"This set of questions was compiled by Havoc. Interview starts below the line. Questions are in Bold, answers and other comments from the GM are unformatted. Hi, thanks for the questions. I'll try to answer them all as best I can, and thanks for supporting Sryth! No, I have no background in martial arts and haven't done any research into it. The descriptions of unarmed combat sequences and uses in Sryth are largely based on how I imagine an unarmed combatant would engage his or her enemies, and probably has little to do with how real martial artists function, etc. All the best, GM"@en . "Questions for the GM December 2007"@en . . "This set of questions was compiled by Havoc. Interview starts below the line. Questions are in Bold, answers and other comments from the GM are unformatted. Hi, thanks for the questions. I'll try to answer them all as best I can, and thanks for supporting Sryth! Two large game areas are currently being worked on behind the scenes: Fogbough Forest and Saarngard Isle. While working on them I'm sometimes not able to prepare new material to release for play. I will endeavour, however, to release more frequent content updates, even if they are smaller scnearios, while working behind the scenes on the larger pieces. I'm a computer hobbyist and a self-taught programmer, so thankfully the skills I needed to create and maintain the game I was able to learn my own. I've always had a passion for writing, and especially enjoyed creating RPG scenarios when my friends and I would play tabletop games. I was happy to be able to find a way to combine my interest in writing with my interest of computers! No, I have no background in martial arts and haven't done any research into it. The descriptions of unarmed combat sequences and uses in Sryth are largely based on how I imagine an unarmed combatant would engage his or her enemies, and probably has little to do with how real martial artists function, etc. Thanks for stirring my memory with regards to the The Seven Knight Statues! There were additional scenarios planned for them that never came to fruition. I think following some of the next major updates I will put them back on the list. The original intent was for the seven flawed knights to an adventurer and subsequently provide them with weapons and armour to outfit them for a series of tasks. Thanks for reminding me! Hudlark the Fox? I wouldn't be so eager to cross paths with the likes of him! Hudlark will also make a return, most likely after some of the next major updates. He hasn't forgotten your meddling in his affairs. My favourite character from a fantasy setting would have to be Frodo from the Lord of the Rings trilogy (as if we didn't know where he was from!). I've always felt the tranformation his character undergoes as the story progresses is particularly powerful, as his struggle, regardless of all that's going on around him, always seems to remain a very personal, though ultimately selfless one. Without question, Dungeons and Dragons was the largest influence on Sryth. My friends and I played the game for quite a few years and it was during that time I discovered just how much I liked creating fantasy settings and adventures. As far as computer games go, I would have to say that text adventures (particularly Beyond Zork, if anyone recalls it) were the biggest influences. The pre-generated characters are there to give a quick start up option to players who may not necessarily like to spend time creating a random character. The point made about the stats (Might, Agility, Aura, etc.) is a valid one, and down the road I think character stats will be allowed to rise above 20, with augmentation from items and other sources, providing extra bonuses at these higher levels. The skill bonuses, as you've noted, are based on the character's original stats and will likely remain that way, at least for the immediate future. The Adventurer's Ranking is caculated (at present) using 6 individual scores: Character Stats, Character Skills, Character Powers, Melee Rating, Stamina Points, and Gold. Each of the individual scores are weighted, earning character's progressively more overall points for powers and skills of higher levels. The next version of the ranking system will change the way it scores Gold and will add a category for adventure completion and success, making it the first category in the ranking that does not directly involve character statistics. I hope I've been able to answer all the questions, but please let me know if any clarification is required, or if I missed any questions. Thanks for asking the questions and thanks for supporting Sryth! All the best, GM"@en . . .