There are several reasons why I haven’t been able to blog as much lately. One is it’s Summer and my wife and I do a ton of traveling. But also our guild has been in a constant state of flux and transition and I’ve had to spend and inordinate amount of time discussing things with the GM and other officers.
The big issue is that we like each other and get along (many of us are friends in real life), but we seem to have varying interests regarding the content we wish to pursue, and more importantly, how we should pursue it. Mostly it’s about raiding and the rules and conditions under which we wish to raid. Some folks prefer a more laid back approach, while others, such as myself want a more “professional” environment.
Despite our efforts and discussions there is one thing we just can’t seem to escape and that is us. We are who we are and that’s not going to change. So ultimately what we are left is a decision. Do we keep the guild together and try to find some compromise, or do we decide it’s over and go our separate ways?
If our guild is anything it’s stubborn and a glutton for punishment. So we’ve decided to stick together and make this work. We’re shifting our focus from being a raiding guild to being more of a big tent organization where friends can come together and pursue the content they desire.
The guild officers won’t form any official guild raid groups, but rather will let its members form their own raid teams. Raid team leaders will then be empowered to created their own rules and recruit players for their team. Additionally it opens up the doors for non-raiders to invite friends they meet questing, leveling or instancing.
It’s not a new concept in WoW. Just take a look at the Alea Iacta Est guild on Earthen Ring. This started a fan based guild for listeners of The Instance podcast. The guild has over 4,500 members. It’s more than just a fan guild though. It’s a fully functioning guild where players have main toons and seek to carve out the game experience they desire.
Now we don’t have, nor want those numbers, but that model seems to represent who we are, and there’s no escaping that.
P.S. – If this fails miserably there may be a dwarf hunter on Drenden looking for work. Shows up on time, comes prepared, and won’t die from flash freeze, falling snow and the like. Is prone to Ninja-afk’s though :p
