Part 4:  Leapfroggers

One of the few joys of leading a guild is feeling that “rush” when everything goes right and you meet one of your goals.  The enthusiasm exuberated from your members provides a euphoria which surpasses just about anything else the game has to offer.  Whether it be downing that boss after weeks of attempts, finally stabalizing a core group of solid players, taking that PvP zone once and for all, obtaining that long sought after piece of gear, or simply reaching a certain member cap, meeting set goals greatly improves guild morale around the board.

What happens when during the midst of your celebration and rejoice, things take a huge step backward?  Unforseen events will always happen; You can’t predict them.  Let’s say that this event was conspired and planned beforehand?  A player swooped in, took advantage of your guild’s current needs to suit their own, and took off for greener pastures.  Say hello the the “Leapfrogger”, also occassionally known as a ‘Guild Jumper’.

Example 1 – Classic Loot Theif

You and yours are progressing through the latest raid dungeon, and come to the furthest point of completion for your guild.  Maybe tonight will be your lucky night, and all those hours of wipes, learning, studying, and instructing will finally pay off!  You give it an attempt, and …success!  The energy is high, the laughter is flowing, and you all feel proud of what you’ve been working to accomplish.  Now for the glorious epics!  You notice a few awesome pieces that will really benefit the stats of your raid.  As per your standing loot policy, it goes up for a roll as usual.  Hmm, the newer raider just won the piece.  Not really the desirable recipient choice, but fair nonetheless.  Sure, they haven’t spent a lot of time raiding, just having reached the level cap and all, but you’ve put some effort into gearing them appropriately.  So be it.

…wait, WHAT?!

The next morning you notice that this player has quit.  Upon a little investigating, it seems they have become accepted into a more advanced guild under the reasoning that yours, “Wasn’t progressed enough to suit their tastes,” or what have you.  Perhaps they just needed a few of those upper-notch pieces to make themselves more desirable to other raiding teams.  Either way, your guild has been dumping effort into someone who planned to get up and leave as soon as their “stats” allowed them a better opportunity.  What a dick!

(There are many reasons a player may quit a guild, thus remember this could simply be coincidence.)

- Collective Skill Loss

Using the above example while tying into the next one, you’re also faced with losing a raid asset.  Improving upon each player’s gear and technique just enough to move forward is awesome, but when a player abandons his team, it throws them down a few pegs.  No longer will this individual be around to carry their weight and fulfill their job.  They have effectively just broke a link in the chain holding together your new found success.

Example 2 – Core Group Dismemberment

This happens often throughout leveling and when you first hit endgame content.  Over the months, you all have learnt to depend on each other to be there, do their job correctly, and return the support given.  Often enough, you’ll end up bringing in a new member who fills a vital slot of your group composite.  They’re putting forth 100% and the group is moving along at a quick pace.  One may be surprised to find, however, that when the opportunity arises for that player to step into a group a little better off than yours, he bolts for the opportunity.  There is no community, no friendships, no atmosphere.  This player is only concerned about their progress in the game and will use/group/party with whomever necessary to reach the top.  The more players trampled, the better.  This complete disregard for others burnishes the familiarity bond that’s required between teammates in mmos.  The beginning is when guilds need to build trust, consideration, and friendships that their raids will rely upon in the future.  Leapfroggers have no regard for such, as their only looking out for themselves.

Example 3 – Guild Member Diversity

Aspects under this catagory refer solely to leveling guilds.  You find pride in having a member base diverse in players of many levels and skills.  It’s inevitable that you will recruit certain folk who will join, use your members to pump themselves up, and book it.  Whether it be only to help them complete a bracket’s worth of questing or instancing, they will use your community to bolster their own gain before they’re of quality to climb the server ladder.  This is frequently seen in cases where a lower leveled player will join, befriend the guild to help them catch up, then join another guild a few steps higher to repeat the process.  The inability or laziness to progress on their own fuels their objectives.  In more harsh situations, they will also convince your upper tier of players to follow suit and bail on your guild as well.

Simple Answer

There is none, as you can not predict the future.  It is extremely hard to forsee a player’s intentions with you or your guild.  Everyone has their own motives and agendas, so become accustomed to the traits of those who are genuinely supportive of your group.  Limit your handouts and reward effort put forth in hopes of driving out these leeches before they begin to drain too much.  Everyone aspires to be the best they can be, true, but the general consideration of give & take is what’s being examined here.

Some players may not fit in well with your guild and search out a new home for pure reasons.  Others, however, only desire to suck resources and time from your group to raise them to the next level of acceptance for other guilds, where they can then do the same.  Now, I know this is a tricky topic and it is extremely hard to determine why someone would quit to begin with.  I have no solid guidelines to offer or ‘tricks’ to look for.  Throughout the course of leading a guild, you will become more and more accustomed to pinpointing these players and learning how to deal with them.  If unchecked, they can easily damage your guild’s morale up to  and including a disband.  Be careful!

Always make an effort to get to know your members and familiarize yourself with them for best results.  Create the friendships and bonds that help guilds grow and succeed, as that’s half your responsibility as a GM.  The more effort your put into your guild, the better returns you can anticipate from your members.  If you don’t care about them, they won’t care about leaving you.  Keep involved and ensure that everyone is on the same page towards your goals as a whole.  This will reduce the amount of Leapfroggers who reach demoralizing proportions and will in turn keep your atmosphere a happy and successful one.