To make these meetups more understandable and to demystify their charm, I will be providing some insights into previous Argent Dawn meetups…
Starting off with my first one. This unforgettable experience took place in Birmingham, UK, organized by Tardon if my memory serves right. In 2007, as a young and adventurous soul, I found myself in the awe-inspiring position of shocking my dear mama with a declaration that I would embark on my solo maiden voyage abroad. To meet up with folk I had never met before. Pixel people. I don’t remember what I did to convince my parents, but miraculously, they let me go. (Not that they could’ve legally prevented me from going at that point, but I was still living with them, and this kind of stuff wasn’t common back then!)
I am relieved to report that I received excellent care from one of my fellow guild members, as they graciously saw me to the meetup and back. I don’t recall how many people there were exactly, but a lounge had been reserved for us at some gaming center. People mingled, some participated in LAN gaming, and on a big screen played a video featuring artwork submitted by many of the creative Argent Dawners. I myself distributed prints for individuals to jot down messages as keepsakes.
Had a great time overall, and also a wonderful tour around London before the meetup. It was exciting to meet a few of my vanilla guildies live, two of whom I’m in fact still in touch with! I was extremely lucky with the people I met back then, as they were such decent folk.