What's your opinion on joke characters having importance in a lore event?

[Gnarles Malarkey]

Aye, the jokes and references throughout Redridge are actually a nod to the various Rambo sequels. First Blood is a legitametly powerful action/drama about a soldier responding to PTSD. If any of that were to have made it into the zone, we'd have an entire quest chain of Keeshan crying.

[Killadrix]

I think it's funny.

And I think that everyone who disagrees is wrong.

And lame.

[dope_danny]

Imagine Uldum if harrison jones never existed...

[foxHeart]

If they get an important role in a lore event, then they're no longer joke characters. Their joke character identity has been revoked. It's an ex-identity. It's pinning for the Howling Fjords.

Blizzard can regard them as "legit" lore personalities all they want - maybe they really are that disconnected from reality - but the majority of people probably still consider Gamon a huge joke. And really the worst part of it all is that Gamon gets thrown into his first significant lore role as someone who is giving the killing blow to a very important lore character that a lot of people are really attached to.

If it was Siege of Stormwind and Varian was batshit crazy and Topper McNabb came out of literally nowhere to land a kill on an important lore character like Anduin or Jaina, it'd be the same thing. He'd still be a joke character and the community would wtf just the same.

This is just another case of Blizzard being really out of touch with how "good" they are at storytelling. They have once again severely overestimated their ability to create believable character growth and transitions between stories. They don't know what a struggle is, all they know how to do is go from 0 to 60 in 2.4 seconds. From 'hay guiz i'm frozen in an ice block halp!!!1' to 'GOIN SUPER SAIYAN BISH, TIME TA SMITE YA WIF MY GLOWIE MASTUR SWORD!'.

[Skorpionss]

I actually enjoyed the Redridge storyline, i've seen it shit on a few times though, why is it considered so bad?

I actually found it enjoyable the redemption part and a sad ending.

because rambo ...

[Thimagryn]

Blizzard can regard them as "legit" lore personalities all they want - maybe they really are that disconnected from reality - but the majority of people probably still consider Gamon a huge joke. And really the worst part of it all is that Gamon gets thrown into his first significant lore role as someone who is giving the killing blow to a very important lore character that a lot of people are really attached to.

If it was Siege of Stormwind and Varian was batshit crazy and Topper McNabb came out of literally nowhere to land a kill on an important lore character like Anduin or Jaina, it'd be the same thing. He'd still be a joke character and the community would wtf just the same

Topper McNabb has nothing on Gamon. Gamon is a household Warcraft name, like Mankrik's Wife and Hogger. Everyone knows Gamon, I don't even know who this Topper guy is until you mentioned him.

[Slowpoke is a Gamer]

gamon is no joke. gamon is a lore reflex of player behavior.

like when kingslayer orkus talks about the wars in hillsbrad, this is a case where blizzard acknowledged player behavior and made it lore. people kept killing gamon in the inn, so blizzard made him uber strong because he had been beaten so much that he had to learn how to fight, eventually. that makes him an experienced brawler, and more than capable of being a raid NPC.

So long as he stays in the raid it'll be fine. If I'm under the command of High Overlord Gamon next expansion, we'll have a problem.

[Skorpionss]

Blizzard can regard them as "legit" lore personalities all they want - maybe they really are that disconnected from reality - but the majority of people probably still consider Gamon a huge joke. And really the worst part of it all is that Gamon gets thrown into his first significant lore role as someone who is giving the killing blow to a very important lore character that a lot of people are really attached to.

If it was Siege of Stormwind and Varian was batshit crazy and Topper McNabb came out of literally nowhere to land a kill on an important lore character like Anduin or Jaina, it'd be the same thing. He'd still be a joke character and the community would wtf just the same.

This is just another case of Blizzard being really out of touch with how "good" they are at storytelling. They have once again severely overestimated their ability to create believable character growth and transitions between stories. They don't know what a struggle is, all they know how to do is go from 0 to 60 in 2.4 seconds. From 'hay guiz i'm frozen in an ice block halp!!!1' to 'GOIN SUPER SAIYAN BISH, TIME TA SMITE YA WIF MY GLOWIE MASTUR SWORD!'.

Pray tell, what exactly makes Gamon a joke character ?

[Kaleredar]

Imagine Uldum if harrison jones never existed...

They would have stuck the Twilight's Cult in, and it would have been as shitty as the Twilights cult parts of Deepholm, the Twilights Cult part of Hyjal, or the Twilights Cult part of... Twilight Highlands.

At least Harrison Jones troupe had some personality, and the quests were fun. PLUS, the entire other half of Uldum legitly revolved around the Tol'vir.



As for the whole "Gamon" thing... I don't so much have a problem with him playing a roll in SoO as I do that he kills a pretty important, and otherwise decent, character. It would have made much more sense for Saurfang to come in and aid the players... I feel Gamon was intentionally footed in as a "lol Gamon" moment. He could have been a fun easter egg, or something, but having THE kill on Nazgrim... that's a little much. If they had built up Gamon as this character all throughout MoP that aids the player in various quests, sees the bad things Garrosh is doing, and ultimately begins to side against him, THEN it would have been a "legitimate" use of his character. (So in essence, if Gamon was Dezco.)

Hell, even if Gamon was the way he is now, but killed someone decidedly more "random" like the Iron Juggernaut, I would have been content. Nazgrim, though, is an established character that players have heavily interacted with... a character that deserves a lot more than dying to the likes of Gamon.

[orioxez]

gamon is no joke. gamon is a lore reflex of player behavior.

like when kingslayer orkus talks about the wars in hillsbrad, this is a case where blizzard acknowledged player behavior and made it lore. people kept killing gamon in the inn, so blizzard made him uber strong because he had been beaten so much that he had to learn how to fight, eventually. that makes him an experienced brawler, and more than capable of being a raid NPC.

I like the fact that player behavior is written into the lore, even in a small way.

[Deleted]

All LFR noobs are involved in lore as well, so I don't mind...

It's not like it's different in reallife.

[Xiphan]

I don't have any issue with joke characters being used in a serious way, or even in a silly way, but I'm not okay with a joke character turning a potentially serious moment into a joke.

Gamon's handled fine I think. I support his inclusion as just a genuine and concerned member of the horde, but I'd oppose his inclusion running in to support Nazgrim, but slipping on a banana skin and accidentally throwing his axe into Nazgrim's face just as he's about to defeat us or something.

[Slowpoke is a Gamer]

Imagine Uldum if harrison jones never existed...

It'd just be the Tol'vir questline. Which I actually didn't like that much.

[Redmage]

Yeah every expansion this game becomes more and more of a giant pop culture joke.

- - - Updated - - -

I think its hilarious Gamon got better development than Tyrande.

oooh...burn.

[Sefio]

I hated the stupid indiana jones reference in Uldum. Tainted an amazing zone in my opinion.

[Aeluron Lightsong]

Yeah every expansion this game becomes more and more of a giant pop culture joke.

It's quite overblown.

[even]

As a Tauren player I really like the way Gamon turns out.

And tbh I don't get the "joke" all about him. The only players who killed him constantly where those players who were never able to kill anything besides a lvl 16 (irc) NPC.

[Terridon]

I felt my world fall apart when they said that gamon suddenly had an important role in Wow. I find it completely unacceptable and i can't find a way to mend my broken heart over this outrage

[foxHeart]

Pray tell, what exactly makes Gamon a joke character ?

iirc, he started off as a very insignificant character who was used for a rogue pickpocket quest. Since you can't pickpocket friendly npc's, he was tagged as neutral, so priests could mind control him and all kinds of shenanigans could ensue. Any way you really screwed with him would end up with him being dead. So he essentially was just a toy for players. And as such, he became a joke. He eventually got buffed, but people still see him as a joke. He's never had any serious involvement with lore, he's nothing but a water-cooler conversation piece. "hey remember that time we kited/mc'd/got killed by gamon?" Blizzard knows this, but they're morons, so they throw him into SoO and even have Nazgrim mention his "training" in one of his death speeches like people will take it seriously.

[orioxez]

Yeah every expansion this game becomes more and more of a giant pop culture joke.

That's because Metzen can't write every quest himself. He focuses on the big picture lore, and the small picture lore is probably written by some low level writers and quest devs. Probably north of 10k quests total in the game. It's impossible for them to make every quest super serious and 100% cannon. Harrison Jones blah blah blah, It wasn't that bad.