Hobbies And Interests
"RuneScape" Oktoberfest
Annual game-wide events are frequently held for popular holidays such as Halloween, Christmas and Easter, but the first Oktoberfest event wasn't introduced until 2010. In honor of the traditional Bavarian beer festival that takes place in Munich, Germany, "RuneScape" Oktoberfest started on October 1 and lasted for 17 days. Players were treated to two major activities: a competition based on the dungeoneering-style game "Stealing Creation" and a bounty hunter contest that involved tracking down a designated moderator in-world. Smaller activities were held throughout the festival, including parties, fishing, hunting and, of course, pub crawls.
Pretzel Bert
Players who visited the thriving commerce city of Varrock during Oktoberfest could interact with a temporary nonplaying character, or NPC, known as Pretzel Bert. Bert's pretzel stall was located just outside the eastern gates of Varrock, which was marked with a holiday icon on the game map during the event. Pretzel Bert donned a traditional German lederhosen costume and greeted players with the titles "Herr" and "Fraulein." Although the pretzel cart was separate from the city market, a conversation with Bert would reveal that he was hired by the Varrock Tourist Office. Unlike the goods of many of the market carts in "RuneScape," Bert's pretzels could not be stolen by players.
Oktoberfest Pretzel
"RuneScape" celebrated the festival with a special food item, the Oktoberfest Pretzel. The pretzel was released purely for emblematic value, as it cost only one coin and healed a single life point. Players could purchase an unlimited number of pretzels, but no more than 24 in one transaction. Attempting to buy more than 24 pretzels at once resulted in an exclamatory statement from Bert, who doubted the player's ability to consume so many pretzels. Oktoberfest Pretzels were tradable between individual players during the event but were not available on the Grand Exchange due to their seasonal status.
Availability
As a temporary update, all features of the Oktoberfest event were discontinued on October 18, 2010. Stocking up on Bert's pretzels during the event in hopes of collecting a rare item was futile. The Oktoberfest Pretzel was entirely eliminated from the game, including players' banks and inventories. At the time of publication, Jagex, the studio behind "RuneScape," has not made any announcements regarding a 2011 Oktoberfest event. New players who want to take a bite out of the Oktoberfest Pretzel may never have the opportunity. Even if the event becomes an annual function, Jagex may choose to release different Oktoberfest items in the future.