World of Warcraft: Why It's broken and One month from 1-90 

First how to ding 90 in a month:Step 1. Scroll of Resurrection (If you have an old account/Cuts month down to 2 weeks).Step 2. Random Dungeons.Step 3. Get in a guild with XP Bonus.Step
4. Play Casual (Randoms rewards are HUGELY reduced since Cata).Step 5. World Quest.XP from World Quests have NOT been nerfed and with rested+Guild+BOA (Optional) bonuses.Step 6. Commit game time. You can't Willy Nilly it. You are PAYING to Play the game.


A quick opinion before we get to the good part: 
I'd like to say I played since Vanilla...because I did. I had also played the beta when I had the time before it was even released. When I first played it was like "Everquest on Drugs" with various organizational features that EQ didn't have. Hell, EQ was just a really spiffy Meridian 59. So I have played it ALL. The issue that this all falls to is "What happened and why?" so I shall give you the answer I can grasp...

What happened?
World of Warcraft went through what most MMO game designers call "A Carebear Phase" where the game was made more friendly and less hostile or "More acceptable by modern standards". Parents saw the game and though "I'll let me KID play it" then when they saw sexy dancing Night Elves and blood sprays with every hit they FLIPPED (not to mention kids were complaining the game was "Too hard" and "not user friendly" due to the REQUIRED social interaction. So, during the "Vanilla"/Classic age of WoW the game was pulled at by 2 different consumers- The Kids and The Fans (I fell into the latter). The Kids and their parents demanded change if their money was to continue to be spent and the FANS just wanted the game to play well. So when "Burning Crusade" rolled around and the "Summoning Stones" got easier to use and "Dungeon Finder" was implemented and World Quests (The world of Warcraft itself) became obsolete when you could sit in your capital and wait for your timer to ding... huge loot, assured gold, higher drop rates, why go kill 4-20 animals for a quest when you can "Get the BLUES!" Still kids were using their parents credit cards and "Fans" were left to a crawl when it came to gearing up and trying to compare to "The kids" who only had school and maybe some homework where the adults were left to work, social life, and whatever they could devote to playing the game (While some would sacrifice Social AND Work time in some cases). Fast Forward to TODAY-People like Gold Farmers, Kids, and Hardcore players DOMINATE the game. Blizzard has set the system to work against people getting "Bursts of Upgrades" by limiting specific in-game currencies. This means the people who can afford the TIME to play for weeks and months on end will lord over the "Casuals" and despite the money spent on the game being the same the "Hardcore Players" are a more profitable group for Blizzard... this leads us to.

Why?
Blizzard has become the "Walt Disney" of PC games. While some of their games have become AMAZING franchises others have faded from the public eye (Death of Superman, Starcraft Ghost, Warcraft Legends, Untitled Games 1-18).  They are a money making operation and have BUILT their income around milking the subscriptions for World of Warcraft. Games like Starcraft and Diablo are GREAT for anticipated income based on released and a sliding scale. So their bread is buttered by "Hardcore" players subscriptions and THEM bringing people in to play. World of Warcraft IS a great game but it is the PEOPLE you find who are either good or terrible (with little between) and with the advent of F2P and P4P (Pay for Premium).games cropping up everywhere it's no wonder that NEW Classic Style Tabletops are coming back!This also harkens to WoW becoming F2P and that sometime in the future they will have to adapt but the FEELING of the old game may never return.

A game dies: Warhammer Age of Reckoning

Warhammer AoR Shutdown:
BAM. Costs too much to maintain. Despite the progressive nature of the game (One of the first ones to have reoccurring timed world events while having cities you can capture). Dark, gothic, grim... too bad it only appealed to the true fans of the game. Unlike Everquest or WoW or other longstanding MMOs their fanbase was NARROW and could NOT turn a profit in the long run. Even newer games like Guild Wars 2 (I have max level characters there) that came CLOSE to the Epic of WAR but the game is now a ghost town (Shockingly so is the server on WoW that I have played). I could go into all the game highlights or the fun I had in the Beta or the sillyness of me getting into the game just after one of my best friends stopped playing and left me with a month to try and play solo only to find myself grossly underpowered and tissue paper against guild run chaos. Let me just say it's a sad day but for me, as a Game Designer on a different media, I would hope something that predated something that "Set the Standard" and was the FOUNDATION for that "Standard" would have run longer.

Check out the official news

You are not a god-damned vampire (but those guys may be)...

Considerations of a Writer on the state of "Goth" culture in respects to the image of the classic immortal homage in contrast to the modern imagery.

Disclaimer: The following is an opinionated view of what has become of "Gothic Culture" so if you were looking for vampire lore of some kind you are in the wrong place. The term "Vampire" is used as a parody to the modern view. =End Disclaimer=

First I would like to say I have had more than enough fun back in my Jr. High and High School days of playing RPGs. Hell, I even made one. Back then there was a company known as White Wolf (still exists but their games have been filled with "Carebears" and "Feel Guys") that produced dark, moody, dramatic, RPGs that would make satire of cliches but also introduced people to cultures and underground movements that were otherwise only seen on the "Late Night MTV Special" from the 80s (who, by the way, actually TRIED to label such movements as weird and irregular). These were games like "Vampire the Masquerade, Wraith, Werewolf, Hunter, Mage, Demon" and the like. Then, in the 90s, we had shows like "Kindred the Embraced", "Forever Knight", and movies like "Interview with a Vampire", countless "Dracula" knockoffs, "Blade", and "Buffy". What we also had to content with was the rise of the "Other-kin" Pseudo-religious movement. Currently if you look at goth clubs you'll see all types. People who work an image, people who pose as something else, people who WANNABE something else, then the people who actually break out into hives in the sun and eat rare meat because it invigorates us...

Now being friends with some people in the "Gothic" community has given me a clear view on what it means to be burdened with a stigma. It's a lifestyle outside the norm but in it's own way a standard, be it, common viewpoint. You've got 3 kinds of people (at the core. There are others that claim to be mixes of the three but it's rather their attempt to stand out in a sea of black, red, gold, and silver):

The Goth: We know them. They are the true tribute to the image of night draped in the traditional black. They are the actors and the artists of shadow. They are those who bask in the dim cool of moonlight and feel most alive after the sun goes down. They are the cultural movement that says "Cast aside your color as tribute to those who can't" and in a sense pay homage to those who are no longer with us. They can't be defined beyond their actions for their nature has been in cultures worldwide before they were a modern movement.

The Pretender: These are the people that live the "Lifestyle" as more of a fashion statement. When considering macabre or the darkness of fear they shirk. You'll recognize them with their lack of respect and constant "Baby-doll" attitude while treating the local culture as a "Popularity Contest". The quote I have been given is "There are a few at every party, club, meeting, convention." -R.T. and have witnessed it myself. Despite "Looking the part" they are not. Giving too much thought to them gives them credit where it is not due.

The Silent: I've been told I fall into this category. These are the folks that know the lifestyle, that enjoy the company, that enjoy the people and pay their best mutual respects without adorning themselves in the black thread or wear. The theme of "Respect my choices and I will respect yours" becomes a mutual thing. Most of "The Silent" are what goths call "Closet goths" as both a term of endearment and sign that some feel they're not committed like them while The Pretenders will say "Is this your first time? You must be new here. -insert remark about not fitting in and being in the wrong place while wearing clashing fishnets and beads-!" in an effort to discredit your image while boosting their own... while they rant and rave that Combichrist is awesome and how they "Hate that guys boots but mine from Hot Topic are so shweeay".

Conclusion: There are different types of Goths. Some are there for the culture while others are there for the people and others are there for themselves. Quantifying them makes them easier to recognize but the depths of their devotion to the image differ depending on the person. Then there are some people "The Otherkin" who think there are Vampire-Werewolf-Demon-Angel-Pixies born into the body of a human who hate red meat and have no such aversion to the sun or religious iconography.... that's a story for another day.

Last few words: I enjoy the culture and people. I myself am allergic to the sun as mentioned earlier and seem to feel empowered by eating rare red meats. I found that many others in the "lifestyle" share my plight and empowerment so I tend to identify with them more than say the Rock-a-billys or the "Raver Kids". In the end though I love everybody but the snarky people... and that should give you an idea as to what kind of things I've endured delving into this culture! SPOOKY!

Party Etiquette and Protocol

After witnessing some horrid things at a few parties in the last few months I thought I may give a list of "DON'T"s to save people the agony of "Party Wrecking". This also goes for years of attending industry, private, and house parties so I have a little background in it.
DON'T:
~Touch things that are not "common exchange". Just because something is on display does not mean "GRAB AND MANHANDLE".
~Wear something intended to "shock" people. We will all know it's a "look at me" cry.
~Grab handfulls/armfulls of the supplied food/beverages. Just because you say "Man, I need like 7 monsters JUST to make it through the night." does not justify taking half the box that a promoter brought. Check yourself before you wreck yourself.
~Come to the party tired/angry/wasted/stoned/drunk. If you are tired rather than get snarky TELL people because then they will understand.
~Get drunk/stoned/high at the party (Unless it is "That kind of party").
~Seek a "Hookup" while omitting social interaction in an effort to "Find some". Such should come naturally with attraction and intercourse of conversation.
~Wear silly hats. Only true bosses can wear silly hats.
~Quote Firefly. No one cares.
~Put your finger in the dip.
~Eat the pie with your bare hands.
~Eat the word "Happy" on the birthday cake. That is reserved for the person the birthday is for.
~Dance with the devil in the pale moonlight.
~Do a jig with a fiddle on the dancefloor. What do you think you are?
~Eat that mushroom. You are NOT Mario.
~Activate your lightsaber. You want to start Sith?
~Tell everyone about what your "Imaginary Friend" told you. You can just say "Sorry, I'm crazy." to inform us to your handicap.
~Eat the yellow snow. That's where the huskies go.
~Trust the Golden Monkey. Always a bad idea.
~Wear shoes you can't stand in for more than a few hours.

~Wear a corset or attire that hinders your overall ability to breath. This applies to all genders.
~Stop the time warp again.
~Pull a "Hanna Montana".
~Jump the shark in an effort to impress everyone. A 911/Emergency Services Phone Call ends parties pretty quick, idiot.
~Eat the raw pumpkin.
~Woo the host's dog/cat/fish/ferret with promises of pleasure. People can get jealous too.
~Stare uncomfortably at anything.
~Have entire conversations of movie quotes only to get angry when someone decides "To talk normal", you nerd.
~Try and show people your private parts. What did I tell you about getting drunk? What do you mean you haven't had a drink... oh god. Put it away!
~Ask the host or hostess if you can "Bang them" (again unless it's that kind of party).
~Scream quotes from horror films as an attempt to impress people. That puzzlebox will only get you so far.
~Babble incoherently about things no one can identify with in an attempt to seem like you "Know something". No one cares about the obscure facts about how Indi games give homages to other indi games that pay further homage to classic retro games that are playing a trope to action films of the 70s and 80s...unless it's that kind of party.

This list goes on and on. I hope to update it with video clips or something. Enjoy!

Welcome Home

I, Robert Rankin, will be your host. I am the creative mind behind all of the projects at Chasing Sasquatch and the author of Eon Legacy. I will be giving you updates for all of the mentioned projects, productions, comedy, skits, expansions and my insider opinion of all that is the intellectual culture movement. I assure you there will be no Shazbots and Bazzingas here but there will be the occasional hurl of insult, fume of venom and the off chance use of vulgarity but before I begin this long journey into the depths of my imagination or humor made real I have to ask of you one thing: Enjoy.

Now that I've got thing started I have to warn you... opinions may shock you. They may amaze you. They may even offend but I approach all of these with a mind free of the figurative being "open" but rather ready to take whatever fact and fiction that are thrown my way and make sense of them. In the end I want to entertain and hope everyone has fun too!

Love,
Robert Rankin

P.S. Bookmark/fav/watch/follow now...mmmmyes.