Greetings to all!

Firstly, I would like to thank all of you for lending a hand to your fellow guild-mates when they need it. I am rather proud of all of your efforts to help out your team. Teamwork is what makes Tactical Gamer what it is, both in WOW and in our other games- we are where people go to play with mature, dedicated players who like to work together.

In the last few months, the Tactical Gamer Guild has grown at an unprecedented rate, thanks to all of you. This has not been easy to keep up with on the administrative side, but the guild officers and myself have been working hard to keep the guild structured and functioning as well as it ever has as we progress. I appreciate your patience as we grow into ourselves and continue to flourish. Please understand that we are, and will always be, a work in progress that will need to bend and shape according to the demands of the guild and the game itself.

This brings me to one area of certain concern that I would like you all to pay special attention to. Due to our size, it is sometimes difficult for some folks to find people to group with when they need assistance. I know this seems like it should be the opposite- and it SHOULD be the opposite (and it WILL BE)- we simply need to give this issue a little focus to make sure people are able to get the support they need.

We use three methods of communication to keep in touch with each other and to plan future events: Teamspeak, Guild Chat, and these Forums. Individually they are effective, but leave plenty of room for a player to be overlooked. When all three methods are used frequently and concurrently, we are able to reduce the probability of anyone being overlooked.

There are over 130 characters in the TG guild as of today. There are over 50 individual players in the guild. That's a ton of people to try to communicate with! All of us use our guild chat often, and are a generally social group. As a result, when people are busy doing their thing in game, guild chat is often overlooked and sometimes turned off while people do quests that require focus. So, when a person asks for a group in guild chat, it often scrolls by before anyone has a chance to see it (think Ironforge, with the trade channel up) or is being overlooked by a player who is focused on their mission.

Similarly, on Teamspeak, our sheer numbers make it difficult to identify who is asking for help. If a player is asking for help and isn't on Teamspeak, they often receive a reply to their question in text over Teamspeak, which they never get to hear. The person typing feels ignored, and the person answering them can't figure out why they keep asking the same question when it's been answered over Teamspeak repeatedly.

Lastly, our forums serve as a great rally point to plan a run you need (or want) to do. If you aren't checking the forums regularly, you will likely miss the opportunity to hook up with a group in advance, and be wondering why you aren't being invited on a particular instance run. Chances are, the group formed in advance on the forums and they are simply executing their plan to group. Another issue that arises is a person starts asking to group up on Teamspeak or through guild chat and there is already something planned that night. The result is the person asking is turned down, because the group you need has already committed itself to another run.

No one likes to join a pick-up group. All of us would prefer to get help from those who are supposed to be supporting us- our guild-mates. It's easy to feel left out or ignored when everyone else seems to be getting things done and you feel left to fend for yourself. So, what is the solution?

The solution I propose is a two-fold plan:

1. First, I ask that when you are trying to get a group together that you utilize all methods of communication available to you. Use guild chat, whisper to people to get their attention, and make sure you're on Teamspeak to hear a reply to your request. Ask it out loud in Teamspeak. Get on the forums and start a post about the quest you need, to gather a group for a particular evening.

2. Second, I ask that we make an effort as a guild to be more acutely aware of people trying to ask us for help. When someone uses guild chat to request a hand, take a moment to reply to them. If you're not available, just let them know. Simply acknowledging the person will go a long way in making sure they feel recognized. I know that if you can help, you will- it's in the nature of everyone in this guild. Let's just try to be a little more aware of people looking for assistance. We don't want anyone feeling ignored.

These two small steps will allow us to continue to grow and will ensure that our guild-mates do not fall between the cracks as we get bigger and bigger. I commend all of you for a job well done thus far, and I am looking forward to continuing to grow as a guild with all of you!

Truly,

Luna
General of Tactical Gamer
Thunderhorn Realm