Breakfast Topic: Brewing up better faires and festivals
by Deb Montague 
Jul 25th 2010 at 8:00AM
I've just spent a day being Scottish. My father's family hails from Scotland, and the summer months will find me out and about at a variety of highland games in the Midwest. Sometimes I'm a spectator, and sometimes I run a tent for my clan. There's a general understanding that the highland games were created to prepare men for doing battle with the English. Each part of what has become the athletic portion of the games can be traced back a need for hurling hurl rocks, logs or flaming bales of vegetation at advancing troops or fortified positions. At the games I just attended, a group gave demonstrations on medieval swordplay.
In World of Warcraft, the Argent Tournament springs immediately to mind. We were informed this was a training ground to prepare us for an assault on the LIch King and his forces. The Darkmoon Faire and Brewfest are examples of festivals with games of chance, food and vendors, and tickets you have to procure by participating in events or getting lots of items requested by vendors.
We've heard rumors (or perhaps it was a column of wishful thinking on WoW.com's part) about an upgrade to the Darkmoon Faire. I'd go more often if I could make an attempt to toss a caber, the stone or the sheaf. These are strength and agility events; having purchasable trinkets for both attributes would give everyone a chance to succeed. Rewards could be class-specific buff items of a certain duration. If you can get the caber to twelve o'clock (the prime position for this event; check out the North American Scottish Games Association for the rules), you get a scroll that will give a hunter an additional 50 agility for 10 minutes. It might be something of minor interest to a level 80 -- but you can be sure I'd be at the faire, just to try to toss a caber.
I'd also like the ability to set up a guild tent. Charge me 5k gold, but give me the ability to have a tent at the faire where we could recruit, give away items or allow our crafters to provide their services. This is not a roleplaying event. This is another way for those unguilded people who don't read the realm or WoW recruiting forums or pay no attention to the recruitment spam in trade or general chat to talk with guilds and maybe find one they like.
There have to be other festivals celebrating specific cultures that have events which could be incorporated into the Darkmoon Faire. Right now, the faire isn't something most people attend, beyond a "what is that?" the first time they see it. By incorporating more ideas from current world festivals, the faire could be something incredibly exciting. What are your suggestions?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Delloga Jul 25th 2010 8:07AM
They should put more quests in the darkmoon faire. All the quests you can do now are quest of collect 40x item A or collect 25x item B. Some quests for winning minigames or events would be nice.
Leorad Jul 25th 2010 8:11AM
Yes to Guild Tents during events. A million times yes.
Ricohardt Jul 25th 2010 8:19AM
Hell yes, a recruitment tent would be sweet.
Jamie Jul 25th 2010 9:03AM
So long as we can have recruitment pamphlets and possible a free guild t-shirt or hat or pen or maybe all three or a mixture of all three or if not then no dice, my friend.
I can already see "I went to this stupid faire and all I got was this t-shirt which is too small to put this message on, thanks Blizzard" t-shirt.
Moeru Jul 25th 2010 9:34AM
My only problem with this is people will start asking to put these anywhere, which will create the Asian MMO effect of stalls all around cities to advertise cheap guild perks like 5 guild tabs and a tabard
Bogoradwee Jul 25th 2010 11:19AM
@moeru
They can't show up anywhere if they're not allowed! If time and location parameters are set up, then there'd be no problem!
Glaras Jul 25th 2010 7:36PM
Can we have booth babes? I'm just askin'... Really.
Rettyboy Jul 25th 2010 8:13AM
I think this a great idea! If this was the case I would definitely attend :P but we can only wish for this :/
Lillebowski Jul 25th 2010 8:23AM
'Tis but thy name that is my enemy, thou art thyself though not a Montague.'
Hehe, great article, I love the idea of the Darkmoon Faire but it's pretty prroly done in game.
TheJae Jul 25th 2010 8:35AM
Is that his feet or a claw in the picture
VioletArrows Jul 25th 2010 10:58AM
Forsaken tend to have problems with flesh around joints and extremities. Those are his toes.
Turlagh Jul 25th 2010 8:37AM
When I first started playing Darkmoon Faire was almost magical. Now it's just sad. It definitely needs an update.
Gryph Jul 25th 2010 8:48AM
"I'd also like the ability to set up a guild tent. Charge me 5k gold, but give me the ability to have a tent at the faire where we could recruit, give away items or allow our crafters to provide their services."
This.
If we can get a chance to show what our guild can offer at an in-game event it would be easier to recruit more people. When advertising in tradethat saying you've come a certain way in raiding (like 10/12 ICC 10HC) that doesn't say what kind of people there are in the guild.
By showing up at an in-game event like the Darkmoon Faire you can show all you have to offer and also meet people and have some friendly chat to let them know you more.
Excellent example of how to spice up an event like the Darkmoon Faire and Brewfest (during which you can have some drunken fun too, like drunk PvP-tournament :P)
george Jul 25th 2010 9:21AM
would also be pretty cool if they implemented some good items that can only be crafted during these times, in the designated faire area, can't be AH'd and if held for more than 2 hours becomes soulbound, would make an awesome swapmeet style feel to this part of the game.
Ysonia Jul 25th 2010 10:24AM
@ George:
What great ideas! That's starting to get really creative, and while I don't know if they'd be able to implement something like that anytime in the *near* future, I definitely hope you have suggested this somewhere on the official forums or wherever such a suggestion might get some notice. I think it would be so beneficial and fun, especially since the Darkmoon Faire happens every single month. You'd think it would have gotten a bit more attention by now, considering all the cool things they do to make the once yearly holidays and festivals more interesting and dynamic.
Vogie Jul 25th 2010 2:58PM
I hope they incorporate some more of the community work into the game... I'd love for guilds to have the ability to create & distribute items, not unlike the Gryphonheart addons.
Guilds could have applications that a person can fill out in-game, or create their own emblems to distribute instead of using a 3rd party DKP interface, or informational brochures to prospective joiners. Interguild rewards could be given through a buff system. Your Invitation to the raid could be an in-game item that, when used on the specific date and time, would teleport that member to the raid zone.
Rival guilds on the same faction could go through a process of going to war with one another, allowing for a secondary dimension of conflict. Other guilds with similar interests but different groups could go through a process of becoming allied, allowing shared perks, shared items or whatnot.
But not only that, but the ability to buy in-game 3D nonconsumables like Tents, Freestanding Vendor signs (giving a player an actual vendor interface... 'cause you've always wanted to be a cheese vendor), Benches/chairs/furniture, profession items like anvils/forges/potion racks/scroll racks, would be fantastic. Especially in conjunction with, or even if used solely during, the Darkmoon Faire.
Rubitard Jul 25th 2010 3:03PM
I have to say I'm not a fan of this idea. It's too... Second Life-y. Plus, I think this sort of thing would only work out if the majority of players had any sense of discernment. The mouth-breathing trade chat troll crowd that constitutes the bulk of the WoW player base would not be an ideal target audience for such a design.
Jamie Jul 25th 2010 8:48AM
WTB Westfall Tatties & Neeps, Elwynn Haggis and not forgetting a wee dram of Loch Modan Whiskey!
Oh aye.
Gimmlette Jul 25th 2010 11:18AM
What has long irritated me is what constitutes a "kilt" in this game is NOT. A. KILT. It's a skirt.
I have made peace with this but guild members know I'm going to tell them, "That's NOT a kilt" when they link it.
Kylenne Jul 25th 2010 1:45PM
@Gimmlette: You'd hate being Horde, then. Our T9 shammy kilt is PANTS. o.O