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The Guild Counsel: How to break into raiding
One question every guild needs to answer at some point is, "Will we be a raiding guild?" Many guilds answer that question with a loud "yes" even before they set foot in game, but for other guilds, it's something that bubbles up as members reach the level cap and raid content is within reach. Raiding tends to get a bad rap, but that's not surprising when you remember that raid videos are usually filled with yelling, swearing, finger pointing, and heavy metal music. It looks about as relaxing as boot camp in the winter. But it is possible to go from casual to raiding and still maintain a casual, low-key tone. In fact, it's even easier now to do that in many MMOs. In this week's Guild Counsel, we'll look at why we've entered a golden age of raiding, and we'll cover a few handy tips for guilds looking to make the leap.
Officers' Quarters: In the wake of drama, tragedy
Every Monday, Scott Andrews contributes Officers' Quarters, a column about the ins and outs of guild leadership. He is the author of The Guild Leader's Handbook, available now from No Starch Press. Drama happens in guilds. As officers, we do everything we can to avoid it. Sometimes we make mistakes that set us up for it. At other times, it's simply inevitable. Much of it is stupid and pointless. However, nothing puts it all in perspective like a sudden, shared tragedy. This week, a guild leader wonders how he can deal with this terrible circumstance in the aftermath of a guild-shattering argument. Scott, I have a really difficult problem that I would like your advice, or at least your opinion. This problem is two fold and I will start with the short but serious series of events that have transpired the last few days. I (basically) started the guild a week before Cataclysm. We took off quick and became extremely successful. One of the first guilds to hit 25 on the server (which made me a really proud guild leader). Early in the guilds history, we had a member join our guild, lets call him Eddie. Eddie has an abrasive personality and he tends to insult people. The thing is, hes not and never is being serious. He jokes and unless you spend more than 5 minutes talking to him, you just assume he's insulting you, which he's not. Well Eddie, being new to the guild (that had relatively little officers), hit the ground running and showed qualities of a true leader. He built our raid team, geared people, taught people, and did his job in a way that I've not seen done even as I raided through Wrath. Eddie however joined the military and had to leave for Basic Training. When he left, it was agreed upon that the raid leader spot would be temporarily given to another officer and would be given back when Eddie returned.
The Guild Counsel: Raid leading 101
It's time to break out the chalkboard and textbooks, as The Guild Counsel begins the subject of raid leading 101. Ironically, the more I think and write about guild management issues, the more I realize how much they really do have in common with my experience in the classroom management. Teaching history to a class of high school students and running an online gaming guild seem like two completely different spheres of responsibility at first glance. But in order to do each well, they actually require similar preparation and a common approach. Read on for a look at how teaching and raid leading resemble each other!
Guest Post: Vetting puggers -- beyond GearScore and achievements
This article has been brought to you by Seed, the Aol guest writer program that brings your words to WoW.com. How can you tell a good raider from a bad raider? GearScore? NO. Often times, people will rely on a numerical gear score, but this is not a good way to judge player quality. Very good players will have low gear scores when starting out, and very bad players who have been persistent or been carried can have very high scores. GearScore is not an indicator of goodness or badness; it's purely an indication of how much time and luck the person has had on that character. Achievements? NO. Some group leaders request, "Link achievement, please," but this is not a good method, either. All this indicates is that the person was in the raid when the boss died. You don't know if they were No. 1 DPS or died three seconds into the fight, the same as they do during every fight they've ever been in. So before you can determine how tell a good player from a bad player, you should understand what makes a "good player."
Officers' Quarters: The art of wiping
Every Monday Scott Andrews contributes Officers' Quarters, a column about the ins and outs of guild leadership.It happens to the best of us: We tried our best, and it wasn't good enough. We're no longer epic heroes bravely marching into battle but broken corpses littering the cave of some huge, slobbering monster or the fortified hideout of a powerful villain. We've all been there, and it always sucks (though it can occasionally be hilarious). As an officer and/or raid leader, what you do next can determine whether you find yourself in the same place all over again -- or standing victorious over the fallen body of your foe, sparkling with purple-ly epic awesomeness.This week's question asks about wiping.What is a good post-wipe process? I feel that we often just wipe and throw ourselves at an encounter -- rather than pausing and debriefing on what caused us to struggle.-- Ciacco, Malygos, 70 human rogue
