Today in the United States we take a break from daily living to honor those who have sacrificed so that we can enjoy the freedoms we take for granted. As an Air Force Brat myself, growing up surrounded by men and women who chose the military as a career I can only say it is a life style of disciple. I am not sure about the rest of you but presently in our guild we have several members who are currently serving in our armed forces and I just want to take this time to send a shot out to them.
To Sharky and Cryo, our Seabees, your dedication is amazing. We are all so thankful that you are home safe at the moment but know that at any time you could be called away to take care of some other crisis and our prayers are with you.
Thex, you are still trying to settle in Japan after your recent transfer. We anxiously await when you will be back pounding the keyboards so hard we can hear it over vent. Your work with new recruits has had a profound impact and as you prepare for your up coming retirement we can only hope we will get to spend even more time with you.
Zan, at present you are serving in Iraq and your wife and mother thankful keep us updated on your well being. We will continue to keep you in our prayers, awaiting your safe return. Keep working hard and come home soon.
In addition to these we have many others such as Steely and Lomaxx who served in the past. While the two I mentioned have recently been experiencing some health issues they are missed greatly when unable to log on, I don't want to forget to mention them.
Take the time this weekend to call up anyone you know who serves in the armed forces and tell them thank you for all they do. If you know someone who served in the past, encourage them to tell you about what they did. So many of those stories get lost in time. In your guild if you know of anyone serving take the time to encourage them. Most of all remember, today is more than a great day for a BBQ, it is a time to commemorate the greatest among us.
Little bear, there is so much that you have missed out on, let me ask you, do you remember starting out with only ONE little dagger? When we use to have to gather herbs like fadeleaf and swiftthistle so you could craft things like blinding powder, vanish powder and poisons? If you didn't have STACKS of those powders you didn't use those moves often? When we were all addicted to Thistle Tea? When in order to get a buff you had to be out of stealth? When casting Detect traps implemented the swirly ball? When you had to have Thieves tools to lockpick or disarm anything and it came from a quest? When people wanted rogues for their Lockpicking skill? When you had to wait for 3-5 sunders before you could attack and then you started out SLOWLY, if you got high on the aggro you STOPPED dps until you dropped down? When a rogue's best friend was a paladin with Hand of Salvation?
Do you remember when to be properly prepared to raid you had buff food, scrolls, regents, flasks, resistance gear, and if you had ANY empty bag space you were lucky? When poisons had charges and only lasted a maximum of 10 min so you were constantly having to reapply them? When entering or exiting an instance would remove your poisons? When placing a sap took you out of stealth unless you specced for a 90% chance for it NOT to and hated every time that 10% it failed?
Do you remember when AV fights took 12+ hours, sometimes entire weekends? When Warsong Gulch could be endless? When to earn pvp rank required HOURS of dedicated play? People would leave battlegrounds because the other team was full of Battle Marshals or High Warlords? When the defense channel was for SERIOUS pvpers and required rank to talk in? When there was such a thing as a DISHONORABLE kills?
Do you remember when it took the best guilds in the world MONTHS to kill every boss in the game because they had to craft resistance or other special gear for EVERYONE? When you had to clear trash both TO and FROM the boss? When raiding meant attempting to get 40 people together at the same time and required HOURS of grinding respawning trash?
Do you remember when you needed crowd control to do a 5 man dungeon? When the art of pulling a room could mean the difference between a wipe or victory? When the Horde complained that the Alliance had the advantage with Paladins and Alliance complained that Shamans were better? When Blues were considered GOOD gear and Epics were something you bragged about? When to get INTO a raid required a long, involved and sometimes expensive attunement quest?
Do you remember when flight paths weren't linked so you had to specifically select each stop on the way to your destination and if you messed up it required repeating the process? When to get to a dungeon you had to WALK there? When getting your first mount required Level 40 and training in the skill cost LESS than the mount? When epic speed mounts were rare because they took months to gather enough gold to be able to afford?
Do you remember when if an individual had more than one max level character the thought was they must have no life and live in their parent's basement? When earning gold took a LONG time and hitting the gold cap was almost an achievement in and of itself? When there were no such things as "Daily Quests"?
So often we talk about how WoW USE to be as if it was this golden paradise of gamers. Sure some things have gotten SIGNIFICANTLY easier like leveling and managing the basic needs of a character. These are just the things that come quickly to my mind, what about you? Are any of the things I mentioned stuff you would wish to have return?
Bertelm is a member of the original Alliance forces that came through the Dark Portal with legendary heroes General Turalyon, Archmage Khadgar and Ranger Alleria Windrunner. As a part of the Sons of Lothar he worked specifically with Force Commander Danath Trollbane in tracking down Ner'zhul. Unfortunately we know how that story played out. (If you don't it is all contained in the book Beyond the Dark Portal by Aaron Rosenberg and Christie Golden.) Now he calls the Allerian Stronghold in Terokkar Forest of Outland home.
As a result of his isolation Bertelm has no difficulty working with the High Elves, nor confusing them with the Blood Elves because these are all recent changes for him. In fact it seems that Bertelm has developed a bit of a crush on one of the new arrivals to the stronghold, the seamstress Ros'eleth. In his desire to get to know her better he laments the loss of all the taverns back in Stormwind and plans for how he can convince her to go for a "nice walk in the woods" with him.
As a quest giver Bertelm has you assist him with both his job AND his personal obsession. When you first meet him, Bertelm shares his belief that Ros'eleth must have feelings for him as she winks whenever he goes to pick up something from her. So he wants to create a special garment using local materials to impress her. Unfortunately work keeps getting in the way, limiting his ability to gather all the materials. Bertelm asks for your assistance both in thinning out the ranks of the Fel Orcs in the area as well as gathering up some worg tails and a specific worg's hide for his "masterpiece" garment. Bertelm also sends you to one of his operatives, a High Elf rogue by the name of Theloria Shadecloak to see what all she has discovered.
Theloria will tell you that much to her dismay the Blood Elves are working with the Fel Orcs. When you slip inside the Bonechewer encampment to remove the Firewing Liaison you will see a paper on the ground. Pick that up and take it back to Bertelm for analysis. Bertelm will then inform you that despite all ideas to the contrary the Blood Elves are not just working WITH the Fel Orcs, they are actually the ones in charge, using the Fel Orcs as a diversion for the Allerian forces. Why he doesn't know but it means his seduction of the lovely Ros'eleth is going to have to wait.
One last item of note about Bertelm, he is slightly taller than the average human male. This may have to do with the in game mechanics that make bosses larger than average (Think of the changes in Tirion.) Not all npcs are effected this way but oddly enough Bertelm is one of them.
About every 6 months or at least once a year our guild leadership does a little thing called "Officer Renewal Week". During this time all the officers as well as some of the class leads get together to discuss strategy, up coming changes in the game or guild, and most importantly build our personal relationships with each other by just doing some "fun" activities. Whenever one of these is coming up we post it both on the website as well the in game calendar about a month in advance. The week before we will post a reminder in the message of the day so that individuals can plan.
We don't leave the guild COMPLETELY high and dry, we will still do at least one or maybe two guild sponsored 25 man runs but the majority of the week is focused just on the officers and class leads. Guild members can listen in on vent but are asked not to interrupt. If they have any questions about what they hear they can whisper one of the officers who will then either answer the question, relay it or invite the individual to pose it themselves. The instances we are running? 10 man Nax, Kara, heroics or old world stuff. Things you can easily do with 5 to 10 people while stopping a lot for games and discussion.
This year will be a little different in that we WILL actually go into current content in the form of Icc 10. This was at the suggestion of a guild member who noticed that one group of officers used different strategies than the other group and suggested we discuss why we do what each of us does. The problem is that our officers are generally divided between the two ten man teams. The only time we DO run together is in the 25 mans or when we do heroics. This makes it difficult to see what one team may be doing different than the other unless you float between the two.
Of course individuals who haven't been paying ANY attention have started screaming about the "exclusion". How DARE the officers do ANYTHING without other guild members? It is as if we suddenly went off to shoot kittens rather than play musical chairs in Kara. So each night one or more of us is explaining what is going on to the uninformed and inviting them to listen in. These times are always beneficial and in the end even the loudest detractors see that. At the same time it can be a bit draining because we are running something EVERY night this week rather than the usual three or four.
So what about all of you? Do any of you in leadership positions take time to JUST focus on your fellow leaders? If you are a guild member do you see your leadership doing anything like this? How do you feel about the whole idea? May I suggest you give it a try or at least suggest it, in this time of frequent burn out you might be surprised at the results.
I was asked recently in guild chat why it was that I so seldom blog about our guild. The question was prompted by the individual wondering if this was a conscious choice or that I just didn't think our guild was that interesting. Let me start out by saying it IS a conscious decision. It is not because I am not proud of them or don't enjoy what we do together but whenever I DO write about guild members or issues it is as if I can hear Carly Simon singing in the back ground. Because soon after I post something referencing the guild people will start whispering me. "I can't believe you said that about me!" "Were you talking about ME?" "I see myself in what you wrote."
It just makes me laugh because 10 times out of 10 the people I was ACTUALLY discussing NEVER think it is them. Those that have known me for even a little bit will soon realize that I am NOT the type of person to generalize if I have a problem with someone. I only do that when I am describing the situation to others looking for feedback or I don't have the individuals permission to discuss them. I also prefer to handle my disagreements in private rather than gather a posse in an attempt to force individuals into seeing things my way.
Whenever I do get upset I try to first I consider WHY I am. Did the person do something wrong or am I unusually sensitive to whatever took place? For example I was recently in a pug raid in which the loot rules were "one epic per person unless no one else is interested in it." Well the Cultist's Bloodsoaked Spaulders dropped and NO ONE was interested in it. So I said if it was only going to get disenchanted than could I take them for my off spec? Then we get to Saurfang and Bloodvenom Blade drops. I roll on it and win. The only other person who rolled on it was a hunter and he rolled AFTER I had already received the sword, as well as below my roll. The next thing I know the raid leader is telling me to give the sword to the hunter because I got the shoulders. I was upset to say the least, several others in the raid didn't feel it was right either. I kinda ranted a bit about it in guild chat but I gave up the sword. Depending entirely on how you interrupt the loot rules I could see where the Raid Leader was coming from. I thought it was stupid, (still do in fact), since the hunter has since replaced that sword with something better FOR HIM. The raid leader wasn't WRONG to tell me to give up the sword, I just didn't like the decision he made regarding it. Sure I could have pitched a fit but that most likely would then have adversely effected the raid. So I chose to suck it up and move on then talk to the raid leader about it later. Expressing the opinion that it might be better to make sure there is further clarification of the loot rules.
Sometimes things happen I can't just ignore until later. I am not the type to languish in frustration or invoke the silent treatment in hopes I am "punishing" the person. (Note to those who DO use these methods, the only person you hurt is yourself, few people will even NOTICE if you refuse to speak to the people you are mad at and if they DO you are then labeled a "Drama Queen".) So when these types of things happen I will pull the individual(s) aside and let them know I think there is a problem and explain that issue to the best of my ability. Or at the very least send them a letter expressing my concerns if I am unable to connect with them other wise.
Consider the fact we frequently get younger guild members who use the word "rape" to describe things. "We raped that other Arena team." "Lets rape this dungeon!" Etc. Now being female and knowing that one in four women have been sexual assaulted, I find these types of comments uncomfortable. I know they don't MEAN to be offensive, that for their generation this is a common term used for highly successful accomplishment. That doesn't mean I could go forever hearing them say it all the time or that other women enjoy it either. Personally I feel like a cat getting its fur rubbed the wrong way. So I talk to them about it, explained my sensitivity and asked if they will be willing to take that into consideration. At that point they have two options, they can blow me off and tell me to live with it or they can say "sure, not a problem, remind me if I forget." Now I have had both responses at different times.
When the person agrees there is a problem and together we work to correct it, I couldn't be happier. Most often this is what happens. Other times the person may disagree with my proposed solution or just tell me to "Suck it up Princess". At this point the ball is back in my court. I can choose to acknowledge they are right, the problem is mine OR I can move forward, work harder to gain resolution. Sometimes this last won't happen, strangely enough the few times it HAS gotten to this point the individual usually leaves the guild because of other issues. So I get a solution in the end even if it isn't the one I hoped for.
This is all part of our guild's conflict policy anyway. If you have a problem with a guild member you have to talk to THEM about if FIRST and try to resolve it. If that doesn't work you can then go to a guild officer and ask for some mediation. Often they will be able to find a good cross section of individuals who are aware of the tension or at least have a general opinion regarding the issue. If they ALSO consider this a problem they will set up a meeting in a private channel in vent. If they feel the conflict will adversely effect the rest of the guild then they are usually more than happy to intervene. Sometimes they will confront the individual bringing the complaint saying: "you need to let this go, this is a personal thing." Then members have to respect that. (Those that struggle with these decisions usually end up leaving as well sadly.)
One of the problems you face as a guild leader is that you can't always have close relationships with EVERYONE in your guild. There are some that will be friends, others colleagues and others mere acquaintances. By having a GROUP of officers you open up the option of others having those closer relationships with different people than you do. This will give you greater insight into some situations. Generally whenever discipline has to take place our officers try to have the one with the closest relationship deal with it. They may have insight into the individual that can bring about the desired result as quickly and painlessly as possible. It is generally bad when you see people choosing sides in a conflict and can destroy a guild if you allow things to go this far. So it is best to have a united front on this score. Having clear cut understandable rules POSTED makes this part even easier.
Sometimes I have to conduct the confrontation myself because I am a guild leader and carry the "big stick" as it were. Few people enjoy being the "bad guy". I certainly don't. I don't enjoy silences from everyone when someone logs on for fear of trouble either. I have been accused by NUMEROUS people of ONLY talking to them when there is difficulty. Now this is NEVER the case but I remember enough times when I have felt that way myself when dealing with authority figures to not take it personally. There is a vast difference between being told hello and asked about your day, verses being confronted about something others consider a problem. Few people enjoy being told they are wrong. However I am also aware that NOT doing my job of being the "confrontational one" can lead to greater problems down the road for EVERYONE.
So what does this have to do with Carly Simon's Song? Well the reason I don't blog about those I am irritated with is that I don't see how listening to me rant about annoying guild mates is interesting reading, especially when the vast majority will have absolutely NO CLUE who I am discussing nor does it seem beneficial for anyone. Further more a individual who may drive ME absolutely BONKERS could be hysterically humorous to someone else. (Jay Leno and Connan O'Brian fans know what I am talking about.)
If any of you thought I was a part of the illusive "perfect guild" let me destroy those notions now. I am sad to say that will not exist so long as there are people in it, especially myself. I chose to deal with matters head on in hopes of making my life and that of those around me a little better as time goes on. What about the rest of you?
I wasn't planning on talking about Alrin today but this guy has been the bane of my existence for three weeks running now so maybe if I give him his day in the spot light he will vanish for a while. Alrin the Agile is another member of the Argent Crusade's special forces working as part of the Ashen Verdict. He presently is in the position of supervisor over all the covert operations within Icecrown Citadel, most specifically dealing with reconnaissance.
As with his dwarven colleague Minchar Alrin is wearing his Alliance armor, (though why he is only using one dagger is beyond me.) Also like Minchar you should only see him if he needs your assistance. Alrin will report that Infiltrator Minchar has been captured and is presently being tortured by the Blood-Queen Lana'thel. (The dwarf's screams of "Eep" are kinda funny though.) Alrin informs you that Minchar is fading fast and won't last more than a half an hour in her hands, you need to fight your way past all the San'layn and rescue him. Most raiders HATE this quest. The GOOD part is you only need to make sure that Lana'thel is ENGAGED within that 30 minutes and then kill her successfully. The problem is getting past all her annoying trash and long winded speeches in that time. The timer starts as soon as the first trash mob is pulled (though I have heard there are ways to get around it for the first trash mob which makes this SLIGHTLY easier, I personally have never seen them work.) Even if NO ONE has the quest the timer will start.
If you are successful Alrin gifts you with your tasty reward, 56g and a Sack of Frosty Treasure which contains 5 emblems of Frost and a chance to contain epic level gems or even BOE 265 gear. While the carrot he dangles is quite tasty, sometimes I have to wonder if Minchar thought being killed at the hands of the lovely Lana'thel was preferable to continuing to work with Alrin.
Soooo....last night we went into ICC and I discovered something, Killing Spree ANYWHERE on the gang blanks leading to the upper halls is a BAD idea.
This is what it looks like from the top
and this is what it looks like after you have been flung off the edge and land at the bottom
might I just add, it is a LONG fall.
On a brighter note I FINALLY got an upgraded dagger for my Assassination set. Heartpierce. I also managed to pick up Band of the Bone Colossus. It was very nice to actually get some upgrades for what is suppose to be my MAIN spec that I haven't been able to use it much because my Combat set is so much better.
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