If the name of the game is which is the most IMPORTANT game of the decade, as I interpret it, then World of Warcraft is the only rational contender. (The Sims comes within a mile of it, and then nothing really matters.)

I think the BEST game of that set is Shadow of the Colossus, though, and I urge anyone who cares to vote for it, as it is not only better than, but more important than, Super Smash Brothers Melee.

You could make it work with an instance, and make it make sense, and still give it loot. That would keep players doing this.

Allow me to demonstrate:

Massive war-dungeon, you lead a small brigade of troops dedicated to wiping out a valuable strategic point for the Lich King. Failure to take this point will lead to the slaughter of hundreds of troops in a valley below. So far, so good.

You charge in as usual, and do some excellent work killing various groups and bosses. One of the latter ones drops some loot and a 'tightly locked chest' that can only be opened in the "______ Rise" ending area of the dungeon (this contains the major loot). Then, you go into the final battle, NPC soldiers all around you, against one of the Lich King's trusted lieutenants... and once you reach a certain point, he moves to wipe the floor with you. NPC soldiers die in droves and some clever attack does slow damage to everyone just for being there. NPC soldiers yell, "Retreat!" and it should become clear that's the only real choice. You flee with them, entering the TRUE last boss fight -- A gauntlet of small mobs and monsters that need to be either run past or killed fast enough that the party doesn't wipe to the slow, constant damage. (HoTs here could be vital to survival.) As you break out of the dungeon, onto the "______ Rise". And you get to see the soldiers march into the valley... and be slaughtered horribly. You know you failed, and the price of your failure.

The loot in the chest is a cold comfort.

I totally have to disagree, David.

There are basically three solutions to the idea of IC guild chat.

1. The FIRP solution: There is none.
2. The 'shared location' solution: This is the one you're proposing, and I've always found it problematic because it's a disconnect from the world. When is this discussion occurring? If my warrior has found a really badass sword, can I brag about it now? Does this mean I had it when I walked in, even though I just found it now? You can get around it in some ways (the idea of a triumphant raid returning in is awesome) but the idea of guild chat as something immediate and swift is lost with this method.
3. The 'hearthstone walkie-talkie' idea. It has its problems, no question. But it works, because it's the closest analogue to an actual global channel. There's also a precedent; the quests you get in Darkshore for the gnome shows him developing a workable radio.

Now, you've brought up the Fantastic Four problem: If they invent this, shouldn't it revitalise the entire World of Warcraft? Yes, but that's why you work in problems to it! With Tirisfal Glades Grammar School, the 'Remote Learning Device' was famed for horrible demonic static that would erupt at a moment's notice; duly followed by a moderator's bored advice to 'turn the bronze knob one to the left'. Because we used a global channel rather than guild chat, you couldn't speak in languages... so we declared it had an automatic translator on it that was never right. Characters speaking in foreign languages like trollish were encouraged to speak in random non-sequitors and babble. Ideally, horrible inappropriate babble.

These kind of ideas, to me, speak of the best reason for the walkie-talkie method: You can flaw it for more fun role-play. To me, it's the simplest, most direct idea, and it can add immeasurably to role-play.

We will never have an accord on the Blood Elves, I fear. :)

But as I'm heading out, may I ask: What do you see as the appeal of the Blood Elves from a character standpoint? Without the darkness and addiction that I saw as central to them, I confess, I never understood the attraction. I tried, honest.

For those who will miss us: Thank you. We've had fun doing our best to bring out fun stuff. And I still say the Do It Different articles never got enough attention; Jess did some heroic work on those and her trope-tastic mindset produced good stuff. (I also wrote lesser, not nearly so awesome stuff.)

For those who say this is signaling a drop-off in interest in WoW, I note that both BRK and R4L left because of family concerns. I can't cite the same thing, but regular readers will note my ongoing frustrations with a new bus schedule hurt the 'blog. (Seriously, it did.) I don't intend to stop playing WoW. Jess also remains a passionate player. So don't use Blogatelle's closing as evidence – It ain't.

David, I treat the Runes as a Dalaran idea. This fits nicely into my mage's backstory (she's from Dalaran and got left behind when it shifted) and explains why it showed up now.

With her, they're clearly magical. She inks it, completes it and quickly scrolls it up. When read, it's like a meme: It brings about a magical shift in your understanding, and imparts the magic within the rune to you. I also kind of imagine it bursting into flame at that point, which is why you can only use one once. But they're clearly an extension of scrolls, so it should work like a scroll, right?

Start of that POST. God, I'm distracted today.

I lost the start of that pose. I began it by brandishing my copy of the Elements of Style. Avoid unnecessary words, I know, I know.

"I have to say, aside from the overuse of adjectives and adverbs that tends to be endemic to fan fiction (write with nouns and verbs, people), this is some pretty enjoyable writing."



To be fair, my over-use of adjectives and adverbs in The Last Days of Crank Fizzlepop was to establish a character. First person narrative can change the rules.

I'm a runner up! :D

As for the stories, I'm sure the winning entries and honorable mentions will see the light of day.

I'm hoping the others will too.