Profile
- Name: Steven Claes
- In-game Name: Vazquez Montana, Dark Elf Inquisitor
- age: 25
- City: Stekene, Belgium
- guild name: Truewatch ( www.truewatch.co.uk )
Steven, you and your guild had a RL guild meeting. How did that go?
Meeting fellow Watchers that I have known for years now, finally placing a face to the names, it was great. It was a lot of work getting them together, but in the 4 days we had together, we really came even closer then we already were.
Who came up with the idea of having a RL guild meeting?
I did and I tell everybody it was for a selfish reason. I am too lazy to go over and visit all the others, so I made them all come over to me. *grins* No, I came up with the idea because I wanted Truewatch to be more than just an online group of friends, just like I did when I met people from my old EQ1 guild "Ebon Army" and that memory was awesome. So I just wanted to get that feeling again, but now to an exponential degree.
Who organized the guild meeting?
My girlfriend and I, we did it all. My girlfriend really understands the bonds I made with the people of Truewatch so she was happy to help me achieve my goal, meeting with the Watchers. For instance: she found the place where we slept, a nice 19th Century Castle that used to be owned by a big industrial businessman. So here and now, I want to say thanks to her for the support and help she gave me.
Where and when did the guild meeting happen?
The Truewatch Dreamworld Moot took place on the last weekend of July, it started on Thursday 26 and ended on Sunday 29th of July. I booked a 19th Century castle in the city of Lokeren, in Belgium. I tried to find a place that was cheap in costs, so everybody could afford to come, yet was also very appealing towards the Spirit of Truewatchers. So I think a Castle was very fitting, and they all loved it. Inside we had to take off our shoes so the authentic hardwood floor wasn't damaged. Everybody fell in love with the place the moment they laid eyes on it.
How many people attended the meeting?
In total there were 21 Truewatchers who attended and two travel companions.
Where are you guys coming from?
Most people came from Belgium's neighboring countries: the Netherlands, England, Scotland, Luxembourg. However, some made a very long trip to join us. We had somebody who came over from Moscow, Russia. Our Guildleader came all the way from the United States. And four ladies came from down-under, Australia. So it really was an international meeting.
What did you guys do?
A lot! Thursday everybody arrived so we just went out for some typical Belgian Fries. Later that night I organized a Quiz. It had over 60 questions and different themes: Everquest, Belgium, random facts and even a 'Guess This Game' musically themed quiz.
On Friday we went to Belgium's famous harbor city Antwerp. We took a special tourbus around the city. After Antwerp we went to my birthtown Temse. I have some good friends that have a nice restaurant and the prepared us some very nice dishes. Again, a typical Belgian food was on the menu, Stoofvlees (that’s a typical Flemish Carbonades with meat and a brown beer sauce). When we got back at the castle we ended the night with an amusing evening of Pictionary Everquest Style.
On Saturday we went to Bruges or the Venice of the North like they say. That was a very busy day because I asked a friend, Sofie, to guide us through the city. She graduated with a degree in Tourism, so she knows all the big and interesting places in the world, and of course Belgium. She took us through the city and into the Chocolate Museum, Lace Museum and we ended our day with a nice meal at Bruges oldest tavern, built in 1550. The whole day she spoke of all kinds of Lore and Legends of Bruges. It was super but we were all tired by the end of the day.
Then... we had a real Truewatch moment. We missed our train, which was the last direct train to Lokeren. So we had a detour and got back an hour later at the castle than intended. We ended that day with a Costume Contest, which was super. Some people had put a lot of work into their costumes to look like their Everquest character.
On Sunday we smiled, hugged, and said goodbye to everybody with many tears and laughs.
What was your most memorable moment during the guild meeting?
I have two memorable moments. The first one is seeing everybody for the first time. It lasted the whole of Thursday for me. We were like a bunch of schoolkids yelling and screaming towards each other, dancing in circles. Its was just fun and none of us could believe it was really happening.
The second moment is actually an item. I had brought a journal for everyone to write something in about the meeting. It is something I will read in a couple years again and it will bring all the memories back like they were yesterday.
Are you guys planning on doing another guild meeting again?
Yes, plans are already been made to make sure it won't be the last.
What guild level are you guys, and on what server are you playing?
Truewatch is a level 60 guild with 350+ members on the Splitpaw server. We are a family guild with strong Roleplaying roots. That means we Roleplay and have fun, we aren't a 100% Raiding Guild, though we do raid at least once a week. We generally get online simply to have a great time together.
Where people like how you pictured them before in-game, or were some of them completely different?
Yes, totally. Of course you could see the raw corners of the people but most people were the same in real life as online. That probably because some of us have known each other for over two years now. So you kinda know how they would react in certain situations. The only suprise that might have happened was one of the nice ladies online happened to be a big Sir in real life!
Thank you for the interview! You guys seem to had a great time and did a fantastic job pulling everything together!
Thank you - you are more than welcome.