09-09-2014, 12:40 PM
[video=youtube]www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebMrRxK5S3U[/video]
The other day I kicked off a discussion in Skype chat over the prospect of Gallywix. The general consensus is that he sucks, and should most likely be killed off. However, I recognize that Skype chat isn't really representative of COTH as a whole, so I wanna open it up for forum discussion.
Disclaimer: I have not personally played through the Cata goblin starting quest. Therefore, I do not know the specific details of the quest, nor do I have an idea of who should be a suitable replacement for Gallywix, should we decide to kill him off.
I have, however, read summaries of the quest line, and have seen Lets Plays of key events in it. Anyway, without further ado....
I do not like Gallywix. I do not like Gallywix at all. He seems nothing more than a cheap, zaney, cartoonishly-corrupt moustache-twirling villain that turned Goblin culture into a one note joke. The entire scenario in which he creates is nothing more than a "LOL LOOK HOW WHACKY AND CORRUPT GOBLINS CAN BE!" I mean, I understand how Capitalism has a tendency to take advantage of crisis' (Naomi Klein's The Shock Doctrine is an excellent analysis of this), but forcing everyone and everything into grueling slavery? That's a cheap joke.
In the realm of business, trust is everything. Trust and reputation are the two most important elements to any successful businessman. The difference between building wealth and getting rich is defined by an entity's trust and relationships. In the Skype Chat, we were talking about how Goblins--being hyper-capitalist themselves--probably have a strong grasp on this. And how, because of this, they honor contracts.
If you screw people over and betray your contracts, you might get a quick buck, sure. But your reputation amongst your peers and future business partners deteriorates. If you gain a reputation as being a dishonest, back-stabbing, totally corrupt businessman who does not honor his word, no one in their right mind will want to do business with you. Your wealth will deteriorate, and your business will crumble.
It doesn't have anything to do with "right" or "wrong," but rather just common business sense. That isn't to say that the upper echelons of Goblin Society is "good" because of this, just that they're smart when it comes to this ideal. It's in a goblin's better interest to behave in this way. This is how Goblins were mostly portrayed in the pre-Cata lore.
Corrupt and decadent? Sure. Greedy? You bet'cha! Always valuing money over everything else? Damn skippy! But, despite those traits, Goblins were always supplemented with the desire to build wealth and capital over everything else--meaning they, for the most part, would play nice with both the other races and themselves, in order to gain enough reputation and trust to make more money.
At least, they used to--until the whole Gallywix chain came up.
Gallywix spits in the face of all that. He's a cartoonishly lame villain. I understand that Warcraft, by it's very nature, isn't a really "serious" narrative. I understand that silly and ridiculous things are par the course for the Warcraft universe. Yet, when we're talking about Narrative Coherency, poorly developed characters, and character breaks, the whole Gallywix being welcomed into the Horde sums up a lot of those things.
I cannot, for the life of me, understand why Thrall would accept Gallywix into the Horde. I could understand if it was Garrosh--or someone representing Garrosh's interests--accepting someone as corrupt and dishonorable as Gallywix into the fold.
But Thrall? Thrall?! The same Thrall who grew up in the interment camps and witnessed the horrors of enslavement and confinement first hand? The same Thrall who helped lead the orcs back onto the path of honor and dignity? I can't wrap my head around it, no matter how hard I try.
Maybe there's a quest detail I'm missing, because I haven't played the Cata quest for myself, but it does not make logical sense. Gallywix's actions violate the coherency of Goblin narrative and culture, turning it into a one-dimensional cheap joke that doesn't make any logical sense. I mean, do you seriously expect me to believe that anyone--particularly members of The Horde--would trust Gallywix to do anything after the stunt he pulled?
"Oh hey, there's that guy who exploited an emergency situation to sell his entire race into grueling slavery! Haha, those goblins sure are a whacky bunch! Let's give him a position of power within our faction, and give him access to our internal workings. I mean, what could possibly go wrong?""
But it also violates Thrall's character. In ways I don't think I need to elaborate on. I mean, c'mon, it's Thrall. I can't expect him condoning any of the shit Gallywix pulled.
Now then--onto the questions for discussion.
Should we kill off Gallywix? My vote is yes. And it should be a cool event. One where we walk around in slow motion, while a Battle Without Honor or Humanity plays in the background. We can wear suits, don sunglasses, and smoke cigarettes for extra cool points.
If we do kill off Gallywix, who should take over as the head of the Bilgewater Cartel? This....I have no idea on. I think the Bilgewater Cartel should remain with the Horde, but I have zero clue as to exactly who should take the helm. Perhaps the resulting power struggle could be turned into an RP event as well? That'd be pretty neat. Goblins don't exactly do "elections" for Trade Princes--they're determined by who has LOADS'A'MONEY!!!!!!--but an internal power struggle within the Cartel could be very interesting for the RP world. I could see it being very entertaining.
Anyway, what say you all?!
The other day I kicked off a discussion in Skype chat over the prospect of Gallywix. The general consensus is that he sucks, and should most likely be killed off. However, I recognize that Skype chat isn't really representative of COTH as a whole, so I wanna open it up for forum discussion.
Disclaimer: I have not personally played through the Cata goblin starting quest. Therefore, I do not know the specific details of the quest, nor do I have an idea of who should be a suitable replacement for Gallywix, should we decide to kill him off.
I have, however, read summaries of the quest line, and have seen Lets Plays of key events in it. Anyway, without further ado....
I do not like Gallywix. I do not like Gallywix at all. He seems nothing more than a cheap, zaney, cartoonishly-corrupt moustache-twirling villain that turned Goblin culture into a one note joke. The entire scenario in which he creates is nothing more than a "LOL LOOK HOW WHACKY AND CORRUPT GOBLINS CAN BE!" I mean, I understand how Capitalism has a tendency to take advantage of crisis' (Naomi Klein's The Shock Doctrine is an excellent analysis of this), but forcing everyone and everything into grueling slavery? That's a cheap joke.
In the realm of business, trust is everything. Trust and reputation are the two most important elements to any successful businessman. The difference between building wealth and getting rich is defined by an entity's trust and relationships. In the Skype Chat, we were talking about how Goblins--being hyper-capitalist themselves--probably have a strong grasp on this. And how, because of this, they honor contracts.
If you screw people over and betray your contracts, you might get a quick buck, sure. But your reputation amongst your peers and future business partners deteriorates. If you gain a reputation as being a dishonest, back-stabbing, totally corrupt businessman who does not honor his word, no one in their right mind will want to do business with you. Your wealth will deteriorate, and your business will crumble.
It doesn't have anything to do with "right" or "wrong," but rather just common business sense. That isn't to say that the upper echelons of Goblin Society is "good" because of this, just that they're smart when it comes to this ideal. It's in a goblin's better interest to behave in this way. This is how Goblins were mostly portrayed in the pre-Cata lore.
Corrupt and decadent? Sure. Greedy? You bet'cha! Always valuing money over everything else? Damn skippy! But, despite those traits, Goblins were always supplemented with the desire to build wealth and capital over everything else--meaning they, for the most part, would play nice with both the other races and themselves, in order to gain enough reputation and trust to make more money.
At least, they used to--until the whole Gallywix chain came up.
Gallywix spits in the face of all that. He's a cartoonishly lame villain. I understand that Warcraft, by it's very nature, isn't a really "serious" narrative. I understand that silly and ridiculous things are par the course for the Warcraft universe. Yet, when we're talking about Narrative Coherency, poorly developed characters, and character breaks, the whole Gallywix being welcomed into the Horde sums up a lot of those things.
I cannot, for the life of me, understand why Thrall would accept Gallywix into the Horde. I could understand if it was Garrosh--or someone representing Garrosh's interests--accepting someone as corrupt and dishonorable as Gallywix into the fold.
But Thrall? Thrall?! The same Thrall who grew up in the interment camps and witnessed the horrors of enslavement and confinement first hand? The same Thrall who helped lead the orcs back onto the path of honor and dignity? I can't wrap my head around it, no matter how hard I try.
Maybe there's a quest detail I'm missing, because I haven't played the Cata quest for myself, but it does not make logical sense. Gallywix's actions violate the coherency of Goblin narrative and culture, turning it into a one-dimensional cheap joke that doesn't make any logical sense. I mean, do you seriously expect me to believe that anyone--particularly members of The Horde--would trust Gallywix to do anything after the stunt he pulled?
"Oh hey, there's that guy who exploited an emergency situation to sell his entire race into grueling slavery! Haha, those goblins sure are a whacky bunch! Let's give him a position of power within our faction, and give him access to our internal workings. I mean, what could possibly go wrong?""
But it also violates Thrall's character. In ways I don't think I need to elaborate on. I mean, c'mon, it's Thrall. I can't expect him condoning any of the shit Gallywix pulled.
Now then--onto the questions for discussion.
Should we kill off Gallywix? My vote is yes. And it should be a cool event. One where we walk around in slow motion, while a Battle Without Honor or Humanity plays in the background. We can wear suits, don sunglasses, and smoke cigarettes for extra cool points.
If we do kill off Gallywix, who should take over as the head of the Bilgewater Cartel? This....I have no idea on. I think the Bilgewater Cartel should remain with the Horde, but I have zero clue as to exactly who should take the helm. Perhaps the resulting power struggle could be turned into an RP event as well? That'd be pretty neat. Goblins don't exactly do "elections" for Trade Princes--they're determined by who has LOADS'A'MONEY!!!!!!--but an internal power struggle within the Cartel could be very interesting for the RP world. I could see it being very entertaining.
Anyway, what say you all?!
Spoiler: