Buffing the Dark Servant

No, it's not dirty. Last night, while my friends and I were playing City of Heroes, Rob asked "Would you buff my Dark Servant?" There was a sudden burst of laughter and a quick volley of "NO!"

When we play City of Heroes, a Massively Multi-player Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG), we talk on Skype. This program allows us to communicate verbally instead of typing dialogue in the chat window. Even if someone's computer can't do both (it is a resource hog), Skype can be used over telephone lines too. We used it in China to talk to friends and family over the Internet instead of paying outrageous international long distance fees.

When you play MMORPGs, there is a whole new vocabulary you must learn. Buffs occur when you add something to a character, whether you are increasing its accuracy, speed, recovery, endurance, ability to do damage, or its defense. Effects that subtract from those same characteristics are called debuffs. They are very handy to use against the opposing villains in City of Heroes. Some heroes (and villains) can summon allies called pets. These minions can do damage for you, or heal you, or provide some other support. Rob's Dark Servant is one of these pets, so when he asked me to buff his dark servant, it was quite innocent. Funny, but innocent.

The Dark Servant