With MMOs continuously giving us larger and expanded content, it is hard to form a skilled group of players who will show up and perform to set expectations.  Upper echelon guilds have taken years to build and mold their member-base to produce the efficiency that most can only dream of.  In the lands of world firsts, complete PvP destruction, or even wipeless runs, you will be required to find people who not only meet the game’s expectations, but also your own.  Eventually we may come to the conclusion that those in our guilds may not be able enough to complete such a task.  What if many of these short-skilled guilds came together to form a union though?  Could an alliance between multiple sovereign groups produce results and maintain a successful demeanor?  Perhaps.

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Every now and then, you come across someone who is playing…in a really interesting way, possibly to the detriment of the raid.  Or the heroic. Or the dungeon. Or the BG. Whatever it is, they aren’t pulling their weight and when you’re trying to get somewhere, it’s got to be a team effort. That means the team has to bring everything they’ve got.

Rather than accuse, it’s often better and nice to offer suggestions. You can’t hold someone’s hand, but you can point them toward
the resources to get what they need. Call this your cheat sheet for a handful of common issues.

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“A case of Alt-itis?”

Tue, Sep 15, 2009 at 1:56 PM

I’m in a 25 man raiding guild. Lately, most of our members just log on to raid. There are people on our non-raiding nights, but it’s mostly the same people, and maybe half of those people are happily playing alts. We can barely field any 10 man group outside of scheduled 25 man raid times.

I have nothing against alts, in fact, I’m guilty of mostly playing my alt as well, as it’s the character I enjoy playing most at the moment (I would switch if I could, but there’s no spot for my desired role, currently). I pretty much just log on to raid, do daily heroics and try to pug VoA on my raiding main. The rest of the time I’m farming heroics to gear up my alt. Personally, I don’t see anything wrong with this, as there’s nothing else I can do to improve my raiding main outside of guild raids.

The problem is that I’m not the only one doing this, but not  every body’s main is as geared as they should be. We have people leveling alts when their mains can still use Conquest badge upgrades, or not doing the daily heroic for Triumph badges. The guild leadership (as well as myself, personally) would like to see these members spend more time improving their raiding mains outside of raids.

So I need advice on two things:
How can we increase the level of activity outside of official raid times? And how can we push people to go after upgrades for their raiding mains that they can get outside of guild raids (5 man ToC, Conquest badges, etc) without being too Draconian and basically telling people how to play? I should mention that I’m a former officer, so I also wonder if I’m providing a bad example by being on my alt most times.

Thanks
A concerned member

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Saying that you get more flies with honey than with vinegar may be an awful, headache inducing cliche when it comes from Mom… but it’s also true. GLs and officers have to be adept at dealing with people, because they will have to do it on a large basis. Even my bank officer has members who come to him with raiding issues or personal issues, even though that’s not technically his “job.” You don’t get to decide that all your members must connect with and trust the “Personal Issues officer”, people are going to talk to the one in power who they feel the most comfortable with (and if everyone in your guild is only comfortable talking to one person, you need to first buy them a car for having the grace and patience to deal with that and then fix it, because that’s a bad sign).

I’ve found a few ways to make yourself significantly more attractive to the guild membership.

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It comes that time again, my devoted guild leaders/officers.  As dreadful as it has become, the moment approaches with every tick of the clock.  The time of stress; The time of arguing; The time of pouring mace into a spork and repeatedly stabbing at your eye sockets.  Yes, school season is upon us, in all it’s wondrous glory.

New to guild leadership?  I feel for you, I really do, and because of that, I’m going to let you in on a little secret.  *leans close*  Your raids are about to get thrown up into the air.  Members have to wake up early, do homework at night, socialize on weekends, and oh, the most desirable aspect of all, veterans of your guild with new schedules won’t be happy to be passed up in “guild standings”.  The nightmare ensues, continue reading if you dare.

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Is raiding during the next few months just a waste of time, with patch 3.2 coming out?  Having Emblems of Conquest become the standard, which is used to buy T8 gear, one could say that anything Naxxramas related is an utter joke.  Blizzard has decided to give handouts to all the players unable to successfully raid or incapable of joining the curve in the past months and even the playing field for all.  Fair?  Not really-  Wrong?  Not necessarily.  What to think of all this craziness and how to plan your next month of raiding to successfully prep your guild for 3.2 will be discussed.

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Just pick up that new CD and want to share it with all your guildies?  Perhaps you’ve figured that they are all just as bored as you are during raids and would gratefully accept your tunes of choice.  Maybe, and just a wild maybe here, you are some lonely D-bag that really doesn’t care what anyone else thinks and will do as you wish.  Whichever the case may be, STOP PLAYING MUSIC OVER VENT DURING RAIDS.  It is ruining your chances of success, and pissing off your guild members.  Yes, really.
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Tonight, there were many guild members of mine who arrived to the raid entrance completely smashed.  I’m not talking about their in-game characters either; My members came to raid drunk off their asses and slurring in vent.  Now, throughout my years of playing as dependently with others as in WoW, never once have I been part of such an event.  No organization, rowdy attitudes, and complete disregard for any common raiding practices.

Some Guild Masters would perhaps be loud and arrogant in this situation, some more refined and on the quiet side.  I, however, was thrilled and delighted to meet my members in this state of mind.  Why would a guild allow their members to show up for a raid drunk?  Only for one reason-
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Part 2:  Loyal & Clueless

Loyal guild members, aren’t they the best thing in the entire game?  Always enthused to be a part of and help build your guild.  They try to recruit, contribute, support, and up-talk your guild around the clock; Who could ask for anything better?  Well, let’s say that you have an extremely loyal member, but he’s an absolute dunce.  Throws quite the wrench into your happily ever after, now doesn’t it?  Read on-
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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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A true conundrum for any guild leader in the midst of a raiding guild.  Do you start 10/25 man progression raids with your core, or put the emphasis on 25 man farm raids to gear up those behind the curve?  On one hand, you’ve put in your time and are excited to start learning and gearing up with new boss encounters.  On the other, you have at a MINIMUM of 15 other people who want to join your level of expertise and experience new content themselves.  Not to mention those who ARE ready to venture into newer pastures, yet can’t fit into a nightly 10 man group.  With whispers from all sides finding their way to your ear, how can you possibly find a solution to keep people happy and from looking for alternate guilds to meet their demands?
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Too often we forget as guild leaders/officers, that we are more than just the head of the guild.  Members look up to us with respect, admiration, and a sense of pride by leading our “team” through the good times and bad alike.  We have all been a part of, or have seen, guilds where members rarely get a “Good Morning”, “Great Job”, or even a “Thank You”.  Whereas we lead the guild, help it progress, grow, and succeed, we must also be aware of the atmosphere we’re setting and the support we’re offering our members.  After All, they are just that, members, not a pool of avatars which serve our bidding.

Now, some may feel that there are much more important things to worry about concerning guild management.  Yes, you have to configure recruiting, loot distribution, raid scheduling, confict resolution, and all those other “fun” aspects of guild leadership.  I agree, they are important details that need a watchful eye.  However, I truly believe that the single most crucial responsibility that you have, is the guild atmosphere you mold.
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