Assuming Direct Control

Hey everyone. I hope everyone’s had a wonderful Christmas holiday this past week. I myself received a gift of nasty flu-like symptoms. Managed to finish up some Omega (Mass Effect 3) DLC which I enjoyed.

You noticed I took a little impromptu break since the last time. The truth is I’ve been blindsided due to the sheer amount of responsibilities that landed. Let me give you a quick update on what’s been going on in my world.

Raid Boss Matty

Not exactly a position I expected to land. Though I’ve managed raids before, they continue to remain a challenge right from conception, strategy, and execution. It’s been difficult for me to pull off as a healer because I didn’t want to kill anyone. Since I’m Shadow now, me killing someone isn’t as likely (unless I purposely yank someone into the fire).

My former raid leader served a fine job in this capacity but came to me saying that he had to step down. I’m currently looking for some help in this department and seeing who shows the signs of being a possible leader for the future. So far, it’ll be me in the interim. I’ve never tried recruiting a raid leader specifically outside of the guild before. Usually they come up from within the ranks.

Y’know, if at the start of the expansion you told me that I was going to be playing Shadow and raid leading by Christmas, I would’ve called you crazy.

I’m not going to say I’m afraid but it’s definitely going to be a challenge to hold the responsibilities of a GM and as the raid boss. But we do what must be done. Actually, the only real thing that’s changed is grabbing all the strats out there, watching game footage, and turning it into something concrete we can consistently utilize. One of the big problems is that sometimes the strategy doesn’t always fit.

I already know what my biggest weakness is: It’s the ability to identify how we can adapt to the various obstacles we run against. Sometimes a player comes up with an idea or a strategy that I don’t think of until after the raid and I’m kicking myself for not thinking of it myself.

Luckily, I have a bright team of officers and players that just seem to recognize when I’m stuck. It’s as if I have a tell or something (and I’m not going to ever play poker with these guys).

Gamefront

I picked up a new gig in addition to my current ones.

You guys know I’m an avid player of League of Legends. Gamefront offered me a spot on their team as a beat writer covering the game and it’s related events. It’s a nice little writing break from Warcraft.

I want to go back to that GM and raid leading bit for a moment. There’s a piece of advice I’d like to share to anyone thinking about starting their own guild or raid group.

Keep your people at arm’s length.

Don’t get too attached to players because they come and go. And really, I should really take my own advice. I had one of my guys just disappear off the face of the earth shortly after American Thanksgiving. I’m at a complete loss as to what happened. This is a guy with multiple max level alts. To say it goes against his character is an understatement. We’ve had no communication at all.

Don’t get caught up in stuff like that. Otherwise you might end up like me with nights where you just wonder what the hell happened. Did he sell his account? Is he in a ditch somewhere? When I come across no-show situations on this kind of a scale, I need to remind myself to not get too close to anyone else I’ll get fraught with worry wondering what happens to people who just disappear. Players who transfer off? Eh, that’s their prerogative along with others that just quit the guild. It’s the ones who stop logging in without any notification that just give cause for concern of their well being.

I just hope the guy’s okay.

With 2012 rapidly coming to a close and 2013 days away, I want to share a secret resolution of mine that I’ve held. I came real close last year to landing a dream position with one of my favourite game development companies. I secured the in-person interview and was flown down for it. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to secure it. I resolve to try it again.

Devastated? Yeah. I was a shell of myself for the longest time. Kept beating myself up mentally and dragging myself down. Relived every moment. It took some time and some help but eventually I snapped out of it. I took a step back and re-examined everything objectively. I screwed up, but I came so close. Knowing what to expect means I can be more prepared the next time an opportunity like this comes around again.

Like in hockey, scoring chances don’t just magically happen. You have to generate the chances. Even if you don’t score on the first shot, sometimes it’s the second or third rebound that eventually nets the goal.

God this hockey lockout sucks.

Sometimes you just need to dream a little big. What’re your plans for 2013? What about your guild or your raid? And bloggers, congratulations to everyone that’s managed to keep blogging after the first year. I find the second year to be hard (years three and four, you’ve sort of built up a disciplinary habit).

Don’t give up.

Have a safe and happy New Year!