Long time no see, Aetolia.

When I said goodbye a year ago, I did so with no shortage of nostalgia
and affection. This community overlooked my outsider status when I first
came to serve as volunteer and welcomed me warmly. As I got myself up to
speed on Aetolia's history and culture, I'd like to think we found a
pretty solid groove. As a team, from Razmael at the top down through
every mortal volunteer and enthusiastic player, we brought the game
through some of its most productive and profitable years.

When Matt got in touch about helping find Aetolia's next producer, I
knew I owed it to Razmael, the volunteers, and you all to give my best efforts
in revitalizing the game and continuing our progress. After all, we're
no strangers to this routine: Matt makes a post, a producer is released, and
a new mind comes in to spackle the holes. Frankly, that's not good
enough this time. Nor am I satisfied to be a placeholder, simply keeping
things flowing while we hunt for a suitable replacement. That's why our
core team - Razmael, Hadrak, Keroc, and I - are fully committed to
continuing and improving everything that makes Aetolia great. With those
elements will come new ones: well-planned strategies to correct the
game's shortcomings and enhance your player experience.

In the coming weeks, I will be holding Town Hall meetings to solicit
your feedback and hear your concerns, including one specifically
scheduled to accommodate the Australia/New Zealand crowd. I'll be using
targeted forum threads to dig down into popular themes and offer
responses for common thoughts. If you'd rather contact me privately,
feel free to do so with in-game messages or email (oleis@aetolia.com).
With this input, our volunteer desires, and my own assessments, we will
begin to make bold plans for the future. Nothing is guaranteed, and
nothing is off-limits.

Let's get to work.

- O

Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 3rd of Severin, in the year 463 MA.