Since the merge...I've absented myself. I got frustrated for numerous reasons that I won't bore anyone with and decided it was time to take my very tattered FanGranny Card and take a break. I've been a dedicated BW fan since, well, the was a BW. No one could tell a story and draw me in like they could. It has been many, many years of enjoyment and I got royally spoilt. But lately? Well, suffice it to say that the choices made and directions taken have made me sad. I'm not going to flounce or whinge, just quietly fade away. Having read about the latest debacles (both small and large) I find myself with no desire to log in. None. It's as if they have some kind of subconscious death wish that keeps raising its head and causing them to make really, really poor choices. Or maybe that's just me making excuses, matters not. End result = same. I'm keeping my stuff in the hope that something will wake them the hell up and I can, once again, be a FanGranny. I miss what it was, so much and hope that it can, again, be.

Welp, we'll just have to agree to disagree here. Container, mystery contents, money exchanged. I absolutely do not agree that crates are "gambling". Gambling is spending money on the HOPE of receiving either something of equivalent value or higher value. Keyword: hope. More often than not, the money is gone and nothing is received. Crates/Eggs, etc. you know you will get something for your money. Might not be the über special item you hope to get but you'll get something. And in this game that "eh, wasn't what I was looking for actually" can turn into a good deal of "money" on the GTN. Eh, I'm getting tired of circuitous arguments on this. My mind isn't likely to be changed here and I doubt yours is either. Go well!

I *detest* the candy. It's greasy, gloppy and yuuuuuck. Happily my spouse adores it (I guess he was brought up eating lots of it. I'm more the 90% dark sort. And no, it's not "laughable". Same diff. Mystery container, something in it. Sometimes it's a genuine collectible (which go for amazing sums on that market) and sometimes it's something utterly mundane and, well, useless. Just like crate contents.

Again, I. UNDERSTAND. I just don't think this is nearly as horrendous as some people feel it is. Couple of examples that are long term and have not wrought heinous results: Card collections, Kinder eggs (no, they were NOT banned due to "gambling" but due to small parts in some areas). The definition of "gambling" is where I object. Gambling, to me, is laying money on the HOPE of getting something and the reality being that chances are going to be very high that the "house" wins and you get nada. Zip. Zilch. Crates, card collections, eggs, etc. WILL yield something for the money spent. Whether it's what you wanted or not is not ground for declaring it "gambling". IMO. I don't mind crates, in fact it's kind of fun to see what I end up with. Same thing with Kinder Eggs and yes, as a retiree, I still buy them occasionally when they are on a theme that I like.

That RealID thing was completely and utterly...no way for me. I've lived long enough to know that there are some people out there on the 'Net (and in RL) with issues and I reallllly have no interest in them knowing much about me. Plus I hate being *****ed at.

Heh, it was over, of all things, the age old solo vs. group issue. I think a wise dev house provides both types of content. He thought soloers needed to be drawn and quartered for "ruining the genre". Pretty sure he was just a kid who lost his temper and did/said foolish things...

Also same, for both reasons. Had some prat decide he didn't like my postings (another MMO, not here) and tried to make my life a living hell in game. Never again.

x2 (plus some random characters)

I could have written this (substitute EQ for WoW). It had become a job, literally. I realised that whilst I was efficient at it, it was sucking all the spontaneity and fun from gaming. I handed the guild over to a good friend after he was elected by the rest, bid them all a fond farewell and have never been back. Gaming is fun again.

Gah. Give over. I do. I'm not sure why you're going on about this. I just don't happen to agree with the outrage. It never ceases to amaze me how people confuse "lack of understanding" with "disagreeing". Believe as you like though.

**Applause** I'd upvote if there was a way.

I weigh the desire for whatever is being dangled in front of me as incentive vs. my inclination to not PvP. So far, nothing has been worth it, for me. In fact, I find it kind of amusing; like a parent trying to bribe a kid.

I did above.

I've read the concerns, yup. Understand it? Yup. Agree? Eh...not really.

Magic the Gathering is more similar to loot boxes than you are giving it credit for. (Aside from physical vs. virtual that I hadn't thought about.) Yes, one pack will get you a rare, but rares aren't of equal desirability. Rares that are sought after for competitive game play are much more valuable than trash rares that only collectors want. And then there are mythic rares which have a much smaller chance of being in the pack. And then on top of that there are foils. One MTG site lists the odds of a foil mythic rare to be 1 in 3,456. So a trash normal rare might only be worth a dollar or two, but a competitive foil rare can be worth hundreds. I was just about to ask a friend who is into these about this. You saved me the effort, thanks!