I played a D&D Kobold (which are basically waist-high dracthyr with ADHD) Swashbuckler in a one-shot game, but probably not going to roll a WoW kobold character ever.
Names can’t be Copyrighted only Trademarked and I can assure you the Author only Trademarked the Name of the Work as a whole not the word Azeroth!
It’s why there are so many works of Fiction with Jade Seas and Crystal Deserts! The Writers only think to Trademark the Book/Game/Movie/TV Show’s name not the Names of what’s depicted inside them!
It’s also why Tolkien Estate isn’t suing Blizzard for using the name Artanis: While Tolkien Estate does Trademark a lot of names it missed one of Galadriel’s spare names and thus Blizzard was able to snatch it up and probably Trademark it themselves…
…They did Trademark it right?..
When I was a kid, I used the name “Garrosh” in a musical I had to write for school. I had him as a demon who invades people’s dreams, who was defeated by two boys, Brayden and Ted. I was so afraid of getting sued for copyright lol.
You sound like the sort of person who’d kill Paarthunax because the blades told you to.
2 Likes
Not really seeing where the problem is. It is fiction after all, as long as they aren’t being connected to a group of RL humans in some bigoted manner then I’d say it’s fine. There’s nothing wrong with giving a level of nuance to fictional races that are commonly seen as antagonistic but if the writer just wants to set up a race that is antagonistic and evil then they have the right to do so.
Most races in WoW are more or less explicitly based on RL ethnicities
Disagree on the rest because again sentient/sapient species are necessarily beings of culture and the idea that a certain nature can only lead to a certain culture no matter the circumstances is deeply awkward and unserious and shouldn’t exist in a game that praises itself on its setting, lore and worldbuilding
I don’t have a problem with that trope for games in which these aspects are largely irrelevant and serve only as a background excuse for the gameplay experience, but in Warcraft, that cannot work
3 Likes
Doing it because the Blades told you to is dumb.
Doing it because the game outright explains to you that he’s simply waiting til you die of old age to continue the dragon wars is correct.
Odahviing flat out tells you that’s exactly what he’s going to do.
Paarthurnax flat out tells you that he’s going to travel the world to “Teach other dragons the rightness of His Thu’um.”
No, screw that. I am pretty glad of where the Alliance is right now. If you want the Horde to commit attrocies, leave the Alliance out of it.
If the two factions aren’t making war (and war is hell) then they don’t exist.
There is no alliance if there is no horde vs alliance.
You can be happy about that but just be clear, “where the alliance is right now” is nowhere.
It’s absolutely possible and actually incredibly easy to write faction stories and deliver internal faction focus outside of faction war scenarios and not being able to do that is a failure on Blizzard’s part
10 Likes
They are only factions, by definition, in their dissent from one another.
Factions are not factions without faction conflict.
Warcraft factions are supranational entities based on military, political and economic cooperation, saying there’s nothing to tell about factions outside of faction conflict is like saying there’s nothing to tell about the European Union outside of its antagonism with Russia/China/the US
7 Likes
Wrong the Alliance can does exist outside of the Horde. Mainly in its focus to actually improve Azeroth. This is like saying Overwatch as an organization cannot exist because the omnic crisis ended.
1
: a party or group (as within a government) that is often contentious or self-seeking :
The committee soon split into factions.
2
: party spirit especially when marked by dissension
faction, or the irreconcilable conflict of parties
Idk.
Literally don’t care you’re still wrong lmao
9 Likes
This is the only acceptable response. 10/10
3 Likes
I’m fine with faction war too tho 
2 Likes
Idk. IMO, they don’t have to be at all out war all the time.
I like when there is a sort of punctuated equilibrium in the conflict. We need more sub factions like the Defilers. The Warsong Outriders. Is the WHOLE Horde mobilized at all times against the WHOLE Alliance? No. That’s not even interesting. But if there’s not groups within the factions, killing groups within the other faction, then the only thing the faction leaders have to talk about is Anduin’s feelings.
Some Worgen trying to take out the head of the Royal Apothecaries and Calia getting in the way and getting killed, would both get rid of Calia and help stir up a conflict on that border that only Calia could have stopped. That would go a long way to making the factions more interesting. It gives Anduin and Thrall something more difficult to discuss. They could add a BG like… Fenris Isle or something so that it’s not just battle of Gilneas. The death toll could pile up and the likelihood of calming down either side could be slim. And honestly, I feel like most Worgen and Forsaken players are perfectly happy with the zombies vs werewolves fantasy.
Reputation grinds for pvp factions is one of the most glaring absences in the modern game.
3 Likes
Sure they don’t have to be at all out war all the time, I’m not arguing for constant faction conflict
But again the idea that there’s nothing to tell about factions if they’re not at war with each other, when as I said Warcraft factions are these big supranational entities that have their own internal life, is really weird. Tell stories about internal faction politics, racial narratives, trade and diplomacy both inside the faction and with the Horde nations’ regional neighbors, etc
What did the Revantusk do with Jintha’alor after we helped them claim it for the Horde in Cata, did they properly settle it and make it their new base of operations ? How are the Stonemaul Ogres doing in Dustwallow Marsh, have they chosen a new leader ? Have the Bilgewater started to resettle Kezan, as was hinted at in BfA with the Motherlode ? Could we finally meet Jevan and his Horde-aligned Grimtotem, who were only ever described in books ? Will Vol’jin return as the leader of the Darkspear ? How are the Taunka doing, have they formed strong ties with the Mulgore and Highmountain Tauren ? What is An’she exactly ? What’s left of Kael’s legacy among the Blood Elves, what’s their relationship with the Light, with the Fel ? What about our holdings in Pandaria ? What of our holdings in Outland ? Did the Bleeding Hollow move to Azeroth ? What about the Hozen, what about the Unshackled, what about our pirate allies in Kul Tiras ? Have the Zandalari and Vulpera been doing Horde diplomacy with the Sethrak and Tortollan ? Do the Vulpera live in Orgrimmar, have they visited Tanaris ? Have the Mag’har built themselves permanent settlements on Azeroth, in Un’goro maybe ? Is there not a problem with the fact that they’re basically practicing slavery (with their subdued Ogres/Ogron/Gronn/Goren) UNDER THRALL’S NOSE ? I And I could go on for hours LOL
See ? That’s easy. None of it requires faction war. And that’s just for the Horde. We know SO LITTLE of the internal life of the factions. Basically nothing. And I’m DYING for that kind of stuff.
3 Likes
Nations exist for defense. Defense exists because of conflict. Nations trade and form alliances for power. Without conflict with other factions the very existence of the state (which is simply an entity in which we vest the power to use force) is not only redundant, but dangerous.
The Alliance is a global superpower. The horde is the crumbling Soviet Union. If the Alliance isn’t secretly propping up sympathetic leaders in former horde countries, and supporting freedom fighters in horde controlled territories in Draenor, then they deserve it when the horde burns their next tree.