Real life first name: Chris
Forum handle: Solfrann
Main Character name: Solfrann
Server: Ahazi
Player Association: Veterans of Ahazi (Formed after the NGE went live and many of our own longstanding guilds died out. Many of the leaders of the Ahazi community pulled together and built what has been an awesome guild from the start. I am privileged to lead such an amazing group of people.)

Where in the real life world do you live? I live in Charleston, SC.

How long have you played Star Wars Galaxies? I have played since the first week of release.

What other MMOs have you played? I started out with Jumpgate, which had a lot of potential but no funding. I tried Anarchy Online, Eve Online, Earth and Beyond, and Ultima Online. Since playing SWG, I have tried WOW, EverQuest, Guild Wars, LOTR Online, and several other smaller ones, but none have compared to SWG.

What type of work do you do? I am an Ensign in the United States Navy.

How long is your typical gaming session when playing Star Wars Galaxies? During the week, I typically put in no more than a couple hours a day, spread out throughout the day. During the weekend, it can range up to 10-12 hours a day depending on what my family is doing.

What does a typical Star Wars Galaxies day consist of for you? Typically, the first thing I do is go through my emails and check my vendors. A great deal of my day is usually spent just talking to whoever is online in my guild or any other friends that are around. Lately, I have been leveling two characters through commando and Jedi while managing a small armor smith business. I just recently finished Rebel Pilot on A’lyssa, and got to fly a Nova. I’m also working on Imperial Pilot with Bahai and neutral pilot on Elicia’. I can rarely keep my interests focused on one thing for too long, so I like to have many different options available. The Death Watch Bunker has been my home-away-from-home lately, helping friends make jetpacks and armor while trying to get my second set of Mandalorian Armor schematics finished.

What was the race and profession of your very first character? Solfrann was my first character. He is a human male and was originally a Marksman. I was very excited when I picked up my first pistoleer skill (although I only ever got 2) and added artisan and architect to the mix. He was a master architect for almost a year, then a Teras Kasi/doctor until I unlocked Jedi at the village around New Year’s of 2005.

What got you into gaming and what sort of games do you like the most? My parents bought me an IBM 286 and then I bought Civilization. I remember spending hours upon hours playing that game. It never got old! I was hooked. Generally, I like strategy games the best, but for the past few years, nothing has been able to hold my attention for long other than SWG.

What other hobbies or activities do you take part in, other then playing Star Wars Galaxies? I love to read and write. Most of my spare time is spent with my kids, my wife, or my computer.

What is your highest level Character in Star Wars Galaxies? My highest-level character is level 90.

What race and profession is your main character? My main character is a Human male Jedi.

What do you like the most about the profession you have chosen for your main character? I like everything about Jedi– the mystique, the powers, the respect and the flashy swords. They are the epitome of great warriors: powerful, insightful, and selfless.

What faction is your main character? My main character is Rebel.

What is your favorite player owned ship? I like all of the multi-passenger ships, but my favorite is the Y-8 Mining Ship. Some awesome work was put into that ship and it has such great versatility.

What is your favorite ground vehicle? All of my characters ride different vehicles because I have so many favorites. My commando has a jetpack, my dark Jedi has an AT-RT walker, my traders have AV-21’s, my entertainer drives a V-35 SoroSuub, and Solfrann has a BARC speeder.

How did you choose your main character’s name? The name Solfrann is about 12 years old now. I made it up for a book that I wrote based in the Star Wars universe and originally it was spelled Solfran. When I joined the Internet community a few years later, “Solfran” came up as taken, so I added an “n”.

Which professions in Star Wars Galaxies have you NOT played? I have never played a spy– it just never appealed to me. I have tried everything else though, and I’m up to the 6 million-credit respec mark on most of my characters.

What is your favorite expansion? Jump to Lightspeed is by far my favorite expansion. It made what was already the greatest game ever, even more incredible. Nothing could surpass SWG after JTLS came out.

What is your favorite planet? Dantooine has been my home for years now and will always be special to me. I founded my city there, I met most of my friends there, but Naboo would have to be my favorite planet. It is where I started and where I spent 99.9999% of my time before moving to Dantooine when Naboo was capped for cities.

What is your favorite NPC? Emperor Palpatine is my favorite NPC. Seeing him in-game is awesome. I started out as an imperial, and I’m still one at heart. Getting through that theme park the first time was a lot of fun!

Which expansion do you like the least? Rage of the Wookiees was my least favorite expansion. It had great conceptual ideas and incredible artwork, but it was not developed to its full potential.

Which planet do you like the least? Kashyyyk is my least favorite planet.

Which NPC do you like the least? My old Jedi trainer in Tyrena is my least favorite NPC. He reminds me of things that are gone.

What is the most credits you have ever spent on purchasing a single item for one of your characters? The most credits I ever spent on a single item was 150 million credits for an ATAT Holo-pet.

Do you have an item you no longer use but keep around for nostalgic reasons? If so what is it and why do you keep it? Yes, I have houses full of nostalgic items and until recently, a city hall full of them. I still have the first suit of clothing I had made for Solfrann. It is over 3 years old at this point. I never wear it anymore since I wear my elder robe all the time now.

What do you like best about Star Wars Galaxies? What I like best about SWG is that it is “The greatest Star Wars story ever told” – Mine.

What do you get out of playing Star Wars Galaxies? What I get out of playing SWG are friendships and an escape from the stresses of work.

Describe your best experience playing Star Wars Galaxies? Founding my city, Solicia, was the greatest thing I have done. I moved from Naboo, which was pretty much the only planet I knew at that point, back in January of 2004. My goal was to build a small city where I could help new players and give them the head start I never had. I named the city after my wife, Elicia. I now have dozens of friends that I have made by talking to new players and offering them a free house, a speeder, and some startup cash to move into Solicia. One of them also agreed to help me drop a Guild Hall down and start a guild, even though he’d been playing for only a few days. He has been one of my closest friends ever since. Caskio was not the only friend I have made through Solicia– Faison, Ayfara, Ezesma, Willstatus, Apocalypse, Gunner, and well over a hundred more have graced the streets of that town. It started as just a place to call home, but quickly grew through the great help of those citizens. It has changed so much over the years, and just watching the way it has changed has been rewarding. It is now one of the homes of my guild, Veterans of Ahazi.

Do you run or work for a Star Wars Galaxies Fan Site? I have run several SWG sites over the years, based around my city and guilds, but getting my wife to agree to both subscriptions and site hosting fees has limited that! So no, not currently.