A set of fair and well-enforced rules help build a structure for your raid that helps keep people on the same page and will do well in earning you the respect you need to do your job effectively.
This is the second part in the series on leading a raid. See Part 1 on Communication if you missed it.
Guidelines for Fair Rules
In order to work well, your fair rules:
- Apply to EVERYONE
- Are absolute
- Can only be modified before raids by the leader, not during. OR by unanimous (that means 100% agreement) group vote during the raid.
- Include requirements of what people need to have (be that certain stats such as radiance or consumables such as scrolls, tokens and potions)
- Include details of what prioritization for raid invites will be based on (in cases where you have more than 12 folks ready and able)
- List the penalties for breaking them
- Are enforced 100% of the time
Guidelines for Enforcement
Good Enforcement Means:
- It doesn’t matter who breaks the rule, enforce it
- Explaining to anyone who breaks the rule that it’s not personal, it’s a rule and if they have a real problem with it, you may have to tolerate them not wanting to raid with you again. It’s likely for the betterment of the raid anyways.
- Having an “all-business” approach to your rules.
Side-Effects of Unfair, Poorly-Enforced rules
The Side-effects of this Drug Include:
- Headaches (stress based, trust me, it’s real)
- Nausea or vomiting (some people get really emotional over unfairness)
- Ruptured veins (extreme hulk-like anger)
- And in rare-cases, (link) death
More plain and seriously:
- Upset raid members, who because of their feeling of injustice may leave raid or at very least will not be performing at their highest level.
- Raid members being unruly, knowing that you’re not actually going to do anything to stop them, thus detracting not only from their performance but likely everyone else’s as well
- An unwillingness from people to be in a raid you’re leading.
The Boons of Fair, Well-Enforced Rules
Respect- Trust
- Well-behaved, calm, focused group
- Better odds of success and therefore, LOOT!
Closing Thoughts
Master the above things as well as those in part one and win, lose or draw you’ll have a productive raid. Even if you haven’t beat any bosses on the night; you will have learned things and your raid will feel assured that Next time… you’ll get your goal or at least make more, solid, forward progress.
This is the first in a series of guides I plan on making to help in the area of leading raids. This is concludes my first contribution to CSTM. Looking forward: future guides will be aimed at making the best use of each class/role in a raid as well as instance/raid/encounter specific guides.
I also plan on making a set of guides for doing encounters with very unconventional group setups. In addition to guides I would love to do a weekly reader Q and A, I know lots about LotRO having played it since beta for Shadows of Angmar, and for things that are a matter of opinion… I’ve got an opinion on EVERYTHING. And I’d love to share those with people.
July 26, 2010 at 11:24 am
Having only been on a couple of raids myself, I’m wondering if you could give some examples of the types of rules you are talking about? Is this primarily the requirements/prioritization rules that you mentioned or are there some other important types of rules too?
July 26, 2010 at 11:47 am
I second Bulegar’s query; I’m an experienced player and raid novice who’s likely to have to lead my first attempt. Rules like radiance levels seem unlikely to produce grumpiness mid-raid, so I’d love to hear more examples.
July 26, 2010 at 12:13 pm
I’m not much of a lotro raider and Elb will most cetainly will respond with examples; but from my expeience raiding in other games the types of rules set up were along the lines of loot rules (how loot is handled and how it is earned), who’s allowed to speak in ventrillo during an encounter, and could drill down all the way to class assignments or roles. In other games there were usually also some guidelines to help judge if you are raid ready that needed to be met with reasonable closeness although it may be different with the radiance requirement in lotro.
July 26, 2010 at 2:44 pm
Most of the rules I’ve seen have revolved around loot:
- who’s elegible to roll?
- how much can you win? Meaning if you win an armour piece, what else are you allowed to roll for?
- attendance requirements, which usually equates to what you’re allowed to roll on or your priority in the loot distribution. But attendance restrictions could potentially cost you a spot in the raid.
- raid sign-up policy
- preparation requirements – bringing food, pots, tokens, scrolls, etc.
July 26, 2010 at 3:49 pm
Between Goldenstar and Docholiday, the list of types of rules you could expect to use or see are pretty well covered.
This article was written to be very general on purpose. The biggest point is that all a rule REALLY needs in order to be fair is to APPLY to everyone, raid leader included (excepting necessary exceptions needed to make thigns go).
I will say though, that in order to set a good baseline the following rule types should be addressed:
-Loot policy (DKP, Roll (if roll, what’s the win limit), Suicide Kings)
-Invite priority policy (factors may include class, signup order, who’s ready on time vs who isn’t)
-When is it OK to talk on Ventrilo or WHO is OK to talk on ventrilo.
-Basic conduct (rules on attitude, treatment of fellow raiders)
-Rules on preparedness (making sure everyone has brough their share of scrolls and tokens and have brought enough personal consumables to last themselves the session)
And in all of this you want to promote a team spirit. Raids are a cumlination of an effort by several people working in unison.