Matticus

Matticus is the founder of World of Matticus, a World of Warcraft blog.

7 Tips for Creating the Perfect Guild Application Form

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Application forms can be a little daunting for the first time guild leader. What’re the right questions to ask? What if it’s too long? What answers are considered “right”? Over at Enjin, I’ve written a quick guide on how to get started. Don’t expect your application form to be final. But I hope this’ll put you on the right track.

And yes, I am familiar that some organizations have done away with forms entirely. I also know that some players absolutely refuse to apply and scoff at guilds who suggest filling out a form. “I’m not applying for a job!”. They’re right, it’s not a job. I look at it more as a binding commitment.

Anyway, back to the tips. Here’s one that should be included.

Requirements overview

I’ve seen guilds place their entire policies and rules on the same page as the application. I don’t advise doing this. Place a link that leads to it and then include a summary list of all the important rules. Include only what players absolutely need. Some of the common ones I’ve seen are:

  • Working headset and microphone
  • Minimum gear standard for MMO guilds
  • Minimum kill to death ratio for FPS clans
  • Positive and forward-thinking attitude
  • A regular schedule of events (More on this below)

Read more on Enjin

GMs Talk: Things We Share, Things We Do Not

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© Monkey Business - Fotolia.com

<Apotheosis> must be sick of me whenever I pop into their mumble late at night. That’s Kurn’s guild. Every so often I like to drop in there and have a chat with another GM (who doubles as a blogger herself). Not too many of us around, I’m afraid. She doesn’t know this, but she plays a big part in making sure I remain grounded. When it comes to guild matters, there are certain unspoken rules even among the company of those similar to us. There are topics that we’ll talk about and others that we do not ever, ever discuss. It’s the equivalent of talking shop with others in the trade.

Stuff That’s Fair game

War stories

“And he’s slowly backing up pulling Arthas with him and then falls over the ledge! He just starts screaming over vent, Taunt! TAUNT! I fell off the ledge!”

Everyone loves a good war story. Hilarious events or tales of awesome heroics (that may or may not have been slightly embellished). It’s even funnier if it’s a player that both GMs are familiar with. Typically, whenever war stories are exchanged, there’s usually an important lesson that can be learned and applied. Both leaders walk away knowing more about how to avoid similar situations in the future. The exchange of knowledge means that only one of us would have to experience an event. We’ll then share it with our GM friends in the hopes that they can recognize the symptoms of a problem before it occurs.

In this case, like not tanking Lich King so close to an edge.

Policy

Anytime I’ve wanted to make sweeping policies that affected the guild or the raid, I’d try to consult with someone outside. I search for someone who’s familiar with a similar issue. Even better if the guild leader successfully implemented a policy in the first place. I also to try to get in touch with someone who wanted to put a policy in place but ultimately didn’t and listen to their point of view as well. An outside perspective can shed a spotlight on additional factors that weren’t taken under consideration. I listen to what worked well and what didn’t. Maybe some changes or adjustments were made after the fact to help smooth the transition over.

Speaking of which, I need a consult about whether or not I should implement a policy dictating that all raiders show up with pants worn at all times.

Strategy

This is another reason why I’ll consult with another GM. Sometimes we’ll run into a brick wall when we’re working on an encounter and I like to turn to other people outside who have done the boss. Oftentimes they can offer a little insight into a possible solution. Not everyone’s raid composition is exactly the same. But with strategy changes, you can usually account for that by getting a different class to try and do the same thing. Sometimes it’s a simple solution like moving the raid over slightly or altering the timing! Asking a “How did your guild handle this obstacle?” can sometimes lead to light bulb illuminating moments.

Evaluation techniques

Determining player performance is never going to go away in progression raiding guilds. We’re always looking for methods where we can excel and find tune the players under our raiding core. If a GM happens to be an expert at a class, it’s not a bad idea to pick their brain a bit and find out what they look for when gauging the effectiveness of players.

Stuff That’s Off limits

Current damaging drama

Any active, dramatic issues are kept off the table. I don’t like discussing things like ultimatums, problems or people just giving me a hard time without making certain things really vague. If the guild is going through a really rough time, a lid’s kept on it. However, if a problematic issue has been resolved and passed, I’ll classify it under the war stories category.

Exception: If it really does get to a breaking point, and every option had been considered, I’d probably shoot some ideas and get someone to play devil’s advocate and see if there’s a possible solution that was missed or we walkthrough scenarios of what would possibly happen. Sometimes it isn’t possible to do that within the guild.

Names

I tend to obscure names unless it’s someone well known to the community. If I’m describing a situation, I tend to go with the class or the role.

Example: I think Lodur’s moustache is compromising his ability to heal.  Or worst yet, he’s using the moustache to heal.

Applicants

I’ve had players who leave Conquest apply to guilds of other bloggers and vice versa. As a personal rule, I never bring them up at all. As far as I’m concerned, the business is always between the recruit and the guild they applied to. I don’t ever ask about their application nor would I ever meddle in any guild’s affairs. I have a hard enough time running my guild and it’s not my place nor interest to run someone else’s.

Exception: However, if the player who applied did something particularly heinous like break into the guild bank or exploited in game, I believe it’s the duty of the former GM to relay the necessary information and then let them deal with it how they see fit.

Code 21

We never, ever talk about code 21 unless it’s under extreme circumstances. Sorry guys, it’s a GM thing.

And there you have it folks! If you’ve ever wondered what goes in the GM’s lounge, I can assure you that there’s no plot to take over the world or to gkick everyone from the guild. It’s mostly business and nothing to be worried about!

[POLL] Do you dip your pizza in ranch sauce?

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This continues to be a point of contention within my guild and among the community. There are two distinct groups of players out there: Those who dip their pizza in ranch and those who don’t.

Well, how about it? What do you think?

Do you dip your pizza in Ranch sauce?

  • No, it's a crime against humanity! (56%, 150 Votes)
  • Yes, I love it! (44%, 116 Votes)

Total Voters: 266

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The Mall Test

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Depending on your personality, the mall can be a fascinating place or a suffocating nightmare. Some people go weekly, some go monthly and some rarely ever go.

Now if you’re an officer or a GM, picture this for a moment. You’re strolling through the mall with your significant other. You pass by a shoe store and maybe you’re staring longingly at the pair of Nikes on display (which also happen to be on sale)! You tilt your head in a fashion similar to Abed from Community because you hear a familiar voice. You turn around only to see that it is your guildmate! He’s at the other side of the store eyeing some golf clubs. They haven’t seen you yet.

Do you:

  1. Head over there and say “Hey, how’s it going?”
  2. Decide to say something only if they spot you first.
  3. Hurriedly exit the store and go somewhere else

If the recruit doesn’t elicit anything other than option 1, it might be worth passing over. First impressions always make a big difference. Mentally run over the players around you and think which option you would go with. Things like skill and competence can be improved but I’ve discovered personality can be difficult to adjust. Not every guild can be in a position where they can pick and choose players with ease. But don’t hesitate to run the mall test every few months or so to see if anyone has changed on your list.

It’s a great technique I picked up from Guy Kawasaki’s Reality Check.

Revisiting the Healing Circle

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Ever gone skydiving as a group before? That’s probably a no. I know I haven’t. Would crap my pants if I did.

There’s a whole element of trust that’s going on up there especially when pulling off different formations. People need to know what to do, when to do it and where they need to be. Healing in raids has that similar mindset.

Thanks to Rooster for asking me to fill out one of these for 4.2. It’s certainly been a while!

Name, class and spec: [A] Matticus, Holy Priest (Ner’zhul)

What is your primary group healing environment? 25 man progression raiding

What is your favourite healing spell for your class and why?

Guardian Spirit. Such an elegant spell. A snap of a wrist and what could be dead is instead alive. Under the right circumstances, it separates a mediocre Holy Priest from a truly exceptional Holy Priest. Use it for extra power and brute force healing or use it as a form of finesse. Only the ballsiest of healers would even consider using Guardian Spirit and intentionally stop healing to trigger the proc and resume healing again.

What healing spell do you use least for your class and why?

 Heal. I’ve started phasing it out of my spell usages. It just doesn’t do enough anymore. It’s level of efficiency is amazing but in this environment, that efficiency goes out the window when you’re relying on bomb heals or fast heals.

What do you feel is the biggest strength of your healing class and why?

Our flexibility allows us to remain competitive and diverse. We can respond to any number of situations with different spells. We can squeeze into multiple demanding roles. If you’re out there recruiting a healer and you’re not sure which class to go for, you can almost never go wrong with recruiting a priest.

What do you feel is the biggest weakness of your healing class and why?

The fact that we don’t have as much fashion selection as the other classes. The spirit cloth is lacking in drops. I know the rest of it comes from valor, vendors and crafting. On a more serious note, I can’t think of any significant weaknesses right now that I can’t play around.

In a 25 man raiding environment, what do you feel, in general, is the best healing assignment for you?

I thrive under high pressure situations. I love having the hard assignments. Anything that involves moving, dispelling, dodging  or other complicated mechanics are the ones I volunteer for first.

Which healing class do you enjoy healing with most and why?

No preference! If I had to pick a class, probably Shaman. Can’t go wrong with Shaman. Actually, I’d rather just have their Mana Tide totem. Don’t need the Shaman!

What healing class do you enjoy healing with least and why?

Druids. They make me look bad. Other than that, from a leads perspective, they don’t offer much raid utility other than Tranquility and Rebirth. Other healing classes have great mitigation or resistance cooldowns that I can use on a larger scale. I can use them pre-emptively and not be wrong. With Tranquility, if I use it too early I end up having wasted healing. If I call for it too late, I’ll have deaths. It’s not that I don’t like pairing with them in raids. It just feels like there is an extremely fine line in maximizing the spell.

What is your worst habit as a healer?

I tend to frontload my spells a lot. By the time we get to the last part of an encounter, I’m usually scraping the bottom of the mana pool barrel. I try to compensate for this by getting a better read of how long the fight is expected to take and coordinating my trinkets and consumables accordingly.

What is your biggest pet peeve in a group environment while healing?

Getting blamed for healing problems when it’s not a healing problem. Apparently every problem can be solved with getting better healers. Sometimes it is a healing problem. But usually, the root cause can be traced to movement, coordination or assignments. I’ve written a healing blog for years. I’ve been hired specifically to contribute my expertise to WoW Insider as a healing columnist. Lack of healers has never been a problem because we have so much depth in place. I will never rest until I have a slam dunk healing corps. It’s difficult for non-healers to understand and read how healing meters operate. Because of this, we’re placed under a microscope and compared numerically across World of Logs.

Generally, it’s not a healing throughput problem. It’s a healing smarts problem except it gets magnified when it’s a tank or a healer who makes the mistake.

Do you feel that your class/spec is well balanced with other healers for PvE healing? Y

Yes. Considering Priests didn’t get any significant buffs or nerfs, it appears we’re right where we’re supposed to be overall.

What tools do you use to evaluate your own performance as a healer?

  • World of Logs: The logs don’t lie and I can see a list of details of what happened and what didn’t.
  • Fraps: In addition to making kill videos, I use the footage just to watch myself play and see if there’s anything that can be improved on. In between attempts, I’ll watch the videos to see what events led up to a wipe. Sometimes it’s something as simple as using the wrong spell or being in the wrong place.
  • Phoenix Style: It’s a type of fail addon that lists significant debuffs that players get

What do you think is the biggest misconception people have about your healing class?

That Holy Priests are unable to tank healing and Disc Priests are unable to raid heal. We can do them. We may not be the best selection for it, but it doesn’t mean we’re completely crippled. Ask a healer to do the job and let them handle the method.

What do you feel is the most difficult thing for new healers of your class to learn?

Decision making. Some healing spells are more “righter” than others to use. In other cases it doesn’t matter. For example, when it comes to single target healing you can use several combinations:

Pick one and run with it. If your spell usage is incorrect, at least you’ll know next time. A pattern I notice in new Priests (and new healers) is that there tends to be some cases where they just sit there and nothing is being done. It’s as if they’re overthinking it too much and trying to decide between the next move to use. Unlike DPS classes, healing has many right answers.

Remember that indecision is a decision and is rarely correct.

If someone were to try to evaluate your performance as a healer via recount, what sort of patterns would they see?

I need someone to audit me. I tend to be all over the place. Perhaps the most common theme is lack of efficiency. I’m so paranoid of letting players die that I’ll use a bomb heal when a smaller one would’ve done the job. I end up paying the price for it late in the encounter anyway.

Haste or Crit and why?

Haste, no contest. Although Crit isn’t as bad as it used to be.

What healing class do you feel you understand least? They’re all overwhelming in their own ways. Even Priests.

What addons or macros do you use to aid you in healing?

Grid and Vuhdo are the two big ones I’ve traditionally used. For the time being, it’s just Grid. Look into the Grid_QuickHealth.

Do you strive primarily for balance between your healing stats or do you stack some much higher than others and why?

This really depends on the spec I’m playing. If I’m raid healing as Holy, I’ll dump everything into Haste. If I’m tank healing and Discipline, I’ll invest points into Mastery and Crit.

I’m directing the questionnaire to Lodur and the rest of the Matticast crew. If I have to do it, it’s only fair for the minions rest of the team to do it as well!