Memories of Paul for the Service

#1

Gauntlet –

Due to logistics reasons, I’ve been asked by @RichRogers to speak as much as I can about Paul’s gaming life at the ceremony – which is 3/30 @ 3 PM Eastern.

I can talk about Camp Nerdly forever, and Paul’s impact on our community and culture. That’s … easy isn’t the right word, but straightforward. He was a major influence on us, and very much for the better.

I’m not really part of the Gauntlet Community. For reasons that don’t really matter here. I’d like to make sure I honor his contributions and presence here. What I’ve got from @shane is:

  • The sound editing thing is no small feat nor small impact. People regularly comment that the sound quality of the podcasts was extremely high and for some they were they only gaming podcasts they listened to due to the quality differentiation.
  • One thing related to the audio stuff is that on the two occasions I was on the podcast when we started we would clap three times. (Clap for Paul) so that he could properly sync the audio. (Feel free to make use of that.)

If there are any other memories of Paul you’d like me to talk about there, please list them here or through PM.

I absolutely plan to make use of the three claps for Paul.

–William

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#2

One of the scenes that I hold very close to my heart was in a game of Dialect - which is a game about exploring the language of a community as it changes, and later dies out. Paul was in that game with me, and in it he led a scene where we were exploring our tribe’s word for “death”. Paul’s thoughtfulness about the word, sounds, and etymology was really quite profound, and I remember being sort of entranced by the whole process we were going through. It is a gaming experience that still gives me very pleasant chills when I think about it, over a year later.

The word Paul came up with was “Tzon” (rhymes approximately with “tone”), and it involved sounds that were grounding in the earth below, and tones that involved floating straight up and above.

Jaji, our artist and poet, is there now, humming a somber and improvisational tune, while the rest of us are intoning the word in the background, slowly and thoughtfully. “Tzon… Tzon… Tzon…”

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#3

Thank you. That is very much exactly what I … wanted isn’t quite the right word. Hoped for?

Something like that. In any event: thank you.

Do you mind if I share this with the family?

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#4

Paul and I got to hang out face-to-face at a couple Camp Nerdly’s, and I treasure that time we spent together:

At our first Nerdly, he ran the best game of Dread I ever played. We played woodland animals trying to escape a forest fire, we were all trying so very hard to survive, pulling for each other as he portrayed the relentless fire and Mother Nature. It was thrilling and heartbreaking.

At another Nerdly, Paul ran Ten Candles in a lone cabin in the middle of the woods. With nothing but those ten candles burning. The game lasted almost three hours, and he never wavered, never broke character, pushed every moment harder. The aliens invaded earth and one by one, every character died. It was one of the most intense games I’ve ever experienced.

It’s hard to imagine a world without my buddy Paul. I’m so thankful for the time we spent together. I miss him already.

(and yes, you can share this. Please do)

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#5

Please feel free! It’d be my honor to have that shared.

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#6

The service was wonderful.

I told your stories, and Camp Nerdly stories. And finished with Clap Three Times for Paul.

Thank you all.

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