Category Archives: guild-leader

Patch 4.3 PTR: Inactive guild leader replacement

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Blizzard has announced a new guild feature that just went live on the patch 4.3 PTR that allows a guild to oust their inactive guild leader if he or she has been away for 30 days. The entire guild will be notified via the in-game guild notification news and events window that their leader is inactive, and members with high rankings will be able to request guild leadership. Transfer of the guild will happen instantaneously.

Active guild leaders have nothing to fear. This is not a system for deposing current leaders or voting out current guild masters. This system is in place to allow members of an active guild to wrest control of the guild's functions from an inactive leader, not perform democratic voting procedures. Many guilds are at the mercy of GMs to fix inactive problems, and this system frees up customer support for more important tasks.

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Patch 4.3 PTR: Inactive guild leader replacement originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 30 Sep 2011 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Breakfast Topic: Is a guild leader’s age just a number?

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This Breakfast Topic has been brought to you by Seed, the AOL guest writer program that brings your words to WoW Insider's pages.

The issue of age in WoW has been debated in this column before. Some guilds have age requirements. Some do not. We have discussed whether it matters that the progression raid you find yourself in is led by a 15-year-old or a 25-year-old. For some, it does. Maturity and language are the usual reasons given for age restrictions. For others, if the person does his job, who cares if he is 13 or 33? A 33-year-old can be more immature than a 13-year-old. As this topic has been debated before, that's not what I'm going to explore. What I'm curious about is, does the age of your guild leader matter?

Leading a guild is, I believe, first and foremost, a labor of love. Essentially, you get very few thanks and an awful lot of "waaaaah." It's not unlike being the leader of a small country. No one thanks you for spending four hours putting together a schedule for the month, but they are quick to complain when the right complement of people doesn't log on, so a raid has to be postponed. You find yourself dealing with inappropriate behavior from all levels. You have to call people on the carpet for something they are or are not doing. They pitch a fit and leave in the most drama-provoking manner they can. You look at what you, personally, would like to do and schedule one event to, say, get that last Burning Crusade raid done for the meta -- only no one shows up. There are all sorts of people online, but they are off doing their own thing. Three days later, someone says, "Hey, how come we never run X?" ... which just happens to be the raid you wanted to run. Bang your head on the desk much?

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Breakfast Topic: Is a guild leader's age just a number? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 05 Sep 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Addon Spotlight: Distribute right with LootCouncil Lite

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Each week, WoW Insider brings you a fresh look at reader-submitted UIs as well as Addon Spotlight, which focuses on the backbone of the WoW gameplay experience: the user interface. Everything from bags to bars, buttons to DPS meters and beyond -- your addons folder will never be the same. This week, loot without the numbers and randomness.

One of the areas of addons that I haven't touched on in this column with any real depth is loot addons. It's not because loot addons are not important or necessary but because my past experience with loot addons were never impressive or positive. The first guild that I was a part of that actually used an addon based loot system put their stock in EPGP, a loot system based on effort and gear points. To me, EPGP was a convoluted mess at times; the addon would bug out, and it all just left a nasty taste in my mouth. Plus, I had come from a guild loot culture developed around the famous "don't be a jerk" system, in which people would make judgment calls based on who really needed items over others. This worked 90% of the time.

I've steered away from loot addons because of my poor experience with EPGP, much as I originally strayed away from an Addon Spotlight on Tidy Plates because of my bad experience with that addon. Granted, that wasn't Tidy Plate's fault in the least, but my own addon configuration problems. Suffice to say, I'm giving loot addons another shot, mostly because the guild I am currently raiding with uses LootCouncil Lite -- and I've fallen in love.

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Addon Spotlight: Distribute right with LootCouncil Lite originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 26 May 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Officers’ Quarters: How to replace an absentee guild leader

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Every Monday, Scott Andrews contributes Officers' Quarters, a column about the ins and outs of guild leadership. He is the author of The Guild Leader's Handbook, available now from No Starch Press.

A few weeks ago, I wrote a column about the high rate of burnout among officers and guild leaders in particular. Lately I've been hearing about a lot of situations where guild leaders have stepped down or outright vanished. Not all such decisions are the result of burnout, of course. Sometimes, real-life obligations get in the way.

Regardless of the reason, losing a guild leader can be absolutely devastating to a guild. If the community was already on the rocks, the disappearance of a guild leader can be the last straw. How can the remaining officers make the transition to new leadership with their guild intact?

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Officers' Quarters: How to replace an absentee guild leader originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 11 Apr 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stratfu debuts web tools for raiders and guild leaders

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Stratfu and the venerable Seriallos of the <Roll Initiative> guild on Maelstrom (US) has just debuted some awesome web tools for raiders and guild leaders that can pump out some serious numbers and data for you to crunch using World of Logs data. These tools include:
  • World of Logs Top DPS Analyzer Useful for checking out the top numbers from World of Logs to compare the numbers you're outputting with the best of the best. Knowing what to strive for as a DPSer in raids is a valuable tool, so see how you stack up.
  • World of Logs CompareBot This tool can help you compare different World of Logs parses to check for inconsistencies, as well as see where you're having trouble. Important buffs and debuffs are highlighted, as well as some potential mistakes being made by the raid.
  • Player Raid Achievements A quick way to see a character's raid achievements all in one, simple table (as opposed to having to troll through the armory). Great for sizing up a new recruit or applicant and checking someone's raid experience.

Stratfu debuts web tools for raiders and guild leaders originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stratfu debuts web tools for raiders and guild leaders

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Stratfu and the venerable Seriallos of the <Roll Initiative> guild on Maelstrom (US) has just debuted some awesome web tools for raiders and guild leaders that can pump out some serious numbers and data for you to crunch using World of Logs data. These tools include:
  • World of Logs Top DPS Analyzer Useful for checking out the top numbers from World of Logs to compare the numbers you're outputting with the best of the best. Knowing what to strive for as a DPSer in raids is a valuable tool, so see how you stack up.
  • World of Logs CompareBot This tool can help you compare different World of Logs parses to check for inconsistencies, as well as see where you're having trouble. Important buffs and debuffs are highlighted, as well as some potential mistakes being made by the raid.
  • Player Raid Achievements A quick way to see a character's raid achievements all in one, simple table (as opposed to having to troll through the armory). Great for sizing up a new recruit or applicant and checking someone's raid experience.

Stratfu debuts web tools for raiders and guild leaders originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Breakfast Topic: Have you tried your hand at running a guild?

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This Breakfast Topic has been brought to you by Seed, the Aol guest writer program that brings your words to WoW Insider's pages.

It happens to all of us at one point or another. You're riding into Stormwind, perhaps admiring the dragon head that someone has strung up on the gates, and you're headed to the auction house when your eyes light upon the Visitor's Center. Inside, a bright-eyed young hero, very much like yourself, is speaking to Aldwin Laughlin, the Guild Master. Suddenly, you think, "That could be me. I could be in there, buying a guild charter and designing a tabard. I could found my own guild."

You dismount, take the first two steps at a bound -- but suddenly, you stop in your tracks. All at once, you stagger under the weight of responsibility. The trouble with starting a guild, you realize, is that once you do it, you actually have to run a guild.

Of course for some, this isn't a drawback -- it's a perk! There are plenty of aspiring guild masters out there who have a vision, execute it, and become great leaders. Then there are those of us who consider starting a guild but balk at the particulars; others who create small, friends-only or alt guilds just to have a fun guild name or a guild bank; and many more who are happy to leave the burden of leadership to someone else.

Have you thought about starting your own guild? If you went through with it, how did it turn out? Is the guild still around today? If you thought better of it, what stopped you? Or are you still making up your mind?

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Breakfast Topic: Have you tried your hand at running a guild? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 05 Dec 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Breakfast Topic: Have you tried your hand at running a guild?

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This Breakfast Topic has been brought to you by Seed, the Aol guest writer program that brings your words to WoW Insider's pages.

It happens to all of us at one point or another. You're riding into Stormwind, perhaps admiring the dragon head that someone has strung up on the gates, and you're headed to the auction house when your eyes light upon the Visitor's Center. Inside, a bright-eyed young hero, very much like yourself, is speaking to Aldwin Laughlin, the Guild Master. Suddenly, you think, "That could be me. I could be in there, buying a guild charter and designing a tabard. I could found my own guild."

You dismount, take the first two steps at a bound -- but suddenly, you stop in your tracks. All at once, you stagger under the weight of responsibility. The trouble with starting a guild, you realize, is that once you do it, you actually have to run a guild.

Of course for some, this isn't a drawback -- it's a perk! There are plenty of aspiring guild masters out there who have a vision, execute it, and become great leaders. Then there are those of us who consider starting a guild but balk at the particulars; others who create small, friends-only or alt guilds just to have a fun guild name or a guild bank; and many more who are happy to leave the burden of leadership to someone else.

Have you thought about starting your own guild? If you went through with it, how did it turn out? Is the guild still around today? If you thought better of it, what stopped you? Or are you still making up your mind?

View Poll

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Breakfast Topic: Have you tried your hand at running a guild? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 05 Dec 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Officers’ Quarters: How to persuade your guild leader

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Every Monday Scott Andrews contributes Officers' Quarters, a column about the ins and outs of guild leadership.

Every so often I write a post purely for my own convenience, and this is one of them. I get a lot of e-mails week to week all asking the same question: How can I try to change my guild leader's mind? The topics can vary greatly, from loot systems to promotions to guild bank rules to the level of roleplaying the guild enforces.

I want to point all those people in one direction. Now that this column is live, I'll be able to send them here, as a starting point, and offer to answer any follow-up questions they might have.

So without further ado, here is, from my point of view as a guild leader, the best way to persuade yours.

1. Spend time thinking about why he or she instituted the rule or the policy.

Try to put yourself in your guild leader's place and imagine what motivated him or her to do things that way. Is it a matter of convenience or fairness? Is it meant to quell drama? You'll have a much better chance to get your guild leader's attention if you can begin your argument with a statement showing that you understand why they made the original decision. The first thing your GL is going to assume is that you don't understand why, so if you can get past that point, you'll be in better shape to persuade!

2. Spend time thinking about the consequences of changing the policy.

Notice that you have taken no action yet. This is intentional. Many players approach me with knee-jerk reactions to a guild situation they don't like. They try to talk me out of it before even thinking too deeply about why that policy is in place or what would happen if it were changed.

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Officers' Quarters: How to persuade your guild leader originally appeared on WoW.com on Mon, 28 Dec 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Officers’ Quarters: LF guild leader PST

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Every Monday Scott Andrews contributes Officers' Quarters, a column about the ins and outs of guild leadership.

Some guild leaders think we are irreplaceable, but few of us actually are. Who will carry on the Torch of the Damned if we can't fulfill our duties? I know exactly who would if I ever had to stop playing. But some guild leaders aren't that lucky. Caasi is one of them. She wrote me this week to ask what she should do.

Erro thar.

I've been playing WoW since 2006 and started my own guild in July 2007 and, at times when RL does not allow enough time, I have handed the guild over to a friend. As it stands there is currently two 2ic's and various raid and class leaders. It has generally gone smoothly, starting off as a leveling guild and then moving on to (very) casual raiding. We didn't get to do much of TBC raiding due to most members leveling slowly and only starting to play the game in TBC. We are up to TotC standards but have encountered a raid and guild breaking issue.

When the Australian DST changes kicked over our raiding teams were pretty much split. This has meant that raiding stopped for around 6 weeks causing quite a few of our main raiding team to leave. During that time I took over main guild leadership to try and kick people back into gear. Things were working well enough until I realised that I had over committed myself both IRL and in game. I was fast heading to "SCREW THIS GAME AND YOUR STUPID BLOODY ATTITUDES" before I realised that something needed to be done.

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Officers' Quarters: LF guild leader PST originally appeared on WoW.com on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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