No matter how much you might like to, you should never allow yourself to go off and tell an officer to take their dramatic pause and go fuck themselves. Because whether you realize it or not, they're usually pretty good about absorbing your own little dramas.
So when a guy needs to flake out and take a break, you let him do it. You let him do it without bullshit, without overmuch comment beyond what you know is acceptable in your relationship, and you just ride it out. If it's the sort of officer break that's going to affect the guild, start thinking about how to adjust to it. It's about all you can do.
In the end, it's just a game. The friendships, relationships, and emotional investments are real - value those. The rest of it? Eh, whatever.
Showing posts with label Guild matters. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Guild matters. Show all posts
2.26.2009
2.21.2009
Surviving your own guild/Getting others to put up their own runs
There are a few things you might think about for personal ground rules. Delegation is always a big thing; you should always be willing to take another step for the guild if someone is in need, but nor should you be always shouldering every damn thing when there's others that can help.
The other thing to remember and keep in mind is that you are not everyone's personal savior. You cannot fix every damn thing that comes up, and you cannot solve everyone's issue. If it's guild related, something you had damn well better be working on anyway, then you ought, but you're not running a finishing school, either.
Case in point: I have a few guild members who are very nice people, but who will not make their own efforts to find an instance run. Nor will they frequently speak up for runs when others make them available, and then these members fret at their inability to get badges for their gear upgrades. I'm sorry, I am not willing to help this beyond a reasonable point. Personal responsibility comes in at certain points, and you cannot hold everyone's hand. If it's a novice, someone very new to the game, you ought consider a little bit of Charm School on their behalf to help them out and get them acclimated, but sooner or later that little chick's gotta fly on its own.
To these, I say: Communicate. Want to get into an instance? Pick one, start with the daily if possible and have an alternate selection. Then check the guild roster - is there a known tank on if you are not one? A healer? Either ask on /g or whisper them politely to see if they're onboard. Take note if they're already in an instance; if they're finishing, which you can ask, again politely, if they're willing to team up for another now or in a while. Prepare to suffer LFG if it's a quiet hour. All guild runs are generally optimal (you can pick your poisons and usually know the team), but sooner or later, you're gonna get a pugger. Hope for the best, have a drink handy for the worst.
Be courageous, and if someone turns you down for the run you want to do, don't take it personally. That's best for ANYTHING WOW: never take anything personally. Especially on /trade.
But for heaven's sake, move your pugs. I'm not a Russian matchmaker. No guild leader is meant to be at all times. Thank you.
The other thing to remember and keep in mind is that you are not everyone's personal savior. You cannot fix every damn thing that comes up, and you cannot solve everyone's issue. If it's guild related, something you had damn well better be working on anyway, then you ought, but you're not running a finishing school, either.
Case in point: I have a few guild members who are very nice people, but who will not make their own efforts to find an instance run. Nor will they frequently speak up for runs when others make them available, and then these members fret at their inability to get badges for their gear upgrades. I'm sorry, I am not willing to help this beyond a reasonable point. Personal responsibility comes in at certain points, and you cannot hold everyone's hand. If it's a novice, someone very new to the game, you ought consider a little bit of Charm School on their behalf to help them out and get them acclimated, but sooner or later that little chick's gotta fly on its own.
To these, I say: Communicate. Want to get into an instance? Pick one, start with the daily if possible and have an alternate selection. Then check the guild roster - is there a known tank on if you are not one? A healer? Either ask on /g or whisper them politely to see if they're onboard. Take note if they're already in an instance; if they're finishing, which you can ask, again politely, if they're willing to team up for another now or in a while. Prepare to suffer LFG if it's a quiet hour. All guild runs are generally optimal (you can pick your poisons and usually know the team), but sooner or later, you're gonna get a pugger. Hope for the best, have a drink handy for the worst.
Be courageous, and if someone turns you down for the run you want to do, don't take it personally. That's best for ANYTHING WOW: never take anything personally. Especially on /trade.
But for heaven's sake, move your pugs. I'm not a Russian matchmaker. No guild leader is meant to be at all times. Thank you.
1.29.2009
Where possible:
Think up rules and solutions to common guild issues before they come up. That way, you'll be praised for your forward planning, and people will give you more wiggle room when the more esoteric stuff comes up and you have to think fast.
Things you should have at least a rough idea of how to handle before you try to have your guild taken seriously:
1. What qualifies as troublemaking in your guild and how you will handle it. The common-sense Anti-Jerk Countermeasures are often a given, but you may want to outline it. (i.e., if someone is simply douchebaggy but breaks no listed rules, there will come a point where you ought to pitch him anyway. Your guild, frequently, will love you for this. So long as you are clear and open about the whys and hows of it.)
2. What roles your guild officers will have and the permissions they will need to accomplish it. (Your initial outline will almost never be the final one, adaptability is a strong point of many surviving guilds)
3. What your bank setup will be like and the permissions that will be made available. (See 2.) This includes how you will handle rare and glorious treasures that your bank may begin to hoard.
4. If you are a raiding guild:
a: LOOT POLICY, LOOT POLICY, LOOT POLICY. This will also adapt over time, but you need to have a program in place before you first set foot in MC, Kara, or Naxx. Be it DKP, SK, or a simply handled /roll system, you need to know what you're doing, and you need your officers to know what they're doing. Remember to send out this information to your raiders regularly, because if you don't, sooner or later, someone may miss out on something useful because they didn't catch the loot policy.
(I had this happen a couple weeks ago and I felt horrible about it - the player in question was not a case of 'READ THE FAQ!', it was a case of needing to post reminders at some point and I hadn't)
b: Raider requirements, and what happens if they are not meeting them. This, like 1., is where it will occasionally suck to be you or an officer. Nobody likes telling people that they have a problem, but if you wimp out on it too much, your team will suffer for it. Remember: Criticism is only useful if it is helpful and will guide your team member towards improvement. Simple 'Your DPS sucks' isn't going to fly. You need to be able to inform them why, ensure that it isn't simply a case of needing to toss more gear at them, and offer talent/rotation suggestions. This is where class officers and a good list of useful sites will help.
c: At least a rough idea as per raid scheduling. "O HAY GUYZ, CAN WE DO SUMTHIN ON SAT??" is less optimal. The game itself has calendar client available for use. I'll get to advanced options in a post about websites.
5. You know I'm forgetting things. Which leads to a handy suggestion for any guild leader: Keep a notepad open on your computer and tap down things/suggestions/to dos as they occur to you. (this is one of those BS common sense suggestions that crop up in every weak tutorial, btw)
Things you should have at least a rough idea of how to handle before you try to have your guild taken seriously:
1. What qualifies as troublemaking in your guild and how you will handle it. The common-sense Anti-Jerk Countermeasures are often a given, but you may want to outline it. (i.e., if someone is simply douchebaggy but breaks no listed rules, there will come a point where you ought to pitch him anyway. Your guild, frequently, will love you for this. So long as you are clear and open about the whys and hows of it.)
2. What roles your guild officers will have and the permissions they will need to accomplish it. (Your initial outline will almost never be the final one, adaptability is a strong point of many surviving guilds)
3. What your bank setup will be like and the permissions that will be made available. (See 2.) This includes how you will handle rare and glorious treasures that your bank may begin to hoard.
4. If you are a raiding guild:
a: LOOT POLICY, LOOT POLICY, LOOT POLICY. This will also adapt over time, but you need to have a program in place before you first set foot in MC, Kara, or Naxx. Be it DKP, SK, or a simply handled /roll system, you need to know what you're doing, and you need your officers to know what they're doing. Remember to send out this information to your raiders regularly, because if you don't, sooner or later, someone may miss out on something useful because they didn't catch the loot policy.
(I had this happen a couple weeks ago and I felt horrible about it - the player in question was not a case of 'READ THE FAQ!', it was a case of needing to post reminders at some point and I hadn't)
b: Raider requirements, and what happens if they are not meeting them. This, like 1., is where it will occasionally suck to be you or an officer. Nobody likes telling people that they have a problem, but if you wimp out on it too much, your team will suffer for it. Remember: Criticism is only useful if it is helpful and will guide your team member towards improvement. Simple 'Your DPS sucks' isn't going to fly. You need to be able to inform them why, ensure that it isn't simply a case of needing to toss more gear at them, and offer talent/rotation suggestions. This is where class officers and a good list of useful sites will help.
c: At least a rough idea as per raid scheduling. "O HAY GUYZ, CAN WE DO SUMTHIN ON SAT??" is less optimal. The game itself has calendar client available for use. I'll get to advanced options in a post about websites.
5. You know I'm forgetting things. Which leads to a handy suggestion for any guild leader: Keep a notepad open on your computer and tap down things/suggestions/to dos as they occur to you. (this is one of those BS common sense suggestions that crop up in every weak tutorial, btw)
1.22.2009
Humor Aside - What gives me the right to tell you how to manage a guild?
Answer: I have the same right and ability as anyone with access to the internet and World of Warcraft does: I have a free Blogger account and a copious amount of spare time.
Further, I'm not really expecting anyone to find this blog and read it. :P
This is your one warning: This blog is not really a how-to site. It will be a record of things I have screwed up, are screwing up, about to screw up, and how I am fixing them or passing them off to someone else more qualified to fix it. There will also be discussions of other screw ups, general hilarity, topical digressions, and above all, how to continue to keep the game fun for yourself.
I am coming up on my one year anniversary as a guild leader, and I will readily confess to you: I still do not always know what I am talking about. I'm fortunate - I have a very active, very vocal officer cadre who has no fear of telling me when I'm screwing something up, or poking me when there IS something that I personally absolutely need to get done. It is this information and experience that I will be trying to post about.
If nothing else, you might get a laugh here and there. Assume I am a true guru at your own peril.
About my guild: I'm not going to share name or server details at this time, as I'd like to keep it anonymous for purposes of protecting the innocent and the guilty. We are one of those blighted 'Social-Casual' raiding guilds that the hardcore like to knock on. We field primarily 10 man teams as we have an innate fear of alliances, which meant that for the last few months of Burning Crusade, we got to know Zul'Jin very, very well. By raiding standards, we are babies. But we are babies that are being served kindly by the new expansion.
At present, we have started to regularly clear Naxx10 and basic OS, and we got Malygos to Phase 3 on our very first try, humbled only by the lack of raw DPS power. We do well on our schedule, but nor will I be squatting here claiming that the posts I make are also Godly when it comes to How To Raid.
The guild itself flourishes, despite my occasional magnificent hiccups. It is by no means gigantic, but stable. It recruits regularly, and does not enforce a hefty raiding schedule on anyone, although the officers often take it on themselves to be consistent and regular. Thus we perhaps qualify for that most dangerous of monikers: Normal.
Call us a testing ground. When I manage to explode it, which I faithfully try not to do, I will chronicle my failure here so that you may not follow my mistakes.
Further, I'm not really expecting anyone to find this blog and read it. :P
This is your one warning: This blog is not really a how-to site. It will be a record of things I have screwed up, are screwing up, about to screw up, and how I am fixing them or passing them off to someone else more qualified to fix it. There will also be discussions of other screw ups, general hilarity, topical digressions, and above all, how to continue to keep the game fun for yourself.
I am coming up on my one year anniversary as a guild leader, and I will readily confess to you: I still do not always know what I am talking about. I'm fortunate - I have a very active, very vocal officer cadre who has no fear of telling me when I'm screwing something up, or poking me when there IS something that I personally absolutely need to get done. It is this information and experience that I will be trying to post about.
If nothing else, you might get a laugh here and there. Assume I am a true guru at your own peril.
About my guild: I'm not going to share name or server details at this time, as I'd like to keep it anonymous for purposes of protecting the innocent and the guilty. We are one of those blighted 'Social-Casual' raiding guilds that the hardcore like to knock on. We field primarily 10 man teams as we have an innate fear of alliances, which meant that for the last few months of Burning Crusade, we got to know Zul'Jin very, very well. By raiding standards, we are babies. But we are babies that are being served kindly by the new expansion.
At present, we have started to regularly clear Naxx10 and basic OS, and we got Malygos to Phase 3 on our very first try, humbled only by the lack of raw DPS power. We do well on our schedule, but nor will I be squatting here claiming that the posts I make are also Godly when it comes to How To Raid.
The guild itself flourishes, despite my occasional magnificent hiccups. It is by no means gigantic, but stable. It recruits regularly, and does not enforce a hefty raiding schedule on anyone, although the officers often take it on themselves to be consistent and regular. Thus we perhaps qualify for that most dangerous of monikers: Normal.
Call us a testing ground. When I manage to explode it, which I faithfully try not to do, I will chronicle my failure here so that you may not follow my mistakes.
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