Fanfic, the final.

The Unknown Paladin

Part Three

Steel clashed and the mightiest spells of our assembled host shot towards the gargantuan Gronn. His sons had done little to prepare me for the sight of him, barely contained by the vaulting cavern of his home.

A mighty giant, the bone protrusions erupting from his flesh enhanced his fearsome appearance, muscles and sinew thickly knotted limbs as large as several Tauren, measured hoof to horn. Viscously curved claws tipped fingers thicker than a stout leg. Teeth, broken and jagged but undoubtedly deadly jutted from his massive jaws, glinting in the torch light and dripping saliva.

Truly a God and King above Kings in these sundered lands.

The fury of the bestial God-King seemed boundless, as did his vitality. 
 

No wound or searing flame, nor fierce touch of elements seemed to weaken the creature. Instead, in the brief moments since the fight had been joined in earnest, he had appeared to grow, unfolding his massive bulk to meet the threat of an army.

With my blessings and the constant succour of my healing the brawlers kept their feet, nearing death only to be restored by a fist of glorious magics.

The glint in Gruul’s eye was not fear; such would be unknowable to the monster. Rather he seemed to delight at the invaders, gleeful to vent his wrath at such puny foes. Energy coursing through a body ancient and wasted by repose, stirring power long untapped and unchallenged since vanquishing the Black flight.

A hideous laugh echoed through the cavern, raining down sweeping blows as the desperate bear fought to keep the giant’s attention. A slightly built cadaver, a scout of questionable abilities danced around the thrashing fists as glancing blows crushed the unwary.

How the forsaken fool hoped to harm a god with tiny, poking envenomed blades I would never guess, but the desperate flurries were just as effective as anything else. Not very effective at all.

Blood flowed freely from dozens of gashes on Gruul’s legs, arms and torso. They did little to trouble the fiend. His growth was now clearly visible, and his strength multiplied with it.

A massive rumple took me off my feet, disturbing my tenacious grasp over the Naaru’s power. Looking around as I struggled to my feet I saw the less capable of my fellows prone or running from similar quakes, as Gruul shook his home with tremors.

Throwing a shock of potent healing magics at the tiring bear I too ran from the quake. Mid step the world froze in an instant. A surge of power flooded the room, filling my entire being.

The sweet taste washed away the bitterness of the twisted Naaru’s magic.

Not arcane, nor fel. Not even the dilute tang of elements harnessed by the Shaman. This was pure, more so even than the Sunwell.

A smile touched my lips at that blasphemy.

A wall of sound broke the moment as I was thrown towards the stalactites hanging far above.

Nausea rose and was conquered as the natural order of things resumed. The sweet taste left and the swell of the light filled my being once more.

With distaste another shock of the foul stuff left my fist, this time directed inwards. The fall had not been pleasant.

Casting an eye around, the room darkened imperceptibly. Gruul towered above, seeming to throw his fist through syrup.

The world darkened.

A step took me out of the monster’s shadow.

The world darkened.

Throwing all my weight forward in a terrific leap...

The world darkened.

... I came crashing into the troll priest, hastily shielding herself with a hushed word.

Again a moment in time extended onwards, Gruul bellowed a full throated laugh as he stamped a massive foot.

The world shattered.

The last seconds rushed through my mind, no longer slowed by Gruul’s trick.

Beyond the troll I could see the shadowy mass of a forsaken. One I recognized. That incompetent fool mage, still bursting with his stolen magic. The petrification Gruul had effortlessly cast on an army, he had just as easily smashed. The force of each shattering extending outwards wreaking terrible destruction through the forces arrayed against him.

I would not run so hastily again, being so close to the troll maiden had nearly ended me and the touch of her shielding magics around me did little but vex me with my own foolish haste.

Gruul now towered, forced to stoop beneath the cavern ceiling and breaking stalactites with every move.

The chaos of falling rock went largely unnoticed with the constant tremors and the desperation to bring the beast down before the whole of the mountain range fell upon us all.

The festering buffoon had followed me, grinning as he called for my blessings even as he sent a bolt of flame from a flailed hand.

Blessing bestowed, I glowered briefly at him, turning my attention back to the viscous melee. More had fallen as Gruul gained in size and strength, crushing those unfortunate enough to be caught beneath his indiscriminate strikes.

A soundless explosion reverberated through the cavern, and silence reigned. The magic burned in my hands for release, but no words could issue forth. No sounds of the carnage, nor the wails of the injured.

The magic flared as sound rushed once more into the world.

But too late.

With one staggering blow the bear was floored, Gruul raised a foot to finish the dazed druid. Tugging at the power of the Naaru, ripping power through the ether into me I extended my hands, palm out. 
 

The laying of hands would once have drained a paladin of every ounce of strength and life, but Kael had taught our people well that a desperate act could hold untold rewards.

Ripping at my belt pouch a cool bottle came immediately to hand.

A tiny vial of blue liquid.

In the back streets of Silvermoon, or in the ruins where the Wretched fought for their meagre, warped existence in decrepit slums, a single drop from this vial could buy the head of any elf in the city.

Bitter magic, foul and plain. But it infused me, reinvigorating after the exhausting spell.

The bear had regained his senses, and my mighty effort had given the others time to react. Bellowing a challenging roar the druid seemed to enrage, growing in size and sweeping his massive paws in a berserk effort to mangle a foe so far beyond his capabilities that the blows may as well have been swats at flies.

Gruul’s amusement seemed to wane. Perhaps the efforts of our motley army were finally having an effect, though the Gronn seemed to grow still more massive.

A roar again echoed through the cavern, and I braced, quickly throwing flashes of healing magic as I waited for the inevitable.

Glancing around, I could see the less stupid of my fellows bracing themselves. As one we flew in arcs towards the hanging stalactites.

Hitting the floor in a roll, I was ready.

The world darkened.

Luck favours the wary and a dark alcove awaited me a short run away.

The world darkened.

Throwing myself again in a marvellous leap I rolled forward. Momentum threw me forward faster than my legs would now carry me as I...

The world darkened.

... crashed into the dank stone of the cavern wall.

The world shattered.

I could hear cries behind me as I quickly closed a fresh gash on my cheek.

The torch light showed the cavern floor was littered with bodies. Few were still conscious, crawling to their feet to continue the battle.

Gruul paused briefly, possibly according some measure of honour to the bear once more prone before him. A foot viscously stamping the life from the druid ended any conveyance.

Turning his fierce regard from the melee Gruul eyed the rotting moron of a mage, gleefully bending to pluck the unfortunate from half a room away.

The end had come. These puppets had failed at the last hurdle.

The taste of Gruul’s power only magnified the torment of my defeat.

This left only one course of action, a slim chance that something could be salvaged yet.

Running forward I shrouded myself in a divine shield, wrapping the trapped Naaru’s considerable power around myself.

Gruul turned his attention from me to hurriedly maim and kill the last of the invaders.

Falling to my knees before the Gronn God I knew I must beseech him for whatever mercy he might have. I would not be an ineffective servant, and perhaps I could win the power I sought under a new master. Not the end I wished, with the captive giant humbled before the assembled people of Silvermoon, ready to crown a new champion. A new regent. But service could have rewards.

“My King. Spare me that I might serve.” With a swallow I saw that I had the entirety of his gruesome attention, and the magic protecting me would not last long. “Your court is dead, your bastion in ruins. 
 

“You could make good use of my power. The Naaru’s Light bends to my will, and with me as emissary there are worlds beyond this you could crush under heel!”

Gruul considered my words well, a smile touching that monstrous countenance.

His laugh once again echoed through his home.

“Gruul not need unworthy runt. Die!”

Raising a fist the Gronn kept his gaze fixed to mine. The faintly glowing bubble of divine energy surrounding me did not feel too invulnerable.

The blow shattered the already failing barrier with ease.

It ends here. Not glory, not the pleasures of the arcane. Just death.

***

The shade of the unknown paladin retreated from the mouth of Gruul’s cave, the crunch of bones echoing throughout Blades Edge, a warning to any who would invade the home of the Dragonkiller.

Fanfic, continued.

The Unknown Paladin

Part Two

An argument seemed to rage amongst the colossal ogres.

Such a vulgar language, but thankfully easy to decipher.

Laughably simplistic actually. How such a force that dwelled within could waste time with the disparate tribes of its brethren in these accursed mountains was a mystery. The Dragonkiller could walk out into the world and bring armies to their knees, with or without his sons. Instead his puppet King raged at rebellion and the strange whispers of a new ogre power rising.

Soon those problems would be meaningless to them all. Death held all the answers they would ever need.

The scouts we had sent forward returned. We would have to take down the council to get to their master. Just as I had predicted. Still, the news that more ogre sentries also lay beyond was fresh. I doubted the foolish creatures would give us any trouble, even if they heard the massacre of their King.

Our fighters split, a small team of healers staying with a single warrior at the mouth of the tunnel into the wider cavern. The foolish mage, recovered from his most recent end thanks to one of my fellow healers, advanced on the council of ogres. Still oblivious to their impending doom they did not notice the suspicious shadows invading their stronghold. Our scouting party had confirmed our strategy. The bear-commander had scried out our course true, somehow. The inferior races often had their uses and this shape-addled creature knew well enough how to fight.

Not so unlike the ogres before us, and seemingly as easily manipulated.

The mage’s hands burst into flame as he readied a massive ball of flame. The first attack, and our signal.

The conflagration grew in size as it travelled, soon warning our quarry of our presence.

Too late for them.

More parties thrust forward from the flanks, each drawing a single opponent.

Divide and conquer.

Simple and hopefully effective. The king rushed towards the mage, roaring his fury as his own magus threw torrents of flame at the hapless wizard. Laughing, a towering Tauren took aim through a massive gun and fired a round into the King's face.

Through no magic I could detect the King's rage was instantly redirected... at the warrior standing nearby my group of healing specialists.

The Light surged through me as I bent it to my will, shaping its holy energies to help the foolish shield bearer weather such an onslaught.

Not even my mastery of the Light could accomplish this alone. The troll priest and a walking corpse of the same caste stood at my shoulders. Aiding my endeavours with their own paltry magics. Vessels for a power beyond them, begging for the guidance of that which I controlled. Pitiful light-lovers unable to see that they worshipped a power that should be at under their heel.

Still, they achieved their purpose; to bolster my own masterful efforts.

The warrior could not lock horns with his opponent. The King of the ogres was no paltry foe, for all his servitude to a greater power. He towered above us, horns of his own sprouting from flesh in a grim imitation of the Gronn he served. Instead the beast-man thrust forward his shield, striking the towering monster with mocking blows even as he fended off attacks. It did little to trouble the thing, but such a massive body held a small mind, easily distracted from those he might destroy with little more than a glance.

A gargantuan Felhunter could be heard baying further inside.

A weakness overcame me as its very presence began to drain the arcane flows of power from around it, such an abomination should not be loose. Fortunately we had practitioners of the fel arts amongst us. That they were inept was an unfortunate consequence of their inferior ancestry, but even as my resolve began to falter the feelings receded. Finally the hounds of the legion were contained.

Shouts sounded from further inside the cavern. Even with a span of rock to conceal it, I could feel the magic. Such magic. One of the creatures had erected an ethereal barrier, and even still had strength left to bend it’s crude powers into a healing spell more potent than any I could call, save perhaps at the expense of my very life.

I willed the spell to its end, the thought of such arcane might coursing through the air came as a thrill, intoxicating, almost able to satisfy the lust that burned within. But the barrier fell to a massive onslaught as my allies redoubled their efforts. A startled cry cut through the sounds of fighting instead, satisfying enough in its own way. A wail soon after told of the fate of the unfortunate ogre.

Such a pity it could not have been crippled but left alive. Silvermoon would have feasted for weeks on such vigour.

For a price.

With the first member of the ogre council defeated even such dull creatures as these balked, seeing their own doom. The High King let out a booming roar.

“You not kill the next one so easy!”

The bluster sounded hollow even to my ears, standing bare feet away from his deafening shout.

Soon, two resonant thuds told of two more of his followers joining their friend in oblivion, almost in tandem. The cadaverous mage had done well keeping the ogre magi occupied, the buzz of energy told of the great struggle. The repeated theft of the ogre’s spells had come in useful, though I might wish the festering bastard would choke on them. Under other circumstances I might have fed the ogre its tormentor, for its enslavement would have been a prize above almost any other.

Entry to its master’s den could further my cause more.

The needs of others could not deter me in this.

The mass of my savage companions mobbing the last of the council quickly overcame its defences. Only the King remained to thwart my designs.

The massive ogre paused at this, seemingly defeated, before his shoulders once more squared in defiance.

“You will not defeat the Hand of Gruul!” The glint of madness in his eye hinted at what was to come as a berserker rage descended.

Lifting his hammer high he swung it wildly, soon blurring into a maelstrom of destruction. The brawler of a Tauren held his shield to its best effect, struggling to keep the vast ogre’s attention. Blood pooled and the ground became slick, but still the brute raged until his maddened state seemed to make him glow.

With a bellow far more bestial than even an ogre's usual grunts he paused his mad whirlwind, throwing aside his immense hammer he charged into the heart of the raiders to rend his enemies bare handed. Limbs struck my fellows as one unfortunate was torn apart in seconds. Even could I tell apart the barbarous races at a glance, never would I hope to identify the victim; such was the devastation.

With the might of the Naaru bent to my will I fought to counter the assault, others of the healing arts following my example. Even Kael himself would marvel at the efforts of my allies as they continued to attack the crazed giant, worthy tools for my goals.

Summoning forth holy energies to assault the beast I cast them forth, hoping to add a final shock, ending him. The effort was sadly wasted as his death rattle sounded. But one last curse could he voice before the light faded from his eyes, barely a whisper, but heard by all.

“Gruul will... Crush you!”

The monster’s threat could not be easily ignored.

The Dragonkiller awaited and the combined might of the ogre nation lived and died on his whim.

Fanfic: yup, I am that much of a nerd.

The Unknown Paladin

 

Part One.

The maw of the cavern stood before us, the corpses of the fallen ogres beneath our boots smelled sickly sweet with spilled blood and charred flesh. Soon decay would transform these hills into a fetid wasteland. Would Draenor, the promised land of my people, ever find surcease from ruin?

My companions called out for my blessings. Little did they know the power that I bent to my will, striving against the might of the captive Naaru, twisting the Light to do my bidding.

I felt the invigoration of divine magics course through me as the priests wove their spells across the party. A nearby Troll smiled serenely as she called forth the light. Had she abandoned her heritage simply to beg the light for its gifts? Savages and blood enemies they may be, but pride in her race should come before obeisance to an illusory ideal. My thoughts left me as other magics joined the electric surge through my body, fuelling arcane lusts I could not control.

The power was magnificent. Why else would I align myself with the feral brutes and treacherous former humans? And as for my sin'dorei peers... They mattered only as far as I could use them. Kael'thas, who would be King of a ruined people, has taught us even in his betrayal; use those with power enough to aid you, they can be discarded at will.

Our commander, a towering Tauren too often taking the form of a massive bear roared for silence, our numbers a veritable army at his command. Those within knew we were coming, undoubtedly, but in their arrogance they could be defeated. Orders were given quickly and quietly in the hush. The ogres inside were no easy targets. If they would only mount a true defence of their stronghold few forces in this world or those beyond could hope to overcome them.

Fortunately, they were fools.

A bestial face turned to the intruding light as we entered. Even in those inhuman features I could see the recognition flare. Intruders. As many of its kind, the warrior classes, it charged towards us. Before it could reach the fragile magic users the bear-Tauren distracted it with a sweep of his massive paw. Cruel claws kept the creature's attention focused away from its doom, as I forced the Light to seal the bear's wounds.

A figure of the doomed ogre's brethren loomed nearer as its corpse hit the cold stones. A priest wreathed in shadows looked on, oblivious to our wounded as he prepared a fresh barrage for this new threat. His Light-loving fellows and a druid, taking a bastardized treeform in homage to the World-tree, Nordrassil, wove their spells. Beyond, a paladin long out of Silvermoon twisted his power to the same ends, aided by a haggard shaman. Who knew the trials he had faced in this realm of sundered elements, what bargains he struck to invigorate our army and keep them whole.

The bear charged, followed by weapon waving lunatics that called themselves warriors. The shadows held more surprises for the ogre as rogues plied their skills, blackened blades never glinting in the poor torch-light as they went to their grisly work.

Intelligence bordering on reason showed in the bestial face as it bellowed for help from the denizens residing further within before narrowing it's eyes in concentration, raising meaty fists in the air.

I could smell the magic coursing through it.

I longed to drink deep from that well of power.

Sadly, my duties would not allow it and those duties promised the reward of greater magic to come. This morsel of the arcane would do my corpse no good when my distraction cost us our lives. Every healer present focused on the bear, to do less would ensure his death and risk my own. The air was so filled with the aroma of magic I could barely resist as the ogre healed itself with a potent spell. An undead mage cast forth his own arcane weaving... And the spell was his.

There could be no true God to allow an abomination such glorious energies. Sweeping my eyes across my companions I saw these thoughts mirrored in my Blood Knight brother's visage.

Pummelled, kicked and bashed the ogre succumb, crashing to the floor, denied the help it had so desperately called for, as it was deprived of its healing magic.

The far more pleasant smells of a campfire and strong ale came to me through the all pervading sweat and blood. Two of the massive ogres. Not on guard, for we had dealt with the two sentries. Caught unaware, they would still not go down easily.

Even from this distance I could see we were dealing with the brutes. No spark of intellect showed as they stood warming themselves, oblivious to the small army that assailed them.

A Tauren warrior stepped forth hefting a large shield onto his forearm. Shoulder to shoulder with the bear they advanced, and then burst into action, separating the ogres away from each other and our main group. Fire and ice arced through the air, fierce strikes from arrow, bullet and blade pierced flesh as we healers struggled to keep our brawlers on their feet.

With a sudden roar an ogre turned, charging into our ranks. One blow from its vicious axe cleaved a mage in two. The same mage who had been bathed in the ogre's potent restorative magics minutes before. Perhaps a God was directing things, I thought, a wry smile touching my lips. Another of our number was felled before our bestial commander once more took charge of the errant ogre. As it was lead away from our clustered position its companion gave a last bellow of pain and slumped to the ground. Alone it faced us, unswerving in its bravery... or stupidity, before it joined the others.

Creeping forward we could see the High King himself, his full council assembled on some unfathomable whim. They dwarfed those we had bested.

This would be fun.

The Holy Trinity (of MMOs) Part Two: Diversity over Inclusivity.

MMOs have tried to become more and more inclusive.
The more inclusive an MMO is, developers reason, the more subscriptions are attracted and perhaps you'll have a hope of recovering the investment.
Considering the expense of developing an MMO, this is completely understandable.
It is entirely incorrect though.
World of Warcraft has it's massive share of the market not because it is so easy to play, not because everything can be done by everybody.
It is so big because it changed the nature of MMOs. It required communities to develop in order to see large parts of the game. Those communities attract more interest and increase subs.
It is the community behind the game that powers Warcraft's massive popularity, and those communities were built when the game was not inclusive at all.
As inclusivity had increased, communities have suffered, as Blizzard can attest with a decline in server populations as people migrate to greener pastures and whole servers die, all the while the subscriber base remains high.

I believe whole heartedly that what needs to be offered is diversity of play, rather than inclusivity.
Many ways in which to play the game, not an ambiguous crap heap than anyone can dive into and "complete" with little effort.
That is where the trinity comes in.

For the last several expansions Tanking has become more simple and far easier.
Anyone arguing with this point is an idiot, I'm sorry.
Blizzard themselves have admitted as much and with sound reason.
The Looking For Group tool requires FAR more tanking players than any raid team can provide.
1 tank and 1 healer for each 3 dps. Fine if every guild is a 10man, but in the modern 20, outdated 25 and archaic 40man, that ratio is impossible to maintain.
And so, tanking was made easier to attract more players to the faster queues, lowering queue time for everyone. As anybody using the LFG tool can attest, the queues are still not friendly for a damage class.
Their design philosophy also wants player experiences to be fairly short. 20 minutes in a dungeon, not the 2-3 hours of vanilla, or 1hour+ of burning crusade.
The old requirements of Crowd Control classes meant Blizzard addressed this by giving most classes a CC ability, and then removing any need to use them in almost all content. Only a limited selection of classes could use Area of Effect abilities to clear a lot of monsters quickly, so all classes were given access to AoE. Players then dedicated their play time to finding ways to make all encounters reliant on these new damage abilities, as the raw damage output was exponentially higher.
All of this served to kill the diversity of classes and options for players, replacing it with being inclusive.

It might be fun in the moment to see big numbers, but people become bored very quickly of doing the same things again time after time.
Blizzard does an exceptional job of designing Boss encounters that remain engaging and challenging, but this in and of itself is self defeating. As a long time raid and guild leader, players are trained to play poorly by the game outside of high end raiding and expect to compete immediately without effort. Newer players are simply not made ready for endgame with the tools provided by blizzard, but must be plunged directly into the fire to be tempered. A frustrating proposition for all involved.
Add to this the latest tool for finding a raid, and for many joining a community is simply not worth it.

So, how to "fix" the problem and build content that is engaging and encourages communities to flourish.

• Remove ubiquitous aoe

Players should need to target the thing they need to attack, not just point in the right direction.
At the moment we have MMOs build around players spraying and praying in the general direction of danger. When they are finally required to target monsters tactically, it becomes an exercise in herding cats.

• Restoring the Trinity

Design specialisations around their job in the raid.
Tank specs should be designed around controlling the behaviour of monsters, damage reduction and raid utility. If a tank is required to track a complicated rotation and many dps ability cooldowns in order to be effective they are not playing a tank, they are playing a glorified dps.
Healing is largely unfuckupable, though I think more hybrid roles are awesome (this is the one area I think Blizzard has done remarkably well, with healers able to switch to fairly substantial damage on the fly)
Damage classes should specialise and vary. Build classes that can do certain jobs very well, and put content in that makes them useful. Kiting, Crowd Control, debuffing, AoE. This should be that persons role in any encounter. Make some classes/specs more difficult to get right, some easier. Give people options in playstyle and don't stress perfect balance or the fact a VERY limited part of the player base will exploit.

• Crowd Control is FUN and USEFUL

Making Crowd Control ubiquitous was somewhat necessary for Blizzard, as mages were essentially mandatory in even 5man content.
Unfortunately, at the same time they gave everyone (including tanks) easy AoE and made crowd control entirely redundant. Players then refused to CC in order to see big numbers and "increase speed" and complained when content was too difficult, which saw it nerfed repeatedly over every expansion since.
CC was not broken.
People still played and ENJOYED burning crusade 5man content for the WHOLE EXPANSION.
That has not been true since.
Making groups play strategically gives a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.

• Attunements are not a bad thing.

Perhaps a little controversial, but attunements don't make people groan, they provide a structure so people know what they should be doing. Now, developers keep making the mistake of making attunements a PUNISHMENT, but they do not need to be.
Wildstar screwed up by making it's attunement so time intensive, and forcing players to play through the same content when they had already done it all because of an arbitrary restriction. (seriously, having to go and repeat scenarios for the 5th or 6th time in order to advance a quest is frustrating. Attunement should direct play, not dictate it)

Burning Crusade was onerous in the extreme.
Having to run dungeons to Revered reputation to get a key to enter heroic... it was a bit much after doing it on your main.
It did however ensure that people were committed and new what to do (generally)
Later in the expansion attunements were relaxed and a perfect medium was reached (imo)
Rep grind and familiarisation on a main character and that unlocks the content for your whole account.
Great!
Scrapping the attunement for the later raids?
Perfect!

Then we hit The Frozen Throne and it is all thrown out of the window and we see the start of the decline of group play.
Developers need to keep in mind two things when planning endgame content.
First, attunements can be used to direct players to the content you built for their exact level of gear. This limits the frustration your playerbase feels at failure and more importantly, having the deal with those unprepared for the content you find yourself in.
Second, it gives a sense of achievement. It advances your character in a very real sense. Think of it more as just another item they can equip; it's the whole point of the game!
Don't use attunement as a stick to beat people. Use it to funnel players to where they are able to play well. Make it about personal accomplishment and skill, not a time sink (or in the case of the long term "legendary quests" Blizzard has been doing, please allow players to catch up when new content is released. It is endlessly frustrating to have people behind and unable to catch up because the content isn't regularly cleared any more)

• Encourage community play.

MMOs live and die on their community.
Give people incentives to play in and be active with a guild (whatever it may be called)
This one is tough, but I think it is entirely possible.
Of course there should be options for solo play (I actually enjoy it, strangely enough) but emphasise group play, especially ad-hoc, if you can manage it. Public Quests were a great idea, and they work very well. Prompting people to join together automatically is a very good concept I wish was used more (even allow people to flag themselves as potential "leaders")

• All content should be endgame content.

The fact that content becomes obsolete is so strange to me.
It does not need to be this way.
In my opinion, the best game to demonstrate what I mean is Eve Online.
You enter the game and despite being able to do very little, everything you do can be used by the most jaded veteran towards their goals.
The most easily obtained crafting material remains relevant to everyone, meaning no content becomes obsolete and new players can engage with whomever they wish and accomplish shared goals.

Another principle to consider is level adjustment.
Allow players of wildly different levels to play the same content.
If you can allow the high level player to receive loot relevant to them, great (Neverwinter does this) but regardless it will serve to bring people together, which again is the core of building a real audience in an MMO.

***

These are just the ramblings of a mad man, but they are the conclusions I arrive to after 15+ years of playing.
"Inclusion" has been poison to MMOs because it demeans everyone. Diversity (of available playing options) will serve the same end, without needed to dumb anything down in an attempt to expand the target audience.
I live in hope we see this in future franchises, and I wait with baited breath for my appetite to be whetted by a truly engaging MMO.

The Holy Trinity (of MMOs) Part One: An introduction to my MMO experiences.

This is my bugbear.
But perhaps an introduction is in order;
I've been playing MMO's since I was 16~ which is around 15 years of experience.
While players come and go, I can usually rely on the same crowd returning to "try out" any new MMO on the market, and some for the latest World of Warcraft expansion.
To say I have wasted countless days of my life playing games that are little more than a pretty skinner box is probably an apt description.

I will say that my addiction to online gaming has almost certainly saved my sanity, if not my life.
It has kept me in touch with my friends and made me many more that I'd never have come across (how many normal people can boast a sofa to sleep on in almost every country in Europe and some places beyond?) It has broadened my horizons, and dispelled many misconceptions of my fellow man.
Perhaps not entirely wasted time.

But there remains a large part of me that is continually disappointed at potential wasted (often squandered) by continual pandering to even wider audiences.
My first days online as a teenager (late to the party, amongst the last of my peers to get a PC) saw me thrown into a roleplay game like no other.
I speak of Ultima Online.
It's still going though I left is long ago.
For those unaware, it is a true MMORPG.
Players are able to build a unique character from a variety of skills to achieve whatever end they wish, mastering some skills completely, leaving others intentionally stunted. You could be a crafter, with no combat skills at all, or a thief (in the old days you really could steal anything not literally nailed down, including from other players houses and inventory)
Perhaps you'd like to tame a Dragon to do your fighting for you?
Of course certain builds were popularised as very effective but in those early days building a character was truly a feat of perseverance, as you slowly navigated a completely open world to discover which challenges you could overcome, and which would end your life.
In this game, there was no trinity. Each player had to be somewhat self sufficient, with cooperative play leading to feats of achievement that still satisfy me today as memories.

That all changed when I was finally enticed to Warcraft scant months before the release of the burning crusade.
Questing was entirely new to me, as was levelling (in an MMO)
Always before I had gone where I was able to kill the toughest monsters I could to train skills and earn money.
WoW was an entirely different beast.
A game on rails, directing your play and segregating it's population based on their advancement.
It has it's merits as well as pitfalls, the major downside being my complete isolation from those that encouraged me to play in the first place.
The role play was sidelined too, replaced by what amounted to participation in a story.
No more did I see roving bands of players posing as Orcs or Undead to kill other players, nor the casual acquaintances of those farming the same spots I preferred (or the enmity of those that would come to kill me)
Then came the Holy Trinity, and it was a revelation.

I had always preferred playing rough and tumble characters, able to take a hit and shrug it off.
Warcraft took that concept a step further with the Tanking role.
My first outing as a tank was amusingly naive.
I knew my job, I'd had a brief go in a dungeon when levelling a friend's mage, I had all the skills and went to it with gusto.
About 3/4 through gnomeregon a member of my party complain that I never taunted when I did lose aggro or we had adds incoming.
My reply.... "that's a cooldown!"
I had misread the tooltip and thought the very concept of taunting was powerful enough to warrant a minutes long cooldown (Shield Wall being the ability in question, the genuinely powerful 40% damage reduction)
Only after the instance did I see my error, and in one of the more annoying 5 man dungeons.
Still, it cemented my adoration for the role. The strategy of planning a pull, the high pressure and constant attention required, the pure sweat and adrenaline and the genuine appreciation shown my groups (when nothing went wrong)
Tanking, for those of you new to the game, is not what it used to be.

Healing remained a mystery to me for a long time, until months into The Burning Crusade I had finally deemed myself ready after rerolling to a Paladin, levelling as protection because I am insane, and started looking for a raiding guild.
The jackpot was struck with an invite to my first Guild (in any game, I am something of a loner and in any case I'd never been logged in for longer than a few minutes without being recruited into a group on my warrior)
Karazan. There is a reason the place remains a fond memory for WoW players, despite its flaws.
The snag? I had to heal.
Now, I'm never one to shy away from a challenge, and I am exactly arrogant enough to believe I can accomplish just about anything. With the spec I'd never played, in the odds and sods items I'd kept for offspec duty.
Raid Frames? What are raid frames?
What do you mean dispel, how do I do that?
Needless to say, my new friends were not impressed, but they were very patient and helpful.
After initial disasters mostly resting on my novice shoulders we managed to clear the place.
I still have fond memories of my first raid team, my first guild (still in touch with a few faces after all this time) and I even stooped to writing fanfic about our epic Gruul run (gathering 25 players for content is a feat a lot of people take for granted all on its own)

To this day I have never played a damage dealer to any high level of play.
While I do enjoy the concept, I am unable to abandon the more essential duties above. I am more than capable of the role though (good old personal arrogance) and being acknowledged is always satisfying.
Sadly, Warcraft, and many MMOs since, seem to have committed to making the last aspect of the holy trinity all about numbers. Even Wildstar, touted as upping the difficulty, doubled down on ending strategic play and control in favour of aRPG elements and cleaving the universe to death.
For those that lived through the various iterations, this is a corruption of the old term, as the last of the trinity was about crowd control and general utility (buffing/debuffing/kiting)
Along the way something very cool and worth investing in was discarded because lazy players did not want to make that effort and so were not given the same precedence in building a team.

So ends the introduction; tune in for Part 2: Diversity over Inclusivity.

On Filthy Casuals

The term "casual" is common amongst video gaming communities.
Often it is given a negative connotation, without much thought into how it is being used.
This is sad, as it is a useful way to deliniate what a given player wants from the game and community they are engaged in.
Now, can and is it used as an insult? Absolutely.

So is "noob" or "elitist" or any number of ambiguous terms applied to a player either appropriately or inappropriately with the intention to offend.
Much like "noob" though it is not necessarily an insult, even when said insultingly. It could be the straight up truth.

If you are unfamiliar with the game mechanics, or the abilities of the character you are using, it is entirely appropriate even if it's hurtful. The amount of effort you expend while playing is irrelevant, only your level of competence matters.

With "casual" the delineation is even MORE helpful, as it is a declaration of how you intend to play.
Believe it or not, most people are not literal monsters that want to upset everyone they come across.
Much of the venom spewed in online play is vented frustration, not malice.
If everyone is aware you are a new player, you will often find more help than you find insults.
If everyone is aware that you play casually, you will not be expected to contribute as much as a hardcore player (the downside being you will not be included when such dedication is deemed necessary)

Now, if a player joins a public game, uses a random party tool or solo queue and immediately expects everyone to be intimate with the game, their role and the tactics that are somehow never divulged by this individual; that player is not "hardcore." They are not "elite." They are an idiot, and the every toxic element that causes much of the frustration you will see. (if they ping the map repeatedly when there is no possible way to do anything about it, they are in this category. They want to show you how clever they are by predicting things that have already happened)

If on the other hand a player tries to organise the game through chat, pings the map to give direction or even invites everyone to use voice comms, that player is your BFF as a casual. He might respond poorly if ignored, he might get into a scrap with the idiot of the previous paragraph (making them have to distinguish sometimes) but if you say you're new or aren't sure what to do, you'll most often get a couple of friendly hints and a pep talk.

Don't run from the "casual" or "noobie" labels. They are your shield from an awful lot of frustration, both your own and those that often seem out to get you.
Embrace your attitude to gaming, the fun you bring will often be infectious.
Most gamers, in my experience, delight in being more knowledgeable and being able to show people the ropes.

Why nerds love Dungeons and Dragons

To normal people, the popularity and outright fanaticism towards Dungeions and Dragons is confusing.
It's just playing pretend, right?
Well, I hope to explain why DND (and table top gaming in general) has captured the imagination of generations and inspired much obsession within nerd hearts and minds.

• Gambling

This is the thing most people miss when discussing tabletop gaming.
It is a form of gambling.
Instead of money, you are betting on the outcome of an action. To influence the outcome you build a character that is good at some things and bad at others, so you are able to "bet" in a smart way to accomplish a "win"
The rush you get from winning is very real, and made more satisfying as you are able to decide both the form of the bet AND influence the outcome in your favour.
Simply put, when you succeed you feel like a mad genius, when you fail everyone gets to laugh at your expense.

• Be the Hero you want to see.

Power fantasies are addictive.
DnD not only provides a venue to express these fantasies, but a sense of accomplishment when doing so.
You do not simply pretend and recieve.
You work towards a goal over time.
You have set backs.
You fail.
You persevere.
You may never reach your goal, but when you do, the glory is real.

Some players choose to play a role, to put themselves in the skin of another, imaginary, person. Others use the character as a pawn to play through.
Neither is correct nor incorrect.

• An interactive story

Each person in a game contributes to the story being told.
Yes, the Dungeon Master acts as a director, leading the players through a plot, but everyone decides how things will happen.
With a skilled DM, the stories that unfold can be exceptionally complicated, nuanced and very human. The adventures can be spectacular or mundane, but sharing them with friends gives you all the fun of discussing the shows you love, or the game you caught last night, but you participated in it.

While there are many places that post campaigns publicly to share the stories told, I'll direct everyone wanting to take a quick glance to Penny Arcade playing a Dark Sun adventure one of the players (Kris Straub) is a beginner and it's a 7 episode "one off" so not much of a commitment to listen to at work.
Even if you hate the game, you *will* laugh at the antics of the players.
I promise.
If you love it, the crew (minus Straub, sadly) do a regular game called Acquisitions Inc.

• Team work

Human beings are social animals.
As much as individual accomplishment feels great, being part of a successful team is always better.
To play DnD you must work with others, the game is built with this in mind. No character can do everything and those that try to be the jack of all trades are the master of none (and often miss out on the coolest stuff)
When you look at the packed stands in a sporting venue and see cheering crowds, you are seeing this very real drive in action on a massive scale.
DnD exploits this to bring players together.

• Social interaction without the small talk

Many nerds are socially awkward.
Making small talk about nothing feels weird, and we'd all much rather avoid it.
DnD provides a LOT of nonsense to talk about, often including abstract thinking and problem solving. Which we find fun.
The comfort of a shared interest means that nerds can get to know one another without the pretence of social competence.
Not all nerds need this, but I'm confident to say that all nerds ENJOY it.

• The love of learning

Learning is something many people think they don't like.
They are mistaken, because they associate learning with school, and school with boring crap.
If you really love football, and can recite the team roster of every team in the league, their win record and top scorers... you just proved you loved learning. You're a football nerd. Deal with it.
If you love to cook, and want to try new things all the time; you love learning. You're a food nerd. Deal with it.
It's no different for real nerds. Collectively, we enjoy learning how systems work, how to accomplish things given a certain set of restrictions (also known as "games")
The joy in knowing how to accomplish things is what drives nerds, and DnD provides that in spades.

***

I hope this dispels "sad losers pretending" from people's minds when thinking of tabletop gaming.
The things nerds enjoy are fun for a reason, and I'll hope people give them a go before judging them too harshly.

On Multiplayer gaming

Playing games with other human beings satisfies an urge in us all.
We are a social creatures and I'm sure everyone finds some joy in competition or cooperation.

That said, the internet being what it is and people being what we are; every time you hit that queue button, or join that public lobby, you roll the dice.
Varying communities have a higher chance of that dice landing on a good number, but a natural one will always find you in al alternate reality where competence is something that happens to other people and the first language of at least one (all it takes is one) participant is swearing. Usually not particularly inventive swearing either, which is far more fun.

Here follows my breakdown of the frustrations I face when dealing with the great internet unwashed.

• New Players

The least offensive of the bunch, which come in several flavours, which I'll simplify and generalise quickly.

The learner; unfamiliar with the game, mechanics or strategies, but wants to learn. Usually delights in taking direction and is a pleasure to play with as you watch improvement and see the mistakes everyone makes when they're starting out.

The ignorant; knows nothing about the game and has very little interest in learning. I have no idea why they are playing games at all and they will endlessly frustrate people by ignoring direction and advice. Will sometimes become offended if offered help. Usually a complete arsehole (but sometimes genuinely ignorant of what they're doing wrong)

The Noob; Has possible never held a controller or operated a keyboard. May actually have pumpkins for hands. Players so bad that they are unable to accomplish even the most basic of tasks, keyboard turnings and those that stand perfectly still while trying to find what button to press next. Usually pretty nice

• The pants on head retarded

This is an extension of "the noob" or "the ignorant" but applied to long time players.We all know them.
Many will pay for boosts or items in a desperate attempt to appear competent.
Probably knows how bad they are, but may lie to themselves about others having unfair advantages or being discriminated against in community environments.

• Try hards

Wants to tell everyone what to do at all times.Will repeat advice already given, seemingly unaware that they're doing this.
Usually doesn't have a great understanding of what's going on, but has enough experience to have seen competent play and try to copy it.
Almost always gives bad advice because they don't understand it well enough to know what it is applicable.
Normally pretty nice, but quick to turn nasty if ignored or not praised when things go right.

• Elitists

If I were outlining "elite" players as a sub category, they come in as many flavours as new players (and largely were the new player of that given type :P) but elite players are not all elitists (indeed, I think most are not)
Two brands of elitists exist, those that are around as good as they think they are, and those that are ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE.
Both believe they are superior in every way.
Normally a junky for watching competitive play and listening to plenty of high level commentary they think they are capable of repeating during their own games (but it's very rare in either camp)
Will not deign to instruct others or call shots. Elitists will assume that whatever they are doing is correct and everyone else should be exactly as competent as they believe themselves to be. Team work is not a priority.
If things are not going their way they will immediately want to quit
If things are going their way, expect them to attempt to showboat.
If they succeed expect celebration of how awesome they are, when they fail the team will be blamed.
Expect grand pronouncements based on massive assumptions ("they have X character, we already lost" "we have too many Y class, we already lost")
Watch as they attempt to fulfil their own prophesy by playing terribly and ignoring the "weakness" they pointed out.

•  The "lets all be friends" guy

This one is not always bad. A lot of my experiences in pick up groups have been made great by an overly friendly person that wants to chat.
Many in this group will also be new players of various types.
The frustration comes when they will be equally magnanimous to disruptive, toxic or incompetent people as anyone else.
I do not want to waste my life being friendly to complete bastards or those that make me miserable. If that makes me a marginally worse human being, then so be it!



 ***

To end, I'll say I'm likely some people's worst nightmare to play with.
I'm temperamental, impatient and used to being in charge after 6 years of raid leading.
I dislike playing with random people to such a degree I actively avoid it, and make no secret of my attitude when forced into it, though I'm very quick to warm to anyone being pleasant (and I was raised with manners, so I don't open by calling people douche nozzles)
I probably seem elitist to some (though that is far from true) and certainly resemble the try hard quite a lot.
That said, I don't think I'm a toxic gamer (who does, right?) I'm merely a jaded optimist that thinks we should collectively do better.
I'm always happy to help, but expect me to be grumpy about it.

Gamergate; a perspective

Gamergate is the controversy.
#GamerGate is the hashtag discussing it.

However, gamergate has become a rallying cry for a group of people.
It has become the label of those speaking out about the controversy on the hashtag, and I think this is okay.

We might not be a movement in the traditional sense, but we do share a common cause, and that it enough.

GamerGate is at once very specific and horribly ambiguous;

• It really is about Ethics in Games Journalism. No really.

This became something of a meme to insult people.
The response from critics of the hashtag is to link something completely unrelated and suggest "it's about ethics in games journalism"
This has been pushed so universally that people do not fact check.
When a claim is made that "a gator" has done something wrong, it is immediately used to attack the very concept of ethics. The "gator" in question is always an anonymous troll.

#GamerGate is now represented by hundreds of people willingly sharing their identity, meeting in public, attending events and publishing their opinions openly.
These people are demonstrably innocent of all claims of harassment. The nearest to malfeasance that can be correctly claimed is that some individuals take a joke too far or are perhaps a little obsessive in their pursuit of the truth or sharing their opinions.
That is an excess of passion, not proof of evil.

• What the media says is not valid proof that they do no wrong.

This is a big one.
Too often I see claims that a journalist or publication supporting something means it must be true.
Guess what, these are people. People not only have personal bias, but many have an agenda.
This is not about tinfoil conspiracies, it's about the cold reality of humans.
Do people like to help their friends?
Do people like to protect their friends?
Do friends sometimes ask for favours?
What I am saying is that people that have openly declared their friendship and admiration for an individual can not then claim that helping them is a fanciful conspiracy, and that any help rendered is purely coincidence.

Do people believe in things?
Do people practice their beliefs?
Do beliefs influence actions?
Does a moral code dictate your moral decisions?
Many argue that the feminist friendly media that has lots of active feminists is somehow ENTIRELY impartial on feminism, and that any support for individual feminists is entirely incidental and personal choice.
Is that really believable?
If so, it makes them truly horrible people.
If the feminists at Digra or various publications are not advocating for what they believe is a worthy cause (feminism) then they may be the definition of evil.
It's no more a conspiracy than saying a Republican politician supports conservative causes, or a Democrat supports liberal causes. It might be a generalisation, it might not always apply, but it's hardly a great leap.

• The fight against Tumblr is real, but it's mostly incidental.

The ethics violations are mostly conducted by the social justice crowd.
Largely this is due to a sense of righteousness. Their cause it good, so they can break a few rules.
The opposition to SJW and Tumblrinas is incidental to the cause of ethics.
Simply put, the worst offenders are often those that declare their own moral purity, and making fun of them is extremely easy.

• This fight is beyond gaming. 

The Rolling Stone UVA story and surrounding apologetics proves this breed of unethical puritan is not limited to gaming media.
Sadly, instead of condemning false allegations and lacklustre reporting, too many "moderates" "liberals" and "progressives" excused the whole thing as "for a good cause"
That is utterly unacceptable.
It is not social justice, it is not liberal, it is COUNTER to justice.
It's horribly misguided apologetics. Good intentions are irrelevant when you support ruining the lives of the innocent and can never seem to find REAL cases to support the problems that are apparently an epidemic.

• Nobody is denying the claims made on the hashtag about needing reform.

At no point has anyone been able to say there was no ethical misconduct.
At no point has anyone proferred an argument that nothing needs to change.
The biggest opponents of #GamerGate have adopted new ethics policies, apologies have repeatedly had to be issued for violations and the only rebuttal to anything discussed on the hashtag is "but misogyny"

There are not "two sides" to the gamergate discussion.
There is not "team ethics" and "team feminism" or "team end misogyny"
On one side there is a discussion about ethics, which features those promoting ethical journalism and those supporting open corruption.
On the other side is a group of people desperate to derail the discussion so nothing is done.

To draw an analogy, this is like saying that Gay Marriage is an issue with two conversations; One about Gay Marriage, and the other about how the bible says homosexuality is a sin and gay people are going to hell.
You see, the second "group" here has no interest in discussing gay marriage, only in pushing their religion and disrupting the conversation so nothing can be accomplished.

The fact remains that there is zero evidence that gaming is any more "misogynist" than anything else, and plenty to support the idea that nerds as a whole are far LESS sexist than the population at large.
The biggest target of mocking from the hashtag is not and has never been a woman, while many of the most popular users of the hashtag are women themselves.

To end, I'll suggest that everybody think carefully about who gains from the status quo of the last several years, and what is lost from adopting ethical policies.
That should tell you all you need to know about which "side" of the issue is honest and deserves support.

Gamergate; an introduction.

Many people will declare #gamergate and the surrounding discussion far too complicated to understand.
They will in the next breath usually say something about misogyny in gaming.

They are either lying, or repeating a convenient lie.
It is NOT complicated.
Lots has happened, but the controversy itself is remarkably simple.
The Know Your Meme article is excellent.

It all began with the Zoe post.
It's long, it's mostly boring complaints about the ex, but it is not abusive and contains REAMS of evidence to support the story of the author.
A story of a stormy relationship with a woman who would lie, cheat and manipulate.
If you dismiss this as personal shit and nobody's business.... good! So do I.
I would no more judge Zoe based on her ex boyfriend's distaste for her than I would Eron himself by what he has been routinely labelled in the media by his ex.

This would have been a storm in a tea cup, embarassing the key players and ignored by most people as Indie dev melodrama.
Some giggles would have been had by trolls, feels would be hurt and that is it.

What occurred instead was mass censorship across diverse media.
Reddit and 4chan deleting posts, forums topic banning and a generally heavy handed attempt to moderate "private information" by institutions and individuals that delighted in publishing similar claims with less evidence.
Yup, the same people condemning the Zoe post are PERFECTLY happy to libel men based on accusation alone.
This lead to a greater rallying of support for Eron and against censorship (and hypocrisy)

Around here is the birth of GamerGate, with Adam Baldwin coining the term in response to viewing the internet aristocrat's videos on the subject.

Thus, the "gamers are dead" articles were written in response.
Collusion on this matter is irrefutable.
It does not MATTER whether they came up with a conspiracy (they almost certainly did not)
They talked privately and later published almost identical articles. Intent is not necessary when they demonstrably spoke about the subject in secret and arrived at the same solution.
The GameJournoPros were not a uniform bunch, arguments were had, but the evidence clearly shows some individuals exercising considering influence and applying pressure to others.
It was not entirely innocent.

That is it.
The battle is between people angry at the media that is supposed to represent them and the media denying ANY responsibility and blaming the whole thing on misogyny.
There is no "wider conversation" about sexism as it pertains to GamerGate any more than than arguments over gender discrimination are about starving children in Africa.
Just because it's a problem (or you think it's a problem) doesn't make it involved in a discussion over ethics.