Policy as Litmus

Teo had a similar post on how to tell your family guild's success.

The officers of IVV just opened up discussion of new loot rules, and I had a few things (okay, a lot of things) to say.

What I realized is this:

If you lean toward DKP in a family guild, you must ask yourself why. Back in Burning Crusade, we used Suicide Kings and I fought for it. Why? Because players who did not invest in IVV had brought friends into the guild I did not know or trust. It was like having a (admittedly polite) pick-up-group attached to the guild.

A good test of a guild's member balance are the policies you feel compelled to make (or support). I felt compelled to protect our loyal and long-standing members through a loot system more approaching DKP than we'd ever had.

Since those raiders left in a minor exodus at the end of BC and we focused on making our core of loyals happy, we've returned to a simpler system of rolls and are discussing bonuses for being on time and prepared for progression runs.

What I realized, in supporting this idea, is that I support it because there is no one left whose rolls I fear, whose guild loyalty is in doubt. I trust that everyone in IVV now has proven themselves as loyal and will continue to do so, and thus deserve the loot gained by the group's effort.

When a fair and non-competitive system worries you, it means your family guild is not properly balanced.

---------------------------

Beth Blevins is a former officer in In Vino Veritas.

She's a writer, avid blogger, and cat owner.

Beth's been married since her junior year of college.