To Raid, Or Not To Raid…
November 23, 2009
We’ve run a couple raids. We’ve had a little success. We’ve brought in a whole bunch of really good people, so we decide to hold our breath and make the plunge from “casual guild to “casual raiding guild”…
And, all of the sudden, we’ve got more issues than Cher has surgeries.
What is it about Raiding that creates such strong, polarizing opinions? To some, it is of no interest. To others it is a facet of the end game, no more and no less. And to a certain contingent, it IS the game – everything else is just the slog that must be endured until you get to the stuff that matters.
Well, we’ve dicovered that final contingent within our ranks. In spades. And our attempts to incorporate raiding into a part of the Rats’ normal existence is suddenly being questioned from all sides – and not from those who wish we hadn’t done it. Oh, no. The questions all around us are about whether or not we are doing this “right”.
We have questions about attendance. About content. About which add-ons are “required”. About A-Teams/B-Teams/Z-Teams. About how long we can wait until we can replace someone who doesn’t show up on time. About how many times someone can cause a wipe before they can be replaced. About minimum gear levels before an individual can be “allowed” into certain instances and raid groups.
In short, a WHOLE bunch of questions about how to differentiate the Rats “haves” from the Rats “have nots”. A very active and vocal group of people wanting to know how they can set themselves apart from the rest of the guild.
“Ah”, but these people answer, “It is about performance. Your performance must be EXACT, or your raid will not be successful. These fights require precision. And timing. And perfection.”
See, I used to spend a lot of time at a place that had these requirements. It was called WORK. I don’t WoW to WORK. I spend time with the Rats because there is a big group of people here who I enjoy talking with, spending time with, hitting new milestones in the game with. The descriptions I am getting of these Raid expectations is not of a group of people enjoying each other. It is of a project team working to beat a deadline. I’ve run project teams several times. It isn’t by any stretch of the imagination what I would call “fun”.
So, here is your opportunity. Convince me I am wrong. Show me how we, as a guild, are going to benefit from a subset of our guild getting to tell everyone else why they don’t belong in YOUR raid. ‘Cause, currently, I am finding nothing at all attractive about this aspect of the game that seems to mean so much to some of you.
Disappointed,
- Hawkwind
“we pride ourselves on our professionalism and expertise in instances” -Urfeck
I’d also like to point out past RIR blog posts:
Jan. 20th 09 – “The Secret of our Success”
Jan. 24th 09 – “Instance Jobs and You”
Apr. 21st 09 – “Instance Jobs In Action”
I’ve been taught from the get-go that RIR expects a certain level of professionalism in an instance; that rules and expectations are put in place so that everyone can have fun and know that they’ve just pulled off something fantastic with a great group of friends. Why would we not carry those same expectations into our raids? And should we not expect those rules to be more complex when 10 people are involved instead of 5?
A very simple answer to that question, Obeah. I have never once in my time with RIR had someone talk to me about how to keep another guildie OUT of an instance because they were not “up to snuff”. We have taught people their responsibilities via on the job training since day 1. Now I can’t catch a breath for questions about why we can’t keep “Bob” out of RAIDS because his gear isn’t up to snuff and leave “Jane” out of a RAID because others aren’t happy with her add-on list. Never a question about how good they are, or if they can learn an instance.
And, yes, I have already been approached by those who will be leaving the Rats simply because we are apparently not meeting their requirements in terms of progression through raiding. While I am sad that our focus on people rather than instances is causing you to leave, I wish you the best and hope you find what you are looking for in a larger, raid-centric guild.
Sayonara,
- Hawkwind
Obviously there’s something deeper going via conversations with other rats that I’m not fully aware of but let me just make a couple things clear.
1. I have no intention of leaving the rats. And I definitely have no intention of leaving the rats for a “larger, raid-centric guild”.
2. I believe the rats have the potential and passion to tackle the toughest challenges of this game and my attempts to organize our raiding style was NEVER about instances over people. Obviously you can’t keep everyone happy all the time but my intentions and ideas were all about people and how to keep as many people in our guild happy whether they want to raid and progress, farm for gear and emblems, level a toon or just farm and work the AH. Is turning someone away from a raid because they are not geared or don’t want to bother learning the fights any different from telling someone they don’t meet the level requirements for an old world 5-man?
No it’s not any different. But I feel that we just aren’t cut out to lead this. It’s us that are standing in the way here. You aren’t saying anything different than what we’ve said in the past. I don’t know why it’s different for us all of a sudden but it is. And we’re wise enough leaders to know that it’s us and not you. (sounds like a bad chick flick.)
I’m not leaving. But will follow. I’m good at my character. Hawk is good at his character. We know how to play and will continue to do so. We just won’t be in charge. It’s the best solution we can come up with that makes us all happy.
It’ll be different – but the same.
We’ve trained you well. Live Long and Prosper. Go Forth and Conquer. So Long and Thanks for All the Fish!
Loralia