Do you make plans with two of your friends for doing different things at the same time, then pick whichever one you feel like doing at the last minute? Leaving the other friend standing around waiting for you somewhere, wondering if/when you will show up? I don't. But it seems like all of us must have had guildies as a part of our raid teams who do just that when it comes to signing up for –and flaking on– scheduled raids.
This past week, I've noticed that blogs and the twittersphere have been full of mentions of raids starting an hour late while the hassled raid leader tries to scrounge up a final member or two. Officers annoyed at people who only show up for farm night. Erratic raid members who /gquit after losing a piece of loot to a raid member with near perfect attendance.
That's right, Spring is in the air and we are at that cyclical point in the expansion (or is it every Spring?) where raid drama is rearing its head.
I've said it before in more depth, but the key points are worth repeating:
- If you sign up for a raid and are
slotted to attend, it is a reasonable expectation for your raid team to
expect
you to honor that signup. - When in doubt about whether
or not you will be able to attend, don't sign up for a raid so folks
won't plan on your helping to make it happen. - Raid start time is not the best time for you to AFK
If you're not feeling it — DON'T SIGN UP. It's 100% easier for us to replace you a week in advance than it is at raid start time.
Like they say: “It would seem common sense is not so common anymore.” And more’s the pity in my view.
This sort of thing is extremely annoying and causes way too much drama. It also causes rumbling if you’re close to having 2 groups. “See we have enough sign ups for 2 groups!” but a bunch of people no-show and you end up having to downsize to one group.
Finally I can relate from an officer / raid leader and guild master point of view.
* If I’m slotting you for a raid, that means I’m leaving others out; for me It is plain and simple lack of respect to your peers to just miss with no advance notice (yes shit happens, and no shit does not happen every single time).
* Farm raiders are not raiders at all. Raiding is about playing as a team to beat content, to which loot is a mean, not the end itself. Farm raiding sole purpose is to get loot, for which you get carried and step on the shoulders of those that put the effort to beat the currently farmed content. Again I consider this abusing your peers.
QFT. I do sometimes think I am stating the obvious, then curernt events show that apparently, I’m not. Oy!
Many weeks we have enough for 3 groups if only everyone shows up. Which they don’t So we do 2 groups then everyone cries about being sat one night…but when we have tried to get 3 going, there were always more no shows than we could backfill. You truly can’t win.
I feel folks who don’t want to attend progression nights should be last on priority for farm nights. You need to be a team player and willing to come and make things happen even when there isn’t an easy WIIFM (what’s in it for me).
I don’t sign up for raids I don’t intend to show up for. If I have other plans and am not sure I can be there, well, that’s what the tentative button is for.
You know you have farmers when you see this cycle:
1. Progression night: You schedule a raid and just barely manage to fill all the required roles.
2. Farm night: you have 25 sign ups for the 10 man and 40 for the 25.
The later have a toxic effect on the progression of the guild because they take gear that would help the progression raiders have an easier time, stalling it even further and since 80% of the time they don’t carry their weight, it makes your best players upset.