The Other Side of the Couple's Coin

There has been some talk about gaming couples in recent weeks. I think most of it was spawned by Matticus's somewhat negative article about raiding couples. I got the sense that he doesn't care much for them. Yet, I can't help but think he's only speaking about one very specific type of couple. One very narrow-minded view.

My guild was founded based on couples. Most of the founding members were part of a gaming couple. It's why we took the joking name: Lothar Swingers Club. And it worked really well for us. We had very low drama. We succeed in progressing at our own pace. And we have a wide variety of couple types. Some of us talk... a lot. Some of us are quiet. Some of us, you can't even count on to have spoken to their spouse more recently than you have.

To be fair, I've know couples like the ones Matticus describes, but we just didn't have anyone like that. I would say we have everything but that. In fact, it was probably more often 2 on 1 against one member of the couple, causing more marital strife than in-game strife. It was not uncommon for a couple to go silent for an uncommon amount of time on vent, only to key in five minutes later saying: "Sorry, was yelling at my spouse across the room. He/she was being an idiot again."

Which brings up what I believe to be the biggest benefit of gaming couples, mechanics-wise: they're in the same room. When my wife is tanking, it's like she has a built in bonus camera in the form of the pew-pewing warlock. While she's watching the All Crotch All The Time channel, I can warn her of adds or other impending doom. Basically, two heads are better than one. And this sort of thing extends to a lot of other areas, but in-game doesn't really cover it for me.

Honestly, I think the biggest benefit is been the support network you get. Any married person can tell you that having other married friends is comforting. It's nice to know that all the yelling is normal, and that you're not the only one annoyed by who did/didn't do the dishes. And when one of you gets sick - really sick - you have a whole bunch of folks that are there for you and understand.

The support I've gotten from my guildies in the past few months has been unquantifiable. You cannot min/max it. It will never show up on a meter in-game.

I guess I just wanted to go on record with that. No way in hell would I avoid gaming couples just on principle. No, I just try to avoid unreasonable asshats based on individual experience. After all, you don't have to be a couple to be one of those. Does it surprise anyone that they might come in pairs? Just saying: don't throw out the baby with the bathwater here.

All in all, I think this: "On the other hand, you could just auto decline couples entirely and sidestep any potential drama problems that might happen later" is terrible advice. You could miss out on so much, and MMO gaming isn't just about raiding.

(Note: I don't think Matticus was really meaning to "hate" on couples, though it kind of came off that way. Instead, I think he was merely stressing that as a good GM/RL, you need to take someone's entire situation into account when deciding if they're right for your group or not. And that is not bad advice.)

A Stat I Would Like To See

Sometimes good things really do happen to good people, and I'll be the first to admit that I'm not always able to "just be happy for them." I think that being happy for someone else in the face of your own struggles is quite the acquired talent. I do strive to be that way, but I don't always achieve that.

To be fair, I was being mostly facetious, and also I know Big Bear Butt to be a good guy and a good player. That he has, admittedly, gotten fortunate with a good group to see a majority of the content is not really something that bothers me. It's actually a great thing. The Bear has contributed a lot to the Community and set a good example for a lot of bloggers (me included). If someone is going to write about getting carried, I'm glad it's him.

I just wish it wasn't on a damned Hunter. That's what I'm saying here. Only a Mage would be worse. Then, I read that he was on his Warlock alt when all this started to go down, and I felt a small bit better.

But my point is just that my sort of mini-rant last week wasn't about Bear in particular. I felt like the feeling I experienced was something that is pretty common in this game of ours, and really highlights the importance of intrinsic motivation. It's one thing to feel an initial sense of jealousy at the fortunes of someone else. I daresay that a bit of that is simply human. It's quite another if I had gone off the deep and end decried the game "too easy" or thrown in my raiding towel because someone else didn't have to walk uphill in the snow both ways to get where I got. Instead, I tried to turn in my human nature into something silly and fun (at least that's what I was shooting for, I may have erred, as humans are wont to do).

I have chosen to raid only once a week for two hours. I have chosen to stick with my group of people and learn to succeed with them. To me, raiding is a team sport. Winning has a lot more of an emotional reward when you do it with people you care about (not that winning a random pick-up game isn't fun as well). With my decisions come certain limitations. I understand and accept that.

One of the stats I would like to see is "wipes/hours per kill." Maybe it exists out there somewhere, but I imagine it would be hard to measure. What I'm talking about though, is a measure of the perceived effort a group has to put in to succeed. However, if we could figure out a way to do this, I think they should start using such a stat to rank the "top guilds."

(Aside: Even as I write this, I can think of about a million ways to "game" such a system. Likely, it would take someone more clever than I to come up with an accurate and consistent way of implementing such a measure. Fortunately, life has proven that I'm nowhere near the most clever person alive... so I can still hope.)

I know, there is something "fun" about the whole race to be first. I'm not looking down on that, I promise. Kudos to those folks. I'm just not able to even begin to participate in that because of my chosen lifestyle. (Note: I'm not making a judgement here of "better" or "worse," just different). To me, the true measure of the skill of a group is really how quickly they adapt to a new fight. How many tries does it take them to learn. This, perhaps, hinges on my belief that lessons in this game of WoW are hard-fought. That's where my motivation comes from. I know that when my group eventually succeeds, we've fought tooth and nail to learn it our way, and that has value to me. Nothing about that depends on what anyone else is doing. My motivation is intrinsic to our group.

I really wanted to highlight that difference. Someone else achieving something takes away nothing from my own achievements. What the Bear says, then, is true:

What it proved to me is that skill and coordination and talent all play the largest roles… even to the point of a very good 9 person team being able to deal with a horrible noob and still come out on top. At least, as long as that noob ain’t a tank. Or a healer. Or one of the people needed for CC.

I would argue that those other nine have earned it. I'm sure they've spent the "hours per wipe" needed to know those fights, to earn the proper gear. Skill has a lot to do with that, but even skill isn't as simple as a "gift of the Naaru." Skill is something we fight for as well.

To a certain extent, even Bear earned it, though he claims otherwise. There's a saying escaping me about surrounding yourself with good people, like a President with a stellar Cabinet. In life, we are both supported and hindered by those we choose to surround ourselves with. In Bear's case, he's formed relationships with these good players enough that they want him along (presumably because they have confidence that at the very least he'll stay out of their way and can take directions, but maybe also because they suspect he could bring a bit more than the average Bearhunter in terms of skill or just plain likeability). Forming solid, trusting relationships is something we fight for also. That's the part of the second M in this online genre.

I've gotten lucky recently too. Our group has had a really difficult time getting our team back off the ground. One of the problems inherent to any casual raiding group is the RL boss, and our hours per wipe on that one are way, way up this year. I feel extremely fortunate that we've gotten as far as we have, with the hurdles we've faced. We're lucky that Blizzard is putting just enough "welfare epics" in the game still that a group like ours can sort of "keep up." And I'm also lucky that I've found 9 other people that share my goals and desired pace of play in-game to be able to do what we do for years now.

I think there's one thing Bear and I both agree on as far as this "race" goes: There is something epic about setting your own goals and then working to make them happen, whatever those goals may be.

Even though he and I are doing the same encounters, we're not really on the same course. Sometimes that's hard for a cranky human Warlock to see right away, but there's another saying about forests and trees. And also, I'm not a Druid.

The Elder Statesman

Larisa wrote a rather emotional article on Friday that just happened to coincide with something I'd been noodling around for a while. She's previously written a couple bits about her age, but if you missed it, suffice it to say she feels she would fall on the upper end of the WoW-age curve (were it mapped out somewhere). However, I would not term her an outlier. That is to say, I do not think her being a bit... wizened and playing a video game is all that odd. Perhaps my own experience is biased, but I suspect there is a significant portion of the playerbase that is comprised of folks over 40 years of age.

Now, that's an arbitrary number, but that's when we tend to say someone is "over the hill," so I believe it makes sense to draw the line there. What line? Well, on our ten man raid team we have two gentlemen who I believe to be post 40. It's not really something we've ever asked or discussed, but we've known them long enough to know that they've been around the block a few times (so to speak). We lovingly refer to them as the "Elder Statesmen" of the guild. Thus, for the purposes of this post, I shall refer to people over 40 as Elder Statesman/woman.

To give the large picture of our raid age break down, most of us are in our mid to late twenties. We have a few that have slid over into their 30's, but they won't admit it yet. Our Elder Statesmen most certainly trump most of us in terms of life experience. Life experience that they're will to share ad nauseum.

In reading Larisa's post, I felt a bit of anger rising within my youthful chest. (We youngins do tend to be more driven by emotions, do we not?). Reflecting on losing our Elder Statesmen in such a manner woke the retired, cranky raid leader in me. It is important to note that Larisa chose, on her own, to leave the guild after her performance was called into question. Since she is both humble and realistic, she realized that, despite her best efforts (and she would never give anything but her best), she just couldn't keep up with some of the other raiders. I dropped the term "age discrimination" yesterday, but I do not mean to say that her guild discriminated against her, but rather she may have discriminated against herself. Or, more accurately, I think a lot of times our Elder Statespersons of the world fail to give themselves the credit they deserve. You could even go so far as to say that performance based judgment in WoW is inherently biased against older gamers.

You see, I feel it's important to note that I would take either of our Statesmen any day over younger, faster fingers. Like Ben Franklin in his guidance of Thomas Jefferson, our elders provide a calming influence and a point of focus for the scattered musings of us younglings. Being prone to passion, we benefit a great deal from the firm grounding provided by the more experienced personas around us.

I feel that at this juncture it is important to note that our Elder Statesmen are hardly basement dwelling slouches. They both have very colorful lives outside of the game. One is a prolific trombone player, while the other is accustomed to spending time on a race track. Point is, they're both sharp guys, with a variety of experience under their collective belts that have nothing to do with gaming. They know their way around computers as well. Much like we could say about Larisa if you've read anything from her. Being old most certainly does not equal slow or simple of mind.

Why, then, do the old folks get discriminated against? Why does the stereotype exist? Especially when there seems to be some truth behind it, were one to look only at numbers.

After all, our Statesmen would readily admit, as did Larisa, to not being as quick on the uptake as the rest of us young guns. They pay more attention to things like gear and stats, preparing harder pre-raid, in an effort to make up for some of their self-perceived slower learning curve. Yet, I do not believe that they lack the mental acuity or vitality necessary to preform well in Azeroth. It's certainly not that they don't put in the same energy, either. What is it then?

In my opinion, what we see in the case of Elder Statesmen is just the basic psychology of learning. Studies have shown that it tends to be easier for people to learn new things while they are young. This is especially true in the case of languages. A child raised in a bilingual household will pick up nuances of both languages that can serve them well in a quest to fluency. An adult attempting to pick up a new language later in life will almost certainly struggle a bit more. Not that that they cannot master a second (or third, etc) language as well, just that it is more challenging. The learning curve is forced a bit steeper.

I would argue that familiarity with computer gaming is in the same vein. If there is a marked difference between folks over 40, and folks under 40, we could look no further that the advent of the computer. In the early 90's, home computers were just starting to catch on and ramp up. That is the time that the majority of my mid-twenty year old brethren could call our "formative" years. People who are now 40 would have been in early adulthood.

So my theory, very simply put is that we grew up with it and they did not. Computers and gaming hit us in stride.

While many of them were contemplating things like mortgages and kids for the first time, we were trying to figure out how to properly jump get that blasted last piece of heart. Or the proper combination of buttons for a Shōryūken. Fact is, we've been playing games our whole life, having been inundated with electronics. Where they can still probably tell me stories about their first scientific calculator in high school, I was playing pong on my calculator in middle school (and getting kicked out of class for it). Is it any wonder that pressing buttons correctly comes more natural to the younger crowd? It's like a second language to us.

Still, raiding is not all about pressing buttons, a concept which seems to elude some people, especially on the hardcore end of things. In football, you can have an extremely athletic bunch of kids, an all-star team if you will, and you can still struggle. In basketball, you can assemble a group of extremely talented players in, say, Miami, yet still lose to the old guys in the Boston. Why? You hear about it all the time in the sports media: intangibles . Teams, to be successful, need to work well together on many levels, and in WoW there is more to that than simple button presses.

In baseball, teams will often keep an aging pitcher in their lineup, even though he's not nearly as effective as he might once have been. They do this to nurture the younger pitchers. The new guys can learn things from the experiences of the old guys. How they approach the game. How they prepare. How they deal with adversity. How to take joy in the small things. How to brush off unwarranted criticism. All of this comes from experience.

In the same way, I feel that our Elder Statesmen are an integral part of our raid team. We would not be as successful without them. They provide the team with a terrific balance. They bring numerous intangibles to the table that most people (including and especially themselves) would not give them credit for. Recount does not have an intangible pie graph.

In the same way, I felt like Larisa had failed to give herself credit for what she brought to the table. Fortunately, she was not deaf to the pleas of her guild. How she tells it, there were many people that recognized losing Larisa would equate an overall loss to the team. To them, it wasn't just about button presses. Perhaps, though she may be a few "k" short on DPS, she brings more than that "k" in intangibles to the table. (The trouble with intangibles, of course, being quantification).

Yet, she fell into the trap that the rest of us do at times and listened purely to the numbers. To forget the human side, to reduce this game to simple charts and graphs, is to do it a disservice. Team play, in any fashion, is so much more than that. The best players aren't necessarily dictated by the stat line. One should instead look for the person that makes everyone around them a better players. The person that brings the intangibles. DPS are, after all, a dime a dozen, right?

As a long time reader of the PPI, Larisa most certainly leaves the minds of the people she touches a bit better than when she found them. In the same way, the beloved Elder Statesmen of our guild provide a healthy share levity and help us to keep the game squarely in the proper context. They also tend to come up with some of the best tips, looking at the game in ways that only a non-native "speaker" of gaming might, and provide some of the funniest moments. Similar to Larisa's guild, ours would be worse off without them.

If us young folk are supposed to be learning from our elders, what, then can we learn from Larisa's tale? Don't underestimate the power of intangibles, obviously. And, also, though pride may have caused you to leave in the first place, don't be too proud to turn around when you hear their cries and run back into the arms of those you love and who truly love you in return. You may be doing them a disservice. Teams and humans are much too complicated to be analyzed by a line graph or bar chart.

But most of all, don't ever doubt the impact you can have on those around by simply being big of heart.

Raid from the Heart

Today I wanted to go ahead and plug Raid from the Heart. If you haven't heard about it, it is the annual Raid for a Cause event organized by Big Bear Butt et al. on October 16th of this year. I believe this would be, officially, like the second or third annual cause raid that he's been a key part of. It's not always planned to be annual, but it has sort of worked out that way for a few years now.  In any case, this year it is loosely tied to heart disease, hence Raid from the Heart.

I say loosely, because it's not like you go and are brow-beaten for donations are anything.  One of the charms of these events is that it's really just about people getting together and enjoying the good company.  Fuu and I have attended in the past, and it has always been a blast.  Usually there are upwards of 100 people, often more than that, just generally having a good time.  I got to chat with a lot of bloggers and readers that I'd never had the chance to chat with before, which was just awesome.  Plus, it's just something different and unique.  In my experience, being a part of something that is bigger than yourself always tends to be a rewarding experience, even if you're not donating money or anything like that.  Just spending the time is the important part.

Sadly, Fuu and I will not be able to attend this year.  We're batting .000 on doing anything cool or community oriented this year, and it really sucks.  However, on the 16th, we already have 3 weddings to attend (two family, one a close friend, and we've already made plans, which was a sucky decision as well).  Thus, our dance card is full.

I would still encourage anyone who's thinking about it, and free, to go.  There are more details on BBB's site, but the fun kicks off around noon.  You don't even have to attend the whole thing.  If you want to meet up with the group later, I'm sure no one is going to bat an eye.  Heck, you can probably just pop in, say hi, and leave if you want.  Like I said, it's about the company.

I don't mean to belittle the cause either. Heart Disease is something that's likely touched a lot of folks.  I know my grandpa had 3 heart attacks (and 4 strokes) before he turned in his last quest (he had a Cataclysmic health pool, apparently.  That, or stellar healers.).  Fuu's dad has had one as well, and is working hard to make healthier choices so he can be around to meet our kids (leveling up his exercise skill?).  It's a cause I think we can all get behind... Who doesn't like healthier hearts? Mmm...

Anyways, just wanted to pass along the information.  For complete rules and regulations, see the link above.  And by rules and regulations, I mean a Bearwall of explanatory text that gives you pretty much a play by play of what to expect.  Don't let the guttural growl scare you though: it's really as simple as popping in, joining the correct chat channel, and following the crowd.  Even if you get lost, folks will be there to help.  Trust me, bloggers will be the first to admit to getting sidetracked and lost, even with a cause in mind.  Plus, we like to help.  And we love to hang out and chat.  There should be no shortage chatter.  I'm sorry I'm going to have to miss it.  So show up for me!  Roll a horde of 'locks and represent, because a sharded heart is a healthy heart.

In all seriousness, this is one of the great and unique things about a game as big as WoW that is worth experiencing for the sheer epicness of it.  After all, not all awesome has to be served up to us by developers.  We are quite capable of being awesome on our own (and have proven that in the past).

Disclaimer: All comments above are unsolicited.  KeS, Shd. is in no way affiliated with Promitus Ursus Posterius Productions (PUPP) or the Big Bear Butt Blog (B^4). Kthxbye. 

Static For A Year

A concept from our days playing Final Fantasy, being static with someone implied that you would not level your toon without them. In WoW, this concept is all but absent due to the ease of catching up.  In FF, there was no such thing, thus it was common to put in your LFG messages of profile itself "static with x" so people knew you were a package deal.

I bring this up now because on Sunday Fuu and I will have been static IRL for one year.  That is to say, it's our first anniversary of having formally declared to the world and various deities that we are, indeed, coupled for life.  As long as these RL toons exist, we're together.  At least that's the plan.  RL has a funny way of spoiling plans, but so far so good. 

We're going out of town for an extended weekend trip to celebrate, so I probably won't post until Monday, but I wanted to leave you with a few thoughts.  I've consulted my Fuu, and here's what we've learned in our first year of marriage (in no particular order):

1. The marital bed is a PvP zone.  No carebears allowed.
2. Marital Achievements do not come with bonus points.  Often, they are simply "working as intended".
3. "MANY DISHES, HANDLE IT" is considered inappropriate.  So is "gogogogo".
4. Warlocks are not good at sharing.  Paladins like to turn all the lights on.
5. Plural pronouns can be used by more than Hunters.  In fact, it's expected.  Especially when referring to phat lootz.
6. All incoming damage is now linked.  If one of you stands in the bad, you'll likely wipe the group.
7. The only bank is the guild bank.
8. A ding more often indicates conjured food rather than a milestone.  Conjured food is still pretty damn cool, though, as you realize neither of you have skilled up Cooking in some time.
9. It is important to work together to come up with the strat.  
10. /gquit is not as simple of a solution any more.  At the very least, see #7.
11. LFM is not okay, unless it's an NPC. 
12. Everyone is curious about when you're going to roll alts.  Everyone.
13. Random world PvP happens.  Even in PvE zones.
14. When one of you is being an Elitist Jerk, the other one will let you know.
15. Your rage bar fills a lot faster than your energy bar on most days.
16. Neither of you specced for Replenishment.  Hopefully someone brought drinks.
17. Treating your partner like a minion goes over about as well as you'd think.
18. Group content is a lot more accessible.  The replay value of old content goes up too.
19. You're going to find a lot more bugs, but the naked bug is still the most fun.
20. It's a Blessing when you remember you won't have to level alone.

That's all for now.  Feel free to add to our list in comments :-).  

Komm Doch Mit

Come along. Come with me on this journey through my feedreader today.

(As an aside: the title of the post was actually pilfered from the front of my old German text book.  We always sort of snickered about it because, while the book was good and taught us the language and all, it was sort of like a prescription med commercial.  It was all "come along" and had a group of people and a puppy frolicking in some sort of safely ambiguous scene.  Our teacher was totally the embodiment of the whole don't judge a book thing too.  Picturesque Grandmothery sort of woman.  Used to tell us stories about getting in fights growing up in crazy, post-war circumstances.  We're talking serious fights, too... not like pushing matches.  More like eating the curb style.  She would also inadvertently teach us German swear words too.  Once she let slip, she'd totally explain the word and make us all pronounce it back correctly.  Funny stuff.  Scheisse... Klasse, noch einmal.)

 Grade-school anecdotes aside, here is my play-by-play as I wade through the reader:

• I'm so glad Jessabelle is back.  I missed her during her hiatus.  Which is weird because I still hung out with her at least once a week, but it didn't sate my desire for snarky satire.
• BBB even liked the snark, but I'm more excited about his PBeM post.  And Bear, hell yes I remember Terin and have been theorizing what he's been up to for like the past six months or w/e.  Not that I don't enjoy the WoW-related stuff.  I'm just not a druid and that's all you really write about. ;-)   
• My plan to get rid of Gnomeaggedon failed.  That's right, RealID was totally devised by me and the rest of the Dark Coven to off a few mages.  Since Gnomer is obviously the source of all credible mage knowledge (being only one of two mage blogs), then we figured to cut off the snake's head.  In other news, you should see my garden.
• You did hear that the plan failed, right?  Did ya get the memo?  It's just that we're putting a new cover on all of our... you get the idea.
• I like this memo better.  It's more topical.  My brother-in-law is a huge Cleveland fan.  I'm repressing the desire to call him up and gloat.  It's only fair since he does it to me all the time.  However, I'm classier and more diabolical than that.  I'll have a LBJ fathead shipped to his house.  Dressed in white, of course.
• Chas sums up (and what a large sum it is) my thoughts on the looming talent changes nicely.  I generally take all proposed changes with a grain of salt, but tree changes, especially the locking you in early, seem like an elegant solution to an over-bloated problem to me.
• One word.  Dragons.  Love the pictures.  Dragons are mah fave.  

And I'm pretty much clear now.  Only non-WoW related blogs left (yeah, those do exist!).  One of the great things about internet drama is that it can spawn so much creativity.  I mean, I know we all had a plethora of different (mostly negative) views regarding this whole RealID thing, but some of the means of expression were unique and entertaining in their own right.  Without adversity, we often fall into the boring doldrums of habit and repetition.  It's good to shake things up every now and then.  It makes for good material.

Let's be honest.  Everything going smoothly is just not funny or entertaining.  You gotta have some nutshots thrown in there for good measure.  Nutshots are the spice of life.

Geeky Girls Gone Wild! Er... Girls Gone Geeky!!!!!!

Hey Gang!

If you haven't read the Girls Gone Geek Post over at Miss Medicina's Blog... Go Right now & DO IT! I'll Wait.

Welcome back! So are you on the charter for the club yet?! For those of you who were A) Allergic to Jess's blog & did not read it or B) Too Lazy to click on a link (for Shame)

June is Celebrate Geeky Girl Month! 

As you can see, Fuu celebrates by taking her pants off & tanking an entire instance while proving that girls do play WoW & can tank... actually she was just showing off her tanking epeen (and her pixelated booty) to her guildies.

Why do I support this Club? Well for one, I'm a Girl & two I'm a Geek. I've also been a huge gamer since my original Nintendo & my Dad's old school IBM where I played my first Sims game (Sim Ant fyi). Once I got my first clunky PlayStation I was hooked on Final Fantasy. I would play for hours at a time & for months on end. I used to print out where all of the treasures where so that I could finish everything in one swoop (which would take me upwards to 5-7 months). No small feat if you ask me. Gaming was such a huge part of my life. I loved it and still do today.

Here in lies the problem though, I didn't have any friends who were gamers. I couldn't ask them how they beat Zelda or how long it took them to grind for the Legendary Shield of blah. I mean, it was such a part of my life but I had no one to share it with. Even when I had guy friends, they would only be playing the latest Madden game or Golden Eye (which OMG I would beat the living daylights out of them with Slappers only). I do remember one time when I was in high school where one of my girl friend's brother's had a Nintendo 64 and we played Mario Kart until our fingers were aching. If you must know, I was always Donkey Kong (the fat pixelated monkey who's kart was so slow that people would lap me). It was actually nice to play with someone else who was a girl. This was a true gift at this awkward age. Where gaming wasn't cool and girls had to be sexy in order to fit in.

Looking back at it, it made me sort of sad to think that I couldn't share my love of gaming with others freely for fear of being judged (of Light) or labeled as a geek. The more I think about it though, perhaps I should have just embraced my passion & threw a net out to see if there were other "gamer girls" in my school. Hind Sight 20/20 right? Talking with Jessabelle yesterday made me realize how much I did miss out on. Things that I know that I would have enjoyed but wasn't brave enough to do it alone. 

Now is different because I actually have people that I care about in my life to share my geeky passions with. I have a wonderful husband who games right by my side. I have an entire guild of people that I can honestly say that I've shared a beer with in real life. And most of all, I have a great girl friend who urges me on to express my inner geek. Injecting bravery to try all of the things that I've missed out. 

This year, I'm going to Gen-con in Indianapolis, IN. This will be my very first Gaming Convention and I cannot express to you how excited I am to go and be with my friends. I'm also doing something that I've never done before and that is wear a costume. Now, I'm not going to LARP (aka Live action roleplay) or anything quite yet, but I figure how often do you get to actually dress up in your life? Halloween and random college breakfast clubs but that's about it. I'm going to buy a medieval dress and maybe Elf ears (the ones that actually stick to your skin not the odd looking Goofy ones). I'm also going to be traveling to my very first Renaissance Fest in Ohio with Jess. Her & I have decided that we are going to dress up as beer wenches, get drunk & frolic in the forest.

This is why I support Girls Gone Geek for the month of June. I implore you to reach inside and think about something that you've always wanted to do but weren't brave enough to do it for fear of rejection by others. WHO CARES! Life is too short to live like that. Pick up that game you've been too shy to buy. Start sitting in with your D&D friends. Go & see the new Iron Man movie with your girl friends. I'll bet if you do something that is outside of your box, you'll learn something about yourself.

<3 Fuu

PS: /wave to all of the new wow.com people who followed the link. I encourage you to sniff around, you might find your new favorite bloggers :)

Hope Is Hope, No Matter Where It Comes From

I'm going to step outside the realm of MMO's for a day here. I promise I'll try to tie it all in, but it's going to be a loose tie at best. 

I'm sure some of you watched the Super Bowl last night, and, if you did, I'm sure that the significance was similarly beat into your hear.  I'm going to go on record with a few things here.  First, I'm a Colts fan.  I live just north of Indy, so it makes sense.  I actually grew up a Bears fan, and am still very much a fan of all things Chicago, but it's hard not to like the Colts.  They have a very classy program, filled with classy players who, for the most part, keep their noses clean and play football.  That's more than a lot of NFL franchises can say nowadays. 

I'm also a Boilermaker.  I went to Purdue.  I lived and died with Drew Brees in the Rose Bowl.  He's another classy individual that does it "right".  Class shows.

Furthermore, I don't live under a rock.  I know that something happened down in New Orleans that had something to do with a real bitch named Katrina.  I might be fuzzy on the details, but apparently she really tore the place up.  (I'm not trying to make light of a tragedy, which it certainly is, but my point here is that while I wasn't directly affected by the storm, you don't have to go very far to have the effects broadcast into your home in full, stunning HD.  If you're human, on some level you're going to be effected, and I deal with tragedy via humor.  It's called a coping mechanism).  Having been to Bourbon Street, I'm not going to call New Orleans "classy" (I kid), but it is a city with a lot of soul.  It has history, tradition, and pride, like many cities.  Moreover, it's filled with people.  Living, breathing, hoping, dreaming people.  I may not speak a lick of Creole, but I can relate to people.  Especially people who have faced adversity.

So last night I watched a football game where one of my favorite teams went up against one of my favorite players, and then a couple tons of emotion were heaped on top by disaster cut scenes and the like, as the media loves to do.  I have to say, the only time I've felt more torn during a football game was when the Colts went up against the Bears a few years back, and every bar from Indy to Chi-town exploded with fights.  Who do you cheer for?    As a life-long Cubs fan, you have to feel a bit for the underdog-Saints.  As a human, how do you not enjoy the story of New Orleans?  As a Colts fan, you can appreciate the fact that Peyton Manning has strong ties to the city himself.  If the Colts weren't the other team in the Bowl, you'd better believe the lot of us would probably be crying "who dat" along with the rest of y'all.  Especially if it had been the Patriots.  Don't even get me started there (sorry New England).

The long and the short of it here is that after the final second ticked off that clock and the party started down in the French Quarter, I thought to myself "well, losing this one wasn't so bad."  Losing still sucks, don't get me wrong.  No one likes to lose.  But if you lose to another classy group of folks with a great story to boot, it makes it a lot easier to swallow.  And the Saints are a team it's easy to be happy for.  Like the Colts, they do it right.  Class shows.   Even for the ultra-competitive person, like me, sometimes losing isn't all that bad.

So what's the tie-in here, however loose it may be?  Well, as gamers and patrons of MMORPGs, we love a good story, and this was a great story.  And it was sports.  There's one thing I find myself saying to a lot of friends who don't understand gaming: "It's not all that different from sports". 

I'm a sports nerd, and I'm a video game nerd.  Those cultures generally don't mix.  I coach football and I lead raids.  On the surface, those would seem so different, but they're really not.  Raiding is a team sport just as much as football is.  Hardcore gamers spend hours upon hours researching stats and strategies, so do hardcore sports folks.  Sports are socially acceptable to waste time on, yet games are still struggling to gain that main stream acceptance.  Tell someone you spent a few hours in a fantasy draft last night and they'll probably ask you who you picked without blinking.  Tell them you spent a couple hours raiding last night and they'll wonder if they shouldn't be thinking about an intervention.  Yet the cultures really aren't that different.

As such, I find that a lot of the same feelings translate easily into both realms.  The feeling of victory when downing a difficult boss is the same high as taking the field on Friday night and outplaying a tough opponent.  The feeling of disappointment and loss when someone in your guild leaves isn't all that dissimilar from watching you favorite player get traded away, or a kid on the team you coach deciding the team isn't for him.  Sometimes we have more control, sometimes we have less, but the feelings are the same.  They're human. 

As I was returning home from the Super Bowl party I attended last night, thinking "losing this one wasn't so bad", it actually brought to mind a bunch of other times I'd lost in my life.  I mean, isn't that how it always works?  We remember the tough loses more clearly than the wins?  Failures more poignant than successes?  I was surprised, then, to dwell not only on my numerous personal sports memories, but also memories of gaming.  They were all intertwined in me, having the same base feelings.

There's a loose tie there, but it's a tie nonetheless.  Feelings are feelings, and taking hope from a football team winning the Super Bowl is no sillier than getting the same hope from running in a huge, pixelated group to a rooftop in Booty Bay.  Raiding for the Cure might not be the WoW equivalent of the Super Bowl, but the feelings of hope we get from our time spent together in game are real just the same.  Football is "just a game" too.  Good stories are good stories. 

Next time someone criticizes your gaming habits, wondering why you are willing to set time aside for something as silly as gaming, ask them if they watched the Super Bowl.  Gamers and Jocks aren't all that different after all.  We're all human, and at the very base of both MMOs and Sports is the human factor.  Sports are games too, just played with a different controller.

Congratulations to the City of New Orleans and Saints fans everywhere on a well-earned victory. Speaking as a Colts fan and an avid gamer: GG.

/Jawclench

I don't have a whole lot to say today as my brain seems not to be cooperating with rational thought. Sometimes that happens when you spend the weekend with the family. You know, emotional overload and all that.  Of course, it didn't help any to my emotional overload to come in this morning and read Ratshag's little OOC post.  /jawclench.

Because that's what guys do when something's emotional, right?  /jawclench.  And this story really hits home for me.  I mean, I was there for the raid for the cure, and I had my own reasons to be there (didn't everyone?).  Like most of you, I never knew there was a connection between that story and Ratshag's.  How cool to see the threads of fate intertwined in such a way though, and all because of a silly little game.

I've said it before and I'll say it again.  For all those folks who cry "it's just a game", it's stories like these that give hope to a world that desperately needs it.  Great things can happen anywhere and on any scale, WoW is just one of the many mediums that hope chooses.  Games can be vessels of bigger things just as easily as anything else.  The fact that we're all on this ride together is what makes it so cool.

So I'm really glad that the Orc is back in the house.  It was sad to see him go and is equally exciting to see him back.  He's always had a really unique and entertaining take on all things WoW, so I encourage anyone who either has not been over there, or hasn't realized the place is back up and hopping, to stop in, say hi and all that jazz.

Glad to have you back Ratshag and keep fighting the good fight.  Stories like yours flesh out the this silly little game and all it's crazy characters. 

The Legend of the Pit Pwners

We were but five adventurers. Already, one dungeon had fallen to our onslaught: Gundrak. Of course, that dungeon was approached in a more traditional manner.  You see, sometimes, when things aren't well planned out by the leader (coughmecough), you may find yourself later in a bit of a bind.

We were but five adventurers: One with a Pally and a Priest.  One a Hunter, one a Warlock.  Another Pally.  And me, a Death Knight or Warlock.  Between us, we had but one healing spec.  Gundrak witnessed the Priest, the Pally, two Locks, and a Hunter.  Traditional, like I said, and we rolled the place.  In fact, between the Priest and I, we made it somewhat of a game to see if we "accidentally" pull and get our tank friend to pull off of us before our bubbles ran out.  I'm sure he appreciated it.

We were but five adventurers, all from the same guild.  This is important, because not only are these people I know, but also they're people that know me enough to trust in my judgment.  We weren't randomly throwing things together, these were coordinated attacks.  Or so we thought.  Then, having completed the first random dungeon, desire was expressed for a second run so those of us with two toons could get the daily done on both.  The Priest (Fuu) switched to her Pally, and I my Death Knight. 

We were but five adventurers, four DPS and one tank.  No healers.  No healing off-specs.  No healing gear.  No healing experience (on the toons we'd brought).  We could have asked Fuu to suck it up and heal again.  We could have just dropped one and picked up a friend with a heal spec.  We could have gone about it the traditional way.  But nay, said I.  We can do this.  We don't need no stinking heals!  We were two Paladins, a Death Knight, a Hunter, and a Warlock.

We were but five adventurers who drew Pit of Sauron, randomly.  The second toughest dungeon currently possible.  A wave of fear swept through our able bodies.  Yet, persevere we would, it was decided.  Give in to convention we would not.  We were going to do this sans heals.  This wasn't about foolish pride or a scientific experiment.  This was about the thrill of the challenge.  The Azerothian gods had hurled at us a herculean task, who were we to toss it back, unaccepted?  Unrewarded?  

We were but five adventurers, but we had a plan: everyone take care of themselves.  With one Paladin tanking, the other could help throw an occasional heal to supplement her own healing.  The Warlock could Drain Life.  The Death Knight could Death Strike.  The Hunter could... do whatever it is that Hunters do.  We would survive.  We had all our lives to live, and all our love to give.  We would survive.  Yeah, yeah. 

We were but five adventurers as we made our first pull.  The skeletal monstrosity limped towards us, and with a shower of sparks from metal meeting shield, we were off.  Almost immediately, a patrol ambushed us from behind while another skeletal monstrosity lumbered magically up a cliff to join the fray.  We were swiftly and soundly defeated.  Yet Azeroth is not without its second chances.  We would not be deterred by troubled beginnings.  Many an epic hero hath started out from such humble roots.  "Let's not do that again," decried the Ret Pally upon our collective revival.

We were but five adventurers, tempered by an unfortunate fall.  We pulled again.  This time, success.  We made another pull, and another, and another.  Waves of enemies fell before our blades as sweat began to bead on our brows.  It was not easy, it was not hard.  It was.  We pulled some old tricks out of our dusty spellbooks, Laying Hands on this and Frost Trapping that, and when we looked up, we had reached our first boss.  He was bigger than big, and when engaged him, he smote the party with mighty party-wide damages.  Yet when the dust cleared, he was face down and four of us were alive. 

We were but five adventurers, now saved to this instance.  In much the same manner we defeated the construct with the Gnome on its poisonous shoulders.  Avoiding damage became as important as dealing it, and we excelled at both.  Jaina came down to congratulate us after that second boss fell, and once again four of us stood at the end.  We regrouped and prepared for some of the toughest pulls in the dungeon.  We used Paladin Repentance and Hunter Traps and Death Knight Silences to attack these challenging groups of enemies.  For each pull we made, we lost at least one of our own, but we never were defeated.  The sweat was now running in rivulets down our faces, but our fingers were dry and our mind's eyes sharp.

We were but five adventurers as we faced the gauntlet.  There was no swift grouping of many mobs in the middle, there was only a slow, steady slogging that led inexorably towards the exit.  Once, upon reaching the middle platform, a quick rez was thrown, but otherwise we were untouchable.  We dodged the falling ice even as we exited the hellacious tunnel, finishing off the last of the rabble before Tyranus belittled our own companions.  By now, the Light of the conclusion of the dungeon had begun to brighten our glistening faces.  The end was near, we need only beware of the Overlord's Mark.

We were but five adventurers, all five alive, when the final boss fell.  The scant reward of emblems and gold did not seem to do justice to the struggle we'd just overcome, yet cheers could be heard over vent.  Our smiles, laughter, and suspended disbelief were their own rewards, and they were plentiful.  We had done what we thought impossible.  Were we the heroes to end all heroes?  No.  But for that one moment, we might as well have been. 

There were not achievements or announcements to mark the occasion.  The gorge did not suddenly close it's gates and Jaina did not give me so much as a kiss.  Fanfare did not herald our arrival back in Dalaran.  In fact, business went on pretty much as usual.  I believe one guildy said "nice".  That was all there was.  We did not get a title or even a usable piece of gear.  Yet, for the five of us, something special happened last night.  We, the Pwners of the Pit, did what was thought "not even remotely imaginable".

The moral of this story is not that we were overgeared, overskilled, or overly lucky.  The lesson is not that healers are unnecessary.  The goal is not to e-peen.  What you should take from this epic tale of five adventurers is that, in this World of Warcraft, the challenges are only what we make of them.  Your most treasured achievements may not result in special points or hard currency.  No, the best times are the times we spend with friends, throwing convention somewhat to the wind, and leveling mountains with our digital prowess.  And isn't that what makes this game of ours truly epic?

As the sun sets on our tale today, I hear a voice cry out from the wilderness: "Screenshot or it didn't happen." 

The Pwners of the Pit

Happy Anniversary Generations

On Tuesday, our guild turned 5.  Yep, that's right, the guild has been there since a couple days after WoW began.  That's a long time for a guild.  Fuu and I joined up almost two years ago, and in the last two years alone there have been a metric ton of changes.  We've also seen our fair share of drama, but the guild has endured, thanks mostly to our fantastic guild leader who amazes us with her inner strength in the face of adversity each day (she's there for us while also being there for her child with Leukemia, amazing story, but not really mine to tell).  So thanks go to Kianna and all the other Gens out there who have made our game possible.

We did a short little run from Goldshire to Ratchet via Booty Bay and then got a pic on the surrounding hillside.  To finish things off, our GM had a vendetta against one Scout Manslayer.  She wouldn't tell us why, but we suspect a fishing trip gone bad.  In any case, we exacted our revenge. 

A Dish Best Served Cold, Unlike Turkey

And to everyone else out there: HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Just Some Ramblings

For some odd reason, my place of employment observes veterans day today, so I'm at home catching up on blogs from this weekend, to be immediately followed by some bonus game time, and reviewing our first joint marital health care elections.  Is it bad that, as a gaming couple, we really want an addon to show us the + and - of each plan when we mouse of there where they've been lying on the desks for the last month?  Seriously, WTB pawn for RL.

Insurance sucks.  Apologies to any of you out there in the biz.  Just the fact of having to pay money in case something happens strikes me as somehow wrong.  I mean, I know it's great and all when you need it, and can be totally worth it.  It just bugs me.  There's gotta be a better system.  You know, like perhaps making all this crap affordable in the first place?  Then again, that's a whole 'nother bag of shards that I'm no where near quailified or smart enough to open.  (This is one of those complaints I hate: where you just want to complain but have aboslutely no suggestions on how to make it better.  /slapsself).

Okay, real blog is real boring.  On to moderately less boring things.

I'm going to be short today so as to return to my plethora of reading and personal enjoyment.  I wanted to put up two pictures for your enjoyment.  First off, we have my personal favorite from Raid for the Cure this weekend, hosted by the Sidhe Devils.  Great time, fun for all, which was the focus.  Got to see some of my favorite bloggers, and Jess.  (Ha ha, joking Jess, you know you're my fave).  Got to run around in pink.  Good stuff.  Several others (who I linked above, but also I know I'm probably missing quite a few so feel free to leave me some comment love and I'll hit you back with a link) have already done lengthy screenshot posts about the subject, so I won't wall-o-pic spam you... just this one. 

Pink'd

You can even see Jess struggling to catch up behind me on her short wittle dwarf legs.  This was also well before we joined up with the Horde contingent, where our numbers swelled considerably.  Check out those links if you want more pics, plus BBB has a linked a rather stellar list of participants in his article.  Yep, we're on there, which is kind of neat.  It's like being on the guest list to a really sexy party.  Or something.

Also, small side note tip to any dual wielders out there: make sure you put your highest damage slow weapon in your main hand.  Yeah, seems obvious (because you'll get the best numbers on your special attacks), but like, the fail DK in me had a brain fart.  Yes, this has nothing to do with anything, just wanted to write something useful.

My final picture is from the world of Atreia (Aion).  One of the things people have complained about is the pervasiveness of bots in the game.  Fuu and I just hit 31 (well she's a bar away) this weekend, and, really, up until now we hadn't a lot of bots.  Or rather, the bots we had seen haven't really bugged us.  We're not the type to go around looking at bots and then freaking out cuz they're like, doing things.  However, in the early Beluslan area, the bots were really prohibitive to questing.  They were everywhere.  I exhausted my auto-reports in like 5 minutes.

Then, just for grins, Fuu and I single a few out and chased them around for a while, stealing their kills or gathering nodes and just generally talking trash in /say.  Why? I don't know, it feels really fun for us to talk trash to a brainless bot.  We're weird like that.

And as we were doing this, we figured out why there were so many in this area.  You see, there was a weather glitch, whereby clouds are enticed to release bots instead of rain.  It was raining bots! (Sung to the tune of "It's raining men", which just makes it funnier, IMNO.  The N is for "nerdy").  Okay, the real story is we found this bot that had gotten stuck, and for some odd reason it made them drop from the sky every few seconds.  We, of course, found this hilarious, so I caught a screenie.

Halleluja!

Fuu and I aren't really all the upset.  I mean we turned a frown upside down by being ridiculous, but I can totally see where people are coming from.  The whole bot presence in the area was ludicrous.  They even had a bot guild.  WTF is that?  Can I just report a whole fake guild?  I'm debating about finding some Elyos, opening a store to chat with them, and leading them to the promised land of bots for a culling.  As much as I dislike the pidgeons, it might have to happen.

Feeling Altruistic Lately and Raiding for the Cure

Now, I know it's not very warlock-like of me push for causes. Really, in my little over a year of blogging, you've rarely read about causes on this site. There are a few reasons for this. Mainly, I'm the type of person that gives anonymously. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with named donations (after all, who doesn't want a hospital wing named after them or something), but I'm just a bit uncomfortable with attention. Weird considering I carry on like this in public (but it's not like I have to face y'all, even though I definitely /blush when I get good comments).

In any case, my causes are my own and I don't want to push them on you guys.

Still, lately there have been a few things that I've felt compelled to pass along. Like the #iblamesyrana thing on twitter. I mean, the cause/giving part is really just the side note to me. Who doesn't like to blame, and I want to share fun stuff. (The blame-twits are going quite well mind you, but it doesn't hurt to add some more. Syr, what are we up to now? In fact, you could probably blame her for this post. I'd allow it).

Well, I'm sure most of you avid Azerothians have seen the news reported on several sites about the upcoming Raid for the Cure stuff. If not, the short story is that there will be a gathering of pink shirted individuals on some server somewhere (Kel'Thalas) and I'm sure hilarity will ensue. Similar to such events in the past, this is a good opportunity for you to roll a toon you don't intend to play on some backwoods server and chat with others in your gaming/blogging community. What's more, Fuu and I will be there.

I'll let you inside the RL house for a moment: Cancer is really a "hit home" issue with us, as I'm sure it is with a majority of humans nowadays. I mean, it seems like everyone and their brother has had a loved one hit by the disease. We're no different. In fact, our first date happened because of cancer.

Whaaaa?! How could cancer lead to a date?

Well, you see, Fuu's sister was diagnosed with cancer of the ovarian kind... while pregnant. As you can imagine, it was a trying time for her whole family. Having just met the lovely woman that was to become my wife, I wasn't exactly comfortable enough with her yet to ask her out on a date. Now, girls in general do not cast fear on me (unless I'm on a PvP server). Asking girls for a date wasn't something I was bad at. It's just that, I knew this girl was different from day one, not only because of the intangible, but also because of the obvious.

She was a friend of a friend. A guy friend. Which means it's sort of like dating an employee or something else that's sorta taboo but happens. I don't know about where you come from, but dating a girl that is a friend of one of your good guy friends is sort of like a mine field. Especially if, like me, you really prize your friendships. There's just so much that can blow up in your face.

So I was worried about asking her on a date... but I really wanted to. If you're a fan at all of the fantasy genre, you might be able to guess why. I wanted to be her knight in shining armor. Duh, right? So I asked her out for pizza and a beer. No strings attached. Simple enough to understand.

Pizza and a beer turned into Sushi and half-priced wine night at the local Korean restaurant, which quickly turned into tipsy yet ridiculously good conversation and companionship, which soon found us co-dependant. It wasn't like we hadn't hung out before (hell, I first started getting the idea when she invited me to ditch class and come play guitar hero... during which she commented that my playing was cute. Cute, not, you know, hardcore-death-shredder-awesome. Cute. Like a puppy. Not sure how you're supposed to feel about that, but I tried to make myself believe it meant she was not only a girl that enjoyed gaming (yahtzee!) but also a girl that found me attractive (jumanji?!)) . However, it was this night that took us to that next level of "oh yeah we're inseparable now".

My point here is just that, despite the sad and depressing disease, good things can come out of adversity. My marriage certainly did, and, on a smaller (or larger) scale, events like the Raid for a Cure come out of it.

If you're a cynic, you may look at the above story and think: he took advantage of the situation OR if they found a cure you wouldn't have a wife. And you would be right, but that's the way the world works. If you don't pull success from the jaws of defeat, you're missing out. Trust me.

Long story short: Say what you want about causes or this cause in particular, but there could be something in it for you, and you never know unless you go. Maybe it's just a fun day getting a chance to chat with your favorite bloggers. Maybe you really want to meet me. Maybe your brains have been addled by too much WoW. Stuff happens, right?

Might as well happen in a pink shirt.

In Honor Of The Fallen

(In honor of the memory of 9/11, I offer a second tale from Azeroth today. I hope you enjoy it and remember that no matter where you are, who you are... someone has at one time died so that you might live.)

A father and his young son stride across the sun-dappled pathway leading up to the ruins of Stromgarde. This once proud stronghold of the Arathor lay now in ruin and disuse, having been destroyed some eight years ago during the third war, it's former might and strength but a fading memory in the minds of the soldiers who fought there in defense of their homeland. Spirits of the dead still haunt the stones, and are never far from the minds of the people.

It wasn't one of the major battles of the war. It had been destroyed by the Syndicate, a shady criminal organization, not the scourge. Heck, the scourge barely even paid it much attention, except to use it as propaganda in their quest for the fall of the Eastern Kingdoms. Look at how weak these eastern humans are, they would say. Surely their civilization does not deserve the prosperity they've had. The time for the Lich has come.

Yet, even today, cries of "Remember Stromgarde!" can be heard upon the battlefield, rallying the sons and daughters of Arathor. Yes, the League of Arathor remains strong. It persists in its struggle against the oppression of the scourge and in support of the Alliance. An entire generation of Arathian men share stories of the old days by firelight, before Refuge Point became their home, and war their occupation. Tanners, cobblers, masons they were. Now, soldiers.

The father stops, pointing out the front gate to the boy, and gesturing as if to describe where two proud towers once rose on either side of the gate, reaching to the sky as if to defy the hold of the very earth they grew out of. What a sight they once were, he tells his son. How glorious was the city in it's prime.

Only rubble remains now, a shadow of what once was.


"Remember Stromgarde!" they cry, and the father now echoes the sentiment to his son. Never forget what happened here, he says. Never forget the sacrifices made on this field.

The son nods, soaking it all in. He looks with wide eyes upon the rubble that he has only ever known as rubble. Tiny tears escape from the corner of his eyes and he thinks of the mother he lost in the war. Tiny tears, yet they are all he has to offer as fitting tribute to that very first woman he loved. The woman taken from him far too early.

Raising his tear streaked face to the sky he bellows "For The Alliance!"

A single tear slides down the father's face, and he puts his arm around his son. Slowly, reluctantly they turn their backs on the past, and head back home.

For The Alliance!

Today the trend of photojournalism continues with two more pictures and small stories surrounding them. Forgive me if I'm not uber-clever today, as I'm feel pretty sick. I think I ate too many sunflower seeds at the JV football game last night which led to some sort of upper respiratory infection. Don't ask me how that can even happen, I just got like a sore upper throat immediately after the game. It's not like a yelling sore throat either, so IDK. Webmd.com here I come! (Cuz, why should I treat RL sickness any different than sickness in-game? I mean... "there's a forum for that").

Anyways, as the title might foreshadow, I have a fun picture of the aftermath of a For the Alliance run.

ZOMG, think of the scat!

As you can see, the run was obviously a success. Afterward, what better to do that congregate in Dalaran and enjoy our new reward? This wasn't really a planned event. In fact, if I remember right we had failed to get enough people to run the intended raid, so we just said screw it let's PUG some people on this random Sunday afternoon and go for it. I'm pretty sure we didn't even have a full forty. It is random things like this that keep me coming back to WoW and MMO's in general. Eventually, the scenery of any game may wear on you, but a game with a good community will stay fresh just because of the interactions of its players.

Take, for instance, picture two:

Oh, hai Mr. Fountain O' Smoke!

I was just sauntering out of the bank in Dalaran one day and... oh look, someone made a smoke fountain on the crazy floating sculpturing thing-a-ma-jig. It's the little things like these that make you smile. Or at least they make me smile. I mean, raid progression is all well and good. Hooray for lore. Yippee for achievements. They all make the game. However, things like this define the community. I think for many of us, it might be these small wonders that keep us playing. What are your favorite memories of "small wonders"?

For The Alliance!

Nope, not the achievement. Something much more near and dear to my heart.

It's no secret around here that I've been raid leading and doing a lot of work for both my alliance and my guild. I’m heavily invested in both, so this post should make sense in that light. Our guild leader is one of the most amazing women I've ever met. Her daughter has been fighting cancer for over two years now, and she's not even a teenager yet. It's a very sad story that we share with her on a daily basis, yet she remains positive and strong. Her story inspires guild members that span multiple games.

I bring this up because what most people don't see about our guild is that we're a family of sorts, especially those of us who have been there for a while. We've had a lot of upheaval and people leaving, but our GM has really been the one shining example. She's tried to give others the leadership a couple of times, but we won't take it. Even if she only pops in for a half hour a night... or week, she's our leader. It's that simple. I know several people that would, no joke, stand in a black circle of death for her... ON PURPOSE. (That's true love in WoW, you know).

In any case, the point here is just that we have a very unique guild situation. We've been around since day 1 of WoW and don't plan to go anywhere. We've raided, we've not raided, we've laughed, we've cried. We're honest with each other. Like a family, we may have fights, but we stick it out together, for richer or poorer. “Once a Gen, always a Gen” is the motto that holds true to this day.

I really wanted to bring that same feeling of family to our raiding alliance. Perhaps the ONLY reason I raid is because I'm addicted to the sense of camaraderie that goes with going into battle together (something I find as a football coach as well). I say it like that, because that's how I feel about it: going into battle. Some people see pixels on a screen, some buttons to press, and a good time. I see 10 or 25 people, dressed in armor, ready to lay down their lives for each other (if you’ve ever been part of a football team, you know where I’m coming from on this).

Extreme? Perhaps. But I don't think it's completely off the wall, because isn't that what we do? Lay down our lives for each other? Each of us has plenty going on. My GM with her kid, I’m planning a wedding. There are plenty who take time out of their lives for this. Single parents who spend their "free" nights with us in glorious battle. Coupled parents who do the same. Wife aggro sometimes gets us more than mob aggro. Parents, money, work, and school have crit on us quite a bit over the years. The point is: we put our lives TO THE SIDE to be with each other.

Sure, sure, RL has to come first. We all know this fundamental rule of gaming. But to some of us, it means just a little more. Some of my greatest stories of inspiration come from this "game". It's not that you let your life fall to pieces, but it IS worth making time for. It IS worth sacrificing for. At least in my guild it is. We don't ask anyone to take time out of their day for us; they do it because we're worth it to each other. My GM signs on every night, nobody asks her to, nobody requires it. She does it because we're her family outside of family. We're a support network. We're a shoulder to cry on. We’re there for each other. It’s just the right thing to do. We don’t need to beg.

I wanted to bring that to our alliance.

For a while, I think we had it. Especially in the TBC days, we were a pretty tight knit group. Then, as with all good things, some bad things happened to us. We faced some adversity. I'd like to say that, as a family, we pulled through it together, but this story is not over yet. As things stand now, we're hovering shakily over a precipice of epic proportions. Where did we go wrong?

It starts, as always, with the little things: miscommunications and misunderstandings. They fester and grow unseen. People begin to get unhappy. Then you lose an officer without an explanation, or maybe two, and the remaining officers start pointing fingers. They struggle frantically to discover what WAS the problem. Why are we here? Who screwed this up? People get hurt. Good people. People who were like family.

Yet still, "it's just a game", right? It should be all fun, all the time. If it isn't fun, then why be here?

It's at this point when we begin to realize, maybe it isn't "just a game". Maybe these relationships are real. After all, the pain is all too real.

So what do you do when the going gets tough? Do you quit? Do you retreat? It’s even easier to do this in an alliance, because, after all, they’re not your guildies. You can just take your ball and go home, focus on your own guild and nuts to the rest of your crazies. But you really have to ask yourself, are these people worth it?

Sometimes the answer may be no, and that’s okay. Be honest about it. People can go separate ways and still be friends. However, for me, the answer is yes. These people are too good just to quit on, and I've thrown my lot in with them. I'm not cooking up stuff on the side, me and my guild are dedicated to making it work. Maybe it stems from that sense of family. I’ve always believed that, with the right team, you can work through anything. It's not about me, it's about us.

My father once told me: “Don’t be part of the problem, be part of the solution.” If everyone asks themselves what they can do to be part of the solution, your team will more than likely succeed. It has to start somewhere.

The first step to healing any wound is getting over the past. You can’t change what’s been done, and it doesn’t really matter who did it. What matters is how you’re going to fix it together (if it’s worth it: a decision you have to make for yourself). This holds true for just about any relationship. Whether you’re married, engaged, in a bar, or in a raid. Get over it, and get on with it. Work together. Don’t be part of the problem.

I really hope my alliance can do this, because they’re worth it.

Happy Hunting BRK

I have a guest post scheduled to come up in an hour, but I wanted to make a small little note about the whole BRK thing.

I'm still small but growing a decent rate and being as huge as a BRK sort of scares me. I like my little corner of the world with nice commenters (many of which I know in-game). It's safe. At the same time, it's rewarding to have people respond to your writing. I think the challenge then is to remember that this is a hobby and not a job. We all pretty much gravitated here because of similar loves of writing and sharing ideas. That's what it's all about.

I try to crank out a post a day because it's like working out to me. I want to flex my writing muscle a little bit (one that is sorely underused in my engineering job). Sometimes you don't have time to work out in RL too. I try to treat it the same way.

People are going to move on from this game. It is inevitable and healthy. While the marks of such giants as BRK and Phaelia are widespread and lasting, they leave the blogosphere behind better than when they found it, having been the inspiration for dozens of new writers. In the end, when this game has come and gone, we're not going to remember subscription numbers or theorycrafting stats, but the time spent sharing a passion and writing about it. In the end, that's what each blogger and player will take with them, because that's why it's worth it. Memories are not counted in words or gold, but tears and smiles.

Mourn not the fall of the giants, but see them in all their glory, having completed their journies in this neck the woods, and gone ahead for new adventures. With a wave, a tear, and a smile, wish them good fortune and many a star-filled night. Recall the good times. Cherish the memories.

So, thanks to another giant who "gets it". If we should see you back in our wood, then let the games begin once more. If not, happy hunting.

I Would Like To Thank...

*enter stage left, takes up spot at podium*

... the souls in my bag, for stacking so neatly and being generally helpful.

... my demons, for heeding my call, albeit sometimes unwillingly.

... Seed of Corruption, for wonderful explosions of pain.

... the warlock council that resides in the basement of the bar in Stormwind, for all their help and guidance through the levels.

... that one dude that sits out in the middle of the blasted lands, forgotten and alone, for teaching me to harness the Doomguard.

... each one of my wonderful DoTs, for doing what you do best.

... haste, because stacking it is like crack.

... spellpower, and all the benefits thereof.

... my wonderful wonderful shadowbolt, especially when you curve around corners, bringing death with you.

*gets "wrap it up" gesture from off stage*

... and um, my family? Wait no, killed them. Elune? Ha, right, like a warlock would...

*more emphatic "wrap it up" gesture*

... and finally, thanks to all the corpses left in the wake of my awesomeness... couldn't have done it without ya! Thanks!

*halfhearted clapping*

*exit stage right*

So, Larisa over at TPPI awarded me the prestigious "Pink Pigtail Inn Blog Award", and my Warlock accepted for me. I suppose I maybe could have sent a better representative, but the DK would have probably offered more of the same, and people would have thought the microphone was busted ("No, that tin can sound is natural").

This award, of course, is part of a much larger meme-type thingy going around the blogosphere in general (I believe it is actually non-wow specific, which is kinda cool. Sometimes its easy to forget that people, you know, blog about other stuff). 7 people is an awful lot of people to tag and 10 questions are an awful lot to manufacture, so I'm going to take my "minion of evil" prerogative again and twist the rules to something more to my liking.

First, I'd like give my own version of the award to just three bloggers that are near and dear to my corrupted and contained soul:

And, the Shiny Soul(s) goes(go) to...

Syrana @ S&S, Abigore @ Fear.win, and Nibuca @ the MC.

Syr and Abi are two of my most frequent commentors and fellow bloggers. I love what they do, I love what they say, and I thank them for their continued friendship to the blog and randomly inspired postings.

Nibs has long been my main warlocky squeeze when it comes to information and general afflictedness. I read her long before she even knew I existed and have used her wonderful maths and thoughts for inspiration both in-game and in-blog, so thank you.

Do not see the award as a tag, because I'm not exactly following the rules, but rather an acknowledgement that you three make my blogging world go 'round on most days. I have many other non-blogging commentors that I really appreciate (fin, jess, and ofcourse fuu, I'm looking at you guys in particular), but you kids don't have a place to link to (except fuu maybe here, but linking yourself is kinda lame).

To further break the rules, I will not post a random ten honest things, but will ask for ten questions to be submitted in the comments here that I will, in turn, answer in the comments. Only ten though, any more and I will clam up. Less, well, that's okay. I'll just feel sad that no one wants to know me (not really).

That's sort of following the rules, right?

(Workplace paint leaves something to be desired...)

It's All In The Mindset

For those looking for class PTR note updates, Abi does a good job of summing them up here. I'm still trying to avoid them, but obviously that doesn't insulate me from Bloggers Gone Wild vol. 3.1. The updates that effect affliction look just fine. Free respecs with purchase of 3.1 at regular price (free) are also good. I'll hold off on spec stuff for that. I think I may even have to do a post from home so I can link what I end up deciding to spec. I think, just for the hell of it, that I'm going to purchase dual spec on both of my toons. I wouldn't mind playing around with two specs, even though it is completely unnecessary and probably not worth the gold.

The rest of this post is going to be expanding on a rather good thought I had when reading BBB's post today. As usual, he goes into far too much depth about the topic, giving us lots of words but some really good ideas hidden in there. He himself has admitted that he can be a rambling bear, but despite the rambling, he usual makes some quite valid points.

The gem of the day there is when he talks about how as a RL, while he may sometimes talk minimum specs and such, he often ends up dragging undergeared folks into instances and raids with him. I find that I'm pretty much the same way as a RL. If it comes down to running it with people I know who are undergeared, or having to PuG/not run, I'll choose the people I know any day, hands down. In my experience, this has often resulted in some very positive runs too.

Case in point: just this last Sunday we almost didn't pull together our Naxx raid and at the last second had 5 (out of a possible 10) new people offer to come through a guildy who was signed up with us. The caveat: none of them had really ever SET FOOT in Naxx, and, as such, weren't the best geared of folks. However, they were good people and willing to listen and learn.

Now, we were on the "home stretch" of Naxx (last few bosses of construct, Sapph and KT). Not exactly the best place to start, but whatever. They weren't the best geared, but whatever. We took 'em and ran with it. We had half a party of Naxx vets and half a party of Naxx noobs, most of which were DPS (though one was our OT on the always difficult Gluth fight).

Long story short: We only wiped twice (once on Sapph and once on KT), finishing the place off in about an hour or so. They were all awesome people and it was a great time. They learned fast, we got our run in quickly, and really did rather well given the circumstances.

We even had 6 melee too, which on the Kel'Thuzad fight makes it really tough, what with chaining ice blocks and all. We really had to stay on our toes for it. We were pretty much short on DPS for the entire night, squeaking by enrage timers and facing some VERY large bugs on KT, but we got the job done. When it was all over, the general feeling was that by all strats and "leet" accounts, we should have never been able to do it. And when you accomplish the "impossible", you tend to feel very good about yourselves. Ding, pride points.

The point here is not that we're all awesome or something, I'm sure a lot of groups with good players all around could have done as much as we did. The point is to illustrate the old saying: "nothing ventured, nothing gained". We could have called the raid for the night due to lack of people. As RL, I could have taken one look at the gear and lack of experience of the ringers we brought in and said: "No way". We didn't, and I didn't, and it turned what could have been a bad night into a very good night.

Loot was even spread out fairly well as the loot gods smiled on me with my T7 piece I mentioned and one of our better geared healers with a pants drop that he didn't yet have (and, amazingly, no one else needed). Of course, the undergeared folks also got their share of pieces too. It's just amazing that when normally all the gear would go one way, to have those perfect "last needed" drops drop on a run you almost didn't go on.

The moral to take from this story: as Elleiras over at Fel Fire once put it by way of Matticus' feed reader quote by way of apparently Wayne Gretzky (you know, a friend of a friend's cousin's dog)... "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take."

(Note: the picture is mostly for Fuu cuz its funny and she hates skiing (which I love), but it also illustrates a good point through humor that goes along with what I'm saying: A lot of times in life, as in WoW, it's all about your mindset.)

Lazy Link Thursday

Every once in a while around here, you'll see me get lazy and just post up links of other people's stuff. Usually I try to keep it topical and fun, but it's just been a busy week for me. That and last night I went out and had sushi with Fuu and we took a WoW night off (*gasp*). What with the increased pressures of raid leading (when you see success, it seems people turn to you for answers, which is good because I normally have them... just can be time consuming), the increase pressures of wedding planning (who would have thought getting married requires more patience and effort than leading a 25-man Naxx raid of PuGged asshats), and other miscellanea, I just needed a night off.

As such, I don't really have any clever ideas today.

I will, however, pass along some good reading to keep you WoWtertained (I like creating words... unwarlockerly was my new favorite today).

Despite my QQ, when things are starting to fall together with your raiding crew, it really is an exciting time. Do we push on to 25? How to get everyone geared? What new strats are we going to have to learn? How to spread out the talent and experience? It's exciting stuff and why I love to raid. I wanted to pass along two other recent posts that seem to share in my raid-love with their messages: Larisa over at Pink Pigtail Inn tells a great tale about staying positive in the face of raiding adversity (and not letting your raid crew get "fat") and Elleiras exemplifies the old adage about how you "miss 100% of the shots you don't take" by providing an excellent example of what can happen when you take a chance.

If you've already read both of those, then I suggest catching up on Looking For Group. If, like me, you've just now discovered this wonderful WoW comic (love the warlock character), you probably have a lot of reading to do.

If you're caught up on that, then you have even less of a life than I do and I feel I must suggest that you find a pretty girl (or handsome boy *coughcough*) and go get some sushi because, my friend, you need to get out more. (And if you don't like sushi, go get a cheezburger or something.)