First things first: I'm a complete beginner at massively multiplayer online games. I dabbled briefly with EverQuest but was put off by the learning curve and the pain of using a 56k modem. A few years later I tried Eve Online which sounded like a perfect way for me to relive the time I mispent as a tender youth playing Elite in an online setting. Trouble is I found that space is not just big. Its dull. Really dull. I never found much to look at. Or much to do other than mine ore. Which really is, and I'm not just looking to use a cliche here, duller than watching paint dry. Plenty of people rave abaout Eve so I'm sure there's something there if you keep at it but I need my kicks a little more immediate than what it seemed to offer.

Then along came World of Warcraft: set in a familiar universe, from the screenshots seemingly beautiful to look at, and from early reports a lot of fun to play. I managed to miss the first batch of CDs and had to wait for the second batch. I picked up my copy, hurried home with it, installed it in a hurry, and... well thats kinda where the diary begins.

Why a diary? Two reasons really. The first is self indulgence - I really wanted to write something about WoW. Something that wasn't a review. Something that wasn't a game guide. Something that wasn't a fansite. But something that might be useful to other beginners in the World of Warcraft. The second reason is that the game is beautiful. Really really beautiful. And I wanted an excuse to post screenshots on this site. So self indulgence again really.

Whether or not I've achieved anything beyond self indulgence, well, you'll have to make your minds up about that. See you online :)

Day 1 - Meet Rassim

My Warcraft diarying came to an abrubt end as I discovered that the game was one of the most addictive substances known to man. I found myself totally wrapped up in it until totally spent.