O Noes They’re Nerfing Content!

…again.  Remember when they did this before? Even ignoring the ICC Buff, there was The Great BC Content Nerf that dropped boss health. Suddenly the evil wind chime was actually killable by more than 1 guild on the entire god damned server!  Obviously this isn’t Sunwell, but you could argue that the nerfs meant ‘more’ back then.

In case you were wondering, the world didn’t end then, and it won’t end now.

I fail to grasp why people are getting their knickers in a twist over it. If you haven’t beaten the content by the time the nerf hits (and psst, it’s not that soon), then guess what?  Your penis wasn’t really that big anyway.

@Faidtastic said earlier, “Across the board raid nerf is ridiculous, T10 for Justice Points would self-nerf them, anyone who needed further nerfs shouldn’t be raiding.” 

Last I checked they weren’t taking away boss mechanics–just making them hurt a little less. A nerf will not magically allow all of The Bads to clear all the (by then, OLD) content, just made things a bit easier for those of us who take things a bit slower.

Of course I’d be surprised if SiB hasn’t downed every boss on normal mode well before then anyway–we only have two to go. In that case the nerf isn’t really about us (the 10 man normal crews) either, and our mighty penii remain satisfyingly large. It’s for alt runs and puggers and guilds who aren’t as blessed with attendance as we are.

And if you’re already doing heroic modes, why do you care? This isn’t about you.

I’m not even going to touch the ‘shouldn’t be raiding’ comment.  Just not gonna.

UNBUNCH YOUR KNICKERS AND QQ LESS.

ETA:  I don’t really mean to pick on Faidtastic with this post, his comment was just there in my Twitter feed being all…easily accesable and quotable.

Your Optimal Isn’t Mine

I was going through my feed reader’s backlog when I ran across this post from Blessing of Kings. This is always a topic that will get my knickers in a bunch, so let’s get started, shall we?

High-skill players almost always use the optimal spec or strategy. There are a few exceptions, but they are very rare. The vast majority of the time, someone with a non-optimal spec turns out to be a low-skill player.

Encouraging medium or low skill players to feel that they are a “special snowflake” and don’t need to use more optimal builds dooms them and their group to mediocrity and failure. You have enough trouble with lack of skill, why further handicap yourself with a sub-optimal build?

And even the high-skill player with the sub-optimal spec does her group a disservice. If the high-skill player switched to the optimal spec, odds are she would play at an even higher level.

I always resent the whole “you’re holding everyone else back” flavor these discussions take on.  Sure, in a situation where you’re doing hardmodes, I can understand, and there’s truth to it–in that situation.

But, ladies and gentlemen, World of Warcraft is a game. We play games to have fun.  If I love raiding but the spec/class I enjoy most is (we’ll go with my favorite example) Beast Mastery Hunter, and BM hunter isn’t the current top spec, does that mean I shouldn’t have get to raid?

Of course not.

Does that mean that because I happen to enjoy something not the Flavor of the Month, that I am a less than stellar player?  Not at all.  I  know several people that are very excellent players and chose, at some point or other, sub-optimal specs. If you haven’t been so lucky then you’ve been looking in the wrong place, for there’s plenty of them–in guilds like mine.

My guild is full of people playing non-optimal builds.  For a guild that raids only twice a week, we’re still clearing content at a reasonable rate. I dare you to ask anyone in SiB if they think they are doomed to an existance of mediocrity and failure. 

We may not have a place in your Epic Guild of Awesome Leetness and Hardmodes, but we are not lesser players for it. We’re just over here enjoying playing our game the way we find most fun, and collecting shiny purples for it.

You’re more than welcome to play your perfectly valid interpertation of the game over in your corner, but the holier than thou attitude could do with a nerf.

An Argument for DBM

Sounds silly that we’d need an argument FOR DBM, right?  I mean, who DOESN’T use DBM, or their favorite equivilant?

Yeah, about that. Anyone who has ever tried to require an addon knows that someone, somewhere, will bitch about it. Back in BoO I tried to make everyone use DBM, but it was really hard when my co-GM couldn’t be arsed to use it himself.

“You don’t notice,” he’d brag.  “I know the fights.”

“Steve,” I said wearily, or more often angrily, “I notice every single god damn time you ask how long it is until something happens and I have to look at my DBM timers and tell you.”

He may have gotten away with that in Wrath, but such an attitude is a total no-go in Cata.  Fights are chaotic with MANY things to pay attention to, and stay out of–or in!  Add in trying to keep on top of your rotation and procs an you’re going to miss some things.

No, you will.  You WILL.  You absofuckingloutely WILL, stop arguing with me–oh here, look.  IT’S SCIENCE.

“Well,” some of the problem children may splutter, “SOME people notice.  SOME people can split their attention better.  I’m one of them.” 

Really?  Every single fight?  You’re never tired or distracted or have a cat walk in front of you or otherwise need of GIANT BLUE TEXT?

I call bullshit.

Go install the god damned mod.

(Thankfully I don’t have this problem with anyone in SiB, but I figured that someone, somewhere…)

Raid Comp, MS Paint Edition

GMs and raid leaders can catch a lot of flak for how they put together a raid.  Why’d you bring THAT guy?  Why do we have 5 paladins in a 10 man?   What’s a warlock? 

That’s why this week, I decided to do SiB’s raid comp in MS paint, so you can enjoy my scribbles and arrows and WTFery!  Come, share in the pain of being a GM!

While I’m at it: Are you melee?  Do you want a guild?  I APPARENTLY NEED MELEE WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS SHIT.*

*But not too many because I might decide to go DPS warrior for Cata.  Or ret pally.  What?  I know.

Not Talking About The Raid Changes

I peeked at my computer Sunday evening and saw messages from Friday.  That tells you how much time I had to myself over the weekend…

With recruitment in guild closed, my GM duties seemto be as follows:

-try to convince Cranky Tank to raid instead of painting space marines
-kill forum spam
-handle DKP errors
-kill more forum spam
-field minor issues between guildies
-kill MORE forum spam
-demote someone for lulz
-lovingly suggest to Cranky Tank that he find some way to tweak the forums to prevent so much spam
-kill EVEN MORE FORUM SPAM
-chime in on various small decisons to be made, where I don’t throw up my hands and make an arbitrary executive decision
-OMG FORUM SPAM WTF
-threaten bodily harm upon guildies for replying to forum spam
-wonder if we’re having bad luck with cancelations or if we’re also hitting the end of expansion slump
-ponder current officers and why demoting some of them feels like kicking puppies
-FUCK YOU FORUM SPAMMERS OH MY FUCKING GOD
-demote people for smart assery and REPLYING TO MORE FORUM SPAMMERS
-blame Searing Totem for everything I forget

GMing: not at all glorious.