Event Moderator

Overview

An Event Moderator is a paid employee of EA. Their job is to run in-game events (see EM Events), similar to those run by volunteers called Seers many years prior.

History

The EM program was introduced to replace the volunteer program following the release of the Age of Shadows expnasion. However, this first iteration eventually petered out and was discontinued by EA in 2004 after many months of inactivity.

However, some years later in October 2008, Cal Crowner announced on UO.com that the Event Moderator program would be returning for Stygian Abyss. This was shortly followed a week later with a call for applications.

The first EMs (as they were called) appeared following the release of the Age of Shadows expansion, and their first events revolved around the return of the villain Minax.

Typically, an EM had at least 2 in-game personae. One was him- or her-self. The other was a character, typically part of the Ruling Council. For example, Lake Superior's EM was Glamdring, and he appeared in-character as Thomas Winters, Prime Minister of the Realm and Commander of the Royal Guard.

Based on statements made by players, the quality of the EMs, like the quality of their events, varied widely.

On many Shards, the legacy of unfinished EM events, personified by things like burning docks at Trinsic and monster spawns in unusual places, remains.