Community Spotlight
March 13th, 2009 by Lord Basse

morgoth bauglir

It’s Friday the 13th, again; the second time this year actually, and there’ll be one more coming up this November. On this day of global bad luck that comes to everyone who believes in it, I bring you a light in the darkness; the latest Community Spotlight! The community spotlight is a feature in which I, Mr. Ought-to-be President Basse, have an interview with a chap or chapette from our community, and then I have you all read the lot I gather. Sounds marvelously interesting doesn’t it? “Most certainly”, I imagine you all saying.

Now, this month’s victim who has been tied to a chair and been fed with lard to admit his inner most secrets for your reading pleasure, is the chap to the right. You may question his appearance, but apparently what he’s wearing and the make-up he uses together make a traditional Estonian school uniform; including a blue, silvery top, neon orange shirt and various body paint, such as the red nose and the letters T and S. Who can this be then, pray tell? This chap is no less than our very own Prince of Spam, Most Active Forummer of 2008; morgoth bauglir!

Bold text: interviewer (Basse); regular text: victim (morgoth bauglir)

How’s life over in Estonia? Do you spend your lunch breaks hiding in the bushes, throwing pebbles at the Russian guards at the border?
morgoth bauglir: If only we had pebbles. We have resorted to throwing feces and our fingernails at them. Works remarkably well, I might add.

When did you start playing Age of Kings?
morgoth bauglir: I started playing AoK in 2000 I guess, right when it came out. Of course, I couldn’t be arsed to really DO anything until I found this delightful and active community. I once was quite the multiplayer, though. =D

Most people know you either for being the Prince of Spam in the forums, or for your many scenarios and campaigns in the Blacksmith. What with the game and/or the community based around is it that makes you continue designing for it?
morgoth bauglir: I guess it would be the best mixture between killing time and accomplishing something productive the AoK editor provides. It isn’t an insane commitment, yet it can be, if you catch my drift.

You’ve designed several rather big scenarios and campaigns for people to download, to name a few; the yet incomplete Huidin’s Belief series, and 2475 – The Birth of the Uruk-Hai, the latter which has received an award for Best Score in the Game of the Year Awards in 2008. Do you have any projects you’re working on currently?
morgoth bauglir: Yeah, I am working on Part III for the series, and it is going rather slow, but well and steady. One piece at a time. Designing Piece By Piece was a rather unorthodox experience for me, I guess, because of the volume of work I accomplished in such a little amount of time. I’ll be entering the cutscene/cinematic scenario too, which will have one of the cutscenes from Part III.

On the mod pack front, you’re known to be quite a conservative. Why do you prefer vanilla designing over modded designing?
morgoth bauglir: Because vanilla is vanilla, AoK, and that’s the game people play. For a different game experience, get a different game. Even with my recent affair with AoCh, which I reckon I like simply because how similar it is to the vanilla game, I’d rather not use mods.

Who’s your favourite designer?
morgoth bauglir: What, aside from me? Well, all the Ingos and Jerkers, of course, though I particularily like King Bob VI’s RISK scenarios. I am reworking the concept into something similar to be used in Part III.

What do you study? (could also include favourite subjects)
morgoth bauglir: History, politics, military. Such down-to-earth stuff. =D

Do you have any big interests, not including Age of Kings of breathing?
morgoth bauglir: Not really, aside from the three things mentioned above. I am just being lazy this point in my life, and I enjoy it.

What are your hopes and dreams for the future? (job of your dreams, travel around the globe, really anything)
morgoth bauglir: Like I said, I enjoy being lazy and commitment free at the moment, though my career path seems to go more and more towards and officers one. Whcih is especially why I’d like to make the most of it before. =D

Now, a couple of quick ones. Red or blue? (simply pick and answer)
morgoth bauglir: Blue. Damn commies >=(

Chocolate or crisps?
morgoth bauglir: Chocolate.

Antarctica or Sahara?
morgoth bauglir: Antarctica.

Tea or coffee? (Irish coffe not included)
morgoth bauglir: Coffee.

Rounding off the interview now, is there a game/band/scenario/film that you would like to recommend to the people reading this?
morgoth bauglir: Not really. My musical preferences you can update yourself with in the Music Thread. But I will use this opportunity to say I just got Empire: Total War though. Anyone want to lead ol’ Morgoth through it?