# Open Up Your Lich King Box..... **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [November 15, 2008, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-up-your-lich-king-box/472880 "2008-11-15T17:58:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-up-your-lich-king-box/472880/1 "2008-11-15T17:58:00Z")
… see where it is written If you stare long into the abyss… the abyss stares back into you ? Well, shouldn’t that be in quotes? I know Blizzard isn’t quoting Nietzsche _exactly_, but still… Q ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-up-your-lich-king-box/472880/2 "2008-11-15T18:06:20Z")
Considering all the various content that Blizzard has blatantly ripped off from somewhere else … are you really surprised? ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-up-your-lich-king-box/472880/3 "2008-11-19T00:16:59Z")
What else did they rip off, **Knorf**? Thanks Quasi ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-up-your-lich-king-box/472880/4 "2008-11-20T03:33:35Z")
Is it in italics? Can’t a quote reach a level of popularity where it can be freed of its quotation-mark bonds? Not all who wander are lost. I’m not a crook. The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. Bitch set me up! ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-up-your-lich-king-box/472880/5 "2008-11-20T03:39:51Z")
Oh My God **Cisco** , you made me\*\* LAUGH\*\*!!!:D:D:D Thank you, SO MUCH! And no, it isn’t in italics, but it IS in all CAPS! Too cool, **Cisco**! Too cool! Thanks Q PS: You forgot “She came on to **ME**!” ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-up-your-lich-king-box/472880/6 "2008-11-20T04:19:10Z")
Glad I could be of service 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-up-your-lich-king-box/472880/7 "2008-11-20T09:12:42Z")
> [@Quasimodem](#): > > What else did they rip off, **Knorf**? > > Thanks > > Quasi Warhammer, for one. You see, Warcraft: Orcs and Humans was originally going to be a Warhammer game, GW pulled out (or they never got the license in the first place, I’ve heard conflicting stories) so Blizzard had to change the story to something somewhat original and make up some units and such. Though whether most of the OTHER stuff they ripped off falls in the category of “rip off” or “affectionate reference” is up for debate. Edit: Oh, also there are these things called the Morgaine Stories from the '70s/'80s… uh, let’s just say there’s some gates to other realms suspiciously similar to the Dark Portal and the third book is called Fires of Azeroth… ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-up-your-lich-king-box/472880/8 "2008-11-20T09:16:06Z")
> [@Quasimodem](#): > > … see where it is written > > If you stare long into the abyss… the abyss stares back into you ? > > Well, shouldn’t that be in quotes? > > I know Blizzard isn’t quoting Nietzsche _exactly_, but still… > > Q I think everyone should change King to ‘Queen’ and forget the context for a second. Then re-read the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-up-your-lich-king-box/472880/9 "2008-11-20T15:10:24Z")
> [@Jragon](#): > > Warhammer, for one. You see, Warcraft: Orcs and Humans was originally going to be a Warhammer game, GW pulled out (or they never got the license in the first place, I’ve heard conflicting stories) so Blizzard had to change the story to something somewhat original and make up some units and such. Though whether most of the OTHER stuff they ripped off falls in the category of “rip off” or “affectionate reference” is up for debate. (Carson voice): I did not know that. The trouble is that a lot of the elements they use are so cliched that it’s hard to even call them rip-offs. For instance, Arthas’s look is a direct rip-off of Elric of Melnibone: albino with runesword. But Elric’s been copied so many times that it’s hard to say that the look hasn’t passed (in a non-technical sense) into the public domain.