A Shammy Stole My Dinner Money!

I have my sad face on right now. If you saw it, you would cry. It's that sad. Tonight I duelled with a Shammy from our guild. He has much lower level gear than me but he did indeed beat the living daylights out of me. More than once! 

Jokes aside, he's a great player. I unfortunately am not the best. I've never duelled a Shammy before and in BG's they always, always, beat the living crap out of me. Before 5.04 it was Ferals and Rogues, but I've just about mastered those. Shammy's however never fail to make me feel like I've just started playing. They run rings around me. I can't keep them silent for long enough, my damage they can heal back easily and those bloody totems...

But enough of the QQ. He did a brilliant job of explaining to me what I can do to help myself when faced with my arch nemesis'. Now I just have to put it into practice, so I can walk away from a duel with my head held high. At least once...

Who Are You?

So, I was thinking about how we choose our characters on WoW. And which of our characters we choose to be our main. I know the Role Players like to become their characters but even the most seasoned raider must choose according to their personality type. I spoke to a RL colleague the other day about the fact that I play WoW (we share similar nerdy passions). He said he has a lot of friends that play and asked whether I do PvP or PvE. When I said PvP, he laughed and said I must be aggressive. I think he is very wrong. PvP is aggressive but it also offers constant variety. I'm easily bored and this does not happen in PvP. It's always different. One game I might smash a boomkin into a pile of feathers. The next game a boomkin might stomp me under his giant chicken feet.

But as for my choice of Frost Mage, here is where I believe my personality shows through in my choice. Frost Mage spec is all about control. If I don't want you to move, most of the time you won't. Try and run away and I will make you stand still. Want to cast without my permission? I have counterspell to shut you up (and Frostjaw now, which makes horde sit down AND shut up. Thanks Blizzard!). I have epic control issues in RL. Which doesn't always work out. Where's my darned CS when I need it? Many of the jobs I have had require me to deal with problematic and sometimes aggressive people. Sometimes the crowd needs controlling. And you always need to go for the player who will do the most damage. As far as the ranged aspect goes, this is also true. As a child when arguments occurred, I never fought but I was always the one hurling the fast insults from a distance while someone much bigger than me did the fighting. I'm small and squishy and got picked on quite a bit so I always had to hide behind my bigger friends and try and break bullies down with words. Didn't always work out. Sometimes I took a sound beating for not being able to control my mouth. As I've got older I have learned to control my DPS, to prevent instant wipes. The annoyance factor of the penguin appeals to me very much. Make someone arrogant and cocky feel small. Sometimes those people need it. And my play style is similar to RL. I like to help people. In game, with the flag, in RL with anything that will help them attain their goals. If something doesn't work first time, then try a different approach. But never, ever give up, even if it is the RL equivalent of a horde gankswarm coming your way.

The gnome character is one that I love. I intend to play every gnome class available. They're the underdog. The little ankle biters. They're also of similar proportion to me. Except for the giant hands, which are the complete opposite to mine. My hands are sideshow freak tiny. I had to have my engagement ring sent away to be resized to a child's size. I still don't wear it now because it slips but the jewellers said to cut it any smaller would distort it beyond repair. But height wise, yes we are alike. My friends are almost all 5'6" and above (up to 6ft for the females), where I measure in at a measly 5'2". And they all like high heels. And that's just the men...

Seeing as you know my life story, you might as well see my face. Just so you can visualise me sat swearing at a big Tauren moo cow on my screen:

In my Halloween disguise as Alex from 'A Clockwork Orange'

In my WoW disguise as an annoying little gnome.

I would love to know whether other people agree with me on this or can identify with the role they play in game. I would very much like to hear why. I think my comments are fixed now, so please feel free to share your thoughts! :)

  

Naughty Gnome!

I tried to access my this blog today from a public access PC at work. It did not go well. Our filters blocked it due to *ahem* unsuitable content. Of the sexy kind!! I think it was the Deathwing screenshot. I admit, I did look rather fetching in our line dance, so really I should have expected it. The sheer amount of gnome sexy in that screenshot would probably have blown minds and caused sexy riots all over Azeroth had it not been stopped by those pesky filters. Lesson learned. From now on I will post only sensible screenshots...

Add caption

What? I needed a shower after my pew pew session, ok! Don't you judge me, internet filters!

I'm Switzerland

Well, my dearest other half left our guild tonight. But I stayed. A little awkward but whatever. I like where I am. I'm still an angry little teddy bear because we will lose a good part of our shared gaming but it's probably for the best. I'll carry on being smashed into even smaller pieces by Orcs in BG's (big smelly Orcs, I might add) and he'll probably raid like a demon...

I'm sure some people have already chosen sides. But that's not my style. My opinions on anything are based on facts. Anyone who knows me should know this. If I choose not to speak to someone it's because I have made the decision based on what I know, not what anyone else tells me. Even my favourite Lock cannot (nor would he try) sway me.

But there is a message to my post. Our GM tried his hardest to resolve the problem and I know he still feels bad. And he shouldn't. I would have gone too were it not for the sheer effort he put in. A game should not stress anyone out so much. He chose a great quote for our guild message and I know it was not well received but I appreciated it very much.

"There is magic in sincere forgiveness; in the forgiveness you give, but more so in the forgiveness you receive."

A great choice. Hopefully, at some point I'll be able to pay his work back. Not every effort results in a win but that does not mean you lose faith in yourself. Get right back on your feet and keep doing your thing.

 To Arikka: /bow

PS: You're safe from being a penguin... For now ;)

Gankswarms!

The inspiration for this post came from a comment made in an Alterac Valley BG. It's something that has been bothering me for the last few days but I haven't been able to verbalise it as well as this guy could. The comment was:

"ffs...I hate coming in here late and getting griefed to f**k by a gankswarm!"

My thoughts exactly. Not just about AV but  virtually every single BG I've played this week. Battle for Gilneas. Horde took Lighthouse and stood at the graveyard smashing our faces in. Arathi Basin, took the Stables and pounded my gnome into dust. Warsong Gulch, attempted but not this time, pedro. What the hell is going off with Horde lately? Is this the only way they play now? I mean, usually they travel in packs much better than Alliance (which for me is often the reason for their success) but not to this extent. Though this may look like a massive QQ, it's really not. I appreciate a horde who plays well and takes me to pieces but to have rogues, fire mages, huntards and priests gank the graveyard? This has happened sometimes but these last few days it's been the main play style. And it's dull. Still, always the chance to mega penguin and pat prior to my death. Which never stops being fun!

I did have one major win this week with a new talent though. Lets call it a 'Disney talent'. Illusion provided me with the biggest giggle I've had in a while. I was in Twin Peaks and we were trying to get the flag. I was defending but was seeing my team mates frustration at the fact that 2 rogues were guarding the horde flag so I thought I'd take a chance at grabbing it. I popped into invisible mode and made my way to the flag, grabbed it and unfortunately got kicked to death by the rogues. Ok, try again. This time I swam in blinked to the flag, managed to get out of the room but again succumbed to the rogues. Last try. Previously I had tried Illusion and turned into trolls, so I wondered if they might not notice me sneak in. By this time there was a lot of horde stood outside their flagroom. Clicked Illusion and turned into a goblin...of all horde races! So I started running towards them... and they ignored me. I had a wtf moment but carried on regardless. Ice Barrier up, I grabbed the flag. This set the rabbid rogues after me plus a bonus loladin. Counter Spelled the loladin, plus a quick spell steal and Frost Nova'd the rogues. Blinked out and started running. Had a DK put me in Shackles of Ice but the Escape Artist gnome racial sorted that. I got half way down the field before I had a gathering of horde running towards me. Waited until they got close, the BAM, Frost Nova and blink again. I had 1 (yes, just 1) ally run at the side of me from here when I saw a shadow of a little b*****d rogue sap him. He shouted sap and I got a lovely pet freeze ready for him. Popped it on plus Deep Freeze and carried on. Dropped the flag to win the game! During this run, I cursed more than ever I had done. But it was FUN!

Though my mage has lost a lot of her damage until I figure my stuff out, she has not lost the awesome CC abilities and most importantly the fun factor. Though I may not have the DPS of a fire mage or even an Arcane mage, I do have the ability to get either myself or another player carrying the flag up the field. I like nothing better than to help a fellow Ally through a big group of horde with my Frost Nova's and Pet Freezes, while they run on to victory. Or even myself. Seeing multiple horde stuck to the floor while I cycle through my freeze rotation is a joy to behold. Until, of course, I run out and they pummel me into the floor. By that time though, out FC is usually clear. I'm not nicknamed the suicide gnome, by my favourite Lock, for nothing...