I've had complaints recently regarding the way we do things currently in guild.
Primarily:
- Who is allowed to use our Teamspeak server
- How loot works in raids
- How people perform in raids
Firstly .. I'd like to stress that, overall, the guild is not going to change. We are not going to approach raiding, loot rules or who we allow to raid with us any differently. So anyone who doesn't like this should either accept it or move on.
We are open to tweaking how things work, but the basic ethos of our guild .. being inclusive not exclusive; basing who we accept to the guild and to raids not on the character but on the person; focussing on having fun and enjoying our time in the game, not playing the blame game .. this is not going to change.
We are not, have never, will never, promote ourselves as a progression, hardcore raiding guild. We expect people to do their best when they're raiding with us, but are fully aware that different people have different abilities and have a real life that often intrudes.
We are a grown up guild full of grown up people who have real lives, real families, real responsibilities, studies, work, etc .. we therefore work on the assumption that everyone can be honest with themselves and others when it comes to being a guild member. We expect people to read and understand our guild rules, and the spirit behind those rules - be nice, be friendly, be helpful, be considerate.
Raid members are expected to do their best and self police - they should be checking their performance against others and working on ways to improve; we have loads of people in the guild who are willing to offer advice and to help, but please understand that not everyone is available at the exact point in time when you want that help .. we have forums, we have discord chat, we have a guild calendar for events, we have discord and teamspeak chat channels.
Members of the guild are encouraged to help and offer advice when asked for. Cookies will be distributed when we manage to get Nomi trained adequately ...
To specifically address some of the issues raised recently, all in one place:
- Our Teamspeak server is ONLY for use of guild members. Our voice servers have only *ever* been for the use of guild members. We have only very occasionally relaxed this rule, and then regretted it. If people wish to speak to someone who is not in the guild, on a voice server that they do not own/rent, they're welcome to use our Discord "Friends and Family" chat channel linked in this forum post: http://www.darkwolves.eu/forums/viewtopic.php?t=11372797&p=39127018&gid=180473#39127018 - we expect good behaviour on these channels and if we find that our free servers are being abused they will be taken offline and/or people will be banned from using them.
- We have been open about the way our guild loot rules work. Everyone, as part of their application process to join the guild, states they have read the guild rules, including the raiding loot rules, and that they accept them. We are open to reasonable suggestions for improvements, but these suggestions should be for the good of the guild and be no more complicated to administer than normal. We promote our raids as primarily being organised for fun, to kill a few bosses and perhaps get a bit of loot. We do not focus on speed-runs through raids, min-maxing gear or prioritising loot. If we have specific requirements in place for the way our loot system works, we expect people to stick to them. Deciding "that doesn't apply to me" doesn't wash. You are a team member, or you aren't. We want team members, not zergers or go-go players. We're doing our best not to linger too much, but we're not going to rush through and sap all enjoyment and fun out of the raid, because that's just not what we're about.
Please DO NOT whisper individuals asking if you can have their loot, or if they'll give you some gold, or some flasks. This is akin to those guys in Orgrimmar that sit around all day begging for gold. We don't condone begging in any form. If you need consumables, you're welcome to ask in guild or raid chat, but understand that you should be prepared to trade materials or pay for the consumables you're asking for. Someone has spent their own time and/or gold obtaining those items in the first place, it's only fair that you offer to replace them (and this also relates to anyone who makes cauldrons .. they take a lot of time and effort to create, and require a LOT of consumables)
- We expect all who raid with us to do their best. They should ensure they know all raiding rules prior to signing up for raids. They should know HOW signing up for raids works. They should turn up to raids with the relevant flasks, potions and foods and they should not rely on others to provide these for them. They should be fully gemmed and enchanted. This is the *minimum* standard we expect. If you need help with any of the preparation prior to a raid, please ask well before the raid .. ideally a day or so before. People should have some way of checking their performance against others - this could be by using an addon such as Skada or Recount, or by checking out the combat logs posted after each raid. They should see if there are any areas they could improve and then work to improve. We have plenty of members who can offer advice and help - don't be afraid to ask.
On the flip side of this .. please take into account that everyone occasionally has an off day, that some bosses are better for some classes than others, that everyone performs differently, that as we get older, some of those reactions slow (!!), that everyone learns boss fights at a different pace and that sometimes people don't welcome unasked-for advice (either because the timing is wrong or because they're aware of any problems and know how to deal with them). If you have advice to give, you're welcome to make a general offer in guild chat, or post information in our forums or the relevant chat channels in discord.
If anyone has any problems, either with the above or with our guild rules, please let me know.
