Off to lead a Naxx25 PuG...
Posted 11-06-2009 at 04:11 AM by Pitstarter
Am I insane?!
Well as it turns out, playing the long game I have volunteered myself as an add tank on Heroic Anub and need to get the unhittable set together. Having a scramble through the dusty bags in the bank I have a couple of bits and bobs already and a kindly worded begging ticket to a GM might get another item returned to me (doubtful but no harm trying).
But there's no escaping the fact that I need to drag my hairy dwarven ass back into Naxx 25 for some drops, namely:
Wall of Terror (we dont' have access to Alg or Hodir10 hardmore - yet!)
Burdened Shoulderplates
Fleshless Girdle (if Razorscale doesn't oblige)
Gauntlets of the Disobedient (if IC don't oblige)
Then it's off begging to get ourselves into UD25 for some other drops. Which might prove difficult, since UD25 seems to have an aura that inhibits our raiders ability to perform, when we can do fine in our other raiding content.
However the thing that scares me most is the thought of leading an unknown number of randoms I have never met through the raid instance. Not to mention that guildies are excited and want to bring their freshly dinged 80's in for a loot run. I may need to be a bit heavy handed with the guildies since I would want the lynchpin parts of the raid ie tanks, healers, kiter for gluth, mind control for Raz all covered by guildies preferably on their mains to minimise chances of someone in our guild messing up and making us look stupid. Not to mention that if I fill the raid with guild tanks or folk on their capable alts, we won't hear complaining about getting those items if they drop. I fully intend on making it clear from the outset that these drops are reserved, but no doubt there will be the mandatory 800dps Death Knight that will whine about it. Everyone will be given the option to leave group before we start if they are not happy.
Now, I will be the first to admit that I am really not cut out to be a raid leader. I know the mechanics of most fights but it's the micromanagement I struggle with. At the moment in work I am working on macros I can use to explain the basics of each fight, since I know there will be one person who has never set foot in naxx all her wow life and is a veteran member who emigrated to Austrailia but still hangs around with us.
I really hope that we at least have the majority of the run filled with guildies so we can run a tight ship, possibly make a good impression and maybe even an applicant or two into the bargain.
Now, where did I put that Jägermeister? I'll be needing a shot of courage for leading this tomorrow night!
Well as it turns out, playing the long game I have volunteered myself as an add tank on Heroic Anub and need to get the unhittable set together. Having a scramble through the dusty bags in the bank I have a couple of bits and bobs already and a kindly worded begging ticket to a GM might get another item returned to me (doubtful but no harm trying).
But there's no escaping the fact that I need to drag my hairy dwarven ass back into Naxx 25 for some drops, namely:
Wall of Terror (we dont' have access to Alg or Hodir10 hardmore - yet!)
Burdened Shoulderplates
Fleshless Girdle (if Razorscale doesn't oblige)
Gauntlets of the Disobedient (if IC don't oblige)
Then it's off begging to get ourselves into UD25 for some other drops. Which might prove difficult, since UD25 seems to have an aura that inhibits our raiders ability to perform, when we can do fine in our other raiding content.
However the thing that scares me most is the thought of leading an unknown number of randoms I have never met through the raid instance. Not to mention that guildies are excited and want to bring their freshly dinged 80's in for a loot run. I may need to be a bit heavy handed with the guildies since I would want the lynchpin parts of the raid ie tanks, healers, kiter for gluth, mind control for Raz all covered by guildies preferably on their mains to minimise chances of someone in our guild messing up and making us look stupid. Not to mention that if I fill the raid with guild tanks or folk on their capable alts, we won't hear complaining about getting those items if they drop. I fully intend on making it clear from the outset that these drops are reserved, but no doubt there will be the mandatory 800dps Death Knight that will whine about it. Everyone will be given the option to leave group before we start if they are not happy.
Now, I will be the first to admit that I am really not cut out to be a raid leader. I know the mechanics of most fights but it's the micromanagement I struggle with. At the moment in work I am working on macros I can use to explain the basics of each fight, since I know there will be one person who has never set foot in naxx all her wow life and is a veteran member who emigrated to Austrailia but still hangs around with us.
I really hope that we at least have the majority of the run filled with guildies so we can run a tight ship, possibly make a good impression and maybe even an applicant or two into the bargain.
Now, where did I put that Jägermeister? I'll be needing a shot of courage for leading this tomorrow night!
Total Comments 3
Comments
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well good luck to you sir, hope all goes well and you get the items you need to get unhittable set.Posted 11-06-2009 at 11:41 AM by Toushiro 
- Hi, Pitstarter,
Yes. You are insane but not for the reasons that you probably suspect.
First, anyone who attempts to lead a PUG is insane because of the widely varying expectations and intentions of the group members. Though I think that I am the only person who's ever codified it, the possibility of doing anything decreases geometrically with the number of people actually involved. Just consider the last time that you and a friend or partner tried to decide on a movie to see or rent. Now imagine if you had to get 25 people to agree on the same movie. See what I mean?
But to drop the glibness for a minute, don't worry about extraneous stuff like how your guild or its individual members will look. There are so many factors involved in whether you succeed or fail that there are likely to be 25 different takes on why and how that happened, 24 of which are completely outside your control.
The most important thing is to be generous and still keep your party in line.
Let me suggest a few things you might want to try. Let some of your slower party members set the pace. If you pay attention to the ranged dps who are going to burn through lots of mana, for example, and set your pace to them, you're going to have a better chance of success than if you race off and leave them in the dust. You need the aoe and high damage output so be considerate of that portion of your raid. It may frustrate the gung-ho warriors and death knights but you will all benefit in the end if for no other reason than the casters will appreciate your consideration and give you their best.
Don't let testosterone poisoning kill your raid. I was in a Naxxramas 25 recently where a couple of tanks and wanna-be tanks none of whom could hold aggro for more than a nonosecond decided to prove their virility by pulling everything in sight in each area. The raid wiped 4 times in The Arachnid Quarter, the cream puff segment of Naxx, and dissolved before we got to the Grand Widow.
Also, be careful with your time. Some things you can't control - phone calls, bladder issues, intrusive parents, spouses and siblings - but you can control wasting a lot of time dicking around between boss fights. If you waste a lot of time struggling with vent, chit-chatting and such some of your raid members are going to either run out of play time or simply get bored and leave. Then you have to waste even more time finding replacements. That's a prescription for failure.
If you are the raid leader don't be afraid to boot someone, even your main or off tank for bad behavior or incompetence. If, like the tanks in that raid I mentioned above, someone gets out of hand, assert yourself, warn the player once but after that boot the offender and replace him or her. That will remove a problem and tend to keep the other members in line.
There may be members of your raid who, much like ninja looters, will get a coveted piece of gear from a boss and then leave. Expect that. If it doesn't happen, you're lucky. Just don't spend a lot of time worrying about that person's selfishness. Once you've noted the name so that he's never invited again, move on with a replacement.
Be considerate of the person who's never been in Naxxramas before and, generally, of everyone else too. A raid leader who lets loose a string of invective on the party members after a wipe is going to be left alone wondering where all the rest of those mother$*@&ing noobs went. Respect the players with you and they will respect you. The genuine noobs will learn from watching the fight while they lie dead on the floor. If you wipe that player is going to live a little longer and be a bit more help when you all come back to that boss.
Some people just aren't good at some of the things required in a huge and varied place like Naxxramas. I'm an old, white guy who just can't dance. Heigan gets me everytime. There are other bosses that I shine against, just not Heigan. Don't berate a player just because he or she's not good in a specific kind of fight because he or she may be your MVP later.
Finally, remember that it's a game. Yes, you want the gear and so does every member of your raid but the point is to play the game and cooperate in making the raid a success. The life and death situations are only temporary. You can come back. If you play it right you may be able to come back with these people over and over again until everyone is geared up the yin-yang and ready for Ulduar.
Good luck and have fun.Posted 11-07-2009 at 04:16 PM by Garmheim 
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Well, it's the morning after the night before.
And I must say it went rather pleasantly, all things considered. We got about 12 guildies and perhaps another 3 or so of their friends they could vouch for.
The lynchpin parts of the raid were covered (I'd switch to my priest for Raz MC, and we had a pally that could handle the zombies at Gluth) and filled the rest up from LFG. The tanks and majority of the healers were guildies I know I could trust, and the pugglies were actually surprisingly well behaved.
Not a single wipe, but probably more so due to the fact that our guildies' outgeared the place by a significant margin and we could just brute force our way through things.
On the negative side, not a single drop out of the 4 or so I still need from there to build the TotGC Anub OT set. Boo. Guess it's same channel, same time, next week! Stay tuned...Posted 11-08-2009 at 03:38 AM by Pitstarter
