Lazy Days

Thursday we had crap attendance again so I recruited a new mage and shaman while we wiped in TOGC and ran alts in regular TOC. I’m frustrated, the raiders are frustrated, and the only people that aren’t frustrated are the ones that don’t show up.

I was not needed for the second ICC 10 on my priest or lock on Friday or Saturday so I spent some time on basic toon maintenance - fishing, herbing, doing the fishing and cooking dailies for the first time in about a month, and getting my little scrub mage some crafted gear so she is not totally embarrassing to look at…poor Bopeep! Now she could at least run an TOC 10 though.

Yesterday was all about my alt though. Hunter and warrior are the only two classes I don’t have at least to their 60s.

I have a warrior in sitting at 40 who is decked in BOA and Scarlet Crusade gear. I pull her out when someone I know has a toon about her level, play with them for a level or so, then forget about her again. I’d like to get excited about her but I’m just not. I think it might just be a melee class thing. The rogue stuck at level 73 was power leveled with RAF through dungeons and just sits in Dalaran now with a bouquet of flowers as her offhand.

The hunter, on the other hand, I think may have a chance. I figured out at least part of the reason she was stuck in her 30s for so long - her name. She had a name that was too similar to the Princess’s name and every time I logged on her I continuously got whispers for him. Not so good when you’re trying to keep a low profile and escape from GM-type whispers for a while. I woke up yesterday and decided that she needed to be an engineer and needed a name change. I dumped enchanting and skinning, ran a few dungeons, quested my way through STV and now she’s Pyroannie, has mining and engineering at 300, and has hit level 42. Bombs are fun!



We’ll have to wait and see what tonight looks like for raiding but you can be quite sure the masses will be on tomorrow. I can’t wait to use some of Gauss’s suggestions for Dreamwalker (see his comments on the last post). I’ll keep you posted!

Chicken

Nope, TOGC didn’t happen.

We went to ICC as expected. It was kind of a flaky, spacy mood at first but it was overall not too bad. The usual suspects are dead and we spent some quality time on Dreamwalker. Our issues there, I think, are a combination of bad tanking and DPS that isn’t used to bad tanking. The DPS therefore doesn’t run from big things that will hit them and they stand there beating on it and dying with surprised looks on their faces because no one pulled it off of them. I’m still looking for a tank to blow me away.

The reason we didn’t go to TOGC? I chickened out.

Recruiting is getting harder and harder as we get closer to the end of the content and people are either “taking breaks”, involved with springtime things involving sunshine or school, or sticking with the guilds they have because they’re either seeing the content they want or have given up on seeing the content they want. This means I need to keep the people that are in the guild happy. Also, I realized, we have largely weeded out the reset raiders that used to be such a pain in the ass every Tuesday. I genuinely like most of the people in the guild at this point - some more than others but overall there’s a pretty good feeling - and I don’t want to lose them to a guild that is going to carry them through the content we haven’t downed yet. So, their happiness won out for this week.

Back to the recruiting drawing board for me. We still need a couple of raiders that don’t have RL commitments (or a fear of commitment) to allow us some breathing room certain days of the week. Should I see us slipping again though….TOGC here we come.

It's Either Evil or Brilliant

Mwhahahaha….

When the raiders - loyal and reset alike - arrive on Tuesday they may find themselves in for a surprise. There may be no Frost Emblems, farm bosses and shiny 264 purples. What there may be is progression of a different sort complete with WWS reports, notes of how well they take the news (and ninja logs), and very familiar content with a twist.

The guild was very young, mostly under-geared, and somewhat inexperienced when we formed last June so we were still running Naxx 25 for gear for some folks to make it past the first several bosses in Ulduar 25. This means that we started behind in the race for progression there and were still playing catch-up when TOC 25 was released. We did a pretty good job of catching up on TOC to some of the other guilds but it wasn’t until ICC that we started content on an almost equal footing. Sadly we still have not gone back and downed Yogg, completed some of the hard modes, or really made an honest attempt at Trial of the Grand Crusader 25. We’ve been too wrapped up in the newest content to make time for it.

Well, guess what raiders….TOGC is calling.

I am frustrated with the slow pace of our ICC 25 progression and concerned about the complicated, raid awareness challenging content to come (Oh, was that poison I was standing in? Oops. I didn’t bite the right person and now I’m mind controlled? Oops.), and certain attention spans and learning curves. My train of thought right now is this:

• If people can’t listen to directions and assignments on very familiar (for the most part) content how will we ever get down unfamiliar, complex content?

• If a raider is lazy, spaced out, doesn’t care, insert excuse here ________ , and dies to things they’ve known to avoid for months then what does that say about them for progression content in ICC?

• If a raider is unwilling to do content that may not result in shiny purple 264’s but is still progression points for the guild then do they really belong here?

So, Tuesday, unless I am persuaded (and it better be a damn good reason) otherwise, we will be going to TOGC. I will be recording the raid and those that are successful, attentive, and positive will be given a great deal of priority for the ICC 25 content they desire. Those that are negative, wearing the Stupid Debuff, or unwilling to do the content will be less of a priority and, in extreme cases, relegated to post-progression content or removed from the guild.

What am I expecting? Honestly, I expect most of them to do their best and actually like aspects of the idea. I think the very small minority will be the ones complaining (or worse) that I will have to deal with later, and I think there may be 2 or 3 that will be having serious conversations about their status in the guild with their class leader and me.

Wish me luck!

Hello Arthas

Finally. We are on the Lich King in 10 man ICC. Soooo close I can almost taste the frosty death.


Now we just need to get here on 25....

Stupid Awards of the Week

The WTF RP Award of the Week goes to….

/drumroll

Random players on Nesingwary - they targeted me as a raid boss with focusing gems on the steps of the Dalaran bank for at least 20 minutes while players I don’t even know played out an entire RP raid scenario…on a non-RP server. Including blowing Heroism. (Ok, it was kind of funny and they were clearly bored. Lol.)


The Shouldn’t You be Farming Award of the Week goes to…

/drumroll

Me. For standing on the steps in Dalaran long enough for that to happen while doing nothing but /tells and talking in vent.


The Homework is Sooooo Boring Award of the Week goes to…

/drumroll

The 80 paladin who thought if he didn’t use the right color gems in his sockets he would not get any of the gems properties. /sigh


The Let Me Tell You a Story Award of the Week goes to…

/drumroll

A particular lock and druid who persisted in giving long, drawn out explanations of how they died (or how they didn’t know how they died) in vent during Dreamwalker 25 - which is a very vocal fight for calling out mobs. This despite being asked to be more succinct. Seriously, just don’t die. Repeatedly.

Communication and Lark 101

(I'm thinking about putting this on our guild forums...I'd love some input first as to whether or not it's a good idea!)

With new content come new challenges. I understand it is a time when things that you might have brushed off before suddenly seem bigger and more aggravating. Wiping over and over on the same bosses can be frustrating and the repair bills can make you wonder when you're going to have time to farm enough. It can seem like a long road when you're on it and I can understand why you might feel a bit blue at times. It is, however, progression....this is what is it always like. But wait! At the end of all this you get that great feeling when everything clicks and we finally down the big, bad boss! It's never as hard as it is the first time...nor is it ever as good which is why I don't want to be in a guild that carries me through content.

That being said please know that I care about each of you and want to make sure you are hanging in there and feeling okay. I'm available if you want to talk and want to help you to feel heard. So, this little post is to help you understand how the mind of Lark works so that you don't walk away feeling like you've wasted your time.

1. Have the facts. Come prepared with specific example of situations you might like to have seen handled differently. Vague allusions to "well, that one time" or "well, I'm not going to name names but..." do not go very far. If your complaint or concern is not important enough for you to gather your research or (God forbid!) put yourself out on a limb then it's probably going to get filed in the Lacking Seriousness File. If you're not comfortable naming names then encourage the actual person with the issue to come to me directly. Contrary to popular belief (and to the disappointment of some!) I seldom bite.


2. If you would like to see a rule or process changed then bring logic and a potential solution. Simply telling me you don't like it is nothing but aggravating. If you want to see the way we do, say, 10 man ICCs changed then bring me a plan. When you bring these ideas though, be prepared for me to play Devil's Advocate and ask some hard questions. Remember, while I care about what you want and what you have to say I have 40+ other people to take into account.


3. Let the dead horse rest in peace and for god's sake quit beating it! If you have attempted to go through the steps in #2 and you do not get the change you want, believe me there are reasons why it didn't change. If I have explained to you repeatedly why something like the loot system is not going to suddenly go to DKP then let it go. Try to understand the reasoning behind decisions - and I'm happy to go into detail with you - but at the end of the day it is what it is in certain circumstances. Now, if you have a suggestion on how to make the current system better...well, then refer to #2 on this list.


4. If the issue is with me and something I may say or do there is only one simple thing to do: Be honest. Don't launch a personal attack or come into a conversation defensive but be honest. If I ask you for clarification about why you feel the way you do then tell me. Decide what it is that you want to make sure I understand and stick to the topic...talking in circles and changing subjects doesn't help. I'm very logical and will be more open to feedback if you are addressing one thing at a time.


5. Lastly, be prepared for me to need time to think. Don't take long silences as a sign I've checked out and am now IMing on Facebook. I'm not. I'm listening and I'm thinking about what you are saying. Give me a chance to process whatever it is and respond. If what you are bringing me is something that will have an impact on the guild if we change it then be prepared for me to take some time to bring it to the officers and, possibly, other people or to do some more homework of my own.


Wow, that was longer that I thought it would be! Hope it helps!

Go Figure

Four guild members quit tonight and, for the first time ever in this situation, I really don’t care.

Two of the four were being largely carried and I certainly won’t miss the complaints from the healers about the squishy tank or the wipes because the healer does a mediocre job. One of them was not a bad melee dps but was hit or miss when it came to attendance. The last I will miss for performance but half the guild hated (and, yes, I do mean hated, him) and he too was iffy lately on attendance.

The only things about the situation that irritate me are that they /gquit without a word - they all came in together - and that they raided tonight and took loot prior to leaving which, in my mind is unethical. The tank and healer don’t need to be replaced at this point, the shadow priest already has been, and the rogue shouldn’t be too hard to find quickly.

The guild’s reaction was amusing in that there was little surprise and the overwhelming sentiment was one of relief. Sad for them that they can be here with these folks for some time and, when they leave, no one is terribly upset. That says something about their character and interactions with the guild I suppose.

Otherwise, nice raid tonight. We moved fairly fast, got Blood Council down again, and made some definite progress on Blood Queen…tomorrow she dies!

Dear Guildies,

This week I would appreciate if you would make an effort to keep your GM sane.

I know you are capable of so much more than you are demonstrating right now. Your work on the Blood Council proves that not only can we down bosses further into ICC 25 but that we can do without night after night of wiping. We did not spend much time on them last night - just enough for people who had never done it to get the hang of the annoying swirly vortexes of doom - and that last attempt, the one where we killed them, none of you even died.

So, this week, please dear guildies, kill the damn oozes fast on Putricide without killing yourselves, bite the people you are supposed to bite before you fall under the control of the Blood Queen, and be on the correct side of the frost tombs so you don’t get your face frozen off.

Let’s all check for the Stupid Debuff, set American Idol to record, tell your significant other you will make it up to them if they leave you alone during raids, turn down the music so your RL doesn’t have to repeat themselves, and FOCUS!

Oh, and one more thing...no more freaking AFKs!!!

Thank you,

Your very tired and frustrated GM

Bring Out Your Dead!

Just another Friday night in SAN...20 new DKs roflstomped Azeroth!


We bonded by killing innocent citizens. It was heart-warming. Really.

We were thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis close to winning the battle and staying evil. I swear. We were.

Just to unwind after becoming all not-so-evil we scared the hell out of Arathi Basin horde and ate some 80 horde faces who were trying to touch out newly beloved Stormwind.

We rule.

Much fun was had by all...in a clammy undead sort of way.

Single Abstract Noun

As many of you know, there is a new place to hang out with the blogging community! Thanks to Miss Medicina and many more Single Abstract Noun is thriving over on Argent Dawn. For more information check this out! http://missmedicina.blogspot.com/2010/03/single-abstract-noun-is-recruiting.html

Meet the new Xlark! (And who knew Nelfs had so much cleavage?!)


I have to admit, I’ve been a bit shy about jumping right in to this new world. The RP aspect of it confuses and intimidates me…oh, I’ve been reading up on RP etiquette and whatnot but so far I just don’t quite get it. I’m willing to explore a different way of experiencing the game. I just feel a little silly right now.

Also, my alts are spoiled. They are used to having a big sister to give them gold and bags and shiny greens as soon as they come into being. They want BOAs! Over on AD there is no gold, bags or BOAs for them and the thought of leveling a toon without these lovely luxuries seems daunting. I like my spoiled alts, damn it! I’ve thought of transferring a semi-leveled toon over with goodies but feel like I might miss out on part of what this new venture would bring. I haven’t completely ruled out the idea but for now I’m going to see how it goes.

It’s fun to see the names of people I’ve been following and finding new blogs to read. I had to laugh when I tabbed out to blog hop, followed a link on Miss M.’s blog roll, wound up at http://gnomesryummy.blogspot.com/ and tabbed back in to see his new gnome, Imyummy, online. When am I ever going to level this little druid if I keep getting distracted by blogs?!

See you over on Argent Dawn! Look for Xlark!

Raiding Blues

I don’t feel like raiding. Really, shocking, I know. I’m having one of those days when I question why I ever wanted to run a guild. I don’t want to log on to any of my toons in the guild and have to deal with any of the following:

Who’s missing? Where is the shammie who said his mom was sick and hasn’t been on for 10 days? Why does it seem like we are missing someone in guild…did they ninja transfer and I haven’t figured it out yet? Will either of the other shammies show up tonight to heal or will they offer more vague excuses after the fact? And where is our fluffy chicken who hasn’t been on in 2 days? Is he ok?

The priest doesn’t like the other priest who doesn’t like the hunter who doesn’t like the warrior. So who is going to /emogquit today?

What am I going to do about the officer who shows up once every few weeks and wants to be in on a Tuesday night? And feels entitled because he pays for vent. And how can I justify bringing him in over raiders who are there every night? And, frankly, why should I? And on that note, what will the officers be bitching and arguing about tonight?

Will we have enough healers? Tanks? Dps? If not, why? Does that mean I need to recruit even more?

Last night was really sloppy from Marrowgar all the way through Rotface. I’m not really in the mood to try and motivate them for progression. I still can’t quite figure out what was off about it. Just one of those nights, I guess. Maybe tonight will be better. Some magical change will take place and everyone will do their jobs to the best of their abilities. I can hope. Besides, it’s too late to call in sick.

What's Aggro?

The other day, as I was happily healing random dungeons on my little baby pally (don't ask why I needed another one...I had to level something!), I encountered this Noobmage Buttscratcha (zomg, a name says soooo much!) in SFK. He had no self control! None! Blithely blizzarding his happy gnome ass off before the poor bear had a chance to swipe on every pull. I finally informed him that if he insisted on tanking I would cheerfully let him die.


His response, "I'm not tanking!"


We nicely tried to explain he needed to watch his aggro which led to this...

I hope he has lucrative professions...this one's going to rack up a lot of repairs bills.

To Rant or Not to Rant...

Lately the hot topic in the Wow blog world seems to be whether or not you should - or even can - have anonymity about your blog, whether it is something you can not exactly hide but not announce either and keep it to a few friends, or whether you need to throw a party and come completely out of the blogging closet. Cranky Healer has a great post with links to the vast majority of the posts that I read about this http://crankyhealer.wordpress.com/2010/03/05/anonymity-blogs-and-bloggers/. Tamarind at Righteous Orbs made me sad as I’ve been following him for some time http://www.blogger.com/www.righteousorbs.com/?p=1447. Oh, and I am so creating a toon for this idea missmedicina.blogspot.com/2010/03/single-abstract-noun-is-recruiting.html!

I haven’t written much recently because I know at least a few guildies read my posts once in a while. Other than the one time I accidentally pasted the blog link into /gchat instead of /tell (which luckily no one was paying attention to as I’m sure they thought it was one more piece of boss homework I wanted them to do before raid) I haven’t officially announced to my guild that this blog exists. Some read it, most don’t - it’s hard enough to get them to read strategies and I still get the /chat equivalent of a blank stare when I mention the forums to a few of them.

The reason I mention this is every time I’ve started a post this last few days it has been deleted before I publish something that will most certainly come back to bite me in the ass. I started blogging as a way to vent and get out some of the GM/RL angst that was smothering me and to try to be somewhat humorous about it at the same time. What started an attempt to retain some semblance of sanity has grown a wee bit and *gasp* I have no freaking clue who is reading it anymore. (And if you tell me in whispers next time I log on that you aren’t reading it I will know you read it so don’t lie to me. Yes, Moo. I know you do.)

One thing I can say that I don’t say anything here that I either haven’t said or wouldn’t say directly to the person. (Although I might try to tone down the sarcasm just a tad. Might try. Might.) The trouble is what is eating at me lately are topics that are sensitive and could in no way be couched in language to hide certain people’s identity. Let’s face it, for example, if you want to rant about your officers and only have four and a half or so it makes it fairly obvious who you are talking about.

Soooo…until I either resolve the issues, get over them, get steamrolled by new ones, or finally just give in and post the rants I will sit here and stew in silence about them. Someone remind me not to post when drinking anytime soon.

Happy Tuesday of Dead Bosses

Yay for Tuesdays and new timers!

We did indeed gain seven new raiders over the past few days and tonight was our first 25 man with them. Needless to say, being Tuesday every Reset Raider came out of the woodwork assuming they would be included and given the shiny purple pixels of their dreams simply for gracing us with their presence.

Nu’uh, not this week.

I think we capped out at 39 raiders on at one point and, contrary to what the Reset Raiders thought would happen, we included the new raiders in on the vast majority of the bosses. We do a fair amount of subbing in and out on farm bosses and did indeed bring in some of the Reset Raiders for a token boss or two but even the healers - who had gotten particularly comfy with the idea that (pardon the pun) we couldn’t live without them - had to sit if they did not have stellar raid attendance.

And then a couple of things happened…

People paid attention.

Raiders were focused and followed directions well.

Veteran raiders stepped up their game and the new raiders did well.

And, we downed a new boss! That’s right, Blood Council is dead! Best of all, we did it in three tries and most folks had never done it before on 10 man.

There was definitely a tighter feel to the raid tonight. It seemed to bring out the A-game in people knowing that there were several toons parked right outside the instance eager to replace them if things did not go well. There was less negativity, less complaining (outside of whispers anyways lol), and an extremely low rate of people being infected with the Stupid Debuff.

We did “lose” - and I use the term lightly - one mage and his stable of alts because he wasn’t included. Well, duh, you show up every other week for farm content and you think you earned a spot?!? Hello! Nooblet, where were you when we needed you?

We’ll see how the rest of the week plays out and how attendance is but overall I am cautiously optimistic about getting several new 25 man bosses down this week!