Okay, this may be a little ranty but I see it so very often and it bugs the crap out of me.
Can someone explain to me what the appeal is of playing within a certain setting if you aren’t going to abide by the rules of that setting? The idea of rp in a specific world setting is to imagine yourself a part of that world. And I’m sorry, but breaking the rules of that world, to me at least, totally ruins the experience.
Take Warcraft, for example, because this has become my favorite spot to rp as of late. Each of the player races has their own unique history and culture. Each of them has any number of niches within that culture for player characters to fit, be it through their profession or their lifestyle or their history. So why is it that people insist on trying to take a character that would not exist within the defined setting, and try to force them in?
I see this a lot. Instead of say, creating one of Vol’jin’s Headhunters, who are servants of the Warchief and badass in their own right, not to mention accepted within the Horde as a faction, would you create an Amani troll? Amani are hated by Blood Elves, who, like it or not, are a major part of the Horde. The Horde and Alliance have both been at war with them in recent history, and as such, would probably not allow them in any of the major cities. The Drakkari are an aggressive, war-like race who were driven out of civilized lands long, long ago and who, after killing off their Loa in Wrath, are mostly out of their minds. I’m not denying that either of these races is interesting, or that the concepts could draw people for rp. However, since most of the rp in World of Warcraft takes place in the major cities and major outposts of both the Horde and Alliance, how would either of these concepts fit in to that setting? Realistically, nobody would want them around.
The same goes for San’layn. The San’layn are dead. They were all Scourge, and we killed off their leadership in Northrend. And even if there were theoretically any survivors, they’re Scourge. They wouldn’t be welcome amidst the player character races. Unlike Death Knights, they never regained their free will. And hell, even Death Knights aren’t all that well received.
Death Knights are addicted to causing pain. I don’t think most people understand the implications of this. They don’t feel things like love, or compassion, or if they do, it’s not in the same way that they did when they were alive. Certainly they remember what these things are like, but they’re not capable of healthy relationships like you or I would be. They are undead. They are psychologically screwed up. A lot of them were forced to kill friends and family, people they knew. It takes you through this in the in-game Death Knight starter quests. THEY ARE NOT NICE PEOPLE. Or if they are it’s a ruse. Just look at the in-game responses of any NPC Death Knight. None of them are welcoming or particularly pleasant.
Finally, we touch upon my biggest pet peeve. This one makes me more than a little crazy. Blood Elves have green eyes. GREEN. Not blue, not gold, not purple, unless they are wearing some form of contacts or perhaps have some kind of glamour in place. They are specifically stated to have green eyes. Every Blood Elf in game that is an actual Blood Elf has green eyes. High Elves are not welcome amidst the Horde. The Sin’dorei consider them traitors. They consider the Sin’dorei traitors. There’s a lot of animosity there. Just look at Lor’themar’s reaction to Vareesa on his borders outside the troll dungeons in Cata. He sends a messenger instructing her on no uncertain terms that she is not welcome. Likewise, servant of the light or no, the fel taint is still in Sin’dorei blood. Silvermoon is overflowing with fel energies. Like the orcs, that taint doesn’t just go away. If your Blood Elf is still alive today, then they had to have siphoned fel energy. Those that didn’t are stated clearly to have succumbed to their addiction and become Wretched.
Now I know that WoW lore is full of plot holes, and as such there is plenty of wiggle room. That’s why I don’t understand why people insistently refuse to acknowledge hard facts of lore. The rules of a world are what define that world. Any fantasy has to have a touch of reality or it’s impossible to suspend your belief.
TL;DR,
KNOW THE LORE FOR YOUR RACE/CLASS. STOP BREAKING MY IMMERSION. /lorenerdrage
Why should anyone listen to you when you’re not even correct about the lore?
Death Knights are addicted to causing pain. I don’t think most people understand the implications of this. They don’t feel things like love, or compassion, or if they do, it’s not in the same way that they did when they were alive. Certainly they remember what these things are like, but they’re not capable of healthy relationships like you or I would be. They are undead. They are psychologically screwed up. A lot of them were forced to kill friends and family, people they knew. It takes you through this in the in-game Death Knight starter quests. THEY ARE NOT NICE PEOPLE. Or if they are it’s a ruse. Just look at the in-game responses of any NPC Death Knight. None of them are welcoming or particularly pleasant.
What about this guy, for example:
Literally the first thing that happens when you meet him in the death knight starting zone is that he sends you on a mission to find and help Koltira. While this happens both of you are still servants of the Lich King. Kolitra even mentions that he wasn’t supposed to do that as you rescue him.
This happens again in Northrend too:
He’s all about fucking over the lich king and then WHOOPS his sister shows up and the objective changes. Certainly looks like love and compassion from a death knight to me.
In conclusion: If you’re going to talk about breaking lore for a race/class, you should know the lore for said race/class. Also, gatekeeping is shitty.