Thoughts: Retconning

Retconning. Blizzard does it on occasion, much to the disapproval of some of the more knowledgeable and die-hard fans of their story. I'm about to do it to my Brothers story, as well, as Loem's story is too shallow and has a few holes I want to fill in that can't be done in flashbacks or anything. So... yes, sometimes authors go back and change their story to suit their needs, especially in a drastically changing environment like an MMO.

I have no problem with Blizzard changing it up a little, seeing as they never expected WoW to gain as much popularity as it did so quickly. When they originally created the Warcraft story, they never imagined that it would come this far and become such an in-depth story (Some people may argue with me on that point, saying that the story is actually quite shallow, full of mary-sues, or whatever, and not well-written, but... well, just work with me here). When Metzen created Orcs and Humans, he probably never thought to write out everything: the backstory, the future, the cultural differences, the heroes, the villains, everything! Heck, even the maps/geography have changed since then, and it had to, to make room for more.

That said, every storyteller tries hard not to go back, to change what's already been written, because it makes them less reliable, less true. You lose faith in the story if they keep stopping, going back, and saying, "Wait, wait! This didn't actually happen this way, THIS is how it happened, and that's why Whatsisface is actually ALIVE in the future!" It makes you look silly, really, very much like you're just making it up as you go along.

Which, um... is... exactly what I'm doing. *blush*