This Saturday, November 5, 2005, is Worldwide Dungeons & Dragons Game Day. You have to actually leave your house to participate. (GOD NO!) And, of course, D & D involves pencil and paper and dice (GOD NO!) … real old skool stuff.

As Dungeons & Dragons is the grandfather of MMO fantasy games (Hail, Lord Nagafen!), I will participate in my own way … buried in a Warcraft dungeon that may or may not contain dragons. Wouldn’t know it by us, some raids. Dungeon appears to be full of trash mobs, there be dragons??

Anyways. If you’re a FilePlanet subscriber, or your e-friend is a subscriber, D & D Online has prioritized beta apps available. Be sure to login first, else you’ll have to fill out the app twice. As is typical, they want to know your gaming resume, and if you work for a fansite, game pub or in the industry. Technically, I didn’t lie. Remember that.

While reading around the net about D & D history, I ran across this dandy site with some Christian game writing. The author’s original D & D piece, “Straight Talk on Dungeons & Dragons”, is also … interesting.

I like to start off my day with at least a couple of the deadly sins. (For the record, that was: pride, anger, greed and sloth plus a few mortal sins for diversification.)

Another target to keep in your sights, one of the incoming Turbine elf dramas: Dungeons & Dragons Online pre-beta beta signup. Really, you have GOT to get into the beta if you want bragging rights for your entire stay in a game: I was in the beta, I’m as old skool as it gets, noob. Also: Game was much better in the closed beta without all these noobs.

Or, you can lie like most people and just say you were in beta plus you’re drinking buddies with the developers so of course you’d know how this damn encounter works. Jeezus.

In other elvish news, the rumors continue to grow and mutate about World of Warcraft’s first expansion pack (read: content you have to BUY) — the details will be officially announced at their BlizzCon thingy on October 28 and 29. Missed the rumors? Go read:

Joystiq
Gaming Steve
WoW Guru forum post by some guy
The Cesspit and updated Cesspit. (and how the fuck did Vivendi get Abalieno’s phone number?)

The big thing is, of course, the max level increase. Seeing as how “learning from others’ past mistakes” isn’t a strong point around these parts, this could be painful … for everyone. One word: Kunark.

But! The bright side: we all get to return to the level grind. Yay. Plus, there’ll be more elves. Yay.

If the horde really does get a new blood elf race, there goes all our Alliance chick priests and druids. Sure, there’ll be less chatter about shoulder and helm graphics, but we need all the priests and druids we can get.

City of Villains — Preorders available from selected retailers (EB Games, Game Stop, CompUSA and Best Buy). Includes: beta access, two-day head-start before it ships to the public (you know you want that, you gaming whore!), an exclusive in-game item (any chance that won’t suck?), some limited edition poster, 14-day free trial of City of Heroes for you and one of your imaginary friends, and a CD-ROM with art and shit.

I checked the Game Stop link (Hail, click through!), preorder is 50 bucks with an ETA of October 31, 2005.

So, we have that going for us. Which is nice.

Also, the somewhat anticipated Dungeons & Dragons Online sent out alpha invites recently, with promises of additional invites in the (near?) future. (Found on Betawatcher. FFS, I don’t start camping a game website until closed beta approaches.)

Turbine SAYS the DDO ETA is the second half of 2005, which, to me, means … they need to get that bitch out in time for Christmas.

Meh. I don’t even know if I’ll bother with either.

(You don’t believe that shit, do you? You KNOW I’ll try them both like the gaming whore I am.)