“Don’t just play GE - *live* GE.”

The title quote is, of course, from none other than sGE’s beloved Community Manager Hrin. Also expressed as “Just Own It!” [see her Chinese New Year post], it’s a call to action that applies equally well to both the myriad adventurers that we play within the game world, and the actual people that we are outside of it.

And just in time for POBT [beginning 15 May / 17 May - don’t forget!], here I come with this month’s article, geared specifically for the “living” part of CM Hrin’s quote.

Today I’ll be talking about what might be called the main themes of Granado Espada, not only from the standpoint of the player-character but also from that of the actual player who sits in front of the computer monitor.

There may be many reasons why we all play Granado Espada, but I’m willing to bet that the three things I single out will be high on your list of reasons, too.

1. Obtain all of the Recruitable Non-Player Characters [RNPCs].

We each have our favorite RNPCs: mine are Panfilo de Narvaez and, should I be able to afford her, the Sage version of Emilia Giannino [available in the Item Mall]; for Hrin they’re Andre Janzur, and Catherine the Summoner. A friend of mine actually managed to assemble a team of Scout, Claude Baudez, *and* Jose Cortasar! And other favorites might well include Adelina Esperanza and Grace Bernelli.

But while I have my favorites, I also would like to collect every single one of the RNPCs - it’s not unlike a game of Pokemon for me.

Perhaps I’m addicted to the questing [though the duels are hella hard].

Perhaps it’s the satisfaction of seeing the names on this list checked off, one by one, as my family meets them, talks with them, works for them, in some cases fights them - and eventually recruits them, of course.

And perhaps it’s the fact that they gradually warm up to my family and get to talking about themselves.

How do YOU feel about collecting the RNPCs?

2. Unlock the complete history of Granado Espada.

Those of you who follow this column are already pretty familiar with the brief history of Granado Espada; this lays the foundation for the tumultuous backdrop against which the game unfolds.

But that’s a necessarily brief introduction, because, after all, why spoil the players’ enjoyment of the story? Better to allow them to experience that history for themselves, as they adventure through the brave and perilous New World.

This actually ties in with Reason 1, above - one of the ways to reveal Granado Espada’s history and background story is to talk with NPCs, whether of the recruitable kind, or not. [Examples of the latter would be Nunez and Lyndon of the Office of Pioneering Support.] As you engage them in dialogue, they begin to tell you their stories, which of necessity include what they have found out about both the Old World of Orpesia, and the New World of Granado Espada.

The case in point here would be Grace Bernelli - if you can get her to join your family, she unspools the story of her life, the recent history of Old World nations Vespanola and Brestia, and even tells you her motivations for coming to the New World as a pioneer.

Unlocking the tales of both Old and New worlds might even help your family make the choice as to which storyline group to support.

3. Help a chosen storyline faction to achieve victory.

Of course, choosing whether to be Royalists or Republicans means your family, too, now has to take part in the conflict between these two opposing groups. And that leads us to this third theme. The war between the two forms a vital part of Version 2.0 and has been touted to be a showcase part of the Pre-Open Beta Phase and onwards.

While no one knows what will happen as the conflict goes on - or indeed whether it will even be settled - it simply means that yet another aspect of the game and its interior storyline has been opened to player exploration.

One might hope that Granado Espada comes under full rule from Vespanola; or desire for the New World to be completely independent from the Old. It just means that the story has gotten deeper, more meaningful, and much more interesting - and that, we all know - makes all the players of the game winners.

Putting together these three connected themes opens the door to one’s greater enjoyment of both the MMORPG called Granado Espada, and the world within that game that also goes by the name of Granado Espada, and leads to a better appreciation of the game, of the work that went into developing it, and of the lessons that one might yet learn from one’s understanding of it.