300 !!!

Firstly, this thread has absolutely nothing to do with a few Spartans who held off untold thousands (if not millions) of Persians at Thermopolyae...

Secondly, this thread has absolutely nothing to do with a Brad Pit and Morgan Freeman movie, sequal (299 times later)...

Thirdly, this thread little to do with Agio, and his self publicised mediocrity...

Fourthly... that's enough of what this thread is NOT about.

This thread is about.... ME!

You see, according to the counter at the bottom of the screen, this is my 300th post on this site, and as such, I thought I would commemorate (or commiserate) this milestone with my friends from the Lodge.

My very first post was a scream for help. I think I had been playing WoW for around six months as an Elemental Shaman, and at level 74 I had given up on him. I had levelled a hunter to around 20 or so I think by the time of my first post, and was desperate for guidance.

And boy! did I get it? In bucketloads. As levels and the months flew by, my hunter aquired a level of skill and expertise to give Agio a run for his money. I reached the exalted level of 85 while hunting for camels in the desert of Uldum, and was totally underwhelmed by the experience.

Then started the almost endless tedium of Cataclysm dungeons, followed by Heroic Cataclysm dungeons (and more tedium) and one day, sick and tired of the "huntard" comments, my hunter went into Hiatus.

Several toons later (Mage, Death Knight, Rogue, Warlock, Rogue, Warlock, Rogue, Warlock...[they never seemed to get beyond level 20!]) it was time to dust off the hunter and bring him back into the fold.

And suddenly, I found a new enthusiasm for the class, and reacquainted myself with the Lodgers, who welcomed me back like the prodigal son (well, it seemed like that, to me, anyway...). Strangely enough, considerable time playing with other classes gave me new insights on WoW generally if not hunter specifically. I came back to huntering, edumicated, so to speak.

Instances I was having trouble with I now knew. Mechanics I didn't understand, I could now give advice on. And death loomed all around me. (Virtual death, of course.)

Then one day in Za there one too many bursts of nerd rage and I left the party, and have not ventured back into a PUG with a capped character since. I found my new love... Battlegrounds.

Battlegrounds can still have their resident ranters, but it's easier to place them on ignore and just go about my business... Now I wish to take the leap into rated bgs, so watch out!

And through all this, the Lodge has been a steadfast friend, confidant, mentor and generally acceptor of my heretical views on playstyle. I mean, Castsequence Macros? Really? Yes, my friends, I still use them. My long winded (and fully documented) journey of discovery through the lands of herecy was well worth it. I never ended up with a gamebreaking castsequence macro, but I learned a lot about the game, its mechanics, and put to the test some theories of my own; documented and somewhat discussed, but never ranted at or trolled.

I love the Lodge.

I love the Lodgers. Yes, Agio, even you. (As the Kiwis say, "No Homo...")

Most mornings when I first log onto my 'puter the first thing I do is check the Lodge. I look for the latest in Garwulf's inspiring guides, Agio's witty self deprecation, Lawman's recitations on mechanics, Anj's help for beast tamers, Niika's dry humor and lovely comments, Abby's infectious enthusiasm, Drach's wisdom on anything and Tak's taking notice of the little things that keep the game alive for all of us. Every now and then we get to welcome a new member into our family, Substance20, Gryzor and love him or not, the pragmatic advice from Bandet is hard to look past. Lately there seem to be more and more "first posters" and I love that about this place. They see we are not "elitist jerks" and ask their questions here, and what do we do? We welcome them to the campfire, and spin them a yarn...

Yeah, this is my 300th post, so far.

I love the Lodge.

D