Guild Applications. What questions to ask?

The time will be coming soon when we will be looking for more people.  Our raiding has been sporadic lately at best but we are not making any major efforts to try and recruit because we know that everything is changing soon and we will all be leveling.  Most of us have never downed the LK because of various reasons such as being on a crappy server to begin with to being able to find dependable people that can show every week.

I think about what the application process will be like come the time I hit 85 and we in the guild leadership look to start raiding again.  I do not want to be stuck worrying about getting enough people to raid.  So I would like to start recruiting now with hopes they grow with us an stay with us.

I have this idea that I think could help the guild some and it that is to work on at least two 10 man teams running raid content.  With the new raid lock out this would actually help us greatly.  Being you are not locked into just one raid but are locked to bosses we can skip over the one issue we always had as a guild.  Getting people to show up on the second day.  That is what always killed us.

So running two raids of 10 gets 20 people geared up and if we get only 14 to show up for the continuation we can pull out 10 people and move on together even if we were split into two raids.  I like this but it comes to the idea that how do we leave out four people that were deserving.  It is not like now where I can say something like you where not here Thursday so the people that where here have the first spot but if something opens up you can come. The thing is, they will have been there on Thursday even if they were in a separate group.

So here is my idea, admittedly I have not spoke to anyone about it yet, that I think could have some serious potential.

We get as many people as we can to fill two full 10s, hopefully a few extra for the off chance of a 25 here and there for fun. We run a four day raid schedule where people that show first get the spot first.  Even if you signed up, you come on late you now need to wait for the next group.

Wednesday 7:30 PM - 10 PM server time.
Thursday 7:30 - 10 PM server time.
Friday 7:30 - 10 PM server time.
Saturday 7:30 - 10 PM server time.
Monday 7:30 - 10 PM server time.

Yes, I know that is 5 days but here is now I would envision it working, will use ICC for a code as an example only.

Wed, ICC 10 fresh.  Thurs. ICC 10 Fresh.
Now we would have 20 people invested in the ICC 10 runs.
Fri, Sat, and Mon are all first come first serve to continue. 

Everyone has different work schedules and real life commitments so now we can play "just take whoever shows" attitude.  If we get enough for both, we do both.  If we get enough for one, we do one and hope we have enough for the other the next day.  Myself and a few others have plenty of alts which can play fill in should the need be.  All we would need are people that would be accepting of a set up like this.

Hence the name of the post, Guild Applications.

How exactly would I try and advertise something like that to applicants?  It takes a certain type of person that would be willing to sit or wait until the next day.  What always killed every guild I have seen die is people not showing or being left out when they did because they did not want to wait until the next day.

I do now want that to happen.  I am the type of person that would gladly sit out and let someone else get in.  I do not need to be world first or even server first or even get the goal finished as fast as humanly possible.  I want to have fun doing what I am doing and can have fun running every day.  I can have fun rooting for the team from the outside.  Hell, I even have fun wiping on the same boss over and over sometimes because that is what progression is all about and that is how we get better.  But how do we find people like that on a small server that basically only has one or two good guilds on it to start with.

With the coming changes to guilds those one or two good guilds will be filled in no time because of guild rank I am sure.  Good players, the ones that show up every day, they will already be in those guilds and will not want to leave because of the time invested in the guild and the perks they have because of that time invested.

That is why I want to recruit now.  Recruit hard.  Recruit fast. 

No one is going to be raiding much for the first couple of weeks into the new expansion and not many are really raiding with anything other then alts now.  So this is the perfect time to recruit and the fact that as a group we have not downed LK will not hurt us.  No one cares about LK any more.

We would need to promote our guild attitude for the flexible raiding schedule that I am thinking about.  If we can make it appealing to the masses then we can get them to join now.  And then maybe those good, dedicated, on time and prepared players will stay with us once then hit 85 because now they have so much time invested in the guild.

It can work against us, it can also work for us.

Possible idea for a forum post to follow.

Do you work weird hours and normally can not find a guild that raids on your days?
Are you available at least 2 or 3 days at week between the hours of 7:30Pm-10PM server time?
Are you willing to work toward a goal that encompasses an entire guild and not just 10 raiders?
Do you have alts that you often end up pugging with because they do not fit in otherwise?

Then we might be the guild for you.

We raid almost nightly.  We take those that show up on time and ready to roll.  We work dynamically. With the new flexible raiding system put in effect from blizzard we can now juggle our raids around our raiders. 

You can make the Wednesday team but can not make their follow up on Friday?  Then jump in on the Monday follow up from the Thursday team.

You are only on during the weekends?  Then sign up for a few bosses in the Saturday or Sunday groups to fill a spot.  Just check what boss those groups are on and feel free to pug everything up to it so you do not miss any bosses and still get some raiding time in with the team.

Or maybe start a guild run earlier in the day on any day to do those few bosses with some alts from other players and then when raid time comes and you are a few bosses in everyone can rotate in their mains.

Dynamic Raiding always allows for the most possible experience for everyone but we also expect our raiders to work with each other.  The first four bosses no longer drop anything you need?  Let someone else take your spot and join in afterward for the bosses you need.

Have an alt you just leveled up that needs some gear?  Not a problem, with the flexible raiding system we can have them join us for the fights we have down to easy mode so they can get the chance at a loot drop and then you can bring your main back in.

If there are more on during a set run day and we are all at the same point we can all group up and switch to 25 so we can move even further into the raid on later continuation days.

We work flexible but we work as a team.  Everything is easier when you know you have people to back you up.  Dynamic Raiding will back you up as we all succeed as a group.

This is a new raiding concept and we want dedicated players that are willing to learn with us how to maximize the raiding system to the most we can get out of it and to have some fun doing so.

How does something like that sound?  I know I like the concept of it.  It seems like it will give everyone more of a chance to move up in progression then we presently have with this system. 

So often, in the guild I am in now and the guild I was previously in we would not get second runs in because person A, B and C where in raid team one and person D, E and F where in raid team two and everyone else joined a pug because they where not in raid team one or two.  So we never moved on anywhere because we did not have enough in any one raid ID to continue and no one ever likes to pug.  Now, those people can all get together and continue.  I really like that idea and I would really like to take advantage of it.

Now what will I ask on application?

I'll have to work on that but one thing that always bugged me about guild applications is when people ask "do you bring your own food and flasks". 

Firstly, if you don't you have no business even looking to join a raiding guild so there should be no reason to ask and secondly, if you don't you are not going to say you don't, you will say you do. 

So never ask a question like that on a guild app.  It gives you no information about the person and they will either be offended by it because they always do or they will lie because they never do.

Asking "what flasks and food do you use" is better.  It can show if they know their class and what they should be using and then you just have to hope they are smart enough to bring their own.