Guild Governorship

One of Rilgon's rants over at SES got me thinking: How much should a guild maintain their raiders?

Personally, I became so excited when the guild banks were announced that all memory of the horrible system of bank alts guild masters had previously used was forgotten, and I was very happy about that. But then came guild bank maintenance, and the issue of guild funds.

We expect our raiders to come prepared to perform at their maximum efficiency. Their gear must be gemmed and enchanted; stats should be balanced properly; buffing mats and ammunition well stocked; and flasks, potions, elixirs, and personal buff foods prepared. That's all the individual responsibility we expect in our guild.

For us, the guild funds have one purpose: Guild repairs. Funds ranging from 50g in BC to 100g in Wrath are available to every raider from raid time to about 15 minutes after. The guild takes care of the repairs for progression wipe-fests, as long as the raiders are dedicated to the encounter, not wiping due to stupidity. The guild repairs can be turned off, and they have been in the past, if people decide they don't want to spend the night furthering the aims of the guild.

It is true that the raiders give over the raid's earning to the guild, but they receive it again through the guild repairs and enchant mats. The gold comes from selling patterns, enchants, and BoE epics that drop during raid. Very little comes from personal donations. High end enchants are taken care of through guild materials as well - all the shards are stored for profession use. It is the raiders responsibility to ask for them.

The rest of the guild provisions come directly from the raiders themselves. We have six tabs in our guild bank: General free-for-all stuff; Green current-expansion materials; Foods and Potions; Herbs and Scrolls; Blues and Rares; and Epics and Guild Mats. Anything guildees wish to donate to their fellow members goes in the proper tab (most of the time /eyeroll), and this is where some get their necessary buff consumables. This is also how the guild gets all the Fish Feasts and maybe even potion cauldrons for the raids. It's not required to provide anything to the guild bank (as long as you supply your own), but we do ask that the raiders throw in some fish or some Northern Spices if they are able. But most of the time, people are eager to help each other out, and the tabs are always stocked. The raiders take care of the guild, and the guild takes care of the raiders.

So it is very strange for me, after years of trusting the managers of the guild, to think that anything rare dropping during raid is something not owned by the raid. Alchemists Caches? The alchemist that opens it deposits everything of worth into the gbank. Jorgumar Scales and Artic Fur from Hodir trash? Into the gbank for the leather and mail patterns - just like the Runed Orbs. Same for what is mined off the elementals and herbed from the Conservatory. And, yes, if it is rare and engineered of the Flame Leviathan and XT, it gets sold for guild funds. It has always been like this - Hearts of Darkness, Void Crystals, and some Primals were supplied for the Shadow Resist gear back in Black Temple as well, but again, it was the raider's responsibility to ask for them.

I come from a trusting guild, and I have heard very little argument from inside the ranks as to how we do things. There is a strong taboo about selfishness, particularly from the officers, and we have no problem sitting out a raid if necessary so another can get what he or she needs from a run to set the example. In fact, more often than not, there are arguments to see who sits ("No, B, you sat twice last week, let me") - everyone is encouraged to consider their fellow raiders

I'm only vaguely familiar with what other uses guilds find for their funds and bank tabs - contests and the like, I'm sure. We've only had one inguild contest that I can recall: Whoever can farm the most Primal Shadow and Primal Life for the Shadow Resist gear gets his or her choice of four Dragon Whelps. Even that was in support of the raid and was promoted more by one outstanding raider than the guild itself. I'm sure there are people out there that find our way of handling funds and mats odd or even enraging, but, like Loot Council, it works for us.