Tuesday, August 26, 2008

What a way to end the raid week

Our raiding force is split three-ways: People that want to do Hyjal for gear, people that want to do Black Temple for gear, and people that just want to down Illidan. Everyone wants to kill the big guy, of course, but there are many that still believe that it would be easier once we gear everyone, despite the fact that we are already over-geared for the fight.

This week was a mess. Two nights we didn't raid when we should have. Yesterday, we 23-manned Teron, and 24-manned RoS and Mother. It was great all things considered. Then came tonight.

The last time we tried Hyjal this week, we wiped on the trash before the first boss, leading us to just call it a night from pure frustration. So when it came down to using tonight for either wiping on Council until we downed him, then some feeble attempts on Illidan, or downing three bosses in Hyjal that are farmed content, it was obvious (at least to me, another officer, and many raiders) that the more productive task to do tonight would be to clean Hyjal for the people that want it. The officers were torn down the middle about it, and when the arguing didn't end, and no one made the decision (it didn't help that one of our raid leaders is always coming online as the time of the start of raid), I finally said we are going Mount Hyjal. There was some bickering and a tell or two from some raiders about how Council was more important, but I kept driving the point about how Hyjal was simply more productive.

It didn't help that we started with our MT (and my fiance) unable to update Omen, causing a slight deny that was also accented by the fact that our main pally tank, who hasn't missed a raid in over six months, was having internet problems, so we had to bring in a member pally tank. While she did rather well considering, it did lead to more problems than we needed. We wiped on the second boss, picked up, and moved on. A raider that wanted Council changed his mind about the productivity of the raid had we gone to Black Temple instead.

The trash to the third boss and the boss himself didn't pose any difficulties, and when loot came up, it was good. The shield dropped, an item my hubby has been waiting for for awhile now, and though it wasn't necessarily something he needed to tank Illidan, it was an item that we haven't seen in some time and was undeniably an upgrade. I was happy for him, and it showed in my tone of voice. As MT, the shield was already assured his, but I accepted the bids regardless. The other item was the haste plate DPS belt, that also went to him because no other person wanted it. Evidently people disapproved of how I handled loot, a fact that was relayed to me by a sitting officer, and we ended up bickering over it for a bit.

The bickering meant that I totally missed the decision that our druid tank would be tanking the fourth boss, so when I went to pull, I Misdirected to our MT, and not the druid. I totally accepted blame, and while it was not what wiped us in the end, it was not the best way to start the fight. We did wipe, and called the raid. As we were cleaning up and porting, my hubby makes the comment about how we don't need to raid Hyjal any more anyway. Though I didn't catch it at the time (it is the truth, after all), this did not sit well with the portion of the raiding force that wants Hyjal loot, particularly due his new shield, the last item he needed from the instance.

After the raid, we discuss all these matters, and the MT made a post in the guild forums apologizing for his comments, though still driving the facts home about what needs to be done for Illidan. It was good, clear, and I hope it will settle down the raiders. The disagreement among the officers is killing me though. One of the officers, a friend of mine for two years now, hasn't been showing up to raid much this week, a fact that a couple of other officers don't like. Other officers don't like how one of the raid leaders isn't a very good model, particularly for showing up on time. And there are complaints about me and handling loot. It's the roughest part about having a leadership council: Everyone wants to do things their way, despite the fact that we have the same goals.

Sigh. As girly as it sounds, I wish I could end this night cuddling with my MT instead of having to bear this alone. Damn you Illidan! You're only supposed to make lives miserable in-game!

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