We’re not the New York Times. We’re not going to throw up a paywall in front of our jargon (or get tricked by April Fool’s Day pranks). No, that would defeat the purpose of this blog, which is to express our great love of the medium that entertains us so thoroughly. To spread its word and highlight the highs and lows of the industry. But that doesn’t mean we don’t need money. We have domain fees, hosting charges and all that pesky camera equipment to worry about. And let’s not forget about the hamsters that run our gear. They need both food and water! Daily! Those needy critters.

One of the ways you can support LoreHound.com is by playing a game. Yes, that’s it. Fire up your browser of choice (like the one you’re in right now) and head over to Shakes & Fidget to make an account. The name may ring a bell, as it was once an extremely popular WoW comic, before Blizzard sent it a letter of the Cease & Desist nature. “No matter” the creators said. “We’ll just do something different with the property.” Fast forward a few months and a free-to-play browser game set in a hilarious fantasy world was born.

The title is basic, a text-based MUD fleshed out with hilarious art and quest text, which allows it to be played without giving it constant attention. Basic, yet highly addictive. Pick your actions and let your newly-created orc, human, gnome, dark elf, demon or dwarf ravage the countryside and assault dungeons for epic loot. “How epic?” you ask. How about chicken-based bazookas and bows made out of rockets epic. Is that epic enough for you?!

LoreHound.com has setup an official fan guild on Server 1 that is currently being lorded over by resident blogger Kershocker. The guild is in need of members to start participating in the endgame, Guild Wars and Guild Dungeons. Players of all levels are welcome.

Don’t worry, there’s no fire to stand in.

Shoot Kersh an in-game message for an invite. Sign up today!

Any of you who’ve been dying to ask the developers of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm that one key question — but missed your shot since you didn’t attend BlizzCon — may have yet another chance today (Nov. 18) starting at 4 p.m. Pacific /7 p.m. Eastern / 12 a.m. GMT.

Game Director Tom Chilton and Production Designed J. Allen Brack will host a (moderated) live chat for one hour tonight on Best Buy’s forum for Cataclysm. Surely, it’s mostly a marketing move on Blizzard’s part to host such an event at a large game retailer… but perhaps we can still gain something from it. Here are the nitty gritty details:

Join us 6-7PM CST on November 18th for a live chat with members of the Blizzard development team that worked on Cataclysm!

Chat is moderated and has a 500 user capacity. Be sure to log in early so you’re able to attend this opportunity to get your burning Cataclysm questions answered LIVE by the development team!

If you are unable to make it into the chat itself you can watch our Ustream mirror.

Actually, the truth is that this event, restricted to 500 people, will be even more limited than BlizzCon. But it’s my bet that it also will be much less widely attended, even by those who can only watch and not submit questions. So you may have a chance to get in, if you really want, or at the very least watch the live chat unfold upon the overflow Ustream mirror.

So up until then, register on the forums, prepare your questions, and make sure to glance back through our liveblog coverage at BlizzCon 2010 for the previously-covered Q&A rounds — you don’t want to waste your precious shot on a question that’s already been answered. So far, several pages on the forums already are full with what appears to be mostly new accounts registered specifically for the event — so if you’re keen to get in, register early and get in line!