Dearest Barbarians,

Those of you who follow the GM Announcements topic in Discussions with Simutronics will have learned that I've officially taken over from Treveri as leader of the Guilds team. This is a bittersweet moment for me, for what I'd hope is obvious reasons. :)

On one hand, I've been offered the opportunity to head up a team of extraordinarily creative people, and in doing so to have a real input into the direction of Guilds development and therefore of the game as a whole -- something that makes me immensely proud and something I think I can do a really good job of, for everyone.

On the other hand, it means I have to leave the Barbarian Guild, my home for the last 4+ years.

The upside of that, of course, is that I provide myself the distinct pleasure of announcing that GM Talmiran is now, officially, the Guru of the Barbarian Guild. He has been operating as Acting Guru for many months now; he began steering the ship when Treveri first started grooming me up to take over Guilds, back before Simucon, and I know I'm leaving the Guild in exceptionally qualified hands in turning it over to Talmiran.

It's part of my Guilds job to encourage and support energetic development in the Guilds arena, and to ensure that Gurus are properly situated for their creative ideas to flow freely. Talmiran makes the job unbelievably easy for me; his vision for the Barbarian Guild is so clear and so perceptive of what you'll enjoy that I really just sit here nodding and saying, "That's awesome!!" I have no question in my mind that, under his leadership, the Guild will experience its most fulfilling development to date and that its history and culture will undergo something we could (probably a bit pretentiously, but what the heck!) call a Renaissance.

In short, I know you'll join me in celebrating Talmiran's official assumption of the helm of the Good Ship Barbarian. <lofts a half-eaten Gnome in the air> Trothfang bless her and all who sail in her!

Maelona Morlamgar
Guilds

P.S. I'd say soppy stuff like how much I'll miss you all, but I'm not actually going very far. Oh go on then. I'll really, really miss you, you bunch of hooligans. <snivel>