WAR: Smile, Even Though It's Breaking

By the time I give up on it completely I'll have covered the entirety of the song's lyrics.

It seems that every time I need hope rekindled in the game, there's only one man who's right for the job. But I guess that comes with the job description when you're a guild leader.

Apart from the whole "when the master says JUMP you say how high" commandment, the massive multiplayer bit is the only reason I play MMORPGs at all and I missed the regular KF multitude. I was so disenchanted with Rift that they all eventually ground their way to 50 while I was still in my 20s. So when the rally call came, there I went, if a bit begrudgingly.

I was a chick once.

I was afraid, see. Afraid that I'd get there and things were as they were and I'd feel inadequate. We hadn't seen each other for a while, I didn't know how I'd face the game or how the game would treat me. First of all, thank God for Worn Sovereign. Too bad it came some 5 ranks too late. I was 5% into rr74, on my way to my first Sovereign set piece. Still I ended up spending all my money buying full Worn Sov. It's the first time since Devastator that I've worn a full gear set. I lost some 70 Willpower by not combining it with Warlord or Tyrant but I earned a nice proc (whatever% chance to increase healing power by 100). But I lost a tactic slot (had to equip Discipline) and many Wounds talis to get my Willpower back to over 1050.

So, was the game all I had hoped it would be? No, it wasn't. I've been burnt before, I won't be easily satisfied now. C'mon Mythic, you saw this coming. We're never the same when we come back. We're always more cynical, more ceptical, more defiant.

And yet, I had fun. Get those jaws dropping because I did. I had a wonderful time. From healing under the bridge in Gromril's Crossing and dodging the limp corpse of a Runepriest as it fell from the battle above to impressive keep sieges where my heal-debuffing Morale 4 foiled many a push, I had a good time. I'm not as effective as I once was but I expected that. I've been there. I'll get over it.

I had forgotten how completely frustrating some players (and guilds) can be. I thought 'I did not miss this', after being pummelled into submission by Pohlice Brutality for the fifth time but then I reconsidered. How do you know if you're any good if you don't have good players on the other side to contend against? So I guess I did miss Pohlice and Djolle and Sejanus and all the BWs with two braincells to rub together (no, jk, I don't miss those). I even named my flash drive after Sejanus. True story. Just not that one.

Also, WAR got Marillion in my head.

For various reasons:

• Aylesbury
• The ambiguous name Khalie which I'm not entirely sure how to pronounce.
• Fish
• Fish's hairdresser
• WAR is it too late to say I'm sorry? And WAR could we get it together again?
  I just can't go on pretending that it came to a natural end
  WAR, oh I never thought I'd miss you
  And WAR I thought that we'd always be friends
  We said our love would last forever
  So how did it come to this bitter end?

I couldn't let it end on that note, so suddenly, so abruptly. I'm sure there are still some Mythic people out there that love the game as much as I do so I'll give them another chance to make it worthwhile to give them my money. I will try to not get as invested in the game as before, though. It's been twice now that we've broken up. This "on again, off again" shtick just isn't for me.