In last week’s issue of the Ledger, we gave you a preview of what we’ve been calling, ‘The Village Build.’ So now it’s time to highlight the other half of that same build, and show off the many spooky wonders and festively ghoulish delights that you can expect for Halloween this year in V&H.
The Otter artists have been hard at work, designing and creating, not just one or two, but SIX new costumes that will surely have many of you oohing and ahhing, and eager to strut, or hobble as the case may be, all around the Seven Realms in your glorious new attire.

New costumes include:

• Captain Dreadbeard’s Outfit – in item shop
• Blood Witch Outfit – event zone only

• Cobalt Dragon Outfit – in item shop
• Lava Dragon Outfit – in item shop
• Ice Angel Outfit – event zone only
• Nijarra Dragon Outfit – event zone only

And unlike previous events, last year’s outfits will still be available to collect this year in Spooky Town: Dark Otter, Pumpkin Witch, and Angel of Royalty. The zone has been refactored to allow players to choose whether they want to work towards a new outfit or an old one, with the old ones being significantly easier to collect than the new. Players can choose to work towards one, or all six. The choice is entirely yours!

Spooky Druda and her evil fiends look forward to seeing you all very soon!

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Player: Greenpuppy
Position: Moderator
Server: US 2
Class: Wizard

Though Greenpuppy might be a relatively new addition to the mod team, this remarkable guy is an old soul. Laidback and savvy, diligent and generous, GP’s sharp mind and wry sense of humor, not to mention his very amiable personality, have added much to our team. US 2 players likely have an inkling of what I’m talking about, but now it’s time for the rest of you to get to know him, too!

For the benefit of those who might be curious, can you paint for us a picture please, of what life as a game moderator is like? Give us the real scoop, all the nitty gritty if you don’t mind! I think it’s kind of like being a crossing guard, but without the cool flag. It’s really not very exciting, and tests your typing skills and attention to detail (wrong chats are fun for moderators too). The worst part is realizing how many answers I don’t know, esp. when it’s about quests and such that I have already done. The nitty gritty? The Otters aren’t really mad… well, not usually, but an Otter fit is not pretty to see!

What other computer games are you currently a fan of? What games in the past were you a devoted player of and why? I never played many games on the computer, was more of a console gamer until I broke my leg one summer and was stuck in a cast for six weeks. A friend introduced me to Runescape, and that was great fun exploring a new world and meeting players from all over the world. It was, as the developers like to say, very immersive, and I played that long after I got out of my cast.

If you could bring back one fad from the past, what would it be? Which fad do you hope will stay gone forever? Why? A fad hmmm, I can’t even think of many. I am a bit oblivious to those kinds of things I think… I remember Pet Rocks, those would be good to have back since I know that is all some people really should have as a pet! Fad I don’t want to see again: spandex. From what I see in V&H though, there might be a game developer hoping that makes a comeback.

Which aspects to you love most about playing a Wizard? Which aspects would you like to see improved? I love to set things on FIRE HAHAHA! I want a single devastating hit, for huge damage, maybe a flamethrower animation too. You can’t have too much fire. Other improvements include tweaking (or trashing) invisibility and arcane dash, and PANTS!

If you could create an Event Zone for Villagers & Heroes, what would it look like? Theme? Monsters? A particular holiday or season? Maybe an underwater zone, but I still need to be able to set things on fire! Monsters could include sea monsters, squids, sharks, and drowned versions of any mob. I would like to see an elder that requires all four classes to defeat and an event zone might work for that since it would not be a required kill to advance storyline or quests.

If you could bring one fictional character to life from a book or film, etc., who would it be and why?Ender from Orson Scott Card’s “Ender’s Game” (and the rest of the books in the series). He always knows exactly the perfect thing to say, is a great leader, and if giant bugs try to take over the world, he will kill them all.

Why did you choose the name, ‘Greenpuppy?’ Any special significance or history behind it? It was straight from the random name generator in my head. Though I think there was something green and a puppy in the room at the time I came up with it.

Halloween is coming up, which makes us think about things that go bump in the night. When you were a child, what was your biggest fear or thing that scared you the most? I was not a very nervous child, but did enjoy letting my imagination run away with me after watching movies. I remember seeing The Body Snatchers on TV once and when my brother told me there was a pod growing in the bathtub, I avoided that bathroom at night for awhile, just in case.

Pets have recently been added to V&H. Which creature in the game would you most like to have as a pet? A Brindle with a BRA banner might be fun, and since they are blind, they could kind of wander away instead of following you.

If your house was burning and you could only save one item, what would it be and why? Who thinks up these questions? At least you aren’t asking me what item I want to be, I guess… Uh, maybe the toaster. I know that sounds strange, but I inherited this toaster. It was made in 1957 and still makes a mean piece of toast. They don’t make them like this anymore! It might survive a fire anyway, it’s a tank.

A fantastic, server-wide event was held this week on the forums. Lillita, of EU 1, who adores cooking in real life, and who also shines in all creative endeavors, like making books, came up with the wonderful idea of hosting a cooking event! Not only did she ask participants to write out their own recipes using V&H ingredients, but then further required that they write a brief story about their menus. But that’s not all! Lillita then took all of the submitted recipes and put them together in a book titled, ‘The Master Chefs of Villagers & Heroes,’ which can be found on her website: http://anyflip.com/jzew/yokw Or you can also visit our forums here, to read all of the amazing submissions.

Congratulations to the following winners:

First Place = Master Chef Avenian (US 1)
Second Place = Master Chef Puzzler (US 1)
Third Place = Master Chef Wait (US 1)

And here is Avenian’s winning submission:

Tired of the daily grind? Are pies just not doing it for you anymore?

Then come on down to Avenian’s Naked Café and Beach Hut.

This week’s Threesome Special includes:

Entrée: Mile High Club Sandwich
Our Mile High Club includes plump tomatoes, succulent large savory bacon, and luscious crispy lettuce. Those delectable ingredients are stacked between tender wheat bread, from our food vendor in Ardent, with our mouth-watering sexy and saucy sugardew mayonnaise spread smoothly upon your buns.

Side: Sultry Spinach Salad
Straight from Ave’s Secret Garden, these ingredients are softly bathed in rose pedal infused Zharim Spring Water. Your senses will be pleasurably overloaded as our spinach and radicchio mixture is topped with exotic red and yellow peppers, tantalizing raspberries and currants, and topped with our very own Luscious Celestria’s Lace Dressing.

Dessert: Flaming Chocolate Dip Strawberries
This seasonal afternoon delight starts with our very limited chocolate supplies from Sugarsweet Summit. Imagine lush strawberries sensuously removed from our gardens, and then dip gently into creamy smooth chocolate. We gingerly add a hint of Raspberry Pinot before our Fiery Fire Wizard, Madame X, creates that flame that will ignite your taste buds.

Drinks: Hidden Grotto – a unique blend of the various berries throughout the land
Moonlight Glow – a Tropapple and Subterra Citrus mixture that will have you glowing

Traven Sunset – a blend of iced passion fruit and oranges with a hint of lime

The History

After fun filled days and nights of hunting, sneaking, gathering, and crafting, our Chef Avenian wanted a place to unwind and let it all hang out. He remembered a beautiful warm beach in Traven where many would beginning their journeys, and Avenian felt that this was the place to give back to those who had given so much to him.

His dishes are created with passion with the hope that that passion will be passed on to you. Stay hungry, my friends!!!

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This week, we announced the Royal Guardians of the Realm for September. These four individuals were recognized for their outstanding contributions to Villagers & Heroes, and for consistently going above and beyond in their efforts for the game and for the community.

Congratulations, and thank you, to the following players:

• Iphigenie (EU 2)
• Armageddon (US 1)
• Madam Ladybug (US 2)
• Mutsie (EU 1)

Last weekend was especially fun for Mad Otter because the whole crew attended Indie Game Con in Eugene, Oregon! Not only did the Otters have the opportunity to meet a great many other game developers, industry professionals, and hundreds of fans, but we had a chance to showcase Villagers & Heroes to any and all interested parties. It was a blast! There were so many enjoyable moments, not to mention some fantastic guest speakers, and a few wild parties in the evenings. View the gif directly: .

Some of the highlights included:

• Meeting Oscar – A seventh grader, sharp as a tack and a delightful boy who quickly became very partial to playing V&H and provided us with more than a few valuable insights.
• Damon did an interview for ‘State of Wonder’ – an OPB radio program hosted by April Baer.
• Sarah did a livestream on Twitch with broadcaster, ‘Indie.’ (Dan) Some of you might know him by now! Not only was he a great guy to meet, but he’s been doing livestreams on US 2 for the past few days, and plans to keep at it! (Indie’s Twitch channel can be found here)
• Watching a Flash Mob on the streets of downtown Eugene, get down and out!