helped with to many in the background or that I started off and passed onto someone else who does a MUCH better job than I, to even count at this point. I had to make a flowchart a while back because I couldn't even keep track of what I had done any more and I am sure it's not complete.

Here's a copy if you want it. Its not up to date mind you:

Other projects I stay involved in and continue to be involved in so much as I can be, although some such as NBTT and Echoes are almost completely ran without me now and me kind of being more of a silent partner that will jump in whenever i'm needed happily and willingly, but grateful that people more skilled then I carry the day to day tasks of making it more than I could.

If it was not for the support and help I receive from this community I would have promoted myself to ineptitude a long time ago. Instead I somehow still manage, although sometimes barely, to continue to offer something of worth (I hope) to the community on what is nearing 3 years. 

To me thats what thecaverns.net is most about. The power and support of what can be accomplished by a group of people working together. Yet still be allowed to completely be their own person and have their own independence. 

I am not sure how it works, it does, so I try not to figure it out so I don't break it.

Q: Do you have any recent project?

A: This is a trick question isn't it? (Llama note: he got it!) *looks around*. I'm talking Aren't I?

The biggest project in my life right now isn't related to Shroud but stems from it in some ways. I am running a business that is an online internet retail store selling just about everything Medieval. It's a project I gained the confidence to tackle in my financial life because of the support and success of my projects from Shroud of the Avatar and the support the community give. 

* Creature still not in game *

More related to what you will care more about though. Honestly I have not had a lot of projects in quite some time that I am spearheading myself. Instead my focus has been maintaining the work I do solo, providing support roles to existing areas, and being a sort of catch all support role and idea man for new projects that other people I work with will manage.

It allows me to spend less time on projects but offer the skills I am best at or that are needed the most because no one else can fill them. I have most likely completed a few small projects recently but none jump to mind at the moment. 

I have been trying to show more love to my Patreon's as their support of offering me payment to help cover my operating expense is invaluable. I have been doing some random drawings and giveaway sort of things. Swag is always a good fall back, right?

Multiple items of power can be seek in thecaverns. Support it!

Q: Ey, I need a rock singer for a video about Novia, do you have any in your pocket?

A: Yes, I actually do. How much you paying? *chuckles*. I know some people that can certainly do that. I am guessing your looking for a community member that would be interested in doing it for free and fun. 

That becomes a question of they would love to if they have the time, but most of those people tend to live some pretty harsh lifestyles to be able to create with their art. Multiple jobs, long hours, making pocket change as an hourly rate for the hours they put in and that sort of thing. So it can sometimes be tough to wrangle them up for that sort of thing.

I would need to know a bit more exactly on what your looking for but rock sing my first thought would be Dom John. Not only that you get that young pretty boy look you know? He obviously does a little bit of lifting as have you seen the guns on him? Some charisma to go along with it, and if you need him to he can give you tip son how to make the video. Hard to go wrong with him in your corner especially if there's women in your target audience.

Will be have more Llama music after the awful Rain of Old Britain? (here the Baldrith more decent version)

Ember Isolte is pretty versatile and sometimes has some periods of times where she is looking for a good project to dive into. Lot of experience comes with her as well! Dan Span or Sharm are also great singers but may not fit what you're looking for. 

I'm more then willing to provide an introduction for you to one of them. I hung out with Derek Dick of Fish and drank beers with him in a bar once. Doubt that will help though.

Q: Where was your love for SotA born?

A: I've been playing Richard's games for almost as long as he has been making them. Spent 7 years in Britannia on UO and had a good time. Said farewell and thanks for the good times when my daughter was born. She's older, I need a game. I'm sick and tired of themepark games made from cookie cutters. So here I am!

Ultima Online, a game with terrible monsters and creatures!

Q: Which aspects of this game are you most interested? How do you think they are evolving through releases?

A: All of them. Seriously, that's WHAT I like about games like this. The ability to spend hours upon hours day after day doing something I am having fun doing. As it becomes less fun I can move over to something else and do it instead. It's fresh, it's fun, it's new. Eventually I can go back to things I once did picking up where I left off and they are fun and fresh again. 

I'm not wasting time as the work I do on one thing or one character, in turns provides for another and builds into something epic eventually. It's about the journey, the ability to be a fisher one day, a tame the next, a house decorator the following, a merchant for a while, a pirate for.. no wait, scratch that, I meant and then go to the bar. 

I love it all and I get into it all eventually! It may be a long time until I learn to PvP. Certainly does not mean I do not enjoy it or won't become good at it some day! Maybe it's archery I explore last a long way down the road, but when i do take it on it will be great!

What I can see of their evolving through the releases is that they are building a fantastic foundation for a vast sandbox based world in which you have a multitude of ways to play. Love it!

Famous Matrix scene, where Neo grab the flaming new z-phone of thecaverns.

Q: In this point of the interview I always ask to my victim to say something good about this purple site. Since Sir Teckel already wrote some really nice and touching words when I was closing this place, and he even offered me a corner in his community, I will paste here some of the sincere things that he sent me about my wonderful, magnificent chronicles:

A: I saw that you are going to stop running your site. I am sorry to hear that! If you change your mind and if there is anything I can do please don't hesitate to let me know. Promotion or what not.

I think you offer something no one else does. A comic approach to things but also with creativity and sometimes covering important things. Sometimes your stuff reminds me of South Park a bit in the in your face way it tosses out a important topic but with humor, and why is this such a big deal? I certainly cant do it. My "vibe" or "feel" is to well established. Lori's new thing is fun, but its limited to games. (Note of the llama: Lori site sadly closed). 

I will be honest in that i dont closely follow all your work. Not because i dont want to but because i have to follow so much i split the time up and i sort of go for cliff notes :) But i have seen enough to know it'll be a loss to the community!!

Dramatization of a sappy and sad Teckel.

Long live the purple vortex teleporting adventuring comic genius sexy and charismatic Lama!!! In whatever paths he follows that are best for him, and may past endeavors rest in peace and remembered with appreciation by all!

Damn.. Thats all a bit to sappy.... We need a diagram with math charts on how much beers purple llama can store!

Q: If you were a crazy animal, which animal will you be?

A: Well if I am going straight up animal it would be a Long haired Dachshund. Damned find animal and anyone that has ever had one and that cared for it, spent time with it, nurtured it, would see how amazing of a personality they have. I've had many dogs and cats in my life, and they are something a bit of their own, although not the certainly breed I'd call a bit unique. On the other hand they are stubborn things.

Crazy animal? Id go curly haired Dachshunds. They are the clowns always wanting attention :)

Last note: The introduction text of The Chronicles of the Vortex Lama was also narrated in thecavers.