My apologies to Fimlys of Asleep at the WoW, and to his guild.  Many thanks for being so welcoming, and I enjoyed my time with you.

But…

It just wasn’t meant to be.  If you remember, dear readers, I contemplated moving to Fim’s server full-time for a number of reasons.  Draenor is a West Coast server, so it would be more compatible with my play times, for one.  There are also more than a couple bloggers that are playing over there as well, including Lady Jess and Awlbiste. So in early June I moved my highest level alt, a level 52 Shadow Priest over there.

I had some good times over there, sure, and Fim’s guild was more than welcoming.  They are also progressing nicely, running Kara quite a bit and even stepping into ZA and some 25 man content.

It just wasn’t meant to be, though.

I’m a part-time player, hence the blog title, and splitting my part-time play-time in two was just not going well.  I only play about half as much as most people, and then try to split that half into quarters spread across two servers and 3 characters…well…you get the picture.  I found myself mostly ignoring my priest over there, and my priest also happened to be my highest level alt.  Aside from that, the priest is a high level enchanter and tailor, and I don’t have a replacement back on my “home” server.  I’m already tired of vendoring high level greens.

So a decision had to be made.  For this to work, all my characters must be together.  It was time for me either to go whole hog or go back home.  Sure, we their play-times aren’t 100% compatible with mine, but I love my guild.  It’s a great group of people, and in case you haven’t noticed I even got to raid the Black Temple recently.  The decision seemed all too easy.

So it was that I tucked my shadow priestly tail between my legs and went back home.  I completed the transfer back to Whisperwind with my priest this morning.  I do have a couple low level alts still on Draenor, though.  And one of them has a fantastic name for a Gnome Warrior (Halftime) and a fully tricked out, enchanted to the hilt set of white gear.  He’s one bad-ass level 10 warrior.   Maybe I’ll just play him from time to time to still hang out with Fim’s awesome guild and the other bloggers.

Anyhow, sorry I couldn’t stay, but thanks for being so kind.  Just don’t ignore me if I ask for a run through the Deadmines sometime soon! 

If you happen to be looking for a new guild, there is a refrain you’ll hear over and over again.  “No drama allowed.”  It seems guilds that are looking for members want to assure people that there won’t be any real conflicts, whining, or general mean-spiritedness within the guild.  This is something that is impossible to guarantee, and also something likely impossible to achieve, but that’s beside the point.  Is it possible that guilds and the people in them actually thrive on guild drama?

Classical Theory of Guild Drama

By the traditional way of looking at things, guild drama is nothing but deadly.  Many a guild has been torn asunder by intense storms of drama.  Big guilds, small guilds, high profile guilds, PvP guilds, you name it, many of them has fallen victim to intense drama.

Therefore, one big job that guilds have undertaken is the avoidance of drama.  Smart guilds have very specific policies to try and quiet arguments.  Very specific loot systems are set up to assure a “fair” distribution of loot.  Many guilds also have detailed interview processes and trial periods before accepting new members.  In the end, all of these serve to keep things peaceful and humming along.

Does that mean there is no place for drama?  Is there any way in which drama can be helpful?

Drama is Essential

Stop and think about this for a second:  where would we be without guild drama?  The various loot systems, for instance, would there be so many detailed systems if everyone automatically “got along?”  People have put a lot of work into various DKP systems to try to make them as fair as possible.  Would they have bothered if everyone could automatically get along?  Probably not.  Are we better for having these systems?  Yes.

Think about your guild message boards for a second, if you have them.  (And if you don’t, why not?)  My guild happens to have a very lively message board.  We talk about all things WoW and a lot of other things besides.  We’ll talk about nearly anything, excepting of course, politics and religion. (Though honestly I’d love it if we did.  I’ll argue anything.  I’m a secularist who supports Obama, if you must know.)

Even our lively message board, though, never gets as “fired up” as it does when there is some kind of drama at hand.  If we start arguing about guild direction, for instance, everyone seems to come out to play.  Lurkers suddenly make their stances known, and the more vocal members go at it in post after post.

This doesn’t mean it gets downright mean, it never does, but our guild “drama” posts are always the most lively.  They bring out the most responses, and guarantee a great deal of guild interaction.  Is that a good thing?  Yes.

Also, let’s face it.  People in some way enjoy guild drama.  Don’t kid yourself.  Some deep, dark part of you just likes it when things get a little heated.  Just look at the way that tales of guild drama spread.  Look at the success of shows like Jerry Springer.  Isn’t that just a different form of guild drama, after all? 

Break it Down to Build it Back Up

Sometimes this is the only way.  Think about it like a house - sometimes you can throw on a new coat of paint and make a few repairs, and it’s as good as new.  Sometimes, though, the studs are rotted out, the ceiling is ready to cave in, and you need to start fresh.  You need to bulldoze the thing to build it stronger than it was before.  The same could be said of guilds and their policies.  Sometimes, it’s necessary to tear the whole thing down to make it anew.  By this I don’t literally disband the guild, but sometimes you just have to throw everything out the window.

What causes that to happen?  A lot of the time it’s guild drama.  Sometimes things just won’t change for the better without vocal dramatists to bring it to the forefront.  There are often very serious issues that linger below the surface, and if you quash all sense of guild drama, you prevent them from surfacing until they get so intense that they tear the guild apart.  Isn’t it better to allow a bit of guild drama to take place once in awhile?

Heck, you could easily argue that the good old US of A was founded on guild drama on a grand scale.

Besides, do you want a Brave New World-esque totalitarian guild where you can’t voice your opinion for fear of rocking the boat?  I sure don’t.  I’m argumentative at heart, and I imagine a lot of other people out there are too!  Isn’t a perfectly peaceful guild just a little…boring?

Conclusion

Guild Drama does serve a purpose, and it does have its place.  That doesn’t mean you need to go all Jerry Springer, but you shouldn’t have an irrational fear of drama either.  Also, any guild that says there is “no drama” is probably lying.  If they haven’t had it yet, they will.  It’s just the way people are.  Eventually someone is going to be unhappy about something, and maybe in the process they can make your guild even better.  The strongest guilds are those that can weather guild drama, and use it to their advantage.  So don’t automatically fear those that might bring a little drama to your guild.  Maybe they just want to make it better for everyone.

Right now I am in the process of trying to decide whether or not to switch servers.  That’s the short version.  What follows is the long - and long is what I mean, so read on if you dare.

The possibility of me leaving my server doesn’t have anything to do with guild drama or anything like that.  It doesn’t even have anything to do with my recent posts about WoW apathy.  (And there is certainly plenty of that to go around!)  When you get down to brass tacks, it hinges on one issue, albeit a major one:  playtime.

I have been a member of my guild for about 5 years.  Yes, I have been in this guild since BEFORE WoW was even released, I began playing with them in that tank of an MMORPG, Horizons.  (Ugh!  Double UGH!)  It’s an old, tight-knit guild whose history goes beyond even that, they began life in good old Asheron’s Call.  (If you must know, it’s the guild that was formed by Faile Bashere, and if you spent any time in AC during its heyday, you probably know who that is.)

Anyhow, I have been with them a very long time, and they have almost everything I want in a guild.  They are all mature players, and have moved from game to game over the years, and they have a nice balance of a casual, family feel and enough raiders to keep me happy.  I love them, I really do.  The problem is, I hardly ever get to really PLAY with them.

Part of being the “Part Time Druid” is playing part time hours.  I log on around 9-10pm GT, and by that time most of my guild events are long since over.  I’ve only been able to participate in a dozen or so guild events in the last year, and have actually spent more time in our alliance events than strict guild events.  I just flat out can’t often log on at 7 pm GT, which is around the time most things start.  I have a family, and I cannot sacrifice very much, if any, quality family time for a bunch of ones and zeroes over the internet.

Now, another part of being the “Part Time Druid” is that I’ve recently gained a number of NEW WoW friends.  I’ve met a lot of other WoW bloggers through the wonders of Blog Azeroth and my ungodly long list of Google reader blogs.  I spend a good part of most days hanging out in a Blog Azeroth chatroom, chatting about everything WoW (and a lot of things non-WoW.)

Anyway, through this new bit of networking, I found what could be a very nice new home.  It turns out that Fimlys of Asleep at the WoW and Twisted Nether fame is in  a guild that happens to be west coast centric.  What that means is that most of their guild events start right around the time I usually log on.  Another blogger, Lady Jess also recently transferred over to that server to join Fim.

So last week in BA chat, I told Fim I was going to roll an alt over on his server, just to hang out a little.  So I did.

What I found out quickly was that when I logged on, there were roughly DOUBLE the amount of players logged on as there were at the same time on my server.  Sometimes many more than that, even.

So, then I decided to take another baby step.  I transferred my highest level non-70 alt over, a level 52 Shadow Priest.  Thus far, I’ve found the guild quite enjoyable, and very welcoming.  I’m starting to consider going “whole hog,” and transferring my two 70s over there as well.

But it’s so damn hard to decide.

I’ve been with my present guild for SOOO LOOONG.  I love all the people, and in very nearly every way they are very compatible with me.  But the one area in which they aren’t is a pretty dang big area.

One the other hand, this new guild is quite welcoming, and very compatible with me in terms of playtimes.  However, they are a bit behind my present guild as far as progression, and if I make the switch I don’t know how soon they will get to where my guild is now.

But do I care all that much about progression?  The answer is probably no.  If I did, I probably wouldn’t be with the guild I’m with either.

But God, I’ve been with my guild for so long, it’s hard to even imagine leaving them behind.  Have any of you reading been with a guild for over 5 years?  Do you know anyone who has?  In my experience, guild hopping in WoW is fairly common.  I’ve been with these guys since BEFORE WoW.  They’re like a comfortable old shirt, everyone knows me, and I know everyone.  But at the same time I honestly hardly get to see them.  I chat with them more on our quite lively message boards than in game, and I can easily continue to do that if I choose.

I just.  Don’t.  Know.  And I could really use some advice.  So if you’ve read this far, I hope you’d be gracious enough to leave a comment with your thoughts, or even send me an email at PartTimeDruid@gmail.com.  Thanks for reading!

We’ve all been there before. Even the tightest guilds, filled with RL friends and mature players get bitten by the guild drama bug occasionally. In a game that necessitates so many people working together, it’s bound to happen. It’s human nature. It can also come in a variety of forms, so I thought we’d look at a few that crop up regularly.

Casuals vs. Raiders

The Problem

This is the type that bites my guild in its collective arse most often. My guild is casual at its core, though we do have a contingent of people that like to raid and progress. I don’t think we have enough players that fit the raider mold to make us a “casual raiding” guild, so occasionally the two camps have to battle it out a little.

You see, casual players do LIKE to raid, at least many of them do, but they aren’t necessarily devoted to it. They don’t spend their days poring over spreadsheets, reading boss strategies or studying gear. They want to see the content, they just aren’t really gung ho about it. The way that WoW is presently constituted, you need a certain level of devotion to progress in the raiding environment. (Keep in mind that when I talk about raiding, I’m talking about 25 man content. To me, Kara is more an extension of five man content than anything else.)

The true raiders in the guild, however, can get frustrated if people aren’t as prepared for a raid as they should be. If they don’t bring basic consumables, or if they don’t show up on time.

What this does is causes occasional rifts, where our boards go a little sour as vocal members of both camps argue over what being a member of our guild really means. It can get heated, and it causes problems and hurt feelings occasionally.

The Remedy

So how do you combat this? By being very open, and very frank about what you expect from the guild. There has to be some compromise about the stance of the guild on this issue. Ultimately, you have to decide as a guild which direction you want to take. Take raiding more seriously, or stick with the easy stuff, like Kara?

Another thing that helps my guild is the alliance we are in. We have banded with other casual guilds to run 25 man content, and it’s been pretty successful. There is a defined path for the raiders to take, and the more casual guild members can go about their business.

Phat Lewtz Syndrome

The Problem

Ahh yes, loot drama. This is part and parcel of WoW and any other MMORPG, for the most part. Everybody wants new shinies to look at, and it can cause real problems.

“Why should he get Loot X for his alt, when I still haven’t gotten anything for my main!”

“Why is it he gets 2 pieces of loot, and I get none?”

“I’ve done this dungeon 1.5 thousand times, he’s only done it twice, I should automatically get that drop!”

I’m sure we’ve all seen these situations. I don’t think I need to spell this one out any more, everybody wants loot, and people often want the same drop.

The Remedy

So how do you fix it? Again, this comes down to being very frank, and very up front. You should have very clear loot rules that are understood by everyone. If you have to go over them at the start of every run, so be it. Just make sure that everyone is aware of how things work. You might have rules that state loot goes to “main specs” before “off specs.” One purple per run, something to that effect. If you really have to, look into a more defined loot system, like Suicide Kings or DKP.  IMO, the actual system doesn’t matter so much as a strict adherence to it, and an understanding by EVERYONE on how it works.

The Invasion of General Apathy

The Problem

It seems there are quite a few cases of this going around at the present time. We’re in a bit of a WoW downturn, as people have grown tired of what 2.4 had to offer, and now we wait patiently (or not so patiently) for Wrath. It’s happened before, and it will happen again. Sometimes large groups of people just get a little burned out all at once.

The Remedy

How do you fix it? Well, you can read a detailed post I wrote about it here, but I can try to sum up a few quick thoughts as well. You can focus more on alts, maybe polish off a tradeskill. Perhaps you need to start scheduling five man runs like you do raids. It’ll take more work to keep things going during an apathetic phase, but as long as you still have some dedicated players you can weather the storm.

The Bad Apple

The Problem

So you get a new guildy. He gets through the normal process to be added to your guild, whatever that may be, and things go swimmingly for a week or so. Then the problems start to surface. Maybe you got the guy that’s always looking for handouts from his guild, or always looking for help with literally everything. Perhaps you got yourselves a loot ninja in disguise (luckily, those never seem to last long - once you know someone is a loot ninja, they get escorted out of the bar fairly quickly). Heck, maybe you found the guy that, once he gets comfortable, likes to spurt racial or sexual epithets in chat. If nothing else, maybe he just turns out to be a real jerk.

Whatever it is, you recruited the wrong guy. The problem with the bad apple is that if you don’t take care of it quickly, the Bad Apple can cause widespread discontent. The saying “one bad apple can spoil the bunch” isn’t far from the truth. A Bad Apple allowed to spread his disease can turn off other members in the process. They also have a knack for making your whole guild look bad.

The Remedy

If you get a Bad Apple, don’t expect them to change.  The chances are pretty good that if someone shows bad behavior repeatedly, they aren’t suddenly going to turn over a new leaf.  Heck, in real life people seldom change at the urging of others - why would we expect them to do it in a game?  Therefore, if you identify a Bad Apple, kick them to the curb.  Don’t worry about being so nice, your guild is paying for the Bad Apple’s indiscretions.  /gkick them and don’t look back.

You might also want to look at HOW this guy slipped through.  Do you interview prospective guild members?  If you don’t, why not?  Do they get a trial run?  Maybe it’s time you tightened the recruiting reigns a bit.  This is one area where my guild does an excellent job.  We don’t just take anyone, we have a whole interview process that can be very in depth.  We have to KNOW you will fit in before any guild invites come your way.  We pride ourselves on being a mature, friendly guild.  One of the ways we keep it that way is through strict recruitment policies.

Conclusion

I wrote this post largely due to the third entry, General Apathy.  The sort of downturn that WoW is presently in has destroyed many a strong guild.  If you are going to keep things going until Wrath, you’re really going to have to be on your guild ball.  That means identifying other instances of guild drama and taking care of them expeditiously.  My guild weathered the storm before BC was released, and I am 100% positive that we will weather this one as well.  It takes some work, but it can be done.  Thanks for reading!