Tripping the Rifts- Why World of Warcraft and I are no longer speaking,

I ignored all the Internet kerfuffle about Rift. I ignored it in a hardcore fashion, like I do with most video game buildups. I do this mainly to inoculate myself against the armour-piercing hype that can beguile even the most ancient and hard hearted of gamers if its applied frequently enough. The first I really knew of it is when people I played World of Warcraft with started to disappear. One after another, stoic six year veterans would reduce their presence on Azeroth to nil with only one word of  hurried explanation; Rift. I was skeptical in the extreme; these sudden migrations always end in crestfallen players slinking back to WOW which welcomes the prodigal subscribers back with open servers.

Then my real life friends started talking about it. Then they started urging me to get it. They began to close their WoW subscriptions. Finally one of them pressed a crisp twenty on me to allow me to get a copy. Holy Moses in a minefield thought I, this must be something seriously awesome. Then I remembered Age of Conan: Hyborean Adventures and the scepticism returned all at once.

Once installed, the account sign up website and update tool/launcher did little to quiet this anxiety- they frankly look cheap and poorly cobbled together (that said so did LOTRO's front end and that turned out to be fine).

Bish bash bosh I went through the character creation process, which admittedly had just the right level of detail; not so much that you get obstructed choosing details no one will ever see, just enough so you feel your avatar can be made to stand out and not be just another clone.

I entered the game proper, absorbed some of the history of the new world, Telara, and came across the first surprise- the class system isn't a class system as such, its a "soul tree" system. You have base classes such as Warrior, Cleric, Mage and Rogue, but these are just very general descriptions rather than set-in-stone class boundaries. For example, Clerics and Mages can be effective tanks with the right souls equipped and invested in; Warriors can be a hunter-style ranged class complete with pet and Rogues can be ranged DPS or tanks. It's all about how you set up the relevant souls. Despite this, each base class retains a real sense of its core idiom and they don't feel like a clumsy mish-mash trying to cover all bases.

Plot wise you undertake simple quests to steal these souls back from the servitude of Regulos, god of the plane of death (dun dun duuurrrrrr) and the Game's current Great Satan. Each soul represents a fallen hero from the history of Telara and reclaiming their essence via a death rift gifts you with their knowledge and experience. So, reclaiming a hunter type soul will unlock the hunter abilities for use and so on. In total (as far in as I've played) you can get seven different souls per base class and have three of these on your soul tree at any one time, giving you incredible diversity and scope for experimentation. Later character advancement sees you able to switch these souls about for a fee and also to set up several "roles" (read as specs) to be called on at will allowing you to potentially fill any need in a group or quest. Bloody marvellous.

I mentioned a death rift earlier- these titular anomalies are one of the game's central conceits. Boiled down, Telara is under constant siege from the elemental planes; Earth, Air, Water, Fire, Life and Death. Each plane wants to convert Telara to its own element, but unknowingly they serve the ends of Regulos who wants everything, everywhere to be dead. The dastard!

In game play terms, this means elemental themed tears in reality appear at certain locations in the game world. Left unattended these tears form full on Rifts and spill similarly themed monsters into the world. Further neglect sees these monsters begin to form war bands, charge towards NPC settlements, kill everyone and take them over. Telara has no UN; if this is allowed to happen it's up to the players to liberate these outposts before they can be used for questing, shopping or crafting again. Worse, new sub invasions can spawn from these occupied areas, spreading the incursion exponentially.

Stopping the rifts is simple in theory, tough in practise. The approved method is to roll up to a rift and kill everything you see. This will work well for minor, low level rifts, but the larger ones require more firepower to seal as the waves of defending enemies become harder all the time, often peaking with a tough miniboss.

Luckily this is where one of Rift's* best features kicks in; if a number of players turn up at a rift, they will be offered the chance to join a "public group". Accepting groups you with these other players, increasing your ability to co-ordinate to close the tougher Rifts faster (Closing the rifts quickly earns you the right to attempt bonus waves, increasing the loot payoff ).

Coupled with this is the participation meter- if you hang around rifts, not grouping, tagging mobs and letting others kill them you'll get squat but the lint in the beast's pockets. The guys in the group will top the participation meter and when the rift closes, they'll get the goodies rained down on them- literally. I love this on a personal level as I despise the culture of infantile selfishness that survives in most MMOs, often to the point where being a relentless asshat is considered normal behaviour. Someone will probably find a way to break this in the future to make Telara safe for preteen morons, but right now its working well. Incidentally, everyone gets a share of the proceeds anyway, only things like BOE items are rolled for in traditional N/G/P style. (Update: This system has since been altered and the P.M.removed, or at least made invisible to players)

As well as rifts and minor invasions from enemy faction NPCs (I'll talk about them at a later date) there are Critical invasions, led by a boss creature. These are zone wide events that see large groups of players (20 or so) banding together under the public group system to fend off a general assault from a particular elemental plane. These are perfectly telegraphed to the players giving them to option to join in or go about their business as they like. There's great fun to be had charging about the zones in a massive group smiting the Outsiders and throwing them back, then picking a fight with their leader and beating a deluge of loot out of him.

I'm only a little way into the game at this point and there's still a lot to see and do. What I've seen so far has pleased me so much that I cant see myself returning to the comfortingly familiar but frankly limited model of WoW- In fact I've canceled my sub. Here's a twenty. Try Rift. What's the worst that could happen?

*I know, I know, Rift has taken "inspiration" from the best features of previous MMOs like WAR and WoW and even LOTRO, but those were small pluses in games crammed with meh.

Lions spring event 19/03/2011 Part 2

Ow ow ow... I failed to realise how much work Monstering is. The frequent deployments from the monster room coupled with my own enthusiastic efforts to be helpful and approachable are wearing me out. One thing you'll learn about while LARPing is your general level of fitness- its a damn good idea to limber up a little before battle is joined (Or you are called on to become a halfling shopkeeper with atrocious dress sense).

Today we got the opportunity to fight in clear daylight, which believe me is to be preferred. A thought strikes me that, despite the safety rules, the foam weapons and the ever-vigilant referees, last night gave me a little taste of how chaotic and scary a night engagement can be.

In any case, this time I was prepared- I ditched the two hander in favour of a shield and war hammer combo, much easier to use and it'll help me survive that much longer before doing the invisible arms-raised stroll back to the monster area for respawn. It works too, I'm better able to get a handle on how the calls (things like abilities, spells, scrolls, chants etc) work and how not to get surrounded and beaten to an imaginary pulp. I'm still no great shakes at this, though.

However, it is immense fun, especially when you improvise, I managed to crate a little bit of drama when I had my fellow TEs surround a downed player and prevent a rescue for half their downed timer. Of course I allowed them to rescue the fallen eventually, because I'm not a dick. I feel I played it right however, because the look in the rescuing player's eyes was a gift. I played the mindless minion card to the hilt, only relenting when I received an order to redeploy from a Greater TE.

I also managed to twist an ankle. Karma is a bitch.

Lions spring event 19/03/2011 Part 1.5

Reflecting on the previous day's round of hectic activity, I'm sat outside the shower block (this place is used as a scout hut I think) in the early morning sunshine. After a little bit of head scratching I've decided to record some more thoughts that may help people new to LARP.

Potentially the most intimidating aspect of this gathering is the social factor. Don't mistake me, everyone is super-friendly and helpful but still there remains a definite disconnect for the new joiner without an existing LARP background.

First we have the in character/out of character barrier; this is vital for maintaining the immersion of the player base of course but it can result in some difficulties, especially if someone isn't used to it. This is mainly because, as a monster, you'll be sat in a relatively small area waiting to be called up for service while players are constantly role playing their characters, wandering about and essentially being entirely other people for the duration. This more or less precludes mutual introductions, at least until time out at the end of the day. This shouldn't be a huge problem however- I got around it by involving myself voluntarily in anything I could (including helping the kitchen volunteers peeling one metric Kilimanjaro of apples for the evening menu; ironically I was so tapped out I fell asleep early and didn't get any!); from asking around it seems that most new players start out their LARP life monstering this way, getting stuck in is the key.

Another thing to remember is that these gatherings are fairly infrequent so long-term friends naturally want to spend more face time with their fellow veteran LARPers. Again, don't be unduly discouraged if you end the event without a parcel of new friends (this is unlikely to be totally honest). Like everything, this takes time and effort.

OK, that isn't as helpful-sounding as I thought at first.

Lions spring event 18/03/2011

Day 1:

Well I'm as prepared as I can be, I think. I have a sleeping bag from the future and enough changes of clothes to offset a minor downpour. I also have my notebook, a pen, duster coat and sense of creeping dread.

I've never done anything like this before; there are so many unknown quantities here that my paranoia and cynicism have found themselves in a surprise coalition with my social cowardice. Despite this, I'm going to press on, for the sake of meeting interesting new people and pretending to stab them up.

This little bit of emotional turbulence is suggestive; has my love of gaming blunted my urge to explore the real world for myself? Has dipping into other people's imaginary constructs so frequently stifled mine, in the same way that over-regularly taking painkillers can compromise the human body's ability to suppress pain naturally? Hmm.

Once arrived and set up, my friends and I go our separate ways, myself to the monster room and they to get kitted up for their characters. I should mention, for those unfamiliar with the terms, "monster" in this sense refers to general NPCs, enemies, shopkeepers, marmosets, sentient tableware- anything the plot guys need, that's what I'll be doing this weekend. The room is currently full of people, slightly more confident looking people, bustle and what looks like a dwarven jumble sale on several tables. Axes, swords and spears are stacked on one table, various scraps of clothing on another. Introductions are made, basics explained and then, to my secret surprise, the game is on. Confusion reigns for a few seconds as I strain to hear the battle setup, what I'm supposed to be and grab a passable costume from the fabric debris and a decent looking weapon. I'm further surprised to realise I'm smiling.

The first battle takes place in the near-dark with me not being sure of the rules, my given NPC's abilities (I'm some flavour of time elemental) or what I can expect to be facing from the players. For this fight, I've picked a two-handed sword and I'm quickly realising that this was a mistake, even if the thing isn't genuine, trying to bring it to bear effectively is still like trying to hit a wasp with a barn on a stick. Next time I'll try something less cumbersome!

This has given me a basic idea of what monstering is all about; you are in essence grist for the mill- you aren't expected to match players on the battlefield, but you are expected to put up as good a fight as your NPC limitations will allow you to. I was brutally splattered about twelve times following this idea, but I'm still grinning. In between battles myself and the monster squad were called upon to do some non combat taster bits also. I'm utterly knackered after all that; time to test out that space-age sleeping bag.

The opposite of Waaaaggggghhhhhhh!!!

Today the sudden fad for actual democracy has pushed Qaddafi into calling in mercs to quell his own people; still they gather in defiance of him.

It's also led to roly-poly slayer of his people Bobbie Mugabe to jail almost fifty people who were watching the footage of the unrest in Egypt as part of a discussion group. He says they were using it as a blueprint to plan a similar uprising against his rule. Their ultimate fate looks bleak, but may serve as a catalyst for the very unrest Big Bob seeks to crush.

Closer to home Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin is learning a similar lesson in miniature-push the people too far, exploit and insult them too many times from behind your carefully rehearsed rationalisations and they'll come and camp on your lawn. Genuine democracy is back on the menu all over the place despite the usual methods of repressing it. Ignore it at your peril.

Half-term halfwits and other rage enhancers.

Half-term giveth and half-term taketh away. While it allows me to travel around on a bus that  isn't crammed to the ceiling with miniature idiots having an all-comers "look at me" contest it conversely guarantees I'll meet those self same teeny-bop cretins while about my lawful business, filling the local supermarkets and game stores, like noise addicted, unreasonable lawn ornaments.

They need a mall to sucker them all in and contain them until they get old enough to switch places with the guy working the till at the fast food dungeon they feed at. That way they wont add to the usual collection of drunks, dishabille ramblers, ambush conversationalists and teak-faced pram jockeys I'm forced to negotiate just to pick up a block of cheese on any given day. A word on that last; I realise that many of these women aren't mothers by direct choice but really, why do they look like they traded their sense of humour in against the trendy buggy that carries their tiny little white noise generator about?

This has been Jimmy reporting on how half-term sucks when you have to work- and this is why this blog is known as The Little Book of Grudges.

Why the HELL would I want to do that?

I'm a man of varied interests; I collect Forteana and have a small personal library of sci-fi and fiction as well as a lot of stuff from the great American fiction writers and self-styled life poets. I play video games and read comics. I like forest walking. I follow politics like a bloodhound with a grudge and my musical tastes can genuinely be described as eclectic.

But recently, as I've taken stock of my life in the light of my coming redundancy, I've noticed a lot more "used to's" and a lot less actual activity. I've become closed-minded, sour, embittered and grouchy. I mean for this to change.

To that end I have decided to conduct an experiment. I have thought of several things to see and do to which my initial reaction was "And why the hell would I want to do that?". My experiment will be to seek for the answer to that question, by going and doing these things with no thought of my own personal dignity.

Most of them will be harmless, geeky things that nevertheless may strike fear and unease into stout but uninitiated folk. Some of them may be totally ill-advised; all of them will be fun. Lets go out and discover them together. Don't worry, you'll be perfectly fine. For a given value of fine.

Shall we begin?

N.B. I'd like to mention that I'm not setting out to poke fun at anyone's treasured pastimes here; I'm not about to go thrusting a spoke in the wheel for cheap laughs and even cheaper column inches. I'm arriving with nothing but flimsy prejudice and hopefully leaving with nothing but experience, bruises and some photos I'm sure to regret.