The Blasted War

==The event==
The Blasted War was the Sha'tar's attempt at emulating a war. Not content with just one night of large battle, its goal was to provide roleplayers with a month-long conflict, where supplies, medication, patrols, construction, repair, entertainment, and diplomacy were just as important as the bloodshed itself. The Alliance army, being the primary force, was led by the eternally-grumpy Big Chingo, whilst the supporting force made out of Horde soldiers and mercenaries was led by the honour-bound Gremkarc of Orgrimmar. During the event, the two sides came to some conflict with each other, mostly because of over-eager mongerers determined to settle scores. But, for the most part, their attentions were set squarely on their two opponents. For the Alliance, this was the Burning Legion, but for the Horde, complications arose, and it turned out that the Hakkari trolls had made a pact with those very same demons, as a means to bring Hakkar himself into the world. What was meant to be a force to back the Alliance turned into a force battling for survival in the harsh, unforgiving lands of the Swamp of Sorrows. The Alliance, meanwhile, had threats of Infernal Rain, a mine which was plagued with so many dangers it almost seemed counter-productive to use it, and the influence of the fel which made magic unstable, sometimes tragically so.
Day after day, the two forces dealt with their problems, and desperately tried to make progress. Unconventional armies made up mostly of heroes, adventurers, and mercenaries, most of the troops on both sides didn't even know each other. The desire they had to defeat the evils swamping them pulled them close together however, and although there were casualties, it didn't shake resolve. Night time allowed for quiet reflection of the day, and allowed for troops to get to know each other, and light up the darkness with some levity. Friendships were formed. Some were fleeting, and some were long-lasting, and continue to this day. In a way, the Burning Legion can be thanked for making those bonds, in the most indirect way possible. Still, it'd infuriate them to be thanked for that, no?
Copied and pasted from the original thread:
Hokay. The scene is set. From July the 21st til August the 23rd, there will be an ongoing RP event at the bases of Nethergarde Keep, Stonard, and the whole of Azeroth and Draenor themselves. 
For the Alliance, a proper War Keep atmosphere will be in place. Messhalls, Drills, Scouting Missions, Dungeon Missions, Mining, Construction, Training, Supply Caravans, Rituals, and all kinds of other activities, both made by the event organizations, and the players themselves. Everyone will be able to influence. 
Horde will be a similar case. The demons will use the Sunken Temple Trolls to give the Horde their own problems, and missing Stonard Guards, the plight of the Burning Legion trying to put the Scourge in the Eastern Kingdoms back on their leash to help out with the battle, the unwillingness of demon pets to cooperate, and the same atmosphere as in Nethergarde but in Stonard will feature. There will be diplomacy between the two sides, and possibly some assistance in missions.
This will all culminate in an epic siege of Nethergarde Keep, with the Alliance defending, and the Horde being the relief force. The hope is that all this will be happening in synergy. That at any one time, loads of things will be happening at the Keep and Stonard. People will be forging armour, people will be mining, people will be eating, people will be training, people will be researching, people will be patrolling, people will be going out on missions around Azeroth and the Blasted Lands themselves, people will be tending to the wounded, people will be constructing catapults, cannons etc, people will be socialising. 
And around the world Azeroth will be affected as well. Infernals will stomp around cities, the other Legion bases in Azeroth will be attacked to avoid the danger of reinforcements, and there will be a hell of a lot of objectives to do with IC dungeon runs that assign people to their task based on level. There's probably gonna be a few boosts, and that means some low-levels might be able to take advantage, and get some loot they wouldn't otherwise get, but hopefully in these dungeon runs, wherein you need to find artefects, kill key people, explore lesser known areas of the world, we can help people with progression whilst also give them a stonking good time. Everywhere from Ragefire Chasm, Scarlet Monastery, and Shadow Labyrinth will be used. 
Imaginary enemies, that are defeated via use of /e emotes will also be used in some sections, such as the Heroes' Society style events which are also planned, but also in the final battle. That's the only way we can do that. It'd be great to have thousands of Infernals attack us, but that's not gonna happen. The final battle will be as free for you to do your own thing as possible. Fire catapults, shoot arrows, remain behind the gate waiting for the enemy to break though... it's entirely up to you. And like I said, this is participant-generated. People can decide for themselves what to do in the Keep. People can decide for themselves if they want that shady bunch of mercs in the corner to complete a task for them. 
Ideally, the event organizer, me, wouldn't actually set out too much, because it isn't my event, it's the community's. There will be something for you to do, even if you're level 1. Whether it's taking part in rituals that cover Nethergarde's Keep's walls in a protective mana shield, striking off allies of the Legion in Ashenvale, advising the leaders of the defense with your own specialised knowledge (an engineer telling the commander why it wouldn't be such a good idea to put cannons on top of the walls, for example), reporting on the plight as a journalist...anything. I'll think of something. You'll think of something. It's not going to be exclusive. I promise you all that. The moment it starts being about one or two people, I'll finish it and apologise. 
If you want a comparison, imagine we're the SSO quest vendors. We all have our own goals, our own jobs, and our own progress. It's gonna belong to the entire community. It's gonna last a month. It's gonna keep us fighting demons right up until Wrath finally shoves us all to Northrend. It's going to bring epic to everyone. Join in. 
==Result==
The Blasted War was certainly a unique event, and one which impressed most by its sheer numbers, its ability to get people roleplaying in places they normally wouldn't, and the sight of an army working together. Its greatest quality was in the sense of companionship that it brewed up between people. This applied both to those who had never met before, and also people who'd roleplayed together countless times prior to the event - it added depth to those connections that characters shared.
Despite this, the project was, as far as its goals were concerned, a failure. Momentum was only kept up for about a week or two, and then there was a sharp decline in interested participants. This was mostly down to shoddy planning on the event organiser's part. It became clear that having one OOC leader for both factions was a bad move, and so was trying to keep proceedings up for a month. The lack of foresight about these problems was mostly down to never trying an event of this scale or concept before. It became a rarity to see roleplayers in Nethergarde and Stonard after a while. Some interest was regained closer to the end, and there was a decent amount of people who turned up for the final siege by the Burning Legion, too.
Despite the event's fallout, some great times were had. There was a lot to be enjoyed, and that was mostly down to the initiative of the members involved. Features of the event included the infimaries, messhalls, bards, mining, and even some journalism. These were all ran by the players themselves. To see such flexibility in the event, and such unexpected scenes crop up, was awe-inspiring to see.
==Event Video==
By Geis
500px|left|The Blasted War by Geis
==See also==
* Link
==External links==
The Blasted War Trailer, By Geis
* External link
Category:Event
Category:One-off Event