Forum post of the day: Idiots, children, and oldschoolers. Oh my!
At one point in time or another, most guilds face at least a little bit of drama, from loot distribution, to relationships, to guild bank robbery. Zeida of Tichondrius has created an list of guild member archetypes for folks she does not want in her guild. The list of stereotypes covers the first four posts in the thread so there is a considerable amount of reading. The list includes newbs, n00bs, trolls, elitists, and many more.
The original poster went into detail on each of these archetypes. Here's the short version:
I. The Newb: The Newb has simply not gained enough experience in the game to play it at the level required by a serious raiding guild.. With time of course he may well play the game at the highest level, and perhaps he has or can make friends to guide him along, but unfortunately, raiding guilds are not in the business of educating Newbs to the point where they can function as experienced players.
II. The Noob: The Noob, distinct from the Newb, may indeed have great experience in the game, a large /played, and quite a bit of gear to show for it. His flaw, however, is that he is the man who is always right, knows all, and can be taught nothing. The essence of the Noob is an inability to learn due to a flawed and weak character.
III. The Idiot: [The Idiot] is the man who persistently says and does things that can only be described as idiotic. He has dartboard sockets, poorly itemized gear, and is always the player who fails at elements of the game not connected to gameplay, whether it's blowing up the raid on Solarian or Aran or failing at cubes on Magtheridon. He is equally unintelligent when it comes to things not specifically connected with the game itself.
IV. The Oldschooler: The Oldschooler is a common but deceptively pernicious character. The Oldschooler's world has long stopped, back in the "better days" of this game. ... The Oldschooler will rigidly adhere to obsolete ideas as to things such as game mechanisms, class balance, and the dynamics of raid encounters.
V. The Elitist: The Elitist is the guy who seems to consider it an affront to speak civilly to players whom he deems inferior. He believes that his extensive experience with and understanding of game mechanisms place him on a higher plane of existence than the mere mortals who still haven't learned so-and-such obscure minutiae.
VI. The No-Lifer: [The No-Lifer] has absolutely no life outside the game. He has no skills or interests, and most likely he does not even have a job. He lives off his parents or on welfare. The No-Lifer is often a skilled and fruitful player who has much to show for the time he has spent in game. He is problematic, however, in that owing to his lack of a life, he has little perspective on it.
IX. The Flake: The Flake is the guy who never shows up for progression, alt-F4's when things get tough, never farms his resist sets, AFKs in raids, always seems to log on late, or, when given a specific in-game responsibility, fails to carry through.
X. The Troll: The Troll is a jerk, plain and simple. He uses the anonymity and physical disassociation of the online world to antagonize others in ways he is unable to in real life. He does this because he is mean-spirited. Often he is a man with considerable personal frustration at his lack of power or personal failings in real life, who griefs others to reinforce his sense of self-worth.
XI. The Child: The Child is just that – an underage player. Many Children are nearly young adults; they are almost 18 and have driver's licenses. They are often skilled players and perhaps even precocious. Some Children are actually quite mature and can think lucidly.
XII. The Flirt: The Flirt is at least two separate people in one, who are equally to blame. Most flirting is heterosexual and takes the form of a female being humored, or starting drama, because the male majority are too immature to deal with her as a peer. Sometimes this takes the form of the female receiving loot, or being allowed to indulge in antagonistic behavior, or not being the object of criticism when she fails at her responsibilities.
XIII. The Insider: The Insider, similar to the Oldschooler, is the guy who seems to know everyone and has been everywhere, in every guild reform and every raid instance. He was there when the server came online, he was there when the gates of AQ opened, he was there for each and every server event, and he's always the guy eagerly pursuing the latest fad.
There is some truth to this list, but not everyone can be as perfect and balanced as the original poster. Responders posted some of the other characters that they love to hate. In the MMORPG environment we have to put up with a lot of character flaws in the people that surround us. I would think twice about applying for a guild with this list as it focuses on negatives and is pretty subjective. I would rather see a list of qualities for people who are desired in a social setting.
Who are the people you'd like to have in your guild?
