Month: July 2011

A House of Cards

Posted on by Gazimoff

If you’ve played World of Warcraft for any reasonable length of time you’ll have seen people riding around on giant chickens or single seater rockets. You may even have seen someone mounted on a translucent tiger, proudly showing off in the middle of Stormwind or Orgrimaar.

Ask where any of these come from and the same enigmatic response comes back. “TCG Loot”.

Like many people I dabbled in picking up a few of the Warcraft Trading Card Game packs when they first came out in a search for rare and exclusive items. Alas, my search yielded only the simplest of items. A limitless supply of paper gyrocopters and a small barbecue grill were pretty much my only rewards, apart from the huge stack of cards I was left with.

The funny thing was, I never actually played the game. I just packed away the cards, promising I’d get around to doing something with them at some stage.

That time finally came around. I was invited to a “taster session” at Rules of Play in Cardiff, where I’d get the chance to learn how to play the game part of the TCG. I’d finally find out what the non-loot cards were actually used for.

Continue reading “A House of Cards”

Tired of MMOs?

Posted on by Gazimoff

There’s been a discussion kicking around Twitter for the past week or so, which seemed to end up with a single question. I think it was probably best said by Wolfshead: “is there anything left to say about today’s MMOs that hasn’t already been said?”

If we’re talking about the current crop of MMORPG games then no, there probably isn’t anything more that can be said about them. While our experiences playing those games is as varied and unique as our daily lives, the core mechanics used are almost identical. No wonder we’re all getting so jaded!

So why do we keep playing (and writing about) these games when there seems to be diminishing returns? When you’re comparing Dishwashing Online and Washing Up World, you’re still virtually washing dishes. Surely there’s only so much you can say?

Continue reading “Tired of MMOs?”

Managing Guild Change

Posted on by Gazimoff

“All the world’s a game,
And all the men and women merely gamers”

With apologies to William Shakespeare

This is a tough subject for me and one that comes from recent experience. You see, it’s about how guilds change and how that change is managed by guild leadership.

Some change is inevitable, such as when Blizzard changes the game. Other changes are brought about by the continual joining and leaving of members. Some are even evolutionary, brought about by a gradual shift in focus or change in direction.

Change doesn’t always have to be a bad thing. Done right it helps keep your members involved and informed as part of the decision making process. When it’s done badly it causes the opposite, alienating guild members and ultimately leading to them leaving the guild.

Continue reading “Managing Guild Change”

The Infinite Trial

Posted on by Gazimoff

I find it funny how the word “trial” can be taken in two ways.

There’s the positive side – being able to sample something or try it out before you commit to it. After all, we all want something for free and being able to try a bit of it for free sounds almost as good. Like being able to have a taste of the chocolate cake before buying it.

The other side of trial isn’t so great – two groups come together to settle a dispute in a formal manner. Being “put on trial” conjures up feelings of discomfort and ordeal. Even being part of a trial, such as a juror or witness, is no great joy.

With that said you can probably understand why the concept of an infinite free trial doesn’t exactly fill me with bountiful leaps of joy. After all, I don’t want to be standing in front of the Jury of Cake explaining why I devoured all of the prime chocolate gateau.

A sneaky little blue post crept out explaining that Blizzard’s free trial of Warcraft would no longer be limited to ten days. Instead you’d be able to play the game as much as you like for as long as you like, but you’ll never be able to progress beyond level 20 until you shell out for an account. You’ll be able to gorge yourself on as much cake as you like, but it’ll only be the spongy bit at the bottom. The delicious frosting with all the chocolate shavings and the glacé cherries will remain out of reach until you reach for your wallet.

Continue reading “The Infinite Trial”