I am always wary of guilds that take players with no application process. I mean, sure, if you throw enough crap at a wall, some of it might stick…but then you still have a giant pile of floor crap on your hands.

Whatever, I’m tired. It made sense in my head.

Your method of guild application is up to you. I personally interview all applicants via whispers. I find that easiest, as I’m a WIM devotee and it means I can interview while farming, doing heroics, running a raid, whatever.

But if you want in, here is what you have to do:

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I’m sorry sir, but we’ve all taken a vote and have come to the conclusion that you are no longer in charge of this guild.  We are prepared to offer you a handful of options to ease this transition:

1. Promote a member of our choice to GM and play under his/her rule.
   
2. Simply quit the guild and leave it to us.
3. We’ll all quit out from under you and create a new guild (bringing all your members in the process)

We know you’ve worked hard on your guild, and we appreciate that.  Things simply are not working out to our liking, as we enjoy having things go our way.  Simply put, you aren’t in charge anymore.  We are.

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Hear Ye! Hear Ye!  The guild now requires 100 gold coins from each man, woman and child per fortnight.  Any unwillingness or inability to meet these standards will find themselves REMOVED AT ONCE!

That would be rough, eh?  …Or would it?  Requiring a weekly/monthly stipend from each of your members could yield vast guild resources, or a complete mutiny.  As we dive deeper into the world of guild management, more and more situations come up in which there is no right or wrong answer.  The more educated and prepared we are for issues that do arise, the better leaders we end off becoming.  You decide which path you wish to take:  That of English King with your tax demands, or one of a homeless food shelter- complete with moths.

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Remember back to the young days of your guild?  When a 10 man raid consisted of 85% of your guild and you took it however you could get it?  Decisions were easy, drama was near non-existant, and all the important news traveled via word of mouth?  Stop daydreaming, Sally.  Those days are long gone; All we can do is dream about the times when we’d log on and be showered with rose petals, singing, and 99 virgins.  Today’s raiding guild consists of a delicate balance of officers, members, and strong decision making skills.  If you’re lacking on one of those three, well, you’ve got your work cut out for you.

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(Salt Grain Goes Here:  I know men have problems running guilds.  I know all of these things are not female specific.  However, I’m focusing on things that I see happening to female GMs in large numbers.  So if your dog’s former owner’s cousin’s girlfriend’s brother was totally talked dirty to by some girl on WoW, I believe you, but that’s not the focus on this post.  It’s for the ladies.)

Warning! There are two off color words ahead!  Don’t clicky if you don’t like strong language.

Girls run guilds.  We run them very well.  We are not playing because our partners made us play.  No one handed us our epics.  We don’t all want a bunny and a pink glitter armor set (though I totally ran around in the Bloodscale plate set on my pally shouting, “I’m pally Barbie!  Math is hard!”)  I have the distinct pleasure of being one of a trifecta of female run guilds on my server.  We are all at about the same level of progression and we are good friends.  However, on most other servers I have played on, this is not the case.  Girls are scarce, being a female gamer can be a very isolating experience and it’s to say, “Man, screw this!”  There are a lot of things a female GM has to deal with that only other female GMs will deal with on a regular basis.  Here’s how I get through it with at least a little grace.

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Part 3:  Annoying Assets

Hai guyz!1  U rly got 2 talk lik dis 2 inpres ur GM!  Dis rly showz dat u r srs bsns as a rayder.

• Spelling/Grammar mistake guy
• Drama queen guy
• Mr. WoW Hero guy
• Expert at the game guy
• Deserves all loot guy
• Intoxicated/Inebriated guy
• Derogatory guy
• Sexually explicit/vulgar guy

We all have had a combination of these players in our guild.  We’ve all hated them with a passion.  More often than not, we’ve all needed them at some point in our raids.  We’ll go over how to manage the annoying asset player, and help him shape up, or ship out…  Once and for all.
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Part 1:  Mic-less Members

Throughout my vast raiding experience, I have found voice communication to be a huge benefit to my guild.  Whether it’s communicating on the fly during a battle, explaining a boss encounter, administering a guild meeting, or simply socializing with your teammates, the ability to harness the ease and convenience of a microphone has proven to be just short of required.  What happens when a player refuses to use such a tool?  Perhaps they choose not to purchase a microphone, or not to utilize it.  What actions do you take concerning such a player, if any?  While a large convenience, it is just that, a convenience, and not a aspect of the game.  Can we really hold people accountable and segregate who and who does not have a microphone?
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Do you use a specific ranking system in your guild, or do your ranks still remain at their default names?  As some have overlooked, the guild ranking system can have a HUGE impact upon your guild, your members, and the general motivational atmosphere.

I have rearranged the ranks in my guild about 3 times in the past 4 months, struggling to find something to reach my current goals.  With similar guilds in my position, I have run into the problem of some players being geared and wanting into Ulduar content, and some still needing work in 25 man Naxxramas.  Thus, when raids are scheduled throughout the week, members have begun to pick and choose which raids they’d prefer to show up and participate in.  Now, this usually fizzles out as 15 people ready to rock on an Ulduar 10 man night, and …surprise… 15 other people ready to rock for a 25 man Naxx night.  I understand that no one wants to sit around an instance they’ve been farming for months, especially when there’s a progression alternative, but isn’t the true goal 25 man Ulduar runs, much else, teamwork?
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Your Guild Manifesto:  Choose Wisely!

A communist dictatorship?  A by-the-books democracy?  Or would you prefer hosting a group of wild rebels instead?  Choosing the leadership style you wish to pilot is often regarded as the most important decision that you will make concerning your guild.  Typically considered around the time of guild creation, the manifesto lays the groundwork for your guild policy, raiding, and all future undertakings by you and your members.
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