The NineMoons Interviews: DeSanggria

by PJ Punla http://geninemoons.blogspot.com

In this series of interviews, I’ll be spotlighting fellow Granado Espada players who keep the game going even when logged out by blogging about the New World.

How did the trend of putting blogging and Granado Espada together come about anyway? For me, it’s because of Regional Community Manager Hrin – her updates at the main site ge.iahgames.com/en/ sounded so friendly and welcoming – it was the perfect way to both keep the current players interested, and draw in new ones.

This first interview zeroes in on the GE blogger known in real life as Anne or Presea, and in-game as DeSanggria. She’s the unofficial GE cosplayer, having appeared at events as a fire elementalist and as Cite de Reboldoeux enhancer/RNPC Idge Imbrulia.

Anne as a fire elementalist - ToyCon 2007, 16 June.

On the left is Anne as Idge Imbrulia. Next to her is our friend and fellow GE player Ligaya, cosplaying as Brunie Etienne.

And so – the interview!

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PJ Punla: Can you tell us your in-game name, and/or your preferred nickname? [Just give us a name we can call you by during the rest of the interview.]
Anne: I’m known in-game as the DeSanggria family, but you can call me Anne (just to make it easier to remember..hehe).

Granado Espada-related questions:

PJ: What is your main server at present?
Anne: That’s a tricky question. I consider both Cervantes and Caravaggio my main servers primarily because I started playing in Cervantes since POBT and have built my characters there ever since. Currently, I also play in Caravaggio upon the prodding of my significant other; and I’m beginning to learn how to manage a team better as I started from scratch. I spend a lot of time on both servers primarily to get to know the players and the happenings as well as to get a feel on the political situation in these places.

PJ: Who are the members of your current main team? And who else is in your Barracks at present?
Anne:
My main team in Cervantes are the ff:
Alaena the Fighter
Cyradis the Scout
Verdandi the Elementalist

Other members in the DeSanggria barracks in Cervantes are:
Idge Imbrulia
Adelina Esperanza
Danae (Grace Bernelli)
Hitano (Soho)
Gracielo
Emilia Guliano

*Yep, my barracks is full to the brim. I plan to train all characters once I’ve managed to get the main team to Veteran status.

My main team in Caravaggio are the ff:
Raquim the Musketeer
Kahlil the Scout
Armeo the Elementalist

Other members in the DeSanggria barracks in Caravaggio are:
Cassiopeia the Wizard
Riza (Grace Bernelli)
Ehlana (Emilia the Sage)

*I’m planning to replace the Musketeer and Scout to Bernelli and Emilia the Sage simply because of their exceeding abilities in their class.

PJ: Do you have a faction? If yes, what is its name?
Anne: In Cervantes, I’m currently a member of the newly-formed ASA (All Star Alliance) Faction, which is a merger of the former power house of CARNAGE and Anonymous. In Caravaggio, I’m a member of AdeptasFraternas, which is also a result of the merging of Pinoy guilds PasawayProphecy and Unholy.

PJ: How did you hear about Granado Espada?
Anne: I work for the local distributor of the game, which is the reason why I was able to get a first hand info about it, even before it was publicly announced that GE will be brought to the Philippines.

PJ: What made you decide to start playing Granado Espada? And what keeps you playing it now?
Anne: Admittedly, I’m not a hardcore gamer. I do play games, but I’ve never played an MMOG in my life. When I learned about Granado Espada and did a bit of research on it, I was particularly fascinated with the background story. I’ve always been beguiled by history, particularly the Baroque/Victorian/Renaissance era, in which GE was practically based on. The game’s amazing artwork likewise won me over. So practically the “pretty” side of the game got me so interested that I wanted to experience what it’s like to play an MMOG. What keeps me motivated to play now more than ever is the rich story behind the game, which continues to evolve to his day, as well as the upcoming patches that will enable players to do more and be more in-game.

PJ: What aspect of the game do you like best?
Anne: As previously mentioned, I love the story behind GE. I was also intrigued with the MCC (multi character control) feature which is so unlike any other MMOG. The idea of controlling 3 characters similar to a console game is really amazing. There’s also the game graphics which was painstakingly created to bring to life the classic bygone era. Gameplay is also seamless, and I didn’t have a hard time learning the controls and all (though I’m still acquainting myself in how to micro-manage effectively, especially in crunch times in-game XD). Lastly, I never play GE without listening to its eclectic music! I love the way classical and techno music was fused to bring about a more compelling background music to the game.

PJ: Have you had any funny experiences related to Granado Espada, whether in-game or in real life?
Anne: There’s still this assumption among gamers that females rarely play MMOGs, and this is the reason why some of them assume that I’m a guy in-game. There are times that they call me ‘tol, pare, paps and other male monikers, though I’d always set them straight. But this is slowly beginning to change as more and more females start getting into GE. I generally find faction chats very funny, especially if you’re hanging out with a bunch of crazy, funny people. There are times where I’d laugh on end at a particular wacky discussion. Faction EBs tend to be a lot more fun as I get to meet the faces behind the jokes and crazy talks.

Blog-related questions:

PJ: What is the name / title of your Granado Espada blog?
Anne: Tres Mujer: DeSanggrias in Granado Espada

PJ: What is its URL?
Anne: http://desanggria.blogspot.com

PJ: When did you start keeping this GE blog?
Anne: I started this blog on the day of the game’s Pre-OBT, which was on May 17, 2007, initially in VOX.com. Then I moved the site to Blogspot since its customizations are more user and reader friendly.

PJ: Why do you blog about Granado Espada?
Anne: I blog about GE because there’s so much more to the game than the usual leveling and hack and slash environment that the game purports. I can get to be creative with the way I blog, either through a storytelling entry or a picture blog post (the poses and camera angles make it easier for me to capture a lot of great screenshots which I can use to tell stories).

PJ: What’s your blogging style like? What tone / voice / point of view do you use in your posts? How often do you prefer to blog?
Anne: I initially conceptualized my blog to chronicle the exploits of my characters in the game, similar to that of a fanfiction story. I already had a story in mind when I created the blog, which basically talked about Alaena, Cyradis & Verdandi’s first forays in the New World. But when I noted that I actually had a lot of readers looking in my blog, I decided to switch gears. I still do fanfic entries from time to time, but now I basically do reports on GE events (Colony Wars, offline events, etc.), features and news . I also experiment with entries, and one of these included a web comics as well as a fan poetry entry. I’ll be coming up with ways in providing diverse styles in blogging so as to keep the readers informed and entertained as well. Having said that, I prefer to blog (ideally) on a daily basis. But when work takes up the time, as much as possible I’d update my blog thrice a week.

PJ: How do you balance Granado Espada, blogging, and real life?
Anne: I guess balancing everything boils down to proper time management. I have skidded from that idea from time to time, but now I’m prioritizing things. As much as I love GE, I still prioritize my real life commitments (such as work & graduate studies). I guess working for GE’s distributors adds as a perk because at least I can play the game in the office (hehe), which also counts as part of the job. Blogging comes as natural as playing the game because I’d like to devote as much time to blogging as I do playing the game.

Freedom wall: message to readers, shout-outs to friends, general fun ^^
Anne: First of all, thank you, NineMoons for this fun interview! I’d like to greet all my new-found friends in ASA and AdeptasFraternas Factions! Special shoutouts to ASA’s leader HeavensFence as well as to Esteveste and Anima. Hi to the AF boys Hudiciaro, Pinkzy, Feitan, Crysal, Friema,˙™ , Riskbearer, beedee and the entire AF family and PasawayProphecy peepz Kupz and Kerigan. Hello as well to my first faction mates in Cervantes: Estradz, Seighart, Overseer, Infernalz, Cz °Overdose, AquinoYap, Panadero, Arcleaumont, Hawksmoor, Ogasawara, Stormrage and the rest of the CARNAGE peepz (once a CARNAGE, always a CARNAGE!!!!). Of course, shout outs as well to my cosplay friends in GE: Majeure, Lucido, SiegeVelentine and ßeoulve; kudos to my GE blogger friends Reclusion, Alex Crosse, Lothlorien, Leoz, Gyl & Mena. Most of all, hello to my better half and faction leader in AF, Welling (love you loads! ^_^).

And to everyone else in Granado Espada, cheers to you all! See you in the New World!

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Thanks to Anne for giving us these wonderful responses! Everyone please drop by her GE blog for lots of fun!

I’ve got several other local GE bloggers in mind for the next interviews. If you’re a GE blogger or know a GE blogger whom you’d like to see featured in this space, please drop me a line at hisuifox AT gmail DOT com. You can also send me your feedback and comments there.