So far its pretty much what I expected in tone, but the combat system is actually more interesting than I thought it’d be in one particular way. Combat is turn-based (card based, really) but it takes place in the world. For some reason I assumed I’d be whisked off to a private battlefield when it got time to fight, but no. And other people can jump into your battle if they happen to be running past. That’s pretty neat. No need to form a party or anything…just stand on a caster’s circle and start fighting. In the same way, additional mobs can jump in.

Anyway, I’ve barely scratched the surface. But checking it out is easy enough…no need to pay for anything until you’ve learned about the basics of the game, and the client is quite lightweight, so no need for an hour of downloading, either. So if you’re curious, check it out.

I’m actually most confused about how to pay for it, if I choose to stick with it. I can pay $10/month, or I can buy crowns and pay for access in crowns, but how many crowns that’s going to cost me is pretty unclear. But I think I’ll just play for free for a bit longer before I fret too much about that.

Yes, fascinating stuff. But what of the future? This is an odd week for me. I finished Fable 2 and didn’t/don’t want to wade into some lengthy single-player game because next week the LOTRO and EQ2 expansions hit, plus the “New XBox Experience” arrives (which, granted, will probably only be interesting for an evening). I could be playing Warhammer but fear getting sucked back into it, only to have my account turn off early next week.

So I feel like I’m in a quasi-holding pattern. I might stalk follow Ysharros into Wizardry 101 over the weekend, just because it sounds fun and easy. Quick to download, easy to learn… just some nice concentrated fun. Or at least that’s the vibe I’m getting.

Or I could fire up the EQ2 account and get re-acquainted, but I dunno… does it make sense to get re-acquainted only to install an expansion and have to relearn stuff? Might be just as easy to wait.

Curiously, I’ve paid very little attention to the big MMO expansions. I know WOW has Lich King and a Death Knight class and that’s about all I know. Moria has legendary weapons and 2 new classes, which I know very little about (but I’ll roll a Warden because I always roll any class called Ranger or Warden). The EQ2 expansion I know ZERO about, except that Angela is super-psyched for it. I guess it adds… new stuff. I don’t even remember the full name of it!! LOL.

This makes me an un-informed consumer but a happy gamer. I love discovering stuff on my own, and THEN researching it to learn the nuances. Werit wrote a post called Too Much Information that captures my feelings well enough that it seems pointless for me to repeat them here.

Apparently there’s a big free content update either going into Age of Conan, or already launched. Interesting. I’d like to jump back into AoC at some point. But then Ardwulf has me wanting to take another look at Vanguard, too. Plus Chronicles of Spellborn launches sometime soon, and I wanted to look at that as well. And I’m definitely not ‘done’ with Warhammer Online!

Is it any wonder that MMOs have churn problems these days? So many interesting choices and it’s hard to justify two concurrent subscriptions for most people. Add to that the lure of so many fantastic single-player games out now. It all just feels like too much. Are there enough gaming dollars to support all this content??

Anyway, let’s get to the WRUP part: What are YOU playing this weekend?