Class Wars

The class wars in World of Warcraft have begun in earnest now. The Have Nots calling for nerfs and begging for more power; the Haves telling everyone to shaddup.

These type of skirmishes have been going on since time began in the virtual world, and they will continue until the last mole has been whacked, looted and skinned.

I can always tell which classes are the Haves — here’s a tip on how to quickly ID them in any game: it’s the class that remains curiously quiet, for the most part, in public forums. The Haves try not to make eye contact with the developers; they study their shoes, examine their fingernails, whistle idly while trying to appear casual and uninterested.

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I, Ugly American

As I’ve already disclosed, my current guild is composed of many nationalities. (Note the use of “current” guild … ya, they’re on the bubble. More on that some other time.) I’m too lazy to calculate percentages, but I’d guess that it’s 20 – 25 percent non-Americans and 80 percent Americans.

Since I’m a stereotypical ugly American, I’ve made some stereotypical observations about the ugly non-Americans. It’s not politically correct, and it’s fundamentally inaccurate, but there are interesting cultural differences. (And, if you think I would worry about being politically correct, you haven’t been paying attention.)

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Can You Hear Me Now?

Here’s a quick guide to using TeamSpeak with a MMOG guild. Some of you may be new to TeamSpeak (and its ilk: Ventrilo, et al) and are a bit apprehensive about its use; others may be veterans but are seeking advanced techniques. I can’t really help with any of that, but I can recount some of things my guild has discovered after using TeamSpeak for almost a year now.

1. First of all, our guildleader knows his shit when it comes to IT crap, which helps tremendously. If we had to rely on me for fixing TS burps, we’d be in trouble. You’ll need someone in guild that knows his IT shit then blame him for anything that goes wrong. Get his cell number so you can wake him up at home when the TS server goes down … and so you can blame him for anything that has gone wrong.

A designated scapegoat is critical for all guild operations including TS. Remember this.

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