If you like RPGs, especially computer RPGs, it's great. It's a fantasy world, into which some technology has been injected (leading to such wonders as the Deeprun Tram, a steampunk subway between the cities of Stormwind and Ironforge). There are two major factions - the human-led Alliance and the orc-led Horde - separated by their ideals, and by the fact that despite fragile peace treaties, they just can't seem to get over their habit of hating each other. There is one thing that will (theortically) unite them - another invasion by the demonic Burning Legion, former masters of the orcs and the Forsaken (undead who broke free of the control of their Burning Legion masters, but still have a secret agenda of improving the existence of everyone on Azeroth by killing them and then resurrecting them as more Forsaken).
Your character will belong to one of the two factions, which will also determine the selection of races - Alliance gets humans, night elves, dwarves, gnomes, and the alien draenei, while the Horde gets orcs, trolls, tauren, Forsaken, and blood elves. There are a number of "classes", the roles one fulfills in the world, depending on one's race (humans can't be shaman; gnomes can't be paladins; the only Horde race than can be paladins are blood elves; etc). You can also train in up to two Professions, side skills which can be used to manufacture equipment or make money through the Auction Houses. Some skills work well together (Skinning and Leatherworking, for instance; Mining goes well with Blacksmithing, Jewelcrafting, or Engineering, because the raw materials for all three are found in the mineral nodes scattered around Azeroth; Inscription and Alchemy both demand Herbalism, so you can collect the plants that can be ground into ink or brewed into potions...).
Your character's advancement is measured in discrete "levels", an idea originating in the first pencil-and-paper RPG, Dungeons and Dragons. This game uses rather more levels, so even for a casual player like me, gaining a level in a single evening's play isn't unusual. The "elite" players look down on me for this, as they take pride in advancing as rapidly as possible; I contend that they're missing half the fun by avoiding the "flavor text" of quests (like the quest to get the iron horseshoes from the smithy in Goldshire to the stables in Lakeshire - read the text and you'll find that the Lakeshire smithy is out of iron because they used it all making materiel for the Stormwind army. Further, the payment the Goldshire smith demands from his Lakeshire counterpart is either a ridiculous amount of money, or the belly scales from six black dragon whelps, which is why the smith sends you on the mission to kill the black dragon whelps...).
One of the reasons I enjoy the game (besides the engaging storyline, and the fact that I have the option of adventuring alone or in company) is that in Azeroth, every player has the potential to be one of the Great Heroes of the World. Sure, a lot of the quests to do so will technically have been performed before by other players - but since that doesn't always reflect in the world you see on your computer, you get to do it "for the first time" yourself (and can, if you like, recruit assistance from someone who has done it, and knows how - the chat channels in the Westfall region are heavy with offers to escort lower-level players through the Deadmines, culminating in the death of Edwin van Cleef, leader of the Defias bandits). In Azeroth, I have a level of power and import that will never be mine in the real world... Even more so, though, I find it great fun!
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Sodium is a metal that reacts explosively when exposed to water. Chlorine is a gas that'll kill you dead in moments. Together they make my fries taste good.
28 Nov 2008, 12:22 pm
