Just over two years ago, I was approached to write the book, “World of Warcraft for Dummies.” Yes, those Dummies people, and yes, that WoW. Unfortunately the two companies could not come to an agreement concerning screenshots and royalties, so the project was round-filed. I was told not to discuss the project at all, but it’s been over two years so I’m going to guess it’s just not going to happen. /sniffle
What would it have looked like? It would’ve been grand, amazing, outstanding, irreverent, filled with errors and type-o’s, and basically freakin’ awesome.
Or, something like this:
Table of Contents
Introduction
About This Book
Conventions Used
How to Use this Book
What You’re Not to Read
Foolish Assumptions
How This Book Is Organized
Icons Used in This Book
Where to Go from Here
Part I. What to Know Before You Even Start
Ch.1 Understanding the Whole Concept
Ch.2 Clearing Up the Misunderstandings in Chapter 1
Ch.3 World of Warcraft and Kids: A Parent’s Miniguide
Ch.4 Loading the Game, Updates and Patches
Ch.5 Oh My Goodness, Let’s Start It!
Ch.6 Blizzard Made Movies for a Reason
Ch.7 Alliance and Horde
Ch.8 Races and Classes
Ch.9 PvP, PvE, RPPvP, EIEIO
Ch. 10 Build Your Face and Give Yourself a Good Name
Ch.11 Pick the Correct Server
Part II. Don’t Just Stand There, Do Something
Ch.12 The User Interface, aka The Screen
Ch.13 Your Keyboard, Mouse and How to Use Them
Ch.14 Options, Options Everywhere
Ch.15 The Baby-Pool Zone
Ch.16 Your First Quest!
Ch.17 They’re Your Bags, Baby!
Ch.18 The How and Why of Hitting Things
Ch.19 Experience and Leveling: Ding!
Ch.20 Hey, There are Other People Here…
Part III. How to Grow as a Person
Ch.21 The Character Panel
Ch.22 Armor and Weapons
Ch.23 Talents and Trees
Ch.24 The Spellbook
Ch.25 Stats, But No Math Involved
Ch.26 A Little Math, But Don’t Freak Out
Ch.27 Professions and Their Goodies
Ch.28 Trainers, Merchants, The Bank and The Auction House
Ch.29 Consumables: Food and Drink (Yum!)
Ch.30 A Small Glimpse of the Big, Wide World
Ch.31 Communication Methods: How to Yap
Ch.32 Vernacular: How to Talk the Talk
Ch.33 Guilds: Bringing People Together
Ch.34 Playing With People in Parties and Raids
Ch.35 Killing People For Fun and Profit
Part IV. You Know How to Start the Car, Now Let’s Race
Ch.36 Just What are Mobs, Anyway?
Ch.37 Tanking and Aggro for Metal-Heads
Ch.38 Dealing Damage Like a Pro
Ch.39 Healing and Keeping People Alive
Ch.40 Crowd-Control and Focused-Fire
Ch.41 The Tao of Threat
Ch.42 Put It All Together and Fight as a Team
Ch.43 Instances Were Made for You and Me
Ch.44 PvP Action is Fantastic!
Part V. The Part of Tens
Ch.45 Ten Ways to Customize your User Interface
Ch.46 Ten Ways to Be a Good Member of the Community
Ch.47 Ten Ways to Not Get Ripped Off
Ch.48 Ten Ways to Make Lots of Gold
Ch.49 Ten Ways to Dominate All That You See
Ch.50 Ten Outstanding Internet Resources
Change the name and write it anyway! I’ll preorder!
Do I get an in game Hobbes pet?!?
I think you should write it anyways and instead of being a book for “dummies” you can make it a book for “noobs”.
/agree – I don’t play near as much anymore but I would buy 2 copies of the book right now.
Go for it!
oh jeez i’d so buy a copy, and i agree with everyone that saysto change the name, perhaps “WoW and You-a guide to rid of your social life”
Appendix: Spirit Beasts??
I would buy several copies and give them a christmas gifts. We actually have a guild that is growing rapidly and at least half our members are brand new players. We NEED this guide.
I like that “World of Warcraft for noobs”
Got to love it my spell check does not like noobs one choice it gives is boobs.
Redhunt – I think you taught your spell check to say that. It sounds like something you would do.
I think its totally awesome that you were approached to write for the Dummies people and very sad it didn’t work out. Like others, I would have definately picked that one up.
As much as I would like a book from you, dont do it! It will only make you want to come back tot he game all the more. You know you’ll have to launch the game to get screen shots and use it to reference some items, then you will need to do it so you can remember the starting zones, and so on and so on…..
You’ve been warned!
You Sir, are a tease!
/dwarf hunter salute
Have a wonderful holiday season BRK
heh, I tend to agree, not a good idea unless you plan to come back to the game. but should you write it you should include a place titled, slecting a class, eather hunter or any lesser class
Come on BRK!
it’ll be so epic 
Write the book
Have a nice holiday from Shebha Belf hunter – Twisting Nether (EU)
*see u’r even popular over here ^^*
That would be the first book for dummies I would ever buy.
Put me on the preorder list. Might even make me pull my hunter outta the closet.
Mate you wouldnt believe how many people really really need this book still, I still tell all the hunters in our guild to watch your hunter guide movies, if they do they come back with a little more knowledge and a few more tricks up their sleeve, You might have even made a couple of quid out of it
ah well maybe another time eh?
I would have bought one…
I know everyone wants to buy one but I can’t think of a worse idea that a print guide to a game that is constantly updated. I bought a friend the BC battle chest and it came with both a vanilla and BC strat guide. They are so laughably out of date that reading them would probably be more hurtful to new players then helpful. I can only imagine what something like this would be like after the 4.0 hunter focus overhaul.
Sometimes the internet really is the best way to do these things.
Youll be back. You know you want it…
Come back to WoW…
The Lich King laughs at you for never downing him…
Yogg saron has come and gone….
So much you missed, so much more to come that youll miss…
Come back, you know you want to…
WOW>Real Life
Truth.