DAoC Roundtable 2006 gives community the chance to shine, ask questions and have some fun
By Michael Lafferty

Las Vegas event sparkles with RA Salvatore as guest speaker while providing a glimpse at the next expansion

One of the very things that has given Dark Age of Camelot its longevity and made for an entertaining massively multiplayer online gaming experience was very evident the past weekend at The Rio in Las Vegas.

It went by the name of the DAoC Roundtable 2006, and was a fan-based event featuring a terrific guest speaker, games and other competitions, as well as a look at the next expansion for the Mythic/EA title. It was also somewhat of a milestone in that Mythic is celebrating its fifth anniversary for DAoC.

Nvidia was on hand to give away screaming 7800 video cards, and there were some Creative sound cards awarded as well. The winner of the costume contest, a man in an Unbrood warrior costume (complete with stilted legs and bat-type wings) strutted off with a brand new PC for the costume contest, and there were subscription certificates also handed out.

DAoC participants spanned the spectrum, from young children to great grandmothers, from those celebrating their honeymoon together to a couple celebrating their 25^th wedding anniversary. The two-day event kicked off Friday with registration, a welcome message and a few contests, but the meat of the event was Saturday. After a quick welcome message, the stage was turned over to renowned fantasy author RA Salvatore, who regaled the audience with tales of his playing days as well as touching on his fantasy novels.

Salvatore started writing in 1988 and has since had15 million copies of his novels sold in 14 different languages. He created the immensely popular drow ranger, Drizzt Do’Urden, and his other characters have been known to have cult followings of their own. Jump into a fantasy game and you will likely see variations on the names of Catti-Brie or Wulfgar or Bruenor Battlehammer, just to mention a few.

He began his address with a simple statement. “My name is Bob and I’m a gamer geek, and I have been for 26 years.”

A few in the crowd replied, “Hi Bob.” 

His love of fantasy began at the age of 19 with J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. After that he changed his college major from mathematics to technical writing. But, as things sometimes do, he wound up working in a plastic recycling plant and as a bouncer at a club. Then he started to write, and game.

“I love gaming,” he said. “When I first started my writing, I found my creative outlet as a DM in Dungeons & Dragons.” Eventually he was guided to Ultima Online but the third-person view did not suit his craving. Then along came EverQuest, and he was hooked. He has played Dark Age of Camelot, and has tried other games. One of his more recent endeavors is a partnership with Curt Schilling and Todd McFarlane as Green Monster Games. But he does not view his role in this trio of huge talent as the author of a fantasy MMO.

Looking solemnly at the crowd he stated, “You are the authors of an MMO. Mythic is not the author of Dark Age, they are the creators of a world and you are the author.”

Thanks, in part, to MMOs, Salvatore says the world has changed, “and I think for the better. This is virtual; no, it’s not real … this is friendship, this is new media.” Again, eyeing the crowd, “thank you for creating the best communities in the world.”

As for his experience in Dark Age of Camelot. “I went to Dark Age, had a great time, but I’m not a PvPer. I suck.”

Asked what he thought the foundations of a good MMO should be, Salvatore said:

“Components for casual gaming; a good MMO will have content for solo, group and raid; a good MMO will have questions you can do fast but can lead you down a path; a good MMO should have vivid colors and good music; a good MMO should have places you want to be, not the place you are.” In his own case of writing quests and other content, he said “people aren’t there to read my book; they are there to write their own.”

After his address, DAoC producer Walt Yarbrough took over to provide a glimpse at what is in store for players with the Labyrinth of the Minotaur expansion.

The expansion will feature the minotaurs as a playable race and a new class, the mauler. Champion levels 6-10 will become available, and a mythical slot will be added as well. The minotaur relic system will allow for an enhanced RvR (realm versus realm) experience, with relics obtained by players in the RvR zones requiring player kills to be fed. Players holding the relics will also appear on the zone maps so that combatants from other realms can find them easier. And, of course, there will be a new dungeon as well.

The minotaur capitol was Agramon, which was built both above and below ground. The underground area will feature the labyrinth, with an array of monsters and bosses. (And up front it was explained there would be no female minotaur and no udders.) While the emphasis for the race will be melee, magic can also be wielded.

The mauler class will need to be unlocked, and to unlock (at least at this stage) it is likely that players will have to complete world quests, and capture minotaur relics (there will be 23 in all). The relics will have a buff gating system with gate one pertaining to single-player buffs, gate two will encompass group buffs and gate three will be aural buffs.

Those gathered at the event got the chance to offer opinions at breakout sessions, and listen to a breakdown of what the expansion will mean to the current game.

The day’s events done, it was time to don costumes, play a Family Feud-style game based on DAoC (and a 100,000 Plat Pyramid game) and watch video entries for DAoC’s biggest fan.

DAoC Roundtable 2006 will be marked by laughter, a gathering of a great community of players, and the continued evolution of the game. Not a bad way to spend a weekend.

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