The Theramore Scenario (And How it Fails)

I suppose from the title it's rather easy to conclude what my opinion was of the in-game event in which Theramore is destroyed.  This isn't to say I that I completely hate everything about it, though I guess given that I feel it fails mechanically, lore-wise, and in execution it might seem that way.  However, I love the idea of Theramore and feel that, in the right hands, it could have been utterly amazing and a dramatic prologue to Mists of Pandaria that would establish the tone for the newest expansion.

So, what went wrong?  Everything, and allow me to break it down into sections because that is the only way I feel I can climb this mountain of fail.

(Note: This post will, unsurprisingly, contain spoilers, both for the Theramore scenario and for Tides of War.  Read at your own risk.)

Context and Lore

There was no context.  For both Horde and Alliance versions of the Scenario (Blizzard's fancy term for this new three-player feature to differentiate it from five-player instances/dungeons) there is no lead-in quest.  You are dropped into the zone with a list of goals or steps to complete on the right hand side of your screen.  Horde side there's an NPC delivering a speech, which I missed the first time because the group I was with were two eager beavers who just rushed on ahead while I stumbled around going "What's going on?"  My second run through I was able to actually listen/read his speech, but all it told me was that the Horde was attacking Theramore and that there were some ships that needed exploding.

Here's the thing: We aren't told why the Horde is attacking Theramore, and had I not read Tides of War, I would have absolutely zero idea as to what the hell was going on or why we had to rescue a blood elf.  Our little quest log on the side only says how many bombs you need to rig or which NPC you need to kill next.  And when you get to the end where you're forced to release Thalen Songweaver, you're treated to a short cinematic of a goblin dropping a mana bomb and destroying Theramore.  That's it.  Now, if I had not read Tides of War I would think that this was something every member of the Horde enjoyed and supported that we'd gone in and attacked Theramore for no good reason whatsoever apart from the fact that we're Horde and we're, you know, the bad guys, and as a role-player, I would be having a severe identity crisis right now (okay, maybe not for all of my Horde toons).

The scenario fails to establish that Baine, Vol'jin, Sylvanas, and (I hope) Lor'Themar are completely unaware of the existence of the mana bomb or aware of Garrosh's plans beyond his desire to take out Theramore.  We aren't informed or made aware that Baine and Vol'jin are hesitant about the attack, nor do you know that Baine sent a messenger ahead of the attack to warn Jaina so that she could marshal a defense as well as evacuate children and other citizens who either couldn't or didn't wish to join in the fight.  As for Thalen Songweaver, Garrosh's mole in the Kirin Tor who gleefully cackles like every bad 80's cartoon villain ever and informs you of the real plan, you're given no choice but to save him, and that's if you're remotely aware of the fact that he's a traitor.  (And I have so much to say about Thalen Songweaver that I will be making an entirely separate post on him when time allows)

At the end of the scenario, you're given a portal by Thalen back to Orgrimmar, and then you get to watch a goblin giggle maniacally while he drops the bomb on Theramore.  The only conclusion anyone who hasn't read the book can possibly draw is, "Boy, we're all a bunch of dicks."  And, without the book tie-in, there would be no way I could, as much as I love the Horde, remotely refute that.

Mechanics

I mentioned the little quest log you get on the right side of the screen when you zone in.  It's not terribly informative, though the minimap and a few markers in the game help provide a few views.  Now, according to the recent patch hotfix information, the enemies in Theramore have had their health doubled since Monday's launch, so I can't say if this has changed things, but going through on a Dragon Soul-geared toon was a faceroll for the most part.  There was no challenge, which made it utterly dull.  The difficulty might change after Mists of Pandaria  launches on September 25 and it becomes a level 90 scenario with a required item level of 425, but if that's the case, I think I would have preferred waiting to see this.

And yes, I do get that the scenarios are supposed to be faster than instances, but fast doesn't have to mean "so easy I could do it with my eyes shut."

Execution

For holiday bosses we are offered quest-givers who give us a short paragraph telling us something's amiss, and it's finished off with a short request to go take care of the big bad like the good heroes we are.  Then you're told to queue.  When I logged in Monday afternoon, I expected something similar for Theramore.  The only reason I knew I could queue at all was that I, of course, read the news and follow official WoW Twitter feeds.  Had Blizzard put in a single NPC for both Horde and Alliance with a simple paragraph of explanation as to what was going on, my whole spiel up there about context could be cut down to only my complaints about the exclusion of crucial points of lore.

That aside, this is an event that, quite literally, alters the landscape of Azeroth and is laying the foundation for the upcoming conflict between the Horde and Alliance that will play out through Mists of Pandaria.  Blizzard has, in their wisdom, limited participation to max level characters with an ilevel of 353 (425 after September 25).  While I understand this as they gave the scenario some degree of difficulty, this entire event is crucial to the story leading into Mists, not to mention its importance to the respective factions.  Limiting participation as well as excluding any explanation either provided from a quest giver or within the scenario itself has completely rendered the entire Scenario as utterly pointless because, by itself, it explains nothing except to tell us the Horde is just a giant bag of dicks (it's not, but I can't blame people for thinking it more than usual after going through that event).

The Good

Remember at the beginning I said I liked the idea of Theramore?  I wasn't just saying that.  I do love it.  See, we knew going in that Mists was supposed to bring the focus back on the conflict between Alliance and Horde.  And being that this is World of Warcraft, it's important to consider military strategy when waging any war, including those of the fantasy sort.

In the book it's established that Garrosh wishes to quit pussy footing around and officially declare war on the Alliance.  Initially, he says he wants to take over Kalimdor, or to remove the Alliance threat in Kalimdor.  Theramore, by virtue of its position and the very fact it was used to bring Alliance troops in to destroy Camp Taurajo, poses a definite threat to the Horde.  Despite the fact it won't make the Alliance happy, taking out Theramore is actually rather sound strategy on Garrosh's part (as much as I hate to admit it).  His approach on the other hand...not quite so sound, and I know that his methods were also meant to stir dissension in the Horde ranks.

At any rate, Theramore does make for an excellent kick off to a Horde versus Alliance war.  Of course, there's also Horde holdings in the Eastern Kingdoms that are equally as vulnerable to Alliance retaliation (and I will be both very surprised and very sorry if we don't see any such event play out at some point in Mists).  Sadly, the story and this new event just couldn't live up to the hype after Blizzrd's total bungling of it.

In Which I Make a Few People Jealous

Since changing my worgen to troll, I've had an impressive run of luck in WoW, or at least one that's impressive for me.  Here's some screenshots of the last four days.

Friday, Reins of the Raven Lord

Saturday, naked Magria fun.

On Friday, once the faction change had gone through, I took my hunter through Sethekk Halls with a friend.  To my shock, the reins dropped and she insisted I take them.  Saturday, I saw flying bears and tamed the beautiful Magria.

Sunday, my new guild ran Dragon Soul, which I was 6/8 in 10-Man Normal on my warlock.  They were short a healer, and though I'd never healed anything more difficult than an Hour of Twilight instance, they took a chance on me.  We went 5/8 and then resolved to come back last night (Monday) to finish up.  The meters pin me as being top or dead even with another, far more experienced healer in the group.  I'm not trying to brag, though I know how it looks.  It's more that I surprised myself and it speaks volumes for my decision to read as much as I can about my class.

Sunday and Monday, I catch up.

Monday, my new title looks pretty sweet.

Yes, I realize Dragon Soul has been severely nerfed.  Even as a healer I saw a huge difference from the last time I was in there, and I do mean a huge difference.  I was more than capable of getting through it before the nerf on my warlock or hunter.  However, after weeks of not having regular raiding with a solid group and uprooting my main from one server to another (which involved leaving a much-beloved guild), I'd all but given up on earning this achievement on any toons, let alone a new alt, before Mists of Pandara went live.  And while the Destroyer's End title is account-wide, I won't put it on my warlock or hunter until they've each earned it.

After last night, I was on an achievement high, so I told my role-play friend I was feeling lucky.  We ran Sethekk Halls for a chance for her to finally get Anzu's reins, and Magister's Terrace for the white hawkstrider.  We came up empty handed both times, but I told her to grab her alt and I'd take my warlock through with her.  And again, Anzu was feeling stingy, so we headed back to give Kael'thas a what-for, and I teased him about stealing his balls even though I went with my demo spec.

And when we went to loot him, I stifled a yelp and then nearly cried when my friend insisted I take the drop.

Monday night, I figure everyone hates me now. 

I feel like a few of my friends are turning green with envy and may even refuse to speak to me for a little while.  To be fair, I have promised to keep my role-play friend company on subsequent runs of Sethekk Halls and Magister's Terrace until she has the mounts too.

To be honest, all this good luck has made me really paranoid about how the Random Number Generator is going to treat me when Mists launches.

When Bears (Druids) Fly

Alternate title for this post: "Unidentified Flying Bear Butts"

Saturday, my copy of Tides of War arrived, and as I just faction changed my worgen hunter into a troll hunter, I thought I'd take the opportunity to celebrate by killing two birds with one stone.  I sat my blue-skinned troll butt down in Hyjal and camped Magria while I read the opening chapters of the newest World of Warcraft book.

Nearly three hours later, there'd been no spirit cat or, alas, a spirit owl, but as I took a break from reading, I panned my camera around and spotted something strange.

"No, that isn't...it can't be."  I hopped on my mount and flew over toward the Sanctuary of Malorne, and sure enough...

ME: (in guild chat) "There's a bear flying around Hyjal."
GUILDIE: "You're drunk."
ME: "No, I'm serious!  I'm flying around following a bear that's flying through the air."
GUILDIE: "I still say you're drunk."
ME: "Look, I may be sitting out here naked, and I understand that may look bad concerning my sanity and/or sobriety, but there is a bear flying around the Sanctuary of Malorne.  And now his friends have joined him."
GUILDIE: "Riiiiight.  Whatever you say."

I can only imagine this was followed by a whisper to an officer along the lines of, "Say what are the rules regarding members who have hallucinations?"  But look, I have photographic evidence:

Click to enlarge.

That's an NPC whose name I didn't think to write down, and after "swimming" in the air for a bit, he was joined by some friends.

So after that amusing incident, I looked at the clock and realized I'd been camping Magria for about three to three and-a-half hours, and I was getting tired of reading.  I told myself ten more minutes and then I was going to go kill Kael'thas for fun and a possible mount.  Not two minutes later, I nearly jumped out of my seat when my trusty _NPCScan went off.

I was so excited, I didn't even re-equip my armor before taking pictures. 

"When dey said, 'When bears fly,' I didn' tink it was literal."

We Are All Mary Sues

If you ask any role-player what his/her biggest role-play pet peeve is, inevitably you'll hear the term Mary Sue (or Gary Stu in the case of males).  It's up there in my list, too.  There's nothing more eye-roll inducing than to open up an MRP profile only to read several paragraphs informing me of so-and-so's blinding beauty and/or indestructibility.  In the Mary Sue's world, only evil people hate her, and the Mary Sue never, ever fails at a task or is any possession of any real flaws.  Admittedly life would be simpler if all the good guys got along one hundred percent of the time and we never had to overcome any obstacles to achieve a goal, but it'd also make for a rather boring existence just like it makes for supremely boring and obnoxious role-play.

It's a mistake a lot of new (and sometimes old) role-players make.  You want to fit in, and you want to be liked, ergo it stands to reason you want your character to be liked, too.  You want him/her to find true love, or at least a good group of adventurers who will have his/her back in case of danger.  Furthermore, you don't want to be anyone's punching bag or let anyone think you're easy prey, so you add in warnings that amount to a simple "Don't fuck with me."  And when it comes to fitting into the setting, learning all about the lore is a daunting task, especially in a universe as large as World of Warcraft's, to say nothing of the fact that the lore contradicts itself in innumerable cases.  Ideally everyone would spend a few hours on Wowpedia, or on Blizzard's website reading up on everything available, but if your time is limited, as it is for many players, you figure the best way to learn about the setting is to play the game, which is a good way to learn quite a bit of lore, but for role-play, it can give the wrong impression of just how strong a player character (PC) can be in Azeroth.

Think about it.  Without ever entering even a single dungeon or raid, how many times do you the player save a village/group while solo questing?  How many conflicts between Horde and Alliance are altered because of your involvement?  How many times do you prevent a nefarious cult from committing one atrocity or another?  Look at Hyjal and the Molten Front, especially the Molten Front where your involvement quite literally alters the landscape.  By virtue of playing the game, we are all, in some way, Mary Sues.

My point in all this meandering is this: Most of us role-players are guilty of mocking Mary Sues, and maybe we've even told them to their (digital) faces that they suck.  But we forget that, especially for newcomers, the game itself can make us think we're more powerful than we are, or that we should be.  The game, by itself, doesn't teach us how to be good storytellers, or remind us that even some of the most beloved characters are some of the most imperfect people who are not universally loved by their peers (Tony Stark, Sherlock Holmes, Buffy Summers, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, Sookie Stackhouse, Donna Noble, River Tam, etc.).

With a new expansion upon us, there's going to be newcomers to Azeroth, and many of those newcomers are going to want to role-play.  Some of them have prior experience in role-play, but most of them likely will not, and it's important that we remember that sometimes Mary Sue-ism a symptom of gameplay rather than player capability.  So, be a little gentle with those Kung Fu Pandas in three weeks.

This is a Silly Post

ME: "I've decided to switch to Affliction Spec, and with Glyph of Verdant Spheres I get to have green balls floating around my head instead of purple shards."

FRIEND: "Kael'Thas called.  He wants his balls back."

ME: "NEVAR!"

He'll probably just view this as a minor setback anyway.

In other news, I played around with Affliction Spec tonight, and I think I'm going to stick with it even though I feel guilty every time I use Grimoire of Sacrifice and kill my demon.  The power...oh man, the POWAH!

Okay, no more WoW pop-culture references in this post, I promise.

#HowToPissOffAFemale(Gamer)

Caption: "#HowToPissOffAFemale tell them you're playing World of Warcraft instead of seeing them."

Remember how I said this blog would sometimes be about my feminism and how it intersects with my gaming.  Yeah, I had no idea how soon I'd be inspired to focus on that particular aspect.  Here I was thinking I'd be talking about becoming a possible convert from Demonology spec to Affliction spec on my warlock for raiding tonight, when I spied the above tweet on my twitter feed.

By itself, it's not horribly offensive, though it does grate on my nerves.  We've all heard the "jokes" about wife or girlfriend aggro, and just yesterday a male player lamented to me, "I think my girlfriend is mad at me for not spending more time with her."  To which my response is inevitably, "Well, put down the mouse and go see her!"

The thing is, I'm not sure why this is solely considered a problem in the realm of male gamers.  We women have also put our significant others through the "Just one more dungeon!" or "I can't go to that party, it's raid night!" scenario.  The other issue I have with this is all this complaining about how a girlfriend or wife wants their gamer boyfriend or husband to spend time with them instead of playing WoW (because we all know no gay men or women ever play WoW--careful not to step in that dripping sarcasm there, it's slippery), and how this is apparently a bad thing.

Which brings me to the "joke" in the tweet above and other jokes like it.  When you enter a relationship with someone, you have a responsibility to maintain that relationship.  This means you--yes, you the gamer has to be the one to find the balance between play time and relationship.  Sometimes a significant other might be a little clingy, and if the other party is demanding you spend every waking moment with them, then yes, you have a right to say, "No, I'm going to raid tonight."  However, what I see too often is that the player is on WoW six nights per week doing whatever s/he does, and then complains when, for one night, their significant other wants him/her to turn off the computer and, horror of horrors, spend a little time together.

I have been on both sides of this.  When my boyfriend was spending a bit too much time in Paragon City (the setting of City of Heroes for the uninitiated), I had to put my foot down one night and let him know that I needed a bit of attention.  Recently, I had to admit that sometimes I was playing a bit too much in Azeroth when I should make more of an effort to spend a bit of time on the couch snuggling and catching up with Burn Notice on Netflix (or one memorable evening, watching the new Conan remake, which was only made more awesome with our MST3K-style commentary).

And rather than either of us whine and complain that our significant other was trying to take us away from the game, we both stepped up and said, "Hey folks, I'm taking the night off to spend with my girlfriend/boyfriend."  Because, you know, we love one another and respect each other's emotional needs, and we both realize our relationship comes before our gaming.  Yes, even that epic hunter pet I've been camping forever is secondary to my relationship.  Sometimes.

Finally, the comments I see outside of communities dominated by women, these "jokes" are always aimed at women and how we're ruining the game for our significant others.  It's sexism at it's finest (or worst, depending on how you view it).  And the thing is, I know PainsofWarcraft doesn't mean to be sexist, and I know my male friends don't mean to come across as being annoyed their wives and girlfriends have the audacity to demand attention, but it doesn't change what it is and what it means to those of us who are women who enjoy this game.  We have the same struggles and we're tired of having our gender referred to as problematic or a hindrance to your playtime.

Like I said, I'm not exactly offended, which wouldn't be a bad thing if I was.  I'm more or less annoyed and rolling my eyes because this is the Meme That Never Dies, much like the old, "Go make me a sandwich!" insults.  After a few years, you'd think we'd get some fresh material to work with.  And also it's problematic in that the jokes seem to negate the fact that everyone in a relationship has a responsibility to make themselves available emotionally and physically to their significant others.

And if that's still a problem for you, maybe you should switch one stereotype for another.  Instead of being the beleaguered boyfriend or husband, maybe you should become the "Forever Alone" gamer who doesn't understand why the ladies aren't lining up to date him.

Farewell, Cataclysm

So long, Talent Trees!

As of Tuesday, August 28, 2012, Cataclysm was officially over.  There's still some time before the world event involving Theramore on August 18, and the launch of Mists of Pandaria on September 25, but the "pre-expansion" patch 5.0.4 has already drastically changed how we play the game.  Farewell, Talent Trees!  Hello, Talent Calculator!  Shamans have lost their totems (sort of), paladins have lost auras, and hunters can now shoot things at point-blank range, and everyone either loves it, hates it, or is still staring at their screens asking what happened.

The end of Cataclysm and the arrival of Mists brought about changes for me outside of my class, too.  I've moved my raiding/role-playing main to a new server and joined with an entirely new guild, a decision that still stings a bit as I loved my old guild dearly.  It was time for me to move on and broaden my horizons, and to get ready for my first ever expansion experience in World of Warcraft.

And that's what brings me to this new blog.  In the last year and a half, I've learned a lot.  I've gone from one 85 to five, each from a different class, and I know at least enough about each of them not to get myself killed (too much).  I'm actually comfortable enough to answer basic questions concerning game play and class/spec, and even explaining strategy in PuGs.  I'm by no means an expert, and if you come to this blog expecting to be told in explicit detail how to be the best player in WoW, you'll be disappointed.  This blog isn't about that, it's about my adventures as a casual raider and role-player in WoW.

Some of the posts here will be silly, and will likely involve letters to/from/about my toons.  Some will be serious and will talk about how my feminism (yes, I am a feminist) intersects with and occasionally butts heads with my gaming experience.  Others will be cheering about my accomplishments in raiding, and the headaches associated with gearing a toon to be raid ready.  And finally, there will be some lore nerdery from time to time.

It is what it says on the tin:  "I am a casual raider and role-player in WoW.  I write about it."  The end.