So,  I purchaced some minitures not long ago... ok, 6 months ago or so.  They are called 'hordes' I liked them becuase they had wolfs and druids, that seemed to fit my style so I bought that army.  you can play against warmachine minitures, and that's what I've done mostly.  here's a link::

 Hordes - Privateer press games.

Anyway, I really havn't played much, but did get in a game to night. it was game one for me in a 5 week campaign.  I had a blast, but lost in a magnificent blunder of a move... I wanted to try out a spell... which I did, however, it landed me in the midst of a bunch of baddies, and my honorable opponant didst capitalize on the error of my ways. 

I'd say the most significant part of the evening came when I saw the doom massing on the horizon and I asked: I know this is lame, but can I conceed if I see doom approaching, so that I can take advantage of the bonding rule?  (which states that any warbeast left on the table gets to role for a permanent bond / advantage for the rest of the campaign.)  Several people proclaimed their consent that indeed, it was definitly lame... so I added, "but is it legal."  I got a few laughs at that... at least untill I actualy did it.  :-P but hey!  ya gotta try for those advanteges eh?

---

ok, after that I got to sit in a single run through a role play session - there were 6 of us playing pre-made characters for a Warhamer 40k dark herey adventure.  We had a blast, but, I must admit, I did the most damage to a fellow teamate when I failed a willpower check and went temporarily insane, attacking anything in site.  I happend to critticle on my attack, and really dished out the dammage on that - lucky me, I didn't finnish him off, and he was the guy that saved the day in the end getting a grenade to go off and chase away the big bad evil fellow that was about to start helping me chomp on my pals.

- well the night was fun, and I figured I might as well start using this gamers blog to start bloging about gaming.

-as far as World of warcraft goes, I'm plannig on bailing out of that until the expansion comes up.  I'll keep doing the karazhan raids once a week with the guild till my subscription runs out - but I'm looking forward to being free of the WoW Addiction for a while - though I must admit I sure had fun, and with all that epic pvp gear - I really feel like I got a good taste of the 'end game'.  that's a change.

on the horizon = GTA4 (I succomed to the pressure of the game industry claiming that this was the best video game... pretty much 'ever'. till now I havn't played one of the GTA's as I'm not a big fan of the 'dark hero' theme they set up... I couldn't get into the 'your a gansta against the law' motif of the previous games.  This one promises to be a tad better - enough to make the 'escaping from the organized crime syndicate from eastern europe character' apealing to play.

Also - more Hordes, and Dark Heresy (warhammer 40k rpg) goodness - yay, and the big one will be 'Age of Conan' wich comes out at the end of the month. I'm all pre-ordered and ready to roll!

zWolf -Øut.

Posted as:

Did the 'Spin' on Guild relations seem weird?

 
FIRST - I love World of warcraft - I love playing -

SECOND - the opinions here are derived from a LATE night and the warped sense of humor of the OP and are not to be taken 'too' seriously.

THIRD - ... I don't really have a third point but think there is some rule that if you say 'first' in all bold you'd best have at least three points... I'm probably Wrong on that count.

---

Regarding the new Guild Relations Program that I found out about on a news site - found at -

http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/community/guildrelations.html

I just had an odd taste in my mouth after reading that above posted web page - let me explaine how the page came off to me, though the actual words may have been different here's how I read the page they posted:


"Ok if you will Create Movies for us - for free

and

Fan Fiction for us -for free

and

Guides for us, lots of good high quality guides ya! erm.. for Free

oh ya, and participate in forum discussions allot to generate more interest in our game n stuff... (for free,)
here is what you get in return:

Beta invites where you can help up test our game to make it better - oh and this isn't really exclusive...lots of other folks will get Beta invites too...this DOES better your odds though... oh and other than your monthly subscription, you don't have to pay us a thing to test our new designs out.. that we are still working on... that you will essentially be helping us work on... ahem.

AND

Private discussions with the Devs!@ where we can brain drain you n find out what will help us make the game more fun / addictive so that we can implement those things in the game and get lots more folks like you payin and playin our game - and guess what you don't even have to pay us anything to bask in the glow of our presence while you get to give us your feed back! aint that swell?

And

hm... that's about it - but reading back over the list... it's not really much incentive yet so we will leave the option open in case we need to offer something 'real' to you guys to get you to help us...

OH WAIT! how about this!

- We'll make up a web page that lists your guild on it so that the whole world can see that we duped Y'all into working for us for free! won't that be special...

---
OK /sarcasm off.

I DO see the benefit of getting a chance as a player to help develop the game... I just get a little put out to see the 'SPIN' dropped on this - I mean lets be honest, Blizzard is asking for help from the Guild community to make the game better - that's great! But to try to make it seem like some great Honor that you have to Earn?
---

(apparently my Sarcasm flag went active again right about here.... hope you enjoyed the one spot of honest commentary... I should never type on forums when I'm tired...)

Popycock I say! that's just Hog Wash! They should be lavishing Uber ingame cosmetic enhancements on those that get selected at the least!

I want a Flag that I can Raise above my head that proclaims loudly to the rest of the lowly non worthy players of the under world of warcraft lets just call them 'the masses' for short - this Flag should have a Brilliant Symbol on it,

I want a tool tip for the flag that explains that I am a part of the Elite Secret Society that helps to shape the Very FABRIC of the world that "the masses" are allowed, (by my will and my Developer Overlords alone,) to Exist in!

- and that's just a the start! In Game Gold is always nice - Free Play time! now were talking! Give my guild Credits on the next expansion disk!

YA BAYBE E YA! I'm on a Roll! ,,,

---
---

- hmmm... that little paragraph in there of non sarcasm kind of says every thing I wanted to say without using all those lines of text around it... I should just delete every thing but the summary... naw - maybe some one will find humor in it. I'll just re-post it as the closing statement...

"I DO see the benefit of getting a chance as a player to help develop the game... I just get a little put out to see the 'SPIN' dropped on this - I mean lets be honest, Blizzard is asking for help from the Guild community to make the game better - that's great! But to try to make it seem like some great Honor that you have to Earn? That is Not such a great Idea."

Thanks,
zWolff (60 Tauren Druid) - Wesgar (67 Night Elf Druid) - Zarrak. (70 Mage)

Quote by Molebomb:
"Will Hogger's Lack of epics be addressed in the new patch as well?""

--- --- --- --- ---

oh - for those that don't want to 'click' on the link (it's to a Blizzard page) here is the text from the page that the OP (me) is refering to.


-cut and pasted from the new Guild Relations web page-

-W-elcome to the World of Warcraft Guild Relations Program main page. This program is an excellent opportunity for players to promote their guilds and discuss issues important to guild structure, such as guild management, systems, politics, and strategies. Guilds currently in the program are listed here.
From time to time, we will invite guilds into the Guild Relations Program based on the level of activity demonstrated in regard to constructive community interaction. Those seeking a place in the program are encouraged to:

Participate in constructive discussion in the World of Warcraft General Discussion forum or Guild Relations forum.
Post helpful information for other players to read in any of the World of Warcraft forums.
Create World of Warcraft-related movies and link to them in our forums for others to enjoy.
Develop fan fiction to enrich the overall entertainment experience for those who enjoy lore and creative writing.
Create game guides and make them available for other members of the community.
Anything else that demonstrates a genuine willingness to help other members of the World of Warcraft community is also welcome. Once enough members of a particular guild begin to stand out in this fashion, the leader of the guild will receive an invite and further details via the email address listed on the World of Warcraft account he or she plays on.
More members of a particular guild participating in the above activities will increase the chance that the guild will be chosen to become a member of the Guild Relations Program.
All guilds accepted into in this program will receive special recognition and benefits, including:

A dedicated page linked to on the WorldofWarcraft.com community website listing the name of the guilds in the program, details about each guild, and links to their websites.
Eligibility to participate in upcoming beta tests.
Invitations to live online chat sessions with Blizzard game designers.
Q&A updates to be posted in the Guild Relations forum based on feedback received directly from members of the program.
Additional features and benefits to come.
Guilds belonging to the program are expected to continue to meet the same criteria used in determining membership, follow the Forum Code of Conduct when posting, and to maintain participation in the Guild Relations forum.

Thanks,
zWolff (60 Tauren Druid) - Wesgar (67 Night Elf Druid) - Zarrak. (70 Mage)

Quote by Molebomb:
"Will Hogger's Lack of epics be addressed in the new patch as well?""

  There was an Article on MSN News that I read - and posted a comment on - I'll post it here in this Blog.

Video Games Not an Addiction — Yet

Sun Jun 24, 2007 10:00PM EDT

Internet and video game addiction is not a mental disorder akin to alcoholism. At least not yet. American Medical Association doctors who had recommended excessive playing of video and online games be called an addiction and be added to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders have backed away from the controversial recommendation, Reuters reports.

The general accord among addiction experts is that more study is needed before such a serious label is applied to the 10 percent of video gamers who have a problem with excessive video and online game playing.

There are no findings yet to "suggest that this is a complex physiological disease state akin to alcoholism or other substance abuse disorders, and it doesn't get to have the word addiction attached to it," Dr. Stuart Gitlow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine and Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York told Reuters.

Other doctors noted research is not conclusive over whether video games are addictive. But as Dr. Louis Kraus of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and a psychiatrist at Rush University Medical Center says in the article, when kids spend too much time playing video games they are not doing other things to help them socialize with friends, get exercise, and stay healthy.

Wise words I will heed as my kids' summer vacation begins. I'm all for including video games in the mix of vacation fun, as long as my kids are reading, swimming, and playing outside and getting exercise with friends, too. Finding the right balance is always tricky. Ill let you know how we do on that score this summer, if you do, too. How do you make sure your kids don't spend endless hours on video games, especially when they have more free time on their hands?
 

Wade Comments:

 I don't think it is a 'game' per say that is addictive - I play allot myself.  and have gone through times of abstinence where I wouldn't play any games at all. 

I found that I would replace that time with TV or Video Watching - or Reading a book.  I found that it was 'leisure time' activities that I desired to spend my time on.

you have but to see some one that has a Chemical Addiction and the trauma that person has to go through to 'kick the addiction' to realize that to classify a desire to spend vast amounts of time playing Video games in the same category as a Chemical addiction would just be plain wrong.

 There may be mental or emotional issues that a hard core video game player has or is dealing with - and Video games may be being used as a coping mechanism to deal with those issue... But I definitely think that the right decision was made here to do additional research.  It's clearly not easy to prove that it is a 'Game' that is causing the behavior that has similarities to behaviors exhibited by addicts.

 In my case - Take the game away and I'll fill that time up with something else, Reading for example.  Can we blame the 'video game' for the fact that society finds 'reading' to be an acceptable past time, yet chokes on finding 'Gaming' an acceptable activity for an adult?

If we find that 'Gaming' is addictive - then we need to start looking at Golf and other sports that can consume vast amounts of time and monetary resources of individuals that get 'really into it'.  It is a Slippery slope if you claim that an 'object' has the power to addict, and not look at treating the actual emotional and mental problems that an individual has. 

If you can blame a 'game' for the maladies that you have in life, it seems like one more thing to get through before the 'true' problem can be treated.

 That's my 2 bits, take it from someone that has been accused of being an addict, it's not the game causing some malady in me - it's just me, I have my own issues and I'm using the game/movie/book/mindless TV watching to deal with it.

by Wade Hone.

There is a place, I am only dimly aware of it, but of the fact that it indeed does exist, I have no doubt.  In this place of which I am only aware due to the intense mental training that I must undergo to learn the most strenuous of spells, there exist others that are in some sort of suspended state.  I too am suspended in this place, but unlike the others, I am aware.  At times when I am not in this suspended state, I have run into people that know those brothers that I know of only from this nether world of dreams.  I know that they exist even though I never did meet one of them in all my time living in Azoroth.  I shall call them brothers, though they exist no longer.  For truly they have ceased to exist.  Ripped from their slumber I felt them scream out, and then, with mouth agape, they were silenced.

 I felt my own doom fast approaching, I retched in fear every time I thought of returning to that nether world of dream.  From what little I can gather, it seems that the creator of my very being, the power behind what has made me who I am today, and made my brothers what they were, is ripping the energies that form myself and my brothers from the very fabric of our existences.  I can only assume that the energies being destroyed, are going to be used by the creator in some other cause.  During my waking hours, I felt as though I was being prepared for my own demise, things which I would never let go with out receiving some great wealth or benefit for I was giving away without a thought to receiving anything for myself.  That type of behavior is so untypical of myself that I had only to assume that the creating power was forcing my hand… in preparation for what? Would I soon join my brothers and share in their destruction?

 As I said I felt inevitable doom upon me.  I was the last in that nether realm of dream.  The shadow of the maker was over me and I was about to die, nay not die, for in death I would have still had a soul.  I was about to be… erased!  The horror, the horror.

 But ho, what cometh?  I sense a change it is as if the creators power has waned.  Yet at the same time I feel a new power, it is similar to that which I felt emanating from who I came to know as the creator, yet at the same time it has a distinctly different feel to it.  Though this new force, also wields unimaginable power, I sense that to snuff out my light from the universe is not its intent.  I no longer feel that same suffocating fear when I find myself in the dreaming nether state I'm often in.  I feel that once again I can progress, that I can experience life, that I can stop focusing on preserving my self, and can instead focus my energies on over coming the chaos that has newly formed on our boarders where the Gate has been re-opened to Draenor.

 I will try to put this whole experience behind me, perhaps burn a candle for my lost brethren, and then go on.  I will fight the good fight.  If I have no control over something, there's no sense in wasting much more energy worrying about it.  I just wanted to get these thoughts down, just in case I become one with the void.  Perhaps these words will represent to the world that at least at some point in time, I did indeed exist.

 Jarrak the Mage.

[quote][i]Originally posted by Vrazule[/i]

Maybe this is an indication that the typical end game needs to change. [/quote]

Amen, ya I get the point that the op makes about how rewarding that all the hard work and time spent can be, but... to this point yet, I haven't liked the new paradigm that end game brings to the MMORPG's.  (And I've played most of the more popular ones quite a bit.) With WoW, I just rinse and repeat.  Max one toon n start on another.  But that's not really 'end game'. To stick with the Op's original post, I like soccer too, but doubt that I'd enjoy going pro.  Same for Kayaking. 

All I mean, is, I'd like an end game that I could still enjoy the same as I enjoyed the first part.

[quote] [i]Originally posted by Vrazule[/i]

 If you guys are going to turn it into something other than a game, you need to seriously consider your mental health.  [/quote]

heh, you just don't get it is all.  It's definitely more than a game of monopoly or risk.  This hobby becomes something way more than, 'just' a game.  True it is 'a Game,' but it is one that has social interaction at its very core.  (more to say on that but there's a better spot.)

[quote][i]Originally posted by Vrazule[/i] 

You people are too serious about something that has no bearing on real life what so ever.  I feel sorry for people who would rather spend their waking moments raiding with fictional friends rather than deal with a real life.  [/quote]

Wrong.  Way wrong. 'Fictional friends' ??!!?? HAH!  you mean because I met them online?  your plain crazy on this one, the friend ships that you develop can become as deep and meaning full as a friendship you maintained with someone you knew from way back in grade school.

Often and I mean very often, meeting online is just the spring board for activities out side of the game.  Sure you don't go to the newest movie with every one, distance can discourage that for all your online friends.  But it's great to meet up with folks that you know from a game.  At one point my career had me traveling quite a bit, and it was fantastic to have friends all over the US. Never a dull moment no matter what state I was in.

Let alone when I moved to a new town and was instantly able to have a social network of people to do things with due to my online gaming group and the relationships that I had formed there.

You just haven't developed friends from online yet, or you'd never refer to those friends as 'fictional'.

as far as the 'nothing to do with real life' bit... now your dipping your quill into philosophy, the whole 'what is real' thing.  (see the Matrix, for a basic psy. 101 course, it's kinda entertaining too...)

That some people content themselves with going to work 40 hours a week to bring home a minimum wage paycheck - is that Reality? 

Then switch channels, and there is someone that 'made it big' that little piece of 'hobby software' that he helped out on sold for millions, and he's got a huge chunk of change in the bank, he invests wisely, spends his time Golfing and skiing etc.  - is that Reality?

The point is that every  one's 'Reality' is what he or she chooses to do with the events in their life.  Your 'real life'  doesn't include MMORPG gaming on the scale that some one else's 'real life' dose.  Do you think that makes someone who has incorporated hardcore MMORPG play into their life any less real to them? 

nope.  It's just not 'real' to you because you don't know or couldn't imagine fitting all the petty things that you think are important into the time slot left to some one who has put their MMORPG game at a higher priority in life than you have.

-I say 'petty things' just to illustrate my point, I'm sure that there are things that you spend your time on that some one else might deem to be 'petty' and that person would choose to put yet something else in that time slot over what you have chosen.

All this prioritizing still dose not make one persons 'reality' any less real.  it's just a different priority is all.

[quote][i]Originally posted by Vrazule[/i] 

Why would people pay a company to foster this kind of "game mechanic"?  I'm still waiting for a MMO that will entertain me rather than make me work and charge me for it to boot.[/quote]

ya, the whole reason that people keep paying, is for the very reason that you poopahd in your sentence before this one.  It is for the relationships that you develop in game.  Companies know that so they work very hard at designing mechanics that will foster relationship building in the game, thus prolonging how long some one will 'pay to pay' much further than if the experience was a 'solo' one.

Solo play you can get someone to stick with your 'game' for 30-120 hours is (and that high end is if you REALLY REALLY liked the game.)  toss in Multi player and you extend that substantially... double or quadruple the time that can be spent.  put in some great 'social hooks' that foster relationship development and team building and you can get some one to sink literally thousands of hours into your game, and keep em playing each month.

as far as 'cost' goes, its most often times a 'savings' for the player.  at least in my case it is, if I'm hard core into a game, I spend WAY less on movies, rentals, other console / solo computer games that get over fast or that are just plain no fun.

Anyway, the very thing that you scoff at, the friends that you can make in these games, is the thing that keeps a person playing and paying month after month after month.

My only wish is that they would make more End game content that appeals to my play style... its tuff being in a hard core raiding guild when you're not a hard core raider.  :-P

zWolf -out.

I'm on a road trip, working, unable to play games... I didn't bring a laptop, and all this hotel computer has is mine sweeper :- P

so how do I cope you ask?  I take this time to thing about making money so that I can eventualy build a gaming center, that is self sufficient, and alows me to have a place to game with friends and other like minded souls... I think about all the money that I can make, and re-invest into hiring people to design a game world for me...

I think about breaking my vow to not 'date' till I'm ready to 'wed' if only I could find the right gamer chick. hehe.  though likely she's just a myth... I have heard the legends of this creature of fantasy and fiction enough times to at least have hope... that perhaps somewhere in the world there is a pretty, girl who would just love to hear the words"

"Hey hun, let's take on the empire in a little Battle Front II." 

or that she may make the right choice when offered:

"Sugar, you wana do a scholo run tonight? or go out for a dinner date?"

Pizza and Scholo would be all it took to chose that over going out, HALLALEIUJA! (especialy if that was the 5th time she chose that optoin in as many weeks... whoa!.. can you imagine the bliss!) but alas, I think I hope in vain. 

oh well, I'll continue to do this work thing and dream of things that can not be, who know's... with enough money in hand, I may find someone willing at least to 'pretend to like games' I mean I have know doubt of that working with the fatness and baldness... Cash and a winning personality will make those disabilitys vanish into thin air... but to find a gamer gal... that alas would take a miracle.

zWolf -out.  (thoughts on 11-09-06)

yup, I did it, I hit 60.  Not on my birthday, but oh well, the day after isn't bad.

so, I went ahead and did a Respec, I'm now a Restore Druid.  Won't that be wonderfull.

I don't have much to write, and DO have ton's to do, so I'm off!

hmmm, lets see here.... so, I killed a level 55 Sering Ghoul and got 552 XP (I'm rested for most of the level, yea double XP!)

Let's just round that to 550, I need, about 200,000 total points so...

hmmm devide the big number by the small one... carry the 1, cross that t there, dot the i, solve for x, and...

Holy Shazam! that's allot of dead Searing Ghouls! I just don't think that 2 literes of mountain dew will last through, all 364 of em!

Let me look at that quest list again n see if there is anything I can do there.  Hmmm maybe something in the Sunken Temple...

Z. Wolf -out.

Ok, you would think that after getting one Druid to Level 60 on a PvP server, and another to level 59, I would have learned my specialties.  So why is it that I cling to the hope that I can be a Feral spec. Druid and still be a valuable asset to a PvE instance running group?

I mean on an intelecutal level I know that what I need to do is respec, and go the rout of all serious PvE druids and fill out that Restore Tree.  But deep in my heart I want to belive that I'm really valuable as a backup healer / off tank / DPS dealing bundle of buff's and curse removals.

So... once again, I'll vow to go full Resto, just as soon as I hit 60, but if my (still mostly Ballance Spec'd,) alt is any indication, I just may never get to it... :-P

(hmmm, I knew these rediculously long flight times would be good for something, I wonder if Blizzard planned for us to Blog while we flew all allong....)

Z. Wolf -out.