Blog Banter: The Lore that Binds Us

Okay, I’m going to try my hand at writing one of these blog banter thingies. I will try not to ramble out of control. =p



As a Minmatar Militia pilot, I fly very close to the ‘lore’ or backstory of the game. Our entire war is based on the conflict between the Amarr and Minmatar. And, while not everyone is much for role playing, you will often see ‘slave’ or ‘religious’ smack in local and elsewhere, as both sides allude to the general backstory of each faction.

However, having been in militia now for nearly four years, the lore of the game has also left a bitter taste in my mouth. And I have come, not to see it as some sort of immersive quality in the game, as some seem to imply, but a chain around our necks.

For, no matter how long or how hard you fight, it is futile. The war is not meant to be won or lost. We are destined, always to be locked into some sort of never ending conflict—bound by game mechanics the devs hope will keep us entertained a while, and a backstory that never becomes our own.

I could tell you a thing or two about the true lore of Faction War. I could tell you about days where the Minmatar and Amarr banded together to fight off common enemies. Where we shared coms, fleets, and sometimes even ships with each other.

I could tell of broken promises and brittle politics as rifts grew between major groups in the Gallente and Minmatar. Of intermilitia wardecs, betrayal, and upheaval.

I could tell you about back alley ‘deals’ and manipulation—of devious strategy and cunning war games.

But, that is not the story the universe will ever hear. We are but slaves, and religious fanatics, locked into neverending conflict.

Death to the Empress.



So, when you ask, too much? Or too little? Do we need to be more driven by lore and backstory, or should CCP back off? I would have to answer that it’s not really about wanting more or less. I think we’re ready for something different.

Perhaps it’s time, not to just give us ‘more’ story, but to change the story –move it forward. And I know just the people who should dictate where the story goes –

Us.