WRUP: Go gnome or go home edition
Last week, we asked the Massively readers whether or not short races are persecuted in MMOs. For some of you, shorties are the cutest, perfectest, most adorablest little gnomeykins in gaming, while for others, the altitudinally challenged are worthy only of a good old fashioned punting. But whether you love them or hate them, someone must play them, else developers wouldn't keep recycling them into fantasy and sci-fi games alike!
So in today's What Are You Playing, we asked our own staff members to put aside their machismo and 'fess up their propensity for short stuff. More on point, we also asked them what they'll be playing this weekend. Hop on past the break to see what we're up to, then tell us in the comments how you'll be spending your holiday weekend. (Bonus WRUP points if you're a card-carrying member of a shorties guild like Gnomeland Security or Gnomercy.)
Beau Hindman (@Beau_Hindman): I'll be switching to Drakensang Online for my next Rise and Shiny and will be generally scoping the internet for new browser-based games and some for my Android. The new Honeycomb update did some nice things!
While I have to say that I prefer to play smaller races, I think it's because games generally don't allow you to make a very non-heroic looking-character. I hate muscle-bound, goofy-looking mega-men. Yes, I know... we are playing a lot of these games to be a hero. Not me, generally... I am playing them to exist in a virtual world and as a version of the real-life me. I'm 5' 6" and all of 130 pounds. I think it is also sort of funny how video games still get away with "dwarf" or other tiny races and often have in-game jokes about them, especially considering today's politically correct world.
Brandon Felczer (@bfelczer): This weekend, I will be playing a lot of Star Trek Online and Magic: The Gathering Online. In STO, I am planning on running a few raids with some friends and helping out one of my co-workers learn to play the game -- I have had a blast in the recent days helping him learn and going back and playing some of my favorite missions. For MTGO, I will be livestreaming a live deck-building session this Sunday, which will be preceded by some dueling against players who will most likely slaughter me.
As far as tiny races, it is not that I am against them or anything, it is just that I don't play them. In STO, I do see quite a few height-challenged people running around as the character creator allows for some interesting creations. Funny story: One evening, there were four toons running around Earth Spacedock who were designed as Oompa Loompas, surrounding random players, and doing dance emotes in unison -- it was hilarious!
Brendan Drain (@nyphur): I'm taking a trip in EVE Online to hopefully snap some awesome screenshots of the current nullsec wars. I'm also recruiting hard for my World of Warcraft guild as we progress toward starting a 25-man raid group.
If there's a cute little tiny race in an MMO, you can be sure I'll play it. One of my favourites is EverQuest II's Fae, which I maintain is one of the best races in any fantasy MMO. They have a racial ability to glide when falling that fits in extremely well with the design of their homeland. I've never really thought about the PvP advantages of being hard to spot; I just like playing cute races in fantasy settings.
Brianna Royce (@nbrianna): I've still got guests this weekend, but I did cave and restart my Star Wars Galaxies accounts for one last hurrah.
I love shorties, and I usually roll at least one in every game. It's partly because I'm short myself, so short that I honestly feel weird and awkward when I play a tall character who looks down on everyone. But it's also because I'm contrary and I like a good underdog.
Eliot Lefebvre: This weekend is my turn to play the game in which I desperately hope to have power and running water back after a week. So that's going to be a blast. Assuming I get it back over the weekend, it's Final Fantasy XIV for me because I've got tons of catching up to do. Assuming I don't, it's freeware RPGs on the netbook and generally camping out. Either way, I should probably try to blow through the rest of the Hunger Games trilogy.
Short races annoy me, mostly because the people who play them tend to be so vehement about the fact that they're playing someone who can't ride anything at Six Flags. It's not that I have anything against the races inherently, but I'm not attracted to them as my first choice for a player character. Of course, I'm tall anyway, so this might have something to do with it.
Jeremy Stratton (@Jeremy_Stratton): I'm figuring out time-budgets this and next week, but I'm sure I'll get in some Runes of Magic. I have a longtime friend who started asking me about EverQuest II. He since up and subscribed to it, so I'll be trying to meet him in-game. Apart from that, I'll be doing a series of quests called Hohm Wurk in the mighty and highly educated land of Skool.
I typically don't play tiny races. I like Dwarves, though. I'd play a Dwarf, but usually not a Gnome, Sprite or other such tiny race. I have a friend who loves tiny races. He's all about taking tiny races that can become massive damage dealers to humiliate his foes.
Justin Olivetti (@Sypster): Right now I'm hot on the heels of three major MMO endeavors: finishing up the Guild Wars: Factions, mopping up the remaining quests in Enedwaith in Lord of the Rings Online, and forging a life in the barren wasteland in Fallen Earth. So it's going to be a photo-finish this weekend!
I always, always play tiny races if given the option. Victory feels ever so much sweeter if delivered by a four-foot shorty pants.
Matt Daniel (@mvmatt): I'm taking a little bit of personal time to recover from whatever strain of nerd-itis I caught at PAX. In the meantime, though, I'll be jumping into Guild Wars, trying desperately to finish Prophecies and/or Nightfall (screw you, Factions) while dabbling in LotRO for the first time since the game went F2P. On the non-MMO end of things, I'm going to be trying to make it out to Friday Night Magic to get my face stomped in some more, and I'll also be basking in some cyberpunk goodness with Deus Ex: Human Revolution.
Tiny races, to me... ah... I dunno. I'm not one of those people who always plays the tiny race so that I'm a smaller target or whatever, but if I like the race, I'll play it. For instance, I can't stand Gnomes in most games, but I love Allods' Gibberlings and Guild Wars 2's Asura. It's just a matter of flavor to me. I'm something of a min/maxer in my MMOs, but not to such an extreme that I'll play tiny races just on the principle that they're tiny.
MJ Guthrie: As much as I wanted to take advantage of double XP in EverQuest II, this weekend I am immersing myself in the Walk-around-Dragon*Con-until-my-sandals-fall-apart game. I am expecting heart-pounding adventure, riveting drama, and probably not-so-healthy food. OK, so the heart-pounding may only be from trying to run to too many things in too short a time!
As for tiny races, while I do not gravitate toward them, I do tend to always make my characters petite regardless of race. That might go back to a Halfling Monk I played once that whooped on everybody's... er... HP. One exception is the Fae races in EQII -- I absolutely love those! And even in this case, I make them smaller than average.
Patrick Mackey (@mackeypb): No doubt about me and the Champions Online two-year anniversary. I'm grinding presents and getting loots. Other than that, maybe some Bloodline Champions, possibly some Stalker: Call of Pripyat (because that game is still awesome).
I like tiny races, but it's all about what I want to play. I played a Gnome in WoW because at the time (Vanilla) it was the best Alliance Warlock race. It's all about minmaxing. A smaller clicky box is a definite advantage in PvP, and if I can get one for no other penalties, then yeah, I'll do that. Most of my Champions Online characters are slightly shorter than average (though not miniature) and lack features like tails and wings, which make a character easier to click on.
At the start of every weekend, we catch up with the Massively staff members and ask them, "What are you playing this week?" (Otherwise known as: WRUP!) Join us to see what we're up to in and out of game -- and catch us in the comments to let us know what you're playing, too!
