OK, an update on the state of my existence. First off, my apartment woes will soon be ending. Come August 1st I will be living as a caretaker of a church-owned house in East Meadow. This brings more room and less rent than what I'm paying to live in a shoebox. I'll be saving on laundry, food, and probably gas by doing this. Add in the savings from my reduced insurance bill and the money is significant. What will all the extra savings do for me? Pay off credit cards!
Second, with a house - pet free and maintained by the church - I will be able to host role-playing game nights, allow visiting relatives to stay with me for free, and possibly be able to reclaim and assess all my belongings since they will soon reside in one place.
In October, I'm planning a trip to Tampa to see my family. The request was made by my mother so I could not refuse. I'll be spending a week there and, since my mother is now retired, we can all hang together all week long, maybe even get to some places we've never been to before.
With the Robert back home, and Stephanie out of high school at last, I have the opportunity to game like a fiend this summer. We've already gotten our 3rd edition game going again and hopefully will hit the adventure full swing next session. Robert and Steph then both go to college in late August leaving the Gorish house empty and quiet again. Hopefully this will allow us to return to a semblance of PC (pre-children) gaming. However, old folks tend to fall asleep at the drop of a hat so I'm not convinced that this will occur.
I've put on some weight thanks to sitting in front of my computer like a gaming zombie. That will have to come off again. With the new house and ample space in the basement, I'm hoping to work out more and slowly weed myself off WoW a bit. I also need to adjust my sleep schedule to get at least 7 hours a night. Hopefully, with the ability to keep real, decent food in an actual refrigerator, I can start to melt off those pounds.
Come August I might also start job-hunting again. Traditionally I always end up changing jobs during August for some reason. Perhaps it's my willingness to get a more comfortable place to work that spurs this decision. Most places I've held jobs at have been uncomfortable at best (with the exception of Tower Records). It's hard to dress nice and look good when you're dripping through your shirt and sweat is cascading down your legs into your socks. Some of that has to do with weight gain, but mostly it stems from working with cold-blooded women who demand that the temperature be kept at a sweltering 76 degrees indoors (with no air flow). For someone who is comfortable at 68 degrees with a brisk wind, this is ridiculously warm. Also, since the dress code forbids shorts, I suffer each summer in jeans (slacks just get ruined as a shipping person). The company shirt is thick cotton and very uncomfortable to wear in the summer. Luckily I'm not required to wear steel-toe boots....
So there you have it. Less WoW, more life, upgraded accommodations and possible job move.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Thursday, June 11, 2009
More Basic D&D Conversion Notes
Continuing from my recent posts, I'm porting Basic concepts to D&D 3.5. Next up is the mess of items that one can get in the new editions. It would probably shock no one that I find a plethora of choices to be unnecessary clutter. So out comes the editor's blade to cut away the chaff.
First to go are the various racial weapons and exotic weapons. Not all are eliminated, but most of those that ARE cut were add-ins for 3.5 to begin with. This leaves us with the basic weapon types. Also gone are the various armor types: Basic used only Leather, Chain Mail, and Plate Mail (Half-Plate) with Light Shields. Beyond these three types and shields, the characters have Dex adjustments and various magic items to help them out. Amazingly enough, these three armor types are also most-represented on the D&D 3.5 magic armor tables. Go figure!
My most vexing anomaly in this conversion is the race as class for demi-humans. I would love to have shamans and witchdoctors for humanoids in this version, but the idea of adding something in that did not exist and cannot apply to all humanoids/demi-humans equally irks me. If I leave race as separate from class, then I have to define multi-classing in Basic (which did not exist), but I can also have shaman orcs or kobold rogues. Otherwise, am orc or kobold needs to be defined in terms of what it is as an orc or kobold. Incorporating Fighter into Orc defines ALL orcs as fighters. Making all kobolds with Rogue abilities does the same thing. So how do you get an orc shaman or a kobold witchdoctor? You don't. Apparently only humans have the ability to choose among classes. Now, even Basic/Expert relaxed this with the Gazetteer series which introduced Dwarven Clerics, Elven Treekeepers, Halfling Blackflame Weilders, etc. However, that was a Mentzer era conversion and not in the spirit of Moldvay/Cook D&D at all!
Speaking of monsters, they will retain stats as they have in D&D 3.5 but with an elimination of feats and skills. I have to keep the size conventions for the edition as well. Doing so necessitates keeping Reach and probably Attacks of Opportunity, but I need to determine a simpler way to make them work. The Speed and Space rules will need to be kept as well. With no Feats or Skills, a combat might work much smoother.
SURPRISE - A simple Perception check (Wisdom-based) against either a situation DC or against a target's Stealth; those who are surprised take no actions and are flat-footed (no Dex bonus to AC). Surprise lasts only one combat round.
INITIATIVE - Everyone rolls a d6 and adds in Dex adjustment. Occurs in order from highest to lowest. Why the d6? Well it is a throw back and I think more actions should be simultaneous in such a short time span as a round (6 seconds). A d20 for initiative is so foreign to my sensibilities.
COMBAT - Each round you should re-roll Initiative to prevent that "is the combat over yet?" mentality that confuses characters who don't know when to stop.... It also defines the beginning and end of each round making time keeping easier. I like the way that actions are done in D&D 3.5 so that will stay the same. One standard action + one move action each round, peppered with free actions when necessary. Counterspells will be preserved since I liked the concept, even though it is essentially useless in a tactical combat of low-level characters. The basic attack is still the same - roll d20 and add in Base Attack + ability adjustment + magic spell boosts + magic items adjustments, etc. There will always be math involved in the game, it will just be simpler to track in this system.
SPELLS - Spells will retain the flavor of Classic D&D while being stream-lined and defined for D&D 3.5. Since I only have to worry about Arcane (wizard) and Divine (cleric) spells, I can surely work up an easy conversion. Material components will be retained (they were simplified anyways), but some of the other terminology may change. I dislike the DC system for saves and think that spells should work better than they do. For example, once you are held by a hold person spell, you should NOT get another save every round.... So perhaps the spell shouldn't last as long as it does. I'll check the old-school durations for inspiration. One break I'm making is giving clerics spell-casting ability at 1st level. Seems unnecessary to penalize a party by removing their healing at the very beginning. Besides those 2 or so spells make little difference in a large party.
PARTY - I want to bring the system back to old school glory - that means large parties, henchmen, etc. in a large dungeon for many sessions. Basic/Expert had no training rules, so that doesn't change in this edition. Large parties requires a possible revamp of the experience charts though. I also want to make it so that you get SOME XP for any creature defeated, regardless of level difference. It only makes sense that a creature that may be able to kill you should net you something for your efforts. Perhaps assigning XP based on the ENCOUNTER and not the individual creature is the way to go. Everything could have a level rating and be averaged out for an encounter value. Of course, traps have their own level as well. Oh, and I would design traps for ALL levels, not just 10 levels....
First to go are the various racial weapons and exotic weapons. Not all are eliminated, but most of those that ARE cut were add-ins for 3.5 to begin with. This leaves us with the basic weapon types. Also gone are the various armor types: Basic used only Leather, Chain Mail, and Plate Mail (Half-Plate) with Light Shields. Beyond these three types and shields, the characters have Dex adjustments and various magic items to help them out. Amazingly enough, these three armor types are also most-represented on the D&D 3.5 magic armor tables. Go figure!
My most vexing anomaly in this conversion is the race as class for demi-humans. I would love to have shamans and witchdoctors for humanoids in this version, but the idea of adding something in that did not exist and cannot apply to all humanoids/demi-humans equally irks me. If I leave race as separate from class, then I have to define multi-classing in Basic (which did not exist), but I can also have shaman orcs or kobold rogues. Otherwise, am orc or kobold needs to be defined in terms of what it is as an orc or kobold. Incorporating Fighter into Orc defines ALL orcs as fighters. Making all kobolds with Rogue abilities does the same thing. So how do you get an orc shaman or a kobold witchdoctor? You don't. Apparently only humans have the ability to choose among classes. Now, even Basic/Expert relaxed this with the Gazetteer series which introduced Dwarven Clerics, Elven Treekeepers, Halfling Blackflame Weilders, etc. However, that was a Mentzer era conversion and not in the spirit of Moldvay/Cook D&D at all!
Speaking of monsters, they will retain stats as they have in D&D 3.5 but with an elimination of feats and skills. I have to keep the size conventions for the edition as well. Doing so necessitates keeping Reach and probably Attacks of Opportunity, but I need to determine a simpler way to make them work. The Speed and Space rules will need to be kept as well. With no Feats or Skills, a combat might work much smoother.
SURPRISE - A simple Perception check (Wisdom-based) against either a situation DC or against a target's Stealth; those who are surprised take no actions and are flat-footed (no Dex bonus to AC). Surprise lasts only one combat round.
INITIATIVE - Everyone rolls a d6 and adds in Dex adjustment. Occurs in order from highest to lowest. Why the d6? Well it is a throw back and I think more actions should be simultaneous in such a short time span as a round (6 seconds). A d20 for initiative is so foreign to my sensibilities.
COMBAT - Each round you should re-roll Initiative to prevent that "is the combat over yet?" mentality that confuses characters who don't know when to stop.... It also defines the beginning and end of each round making time keeping easier. I like the way that actions are done in D&D 3.5 so that will stay the same. One standard action + one move action each round, peppered with free actions when necessary. Counterspells will be preserved since I liked the concept, even though it is essentially useless in a tactical combat of low-level characters. The basic attack is still the same - roll d20 and add in Base Attack + ability adjustment + magic spell boosts + magic items adjustments, etc. There will always be math involved in the game, it will just be simpler to track in this system.
SPELLS - Spells will retain the flavor of Classic D&D while being stream-lined and defined for D&D 3.5. Since I only have to worry about Arcane (wizard) and Divine (cleric) spells, I can surely work up an easy conversion. Material components will be retained (they were simplified anyways), but some of the other terminology may change. I dislike the DC system for saves and think that spells should work better than they do. For example, once you are held by a hold person spell, you should NOT get another save every round.... So perhaps the spell shouldn't last as long as it does. I'll check the old-school durations for inspiration. One break I'm making is giving clerics spell-casting ability at 1st level. Seems unnecessary to penalize a party by removing their healing at the very beginning. Besides those 2 or so spells make little difference in a large party.
PARTY - I want to bring the system back to old school glory - that means large parties, henchmen, etc. in a large dungeon for many sessions. Basic/Expert had no training rules, so that doesn't change in this edition. Large parties requires a possible revamp of the experience charts though. I also want to make it so that you get SOME XP for any creature defeated, regardless of level difference. It only makes sense that a creature that may be able to kill you should net you something for your efforts. Perhaps assigning XP based on the ENCOUNTER and not the individual creature is the way to go. Everything could have a level rating and be averaged out for an encounter value. Of course, traps have their own level as well. Oh, and I would design traps for ALL levels, not just 10 levels....
Halflings: Who Are They?
For many years I've been trying to pin down exactly what a Halfling is. It's quite obvious that they were a gaming outgrowth of Hobbits from the original D&D game. However, since then they have evolved into gypsy thieves with some sort of hyper-luck ability. But what is a halfling?
Halflings stand (amazingly enough) half the height of a man (about 3 feet tall) and prefer to live in comfortable burrows in rolling, hilly meadows. They don't sound like the adventuring type, and really don't seem to be roguish or thiefly in their first incarnations. But then again, neither do elves who, if you believe the description, prefer reading poetry, singing, and dancing all night long in their forest sanctuaries.
Since the appearance of halflings long ago, I have often wondered why they were not made unique. Even the subraces of halflings (Tallfellows and Stouts) were just admixtures of elves an dwarves respectively (oh, and you thought half-elves or half-orcs were the only half-breeds....?). The only differentiation, the ability to blend into underbrush and use slings like King David against Goliath, were curiously omitted from the AD&D Player's Handbook and poorly explained in the Monster Manual.
Wizards of the Coast developed an interesting race of Kithkin for Magic: the Gathering. They were basically telepathic halflings with a fey origin. I remember thinking that their "Thoughtweft" ability was obviously lifted from Wendy Pini's Elfquest series. Even so, this distinction allowed me to accept these halflings more than the traditional form of Hobbit-like demi-humans. Later versions of halfling did away with the furry feet too, a pity since that was a distinguishing characteristic.
Kender were not, and never will be, an acceptable halfling race. Tracy Hickman is a brilliant writer and great DM, but kender should never have seen the light of day. Making kleptomania part of a D&D character's RACE is a poor excuse for why their only unlimited class is Thief....
In any case, I think that halflings need a more defining trait in the modern game. Removing the hairy feet is fine, making them vagabonds is ok too, but they need something physical to differentiate them from the other demi-humans (beyond height that is).
Halflings stand (amazingly enough) half the height of a man (about 3 feet tall) and prefer to live in comfortable burrows in rolling, hilly meadows. They don't sound like the adventuring type, and really don't seem to be roguish or thiefly in their first incarnations. But then again, neither do elves who, if you believe the description, prefer reading poetry, singing, and dancing all night long in their forest sanctuaries.
Since the appearance of halflings long ago, I have often wondered why they were not made unique. Even the subraces of halflings (Tallfellows and Stouts) were just admixtures of elves an dwarves respectively (oh, and you thought half-elves or half-orcs were the only half-breeds....?). The only differentiation, the ability to blend into underbrush and use slings like King David against Goliath, were curiously omitted from the AD&D Player's Handbook and poorly explained in the Monster Manual.
Wizards of the Coast developed an interesting race of Kithkin for Magic: the Gathering. They were basically telepathic halflings with a fey origin. I remember thinking that their "Thoughtweft" ability was obviously lifted from Wendy Pini's Elfquest series. Even so, this distinction allowed me to accept these halflings more than the traditional form of Hobbit-like demi-humans. Later versions of halfling did away with the furry feet too, a pity since that was a distinguishing characteristic.
Kender were not, and never will be, an acceptable halfling race. Tracy Hickman is a brilliant writer and great DM, but kender should never have seen the light of day. Making kleptomania part of a D&D character's RACE is a poor excuse for why their only unlimited class is Thief....
In any case, I think that halflings need a more defining trait in the modern game. Removing the hairy feet is fine, making them vagabonds is ok too, but they need something physical to differentiate them from the other demi-humans (beyond height that is).
Monday, June 08, 2009
D&D Musings
For some time now I've been trying to work up a conversion between Basic/Expert D&D and D&D 3.5 -- not a system conversion, but rather a style conversion. You see I enjoy playing both systems; Basic/Expert for its concepts and simplicity, and D&D 3.5 for it's concise rulings and structure. Meshing the two is not easy since they are two different systems under the same name. However, I find that "restriction" is the result when applying an old style on a new ruleset. Less is actually more.
For example, if you have ever tried to create a character given the Basic D&D set, it would take maybe 10 minutes, with half that time being a decision of class and name. A D&D 3.5 character has multiple options and decisions built into the ruleset and the character must be built with an eye towards 20th level and the road that gets you there. A Basic character, if they survive to see 4th level or so, simply adventures and the path they take molds the character. Many players nowadays want to play the badass, all powerful character from the get-go, skipping the character development phase and what I like to refer to as the "delicate bud" phase; that would be levels 1-3 (or more) where the character is much more likely to perish than survive. Many other games have similar intervals. Take Traveller for example. In the game you basically play through your characters initial training which is subject to random rolls. Your character could die IN TRAINING, never seeing play! World of Warcraft has a few levels in the beginning which coddle the character along and teaches you how to play the game and survive the madness that is high-level play. Even games such as Paranoia, Call of Cthulhu, and White Wolf's World of Darkness have a short period of learning the ropes as it were. Good characters progress - others fall by the wayside. Sometimes it's nothing more than a random chance of whether or not your character dies.
In any case, back to the point. I wanted to make the D&D 3.5 game function like the D&D of old. The only way to do so is by restricting choice and eliminating options seen as cluttering the game environment. How often do you hear a Player ask how and when they can use their skills? Often the DM may not even be aware that a situation can be resolved with a die roll. Other times the DM may not WANT to revert to a die roll, trying to make the characters resolve something "in character." In this version, a Skill-like mechanic is retained, but not called a skill. Instead, the character has certain character abilities and some other abilities that make sense given a certain situation. Instead of a Climb or Jump check, the DM determines how likely the situation is to occur and adjudicates this either by rolling a d20 against a relevant ability score (as we did back in the day) or makes it a check with a DC of 15 (base) +/- 2 for situation modifiers, and the character rolls a relevant ability check of d20 + ability modifier. I'm in favor of lumping various skills together: Perception = Listen, Search, and Spot; Stealth = Move Silently and Hide; Subterfuge = Sleight of Hand, Innuendo; etc. I would like to take the multi-class option away completely! It's a confusing concept to many and has no place in an old-school game (some may disagree, but Basic/Expert had no such concept until Mentzers version).
Only 7 classes to choose from - 4 human classes, and 3 demi-human classes. The human classes are Cleric, Fighter, Rogue, and Wizard. The demi-human classes are Dwarf, Elf, and Halfling. So already I chose to go with the old school allowances.....
Dwarf = basic Fighter with special abilities; +20% experience needed, good Fort and Will saves, any armor or weapon.
Elf = basic Fighter/Wizard with the ability to cast spells and wear armor; x2 experience needed, good Ref and Will saves, some other racial abilities, leather or chain armor only, any weapon.
Halfling = basic Fighter/Rogue with special abilities: +20% experience needed, good Fort and Ref, leather or chain armor with shield, any small weapon.
Keeping the saving throws the same but integrating race as class, only allowing Fighters to retain multiple attacks, removing Item Creation Feats and requiring a level limitation to make magic items, and removing Feats altogether in favor of a more standard environment are ways to make the system more old school. Limiting demi-human advancement to 10th level is another. I also toyed with the option of allowing race to be separate from class and enforcing multiclass options for the characters, but opted for the race as class option to keep things very simple. Only humans can advance to level 20 (or beyond).
Equipment also needs to be limited. Three basic armor types (leather, chain, and plate mail) cover all you need. Add in a light shield (+1 AC) for variety..... Weapons are necessarily kept to the basic forms: axes, swords, spears, bows, crossbows, daggers, etc. and each class has a set number to choose from.
Spells are a problem I will tackle in a future post. Having trouble reducing the number since they are all pretty much useful. I did eliminate all the alignments and went with Good/Neutral/Evil as the only three required in the game. Lawful vs. Chaotic made no sense with spells like Detect Evil (since how do you define evil if a creature is Chaotic...).
Since the base classes are the only ones represented, skills are not necessary. Assume that such functions are built into the class and use level in place of skill ranks. Therefore, a Concentration check for a Wizard would be d20 + Con modifier + Character Level. Simple. Elegant. No need to track ranks or anything else. No feats to clutter things up and make you second guess the values. Same applies to Perception checks and Stealth. If you ONLY allow the given classes to perform their class functions, then everything becomes important again. No more "jack of all trades" classes or characters selecting 1 rank in every skill they can possess.
I toyed with the idea of making the ability score chart match to the old school method, but found that creatures would not easily fit on this scale. Therefore, using the new way works just as well for all the creatures and characters alike. Allowing humanoid the same 10 level progression as demi-humans also works. Making Shaman and Wokani optional variations of humanoids allows humanoids to cast spells (divine or arcane) when necessary.
So there you have it. What I've developed so far. It seems to be coming along nicely.
For example, if you have ever tried to create a character given the Basic D&D set, it would take maybe 10 minutes, with half that time being a decision of class and name. A D&D 3.5 character has multiple options and decisions built into the ruleset and the character must be built with an eye towards 20th level and the road that gets you there. A Basic character, if they survive to see 4th level or so, simply adventures and the path they take molds the character. Many players nowadays want to play the badass, all powerful character from the get-go, skipping the character development phase and what I like to refer to as the "delicate bud" phase; that would be levels 1-3 (or more) where the character is much more likely to perish than survive. Many other games have similar intervals. Take Traveller for example. In the game you basically play through your characters initial training which is subject to random rolls. Your character could die IN TRAINING, never seeing play! World of Warcraft has a few levels in the beginning which coddle the character along and teaches you how to play the game and survive the madness that is high-level play. Even games such as Paranoia, Call of Cthulhu, and White Wolf's World of Darkness have a short period of learning the ropes as it were. Good characters progress - others fall by the wayside. Sometimes it's nothing more than a random chance of whether or not your character dies.
In any case, back to the point. I wanted to make the D&D 3.5 game function like the D&D of old. The only way to do so is by restricting choice and eliminating options seen as cluttering the game environment. How often do you hear a Player ask how and when they can use their skills? Often the DM may not even be aware that a situation can be resolved with a die roll. Other times the DM may not WANT to revert to a die roll, trying to make the characters resolve something "in character." In this version, a Skill-like mechanic is retained, but not called a skill. Instead, the character has certain character abilities and some other abilities that make sense given a certain situation. Instead of a Climb or Jump check, the DM determines how likely the situation is to occur and adjudicates this either by rolling a d20 against a relevant ability score (as we did back in the day) or makes it a check with a DC of 15 (base) +/- 2 for situation modifiers, and the character rolls a relevant ability check of d20 + ability modifier. I'm in favor of lumping various skills together: Perception = Listen, Search, and Spot; Stealth = Move Silently and Hide; Subterfuge = Sleight of Hand, Innuendo; etc. I would like to take the multi-class option away completely! It's a confusing concept to many and has no place in an old-school game (some may disagree, but Basic/Expert had no such concept until Mentzers version).
Only 7 classes to choose from - 4 human classes, and 3 demi-human classes. The human classes are Cleric, Fighter, Rogue, and Wizard. The demi-human classes are Dwarf, Elf, and Halfling. So already I chose to go with the old school allowances.....
Dwarf = basic Fighter with special abilities; +20% experience needed, good Fort and Will saves, any armor or weapon.
Elf = basic Fighter/Wizard with the ability to cast spells and wear armor; x2 experience needed, good Ref and Will saves, some other racial abilities, leather or chain armor only, any weapon.
Halfling = basic Fighter/Rogue with special abilities: +20% experience needed, good Fort and Ref, leather or chain armor with shield, any small weapon.
Keeping the saving throws the same but integrating race as class, only allowing Fighters to retain multiple attacks, removing Item Creation Feats and requiring a level limitation to make magic items, and removing Feats altogether in favor of a more standard environment are ways to make the system more old school. Limiting demi-human advancement to 10th level is another. I also toyed with the option of allowing race to be separate from class and enforcing multiclass options for the characters, but opted for the race as class option to keep things very simple. Only humans can advance to level 20 (or beyond).
Equipment also needs to be limited. Three basic armor types (leather, chain, and plate mail) cover all you need. Add in a light shield (+1 AC) for variety..... Weapons are necessarily kept to the basic forms: axes, swords, spears, bows, crossbows, daggers, etc. and each class has a set number to choose from.
Spells are a problem I will tackle in a future post. Having trouble reducing the number since they are all pretty much useful. I did eliminate all the alignments and went with Good/Neutral/Evil as the only three required in the game. Lawful vs. Chaotic made no sense with spells like Detect Evil (since how do you define evil if a creature is Chaotic...).
Since the base classes are the only ones represented, skills are not necessary. Assume that such functions are built into the class and use level in place of skill ranks. Therefore, a Concentration check for a Wizard would be d20 + Con modifier + Character Level. Simple. Elegant. No need to track ranks or anything else. No feats to clutter things up and make you second guess the values. Same applies to Perception checks and Stealth. If you ONLY allow the given classes to perform their class functions, then everything becomes important again. No more "jack of all trades" classes or characters selecting 1 rank in every skill they can possess.
I toyed with the idea of making the ability score chart match to the old school method, but found that creatures would not easily fit on this scale. Therefore, using the new way works just as well for all the creatures and characters alike. Allowing humanoid the same 10 level progression as demi-humans also works. Making Shaman and Wokani optional variations of humanoids allows humanoids to cast spells (divine or arcane) when necessary.
So there you have it. What I've developed so far. It seems to be coming along nicely.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
WoW Character Update May 28th
I was off last week, first vacation this year. Spent most of my time on the computer working on World of Warcraft, even though I wanted to do so much more. Oh well. Behold the fruits of my labor.
THE SCRYERS (Alliance)
1) Allakazam, gnome Mage 70: Abandoned the Outlands in favor of adventuring with Natsuko, Bergham, and Gwynllian in Northrend. Finally made the big 70 and suffered 160 gold loss when training. So much for the fast mount. My current goal is to complete rep with the Argent Dawn (probably requiring a Stratholme run) and then getting a flying mount in either Outlands or Northrend, but that's gonna take a lot of gold. Sold a ton of tangy clam meat after farming most of the Hillsbrad coast and recovered a good chunk of change. I think I now have almost 250 gold again. Too bad I need 480 gold for the riding training. The guild bank has been a constant source of agitation all week. We either need another tab or we need to start limiting access to keep the sections clear of clutter. I need to organize a guild meeting since I'm planning a lottery for the level 60+ characters. Winner gets to choose either gold for a new mount or gold for training out of the bank resources. Engineering advanced a bit as well as mining, but not enough to satisfy me.
2) Piotr, human Warrior 69: So, once the Arms respec came along I found I liked Piotr again. With his new Felsteel armor and Adamantine rapier he has dual-wielded his way through 7 levels like they were nothing! Finished all the quests in Zangarmarsh, moved on to the Terrokar Forest and did all those quests, then moved out to the Bone Wastes where I'm currently involved in multiple quests sending me all over the place. I think I recently found the elven town in the Blades Edge Mountains and that's where I am right now. Blacksmithing is not advancing but Mining is near maxed.
3) Eldáneth, night elf Hunter 65: I stopped playing him only because there is no one else to adventure with. Acquired a new white frostsaber pet and spent time in Winterspring gathering rugged leather for the guild (which has since disappeared). I need to get him back to Outland since he is one of the few enjoying his time there. Leatherworking is taking a back seat for a while. His resources have jumped to 300 gold and counting. I need to get him a fast mount soon to make more gold for a flying mount.
4) Dolric, dwarf Priest 60: Poor squishy Dolric. He's not faring well in the Outlands. Without anyone's help he is stuck as little more than a weed-picker for Kenyth. No love for this toon and maybe it's time he was deleted in favor of a shaman or another priest.
5) Endrozel, human Warlock 60: Cruising along through Felwood and then Winterspring, Endrozel spent last week soloing low-level dungeons in search of blue items to disenchant. I've been trying to level enchanting but it is so slow. Tailoring has not advanced much since either, although I can now make Netherweave bags. Also maxed out Demonology so I can now assume demon form!
6) Tynan, night elf Druid 53: Had a lot of fun running through Maraudon several times with the guild. Seems that he is now paired with Heavmcmast since Taldis has lagged behind in level. We spent time in Un'goro completing quests and gathering rep quest items for Allakazam. The Feral Combat spec is finally paying off with the Mangle ability.
7) Pygar, draenei Paladin 36:Holy crap this is a fun character. I learned that I can solo tank dungeons and decided to acquire my paladin hammer by myself. Easily completed the quests and then turned to levelling. I shot up almost 10 levels in no time, advanced my mining and blacksmithing to respectable levels, and played the tangy clam meat game in the Auction House, making lots of money for training and bag space in the bank. Left Martissa in the dust. Spent Monday night solo tanking Gnomeregan and completed all but the final quest to kill the boss. I found it ridiculously easy to maintain health and mana in a dungeon and the only limit was that I could not effectively tackle more than three elites of my level at a time without a healer. Non-elites, however, were no problem. Switched to sword and shield to see how that worked and liked it. Not sure if it's necessary though, since you need Protection spec to use the Avenger Shield.
8) Kenyth, human Priest 33: Kenyth went to the Wetlands and started completing quests. We ran a few instances and I've been using up herbs like nobody's business. Still having a hard time finding enough of the jadefire ink herbs which I need to level up to 200 in Inscription. Then I get the royal ink, crimson ink, and violet ink. I want to finish another set of Darkmoon cards but they too use jadefire ink. Been having fun running this character as a complete martyr. Holy is a decent spec after all.
9) Ingle, dwarf Hunter 26: After two weeks of running no instances I'm starting to chomp at the bit. Incidentally levelled beyond everyone else. It's easy to level a hunter. Also picked up a new black worg from Duskwood and he seems to working better than the boar. Named him Howler for lack of a better name. We're in a holding pattern but hoping to run Blackfathom soon. We tried a battleground as a group and it was just chaotic nonsense. We left after being trounced.
10) Dardemus, human Rogue 21: Got my lockpicking up pretty high and got to Redridge Mountains where he's now completing the easy quests well enough. I've sent him all the mats I could to boost his engineering and he seems to be doing ok against single opponents now. Had to leave Westfall since I could not advance any further there. Still on the verge of dropping this one again since I enjoy spellcasters much more.
SILVER HAND (Horde)
1) Ungaboonga, troll Shaman 37: Haven't done much with him because I need components that I can't get cheaply. His tailoring is lacking as he is just getting into mageweave now. His skinning is lacking since I can't use a lot of what I skin and it just gets sold or sent to others. I haven't used him so the benefactor seems to have disappeared. Changed over from Elemental to Enhancement spec and it seems like he's suffering from that. Unable to tank as well as I used to so I may switch back.
2) Finglithar, blood elf Hunter 37: Ever since the move this character is doing much better. He's now in Arathi and doing pretty well. Switched to the black worg with this character as well since the flapping of the swoop's wings were driving me nuts. Also hard to target with a bird since they keep getting in the way.
3) Krebek, orc Warlock 17: Made several levels with this one but alchemy is not going anywhere. He sent all his herbs to Shadala for glyphs. In Ratchet taking out pirates at the moment.
4) Shadala, blood elf Mage 16: Used this character more this week and solo adventured to get components. Slowly advancing Inscription and Enchanting. Sent glyphs to those who could use them. Currently in the Ghostlands completing quests. Went with Arcane spec.
5) Madmarion, forsaken Mage 16: Made this one up as a lark to run with Jeff's new forsaken warlock. Had trouble in the beginning but once the talents kicked in things got easier. She's a frost mage and can now stop attackers from getting too close right away. She's also an enchanter of very minor skill and herbalist to keep Shadala supplied. Made it to Silverpine and started completing some quests but it's damn hard.
6) Juju, troll Warrior 14: Since I got rid of Grumak I've missed having a powerhouse so I made a troll warrior this time. He's a bit more able to tank and I've been progressing his Protection spec. He's a deceent blacksmith and miner. Keep getting caught in areas of high traffic with lots of mobs in the Barrens and getting hit with groups of up to six at once (not survivable solo).
7) Nazuco, tauren Druid 14: Don't know what to make of the tauren so far. Seems like they are better warriors and hunters than druids. Got to bear form and was much better with it from experimentation with Tynan. Chose to go the Balance route with this one. Still working on an opinion.
THE SCRYERS (Alliance)
1) Allakazam, gnome Mage 70: Abandoned the Outlands in favor of adventuring with Natsuko, Bergham, and Gwynllian in Northrend. Finally made the big 70 and suffered 160 gold loss when training. So much for the fast mount. My current goal is to complete rep with the Argent Dawn (probably requiring a Stratholme run) and then getting a flying mount in either Outlands or Northrend, but that's gonna take a lot of gold. Sold a ton of tangy clam meat after farming most of the Hillsbrad coast and recovered a good chunk of change. I think I now have almost 250 gold again. Too bad I need 480 gold for the riding training. The guild bank has been a constant source of agitation all week. We either need another tab or we need to start limiting access to keep the sections clear of clutter. I need to organize a guild meeting since I'm planning a lottery for the level 60+ characters. Winner gets to choose either gold for a new mount or gold for training out of the bank resources. Engineering advanced a bit as well as mining, but not enough to satisfy me.
2) Piotr, human Warrior 69: So, once the Arms respec came along I found I liked Piotr again. With his new Felsteel armor and Adamantine rapier he has dual-wielded his way through 7 levels like they were nothing! Finished all the quests in Zangarmarsh, moved on to the Terrokar Forest and did all those quests, then moved out to the Bone Wastes where I'm currently involved in multiple quests sending me all over the place. I think I recently found the elven town in the Blades Edge Mountains and that's where I am right now. Blacksmithing is not advancing but Mining is near maxed.
3) Eldáneth, night elf Hunter 65: I stopped playing him only because there is no one else to adventure with. Acquired a new white frostsaber pet and spent time in Winterspring gathering rugged leather for the guild (which has since disappeared). I need to get him back to Outland since he is one of the few enjoying his time there. Leatherworking is taking a back seat for a while. His resources have jumped to 300 gold and counting. I need to get him a fast mount soon to make more gold for a flying mount.
4) Dolric, dwarf Priest 60: Poor squishy Dolric. He's not faring well in the Outlands. Without anyone's help he is stuck as little more than a weed-picker for Kenyth. No love for this toon and maybe it's time he was deleted in favor of a shaman or another priest.
5) Endrozel, human Warlock 60: Cruising along through Felwood and then Winterspring, Endrozel spent last week soloing low-level dungeons in search of blue items to disenchant. I've been trying to level enchanting but it is so slow. Tailoring has not advanced much since either, although I can now make Netherweave bags. Also maxed out Demonology so I can now assume demon form!
6) Tynan, night elf Druid 53: Had a lot of fun running through Maraudon several times with the guild. Seems that he is now paired with Heavmcmast since Taldis has lagged behind in level. We spent time in Un'goro completing quests and gathering rep quest items for Allakazam. The Feral Combat spec is finally paying off with the Mangle ability.
7) Pygar, draenei Paladin 36:Holy crap this is a fun character. I learned that I can solo tank dungeons and decided to acquire my paladin hammer by myself. Easily completed the quests and then turned to levelling. I shot up almost 10 levels in no time, advanced my mining and blacksmithing to respectable levels, and played the tangy clam meat game in the Auction House, making lots of money for training and bag space in the bank. Left Martissa in the dust. Spent Monday night solo tanking Gnomeregan and completed all but the final quest to kill the boss. I found it ridiculously easy to maintain health and mana in a dungeon and the only limit was that I could not effectively tackle more than three elites of my level at a time without a healer. Non-elites, however, were no problem. Switched to sword and shield to see how that worked and liked it. Not sure if it's necessary though, since you need Protection spec to use the Avenger Shield.
8) Kenyth, human Priest 33: Kenyth went to the Wetlands and started completing quests. We ran a few instances and I've been using up herbs like nobody's business. Still having a hard time finding enough of the jadefire ink herbs which I need to level up to 200 in Inscription. Then I get the royal ink, crimson ink, and violet ink. I want to finish another set of Darkmoon cards but they too use jadefire ink. Been having fun running this character as a complete martyr. Holy is a decent spec after all.
9) Ingle, dwarf Hunter 26: After two weeks of running no instances I'm starting to chomp at the bit. Incidentally levelled beyond everyone else. It's easy to level a hunter. Also picked up a new black worg from Duskwood and he seems to working better than the boar. Named him Howler for lack of a better name. We're in a holding pattern but hoping to run Blackfathom soon. We tried a battleground as a group and it was just chaotic nonsense. We left after being trounced.
10) Dardemus, human Rogue 21: Got my lockpicking up pretty high and got to Redridge Mountains where he's now completing the easy quests well enough. I've sent him all the mats I could to boost his engineering and he seems to be doing ok against single opponents now. Had to leave Westfall since I could not advance any further there. Still on the verge of dropping this one again since I enjoy spellcasters much more.
SILVER HAND (Horde)
1) Ungaboonga, troll Shaman 37: Haven't done much with him because I need components that I can't get cheaply. His tailoring is lacking as he is just getting into mageweave now. His skinning is lacking since I can't use a lot of what I skin and it just gets sold or sent to others. I haven't used him so the benefactor seems to have disappeared. Changed over from Elemental to Enhancement spec and it seems like he's suffering from that. Unable to tank as well as I used to so I may switch back.
2) Finglithar, blood elf Hunter 37: Ever since the move this character is doing much better. He's now in Arathi and doing pretty well. Switched to the black worg with this character as well since the flapping of the swoop's wings were driving me nuts. Also hard to target with a bird since they keep getting in the way.
3) Krebek, orc Warlock 17: Made several levels with this one but alchemy is not going anywhere. He sent all his herbs to Shadala for glyphs. In Ratchet taking out pirates at the moment.
4) Shadala, blood elf Mage 16: Used this character more this week and solo adventured to get components. Slowly advancing Inscription and Enchanting. Sent glyphs to those who could use them. Currently in the Ghostlands completing quests. Went with Arcane spec.
5) Madmarion, forsaken Mage 16: Made this one up as a lark to run with Jeff's new forsaken warlock. Had trouble in the beginning but once the talents kicked in things got easier. She's a frost mage and can now stop attackers from getting too close right away. She's also an enchanter of very minor skill and herbalist to keep Shadala supplied. Made it to Silverpine and started completing some quests but it's damn hard.
6) Juju, troll Warrior 14: Since I got rid of Grumak I've missed having a powerhouse so I made a troll warrior this time. He's a bit more able to tank and I've been progressing his Protection spec. He's a deceent blacksmith and miner. Keep getting caught in areas of high traffic with lots of mobs in the Barrens and getting hit with groups of up to six at once (not survivable solo).
7) Nazuco, tauren Druid 14: Don't know what to make of the tauren so far. Seems like they are better warriors and hunters than druids. Got to bear form and was much better with it from experimentation with Tynan. Chose to go the Balance route with this one. Still working on an opinion.
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
Allstate Insurance Scam
The times they are a changin'! After 15 years of paying for nothing, I'm ditching Allstate and that Jeranek character who did nothing for me other than finance his yacht. The least he could have done was give me a ride on the damn boat! No, instead I've been taken for a ride this whole time. One that ends today.
My insurance has done nothing but go up since I got my first car. Granted, I drove a lot of bombs in my day but one would think that with all the safety devices in the new car and my near spotless insurance record that I would be congratulated and have the rates reduced. I can understand getting more coverage because of the car loan, but in the past two years there has been a steady increase in the amount of money I dish out to Allstate and I'm seeing nothing in return. Since my food budget is tight enough as it is, this latest increase (only 6 months after the last one) was the straw that broke the camel's back.
I looked online at three other companies - State Farm (which has a long and solid record), Esurance (the new kid on the block), and Geico (because it was one of the only other one I could remember). Well, Esurance wanted to charge me 140% what I was paying already! No dice there. State Farm was willing to reduce my current rates by as much as $100-$150, but I would see a bit of reduced coverage. This was acceptable. However, when I checked with Geico I nearly fell over in shock! More than a 55% savings! I started hearing that 80s song playing in the background and a stack of bills with googly eyes staring at me.
I don't know if I'll regret it or not, but I figure that I wasn't getting satisfaction from Allstate anyway, so why pay more for the same non-service? Besides the reduced cost in insurance, I can set it up to automatically take from my bank account. Fine by me since that saves me another $3 in stamps over six months. Maybe I can start to eat proper food again.....
My insurance has done nothing but go up since I got my first car. Granted, I drove a lot of bombs in my day but one would think that with all the safety devices in the new car and my near spotless insurance record that I would be congratulated and have the rates reduced. I can understand getting more coverage because of the car loan, but in the past two years there has been a steady increase in the amount of money I dish out to Allstate and I'm seeing nothing in return. Since my food budget is tight enough as it is, this latest increase (only 6 months after the last one) was the straw that broke the camel's back.
I looked online at three other companies - State Farm (which has a long and solid record), Esurance (the new kid on the block), and Geico (because it was one of the only other one I could remember). Well, Esurance wanted to charge me 140% what I was paying already! No dice there. State Farm was willing to reduce my current rates by as much as $100-$150, but I would see a bit of reduced coverage. This was acceptable. However, when I checked with Geico I nearly fell over in shock! More than a 55% savings! I started hearing that 80s song playing in the background and a stack of bills with googly eyes staring at me.
I don't know if I'll regret it or not, but I figure that I wasn't getting satisfaction from Allstate anyway, so why pay more for the same non-service? Besides the reduced cost in insurance, I can set it up to automatically take from my bank account. Fine by me since that saves me another $3 in stamps over six months. Maybe I can start to eat proper food again.....
Monday, May 04, 2009
WoW Character Update: May 4th 2009
I've been a busy gamer, but not much else has occurred this weekend. I'm gonna have to go for therapy soon.... All the action happened with the Alliance this week so I'll stick to that.
THE SCRYERS
1) Allakazam, gnome Mage 68: OK, so I got sick of the Outlands already. Reminds me too much of Spelljammer (which I despised). So I decided to head off to Northrend with Natsuko (Tom). We dabbled a bit in Wyrmskull before he split, so I didn't continue. Mages are too "squishy" (to use his term) to deal with giants.
2) Piotr, human Warrior 65: In a surprise move, Piotr overtakes Eldáneth as the next contender! I've neglected this character for a while so I decided to give him a much needed boost. Started completing quests in Zangarmarsh before heading back to complete some in Hellfire. Made three levels last night! Trying to earn enough gold to actually gain a swift mount. Took all the stuff I gained and either sold it in the Auction House or sent it to those other characters who need it. Only at 350 gold, but this is after training for mining, blacksmithing and class.
3) Eldáneth, night elf Hunter 65: Used him this week only to get leather for the guild. Will probably fly off to Winterspring to get more Rugged Leather for runecloth bags. This is a capable character, but he tends to walk in footsteps, not make his own. I prefer using him as a solo character than in a group.
4) Dolric, dwarf Priest 60: Advancing Kenyth has given me new appreciation for all the stuff Dolric has accomplished. Still, he's stagnant and difficult to play without support. I need a constant companion for him and that isn't likely to happen either inside or outside the guild. Until then he makes a great alchemist.
5) Endrozel, human Warlock 58: The sprint for 60 is done. Fell short in Felwood. Sent him all the runecloth that the big boys don't need anymore (they are into netherweave now). After re-spec from the lost talent points he doesn't seem to be the same. I also find that the Felguard, although more powerful, runs through all his mana too soon and thus can't hold aggro (aka USELESS). He is relegated to second string for now.
6) Tynan, night elf Druid 50: Whenever Jeff plays Taldis I dust off Tynan. He is now in Un'goro avoiding being eaten by devilsaurs and trying to keep ahead of the level curve. Taldis and Tynan make a powerful force, but I still miss running with Lil and Gwyn. Jewelcrafting is halted until I can get more thorium and mithril. I keep making the jewelry and sending it to Endrozel for disenchanting since most of it is crap.
7) Kenyth, human Priest 30: Had fun playing this character in Duskwood but I'm afraid that the fun will soon end once I have to go to Scarlet Monastery. His inscription is so high that I can't find the herbs to make it work anymore. Had Dolric send a bunch more but even his resources are limited. Might have to make another Stranglethorn/Un'goro run to fill the old herb pouches again. It's fun playing a priest with other people (namely Celextra and Martissa).
8) Pygar, draenei Paladin 27: Since Martissa sprinted for 30th I haven't felt the need to play him in a while. I need to do Stockades and finish Duskwood, but I know that the quests almost require two people. I'll see how far I can run on my own. Blacksmithing is coming along nicely though.
9) Ingle, dwarf Hunter 21: Now this is a great character! We went through Wailing Caverns last week and had a blast! It's amazing how much 4 hunters and a druid can accomplish. This week I'm hoping for Blackfathom Deeps or Razorfen Kraul. Lots of good leather items in those place as well. I've got some of the quests for Deadmines too if we go that route.
10) Dardemus, human Rogue 17: Well, this is further along than Malkavius got but not by much. The Pick Locks skill is OK but haven't really felt a need to use it yet. The engineering is OK but more of the same really. This character is lackluster at best and useless at worst. Haven't even done Deadmines yet. So far he may not be worth keeping around.
THE SCRYERS
1) Allakazam, gnome Mage 68: OK, so I got sick of the Outlands already. Reminds me too much of Spelljammer (which I despised). So I decided to head off to Northrend with Natsuko (Tom). We dabbled a bit in Wyrmskull before he split, so I didn't continue. Mages are too "squishy" (to use his term) to deal with giants.
2) Piotr, human Warrior 65: In a surprise move, Piotr overtakes Eldáneth as the next contender! I've neglected this character for a while so I decided to give him a much needed boost. Started completing quests in Zangarmarsh before heading back to complete some in Hellfire. Made three levels last night! Trying to earn enough gold to actually gain a swift mount. Took all the stuff I gained and either sold it in the Auction House or sent it to those other characters who need it. Only at 350 gold, but this is after training for mining, blacksmithing and class.
3) Eldáneth, night elf Hunter 65: Used him this week only to get leather for the guild. Will probably fly off to Winterspring to get more Rugged Leather for runecloth bags. This is a capable character, but he tends to walk in footsteps, not make his own. I prefer using him as a solo character than in a group.
4) Dolric, dwarf Priest 60: Advancing Kenyth has given me new appreciation for all the stuff Dolric has accomplished. Still, he's stagnant and difficult to play without support. I need a constant companion for him and that isn't likely to happen either inside or outside the guild. Until then he makes a great alchemist.
5) Endrozel, human Warlock 58: The sprint for 60 is done. Fell short in Felwood. Sent him all the runecloth that the big boys don't need anymore (they are into netherweave now). After re-spec from the lost talent points he doesn't seem to be the same. I also find that the Felguard, although more powerful, runs through all his mana too soon and thus can't hold aggro (aka USELESS). He is relegated to second string for now.
6) Tynan, night elf Druid 50: Whenever Jeff plays Taldis I dust off Tynan. He is now in Un'goro avoiding being eaten by devilsaurs and trying to keep ahead of the level curve. Taldis and Tynan make a powerful force, but I still miss running with Lil and Gwyn. Jewelcrafting is halted until I can get more thorium and mithril. I keep making the jewelry and sending it to Endrozel for disenchanting since most of it is crap.
7) Kenyth, human Priest 30: Had fun playing this character in Duskwood but I'm afraid that the fun will soon end once I have to go to Scarlet Monastery. His inscription is so high that I can't find the herbs to make it work anymore. Had Dolric send a bunch more but even his resources are limited. Might have to make another Stranglethorn/Un'goro run to fill the old herb pouches again. It's fun playing a priest with other people (namely Celextra and Martissa).
8) Pygar, draenei Paladin 27: Since Martissa sprinted for 30th I haven't felt the need to play him in a while. I need to do Stockades and finish Duskwood, but I know that the quests almost require two people. I'll see how far I can run on my own. Blacksmithing is coming along nicely though.
9) Ingle, dwarf Hunter 21: Now this is a great character! We went through Wailing Caverns last week and had a blast! It's amazing how much 4 hunters and a druid can accomplish. This week I'm hoping for Blackfathom Deeps or Razorfen Kraul. Lots of good leather items in those place as well. I've got some of the quests for Deadmines too if we go that route.
10) Dardemus, human Rogue 17: Well, this is further along than Malkavius got but not by much. The Pick Locks skill is OK but haven't really felt a need to use it yet. The engineering is OK but more of the same really. This character is lackluster at best and useless at worst. Haven't even done Deadmines yet. So far he may not be worth keeping around.
Monday, April 27, 2009
WoW: Character Update April 27th
Well it was a long weekend of good weather, but I still spent it indoors - unshowered, unshaved, and unaware. In fact, other than a couple of food runs, I did not leave my computer all weekend. Here's the results of my efforts:
THE SCRYERS (Alliance)
1) Allakazam, gnome Mage 67: Almost got to play him on Friday but we decided to advance the other characters in a Ramparts run. Logged in on Sunday to learn that ALL his talents were gone and disabled, no points to be spent! I opened a GM ticket and have not heard back yet.
2) Eldáneth, night elf Hunter 64: And finally, my hunter surpasses the original characters, probably for good. He participated in the Ramparts run and helped to do some Hellfire quests with Natsuko, Aubre, Athorindell, and Gwynllian. It went well but he got little out of it.
3) Piotr, human Warrior 62: Not moving very fast with this character, although I did complete some quests yesterday and cleared the rest of the quests so I can head back to Hellfire. He's doing much better with the last patch and re-spec. He is now totally Arms and has access to some nice abilities. Much more effective now.
4) Dolric, dwarf Priest 61: Stagnant and not advancing, Dolric is now relegated to gathering herbs for Kenyth. In fact, Tiers of Excellence has been mostly dead lately or else the high level characters are running heroic dungeons. I might need a week with this one.
5) Endrozel, human Warlock 56: Well the re-spec helped to boost this one's power. Got my Felguard and now an Infernal as well. Still in Felwood trying to locate more Felcloth as well as complete quests to get to Winterspring.
6) Tynan, night elf Druid 50: Finally got Jeff into Taldis again, so I have a traveling companion. We're in Un'goro right now and running from devilsaurs. We suffered a couple of fiascos with gorillas last night but otherwise we're progressing nicely.
7) Kenyth, human Priest 29: In a surprise move, Celextra and I spent ALL day Saturday in Duskwood after completing a few Lakeshire quests. We completed most of the quests and advanced several levels. Last night I spent and hour as a pink bunny finding eggs in Goldshire for Noblegarden. Holy spec is still holding up well, but he's still definitely a group character.
8) Pygar, draenei Paladin 27: I seem to be nothing more than Martissa's guardian, but I don't mind too much. He's quite capable of taking on undead solo so I can make three levels in no time. I have to make up some gold soon if I want to advance high enough to gain a flying mount. I might use his funds to distribute to the other characters who won't have a mount.
9) Ingle, dwarf Hunter 19: I logged in on Monday night and we didn't get to play. I made a level handing in quests then stopped. I can't wait to play him again! So much fun.
10) Dardemus, human Rogue 17: Spent a long time getting him to Westfall and flying about the human kingdom doing quests. He now has lockpicking at a decent level (77 by last count) and is about to locate the Defias Messenger. He'll need help in the Deadmines so I hope some of the others will humor me with a run.
SILVER HAND (Horde)
1) Ungaboonga, troll Shaman 36: Spent some time getting him to a new location. Tarren Mill was not working for me and I'm not sure about progression here. I'm heading south to the Shimmering Flats and then to Gadgetzan, then maybe Stranglethorn. I will need to drop his other dungeon quests since they are all gray now. A pity, he was doing well in groups. I may re-spec to Restoration in order to be more useful as a healer, but I like Elemental.
2) Finglithar, blood elf Hunter 35: Questing in Desolace is a lonely and long affair. Rep quests suck ass! Can't wait to leave here and get to Stranglethorn. The new pet swoop vulture is OK, nothing to write home about. I might sneak into Duskwood and snatch up a black worg instead.
3) Krebek, orc Warlock 14: Got this character to the Barrens and now I don't know if I want to continue. He's doing OK, but it's hard as a solo warlock under 20th. Got the void walker but he keeps dying.
4) Shadala, blood elf Mage 12: Found out that Bruce is ditching his rogue so my source of herbs just dried up. Haven't played this character in months and I'm losing interest. May have to ditch enchanting to get herbs for inscription.
5) Juju, troll Warrior 7: Don't ask me why, but I decided to start another warrior. This one is learning from my past mistakes and will likely follow the Protection path. He's doing alright I guess. I selected Mining for him, but I'm not sure about his other profession.
6) Nazuco, tauren Druid 6: Another unknown quantity. I never played a tauren and wanted to experience Mulgore from a tauren perspective. Not too bad so far. I haven't died, although I did manage to experience a server crash. Too many pink bunnies sitting on eggs.... It dawned on me that my name is very similar to Tom's draenei shaman Natsuko. Oh well. This character is meant to be either Balance or Restoration spec, with gathering herbs and probably enchanting as professions.
THE SCRYERS (Alliance)
1) Allakazam, gnome Mage 67: Almost got to play him on Friday but we decided to advance the other characters in a Ramparts run. Logged in on Sunday to learn that ALL his talents were gone and disabled, no points to be spent! I opened a GM ticket and have not heard back yet.
2) Eldáneth, night elf Hunter 64: And finally, my hunter surpasses the original characters, probably for good. He participated in the Ramparts run and helped to do some Hellfire quests with Natsuko, Aubre, Athorindell, and Gwynllian. It went well but he got little out of it.
3) Piotr, human Warrior 62: Not moving very fast with this character, although I did complete some quests yesterday and cleared the rest of the quests so I can head back to Hellfire. He's doing much better with the last patch and re-spec. He is now totally Arms and has access to some nice abilities. Much more effective now.
4) Dolric, dwarf Priest 61: Stagnant and not advancing, Dolric is now relegated to gathering herbs for Kenyth. In fact, Tiers of Excellence has been mostly dead lately or else the high level characters are running heroic dungeons. I might need a week with this one.
5) Endrozel, human Warlock 56: Well the re-spec helped to boost this one's power. Got my Felguard and now an Infernal as well. Still in Felwood trying to locate more Felcloth as well as complete quests to get to Winterspring.
6) Tynan, night elf Druid 50: Finally got Jeff into Taldis again, so I have a traveling companion. We're in Un'goro right now and running from devilsaurs. We suffered a couple of fiascos with gorillas last night but otherwise we're progressing nicely.
7) Kenyth, human Priest 29: In a surprise move, Celextra and I spent ALL day Saturday in Duskwood after completing a few Lakeshire quests. We completed most of the quests and advanced several levels. Last night I spent and hour as a pink bunny finding eggs in Goldshire for Noblegarden. Holy spec is still holding up well, but he's still definitely a group character.
8) Pygar, draenei Paladin 27: I seem to be nothing more than Martissa's guardian, but I don't mind too much. He's quite capable of taking on undead solo so I can make three levels in no time. I have to make up some gold soon if I want to advance high enough to gain a flying mount. I might use his funds to distribute to the other characters who won't have a mount.
9) Ingle, dwarf Hunter 19: I logged in on Monday night and we didn't get to play. I made a level handing in quests then stopped. I can't wait to play him again! So much fun.
10) Dardemus, human Rogue 17: Spent a long time getting him to Westfall and flying about the human kingdom doing quests. He now has lockpicking at a decent level (77 by last count) and is about to locate the Defias Messenger. He'll need help in the Deadmines so I hope some of the others will humor me with a run.
SILVER HAND (Horde)
1) Ungaboonga, troll Shaman 36: Spent some time getting him to a new location. Tarren Mill was not working for me and I'm not sure about progression here. I'm heading south to the Shimmering Flats and then to Gadgetzan, then maybe Stranglethorn. I will need to drop his other dungeon quests since they are all gray now. A pity, he was doing well in groups. I may re-spec to Restoration in order to be more useful as a healer, but I like Elemental.
2) Finglithar, blood elf Hunter 35: Questing in Desolace is a lonely and long affair. Rep quests suck ass! Can't wait to leave here and get to Stranglethorn. The new pet swoop vulture is OK, nothing to write home about. I might sneak into Duskwood and snatch up a black worg instead.
3) Krebek, orc Warlock 14: Got this character to the Barrens and now I don't know if I want to continue. He's doing OK, but it's hard as a solo warlock under 20th. Got the void walker but he keeps dying.
4) Shadala, blood elf Mage 12: Found out that Bruce is ditching his rogue so my source of herbs just dried up. Haven't played this character in months and I'm losing interest. May have to ditch enchanting to get herbs for inscription.
5) Juju, troll Warrior 7: Don't ask me why, but I decided to start another warrior. This one is learning from my past mistakes and will likely follow the Protection path. He's doing alright I guess. I selected Mining for him, but I'm not sure about his other profession.
6) Nazuco, tauren Druid 6: Another unknown quantity. I never played a tauren and wanted to experience Mulgore from a tauren perspective. Not too bad so far. I haven't died, although I did manage to experience a server crash. Too many pink bunnies sitting on eggs.... It dawned on me that my name is very similar to Tom's draenei shaman Natsuko. Oh well. This character is meant to be either Balance or Restoration spec, with gathering herbs and probably enchanting as professions.
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