RTMT: Garrison Invasions: Wipe your sabatons!

Where are my “Mail Chausses of Chastisement” or “Stop Rib of Death?”

Garrison Invasions and You: A Harlequin Mystery

One important new game component to Warlords of Invited-to-Tea-And-Eat-All-the-Cookies Draenor are the garrison invasions. I have had a few thrown my way, but until Tome had a big boss one, I never knew there were big boss ones. She was worried she wouldn’t be able to get players to join, but in the time you could say “Kevin Costner standing in a corn field” we had forty or so players, and killed Commander Dro’gan before he could pull up his knickers. (Mataoka got a lovely healing cloak by the way, one “Starblotter’s Spellwrap.” So glad I had on restoration loot specialization. *sigh*

The thing is, I just haven’t figured it out yet. I am not playing the new game well at all, and still stuck in old habits, like leveling mages and spending too much gold. I found this new app called TimeHop, and all it’s done is make me realize what a rut I’ve been in for years. I see these notifications of what I said a year ago, five years ago, or 3 months ago, and nothing has changed. I haven’t changed. And that depresses me. Now, I am clever enough to realize a huge sword hanging over my head labeled “Be Careful What You Wish For.” Stable doesn’t necessarily mean bad.

In any case, maybe during a few days’ vacation I can shake things up in the garrison, and invite some friends to play.

From WoWhead:

• Summon a Raid or World Boss

  • Players may find an item while completing a Bounty, Relic, Dungeon, or Raid daily quest from the Garrison visitor that that allows them to summon one of six new raid or world boss in the Garrison.
  • Summoned raid or world bosses have scaling health and is intended for 10-40 players.

  And : http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/15270579566

RTMT: Regrowth.

Regrowth (Photo by Matty)

I don’t know about this Azeroth place anymore.

I am beginning to understand why players stick with maybe one to three solid classes/specializations: truly and deeply specializing takes hours of intense scrutiny and practice. I am feeling somewhat a restoration druid ‘failure’ these days: I have the gear, and yet I still can’t produce the healing potential Momokawa possesses. One HUGE issue I had the other night was I tried to use Clique, and it was an abysmal failure. Well, it wasn’t: I was. I didn’t take the time to try to understand it, and it disrupted my targeting. That’s an understatement.

Matty-Shack 2018

Sitting here trying to decide what kind of player I want to be, after all these years: do I want to focus on one or two characters and dig into raiding? Do I want to go more solo, play with my Garrison?

Not this Garrison…

…this one

I don’t know. Don’t judge me, please –it could happen to anyone–but in my own little Matty-shack a mouse family has moved in (I have called in professionals to help them move out), and the wisteria vines engulfed over the eastern facade, growing into the crevices of shingles, denying their shoots of sunlight, producing pale whitish-yellow chlorophyll-depleted tendrils. In other words: I better look after my own garrison, instead of a make-believe one. I envision a not-too-distant-future where I’m sitting at my keyboard adding a pet or lighting sconce to pixelized castle while around me are mouse parties and Sleeping Beauty style thorny vines.

The mice didn’t seem to have any trouble…

Warlords of Draenor is going to be huge. Garrisons will be awesome. The story will be fine, and Draenei will have a role to play. It’ll all work out, and is not worth any iota of stress or concern.

Then why am I starting to wake up again at 5:30AM with headaches? 

I see your Raid Leader and raise you a Ragnaros!

Here is what I do know: summer is drawing to a fast close, and this summer has been wonderful for me. I consciously did nothing. I read one book (and I loved it, every word). I watched Game of Thrones repeats on Netflix. I played Hearthstone like a old card shark. I sat like Margot Tenenbaum (without the cigarettes) and relaxed as if it was my job.

Not a bad way to spend summer…

I had a great time yesterday goofing off with Starre in Blackwing Lair on various characters, and made a Red Knight ensemble for Luperci:

So mice, take notice: pack your little cheesy bags and get the hell out of Dodge. I know you’re not like Cinderella mice and will not sew any dresses or make pearl necklaces for me, so scram. I’ve got other things to do than worry about you.

Like go get a kitten.

PS If you’r bored, take this gamer quiz.

RTMT: Disturbing Trends

Even the panda’s not fooled…

 

First the Bear, and now Mr. and Mrs. – a few folks are leaving Azeroth planning to return when the we’re back to the future, and now I’m left with the feeling of, “Is there something wrong with me?”  (Hush, yes, yes, I know, there is, but let’s keep it in context of Azeroth, and not the rest of my crazy.) I don’t want to stop playing, and I’m still enchanted by Azeroth? I never did really catch on with the panda bears – I started a Pandaren a few times, and just couldn’t get my furry on. Blizzard probably feels that they gave the furries a feast of fetishism (please do not click if you don’t want to be enlightened by Urban Dictionary), (Mr. Snerguls here: this is taking a dark turn on an otherwise lovely spring morning. Listen sista, keep this odd information to yourself, okay? Capiche?) 

But I’m right.

No pandas.

I can’t even play a Worgen. The most anthropomorphic success I’ve had, with abundance, is playing Draenei: horns and a tail are cute, and remind me of one of my favorite novels, Geek Love by Katherine Dunn. The tail anyway, not the albino dwarf protagonist. Well, maybe. Anyway.

The thing is I am still hooked. Breige started a few characters, as did Dahahka, for the Drunken Fish, and has a friendly (for Breige can’t be anything but friendly and sweet) competition going with Señor for weekly guild achievement scores. I had no idea this was going on until yesterday, when she pointed out his warlock took over first place, but she quickly remedied that with her rogue. I looked over some easy guild achievements to keep us pushing foward (we stand at 80% to level 20), and for Classy Draenei we need a Death Knight and Warrior. Don’t faint – yes, I know – you must be shocked that I didn’t have a Draenei in every flavor – but I do have the Blood Elf DK turned Draenei DK Kellanyx, and I started a fresh warrior named Koanni, though I have a level 30-something warrior.

Yes, I wanted to go back to Azuremyst.

It still gets me.

Home away from home…

 

Every time.

Koanni’s character is very different from other Draenei: she is true to her warrior nature, and makes no apologies for defending herself and her home. She’s in her early stages of training, and easily downs striders, moonstags, and naga. Her hubris may be her downfall.

Few tidbits: Congratulations to Syrco and the rest who won Dragonray’s Transmog Contest, (oh my dear sweet baby murlocs there are some amazing ensembles)! And check out Erinys’ photographs of the real world which are as enchanting as any fantasy. Please wish Cymre a very happy real life birthday, too! Her blog is a gift for us all. We are blessed with beautiful worlds, and need to celebrate every chance we get.

Postscript: something to watch while we wait:

<p><a href=”http://vimeo.com/71502546″>PETER PAN</a> from <a href=”http://vimeo.com/user842961″>nikloz001</a&gt; on <a href=”https://vimeo.com”>Vimeo</a&gt;.</p>

 

RTMT: Blood Moon

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/04/14/302904741/for-many-clouds-likely-to-block-tonights-blood-moon-eclipse

This event demands a Story Time post, for how can any reasonable writer worth her salt walk away from an astronomical phenomenom such as a ‘blood moon?” I knew it was coming, I read the news, I saw the posts, and yet, at that moment when I could have walked outside I was sound asleep. Me and sleep — we have a special relationship. Sunday night the moon was so bright, so full, when I tried to sleep on the couch with the fire I was restless. The dog was restless. So ‘Moonday’ night–deeply exhausted, sleep won.

Even this morning knowing I have an early morning meeting, my mind played Joker and told my hand to reset the alarm to a half hour before I would have to leave. Don’t think I can get gorgeous in half an hour? Pffft. I confess it’s getting harder and harder each year. In my twenties, a few swipes of under-eye concealer and teeth brushing, now it takes forklifts and spackle. Fortunately, sensible brain trumped hand and got my ass out of bed.

Really looking forward to game time tonight: Zeptepi is but two Titan Runestones away from her cloak. Sure, she’ll have to heal through the last battle, and (re) defeat all of the Celestials again, and then of course scrounge up the 7k gold for her shadow cloak, and sure, okay, the whole thing will end up at Goodwill in the next few months. I read that Big Bear is taking a break. Can’t say as I blame him. Not speaking for him, but an observation in general: I think many players, myself included, like to forget that Blizzard is a business, first and foremost, and churning out the pixie dust is hard work. I’m still enchanted, however, and live for those singular moments in Azeroth, those rare blood moon moments.

Speaking of which: used some chits to finally boost poor Rökkr, my second character created, a rogue. Poor Señor who is an expert at rogue helped her the other night go through her rotation. There is a story in here, too. I wasn’t going to log on during Mondays during Lent, and I had to sneak in (that’s what rogues do) and see if I could do anything on my own. I killed a few tigers, Señor, and a  frog or two! All by myself! Sure, I get eaten by a big white tiger, and yes, there were those repair bills, but you’d have been proud!

Patience friends, patient as a rogue, for when the moment comes to strike, when my energy bar is full again, I’ll get some of my ideas scribbled.

PS When I reached for my phone and Kindle this morning I pinched a nerve in my shoulder. (FFS)