View Poll Results: Should Supporting Members Get Special Benefits

**beep** · 04-26-2006, 04:24 PM

Most of you are aware that our TG WoW guild is part of a broader community of gamers. One of the ways that we can participate in and support that larger community is by becoming a Supporting Member. Check out this thread for more on the topic. http://www.tacticalgamer.com/world-w...cal-gamer.html

Please note that no one is required to be a Supporting Member.

Supporting members enable TG to have the financial resouces to give us our nifty graphic look and first-class web presence with a good, vibrant forum community. Their contributions pay for our Teamspeak server, game servers and bandwidth/reliability that is world-class.

One of the recurring questions for our guild is how to acknowledge and reward Supporting Members for their voluntary role in helping make possible the guild benefits we all enjoy.

We have had occasions in the past where Supporting Members got a tangible benefit not available to everyone else...for example, a chance to roll for a special pet or for a unique prize. One of the reactions to this was that it was "unfair" and some sort of discrimination against those who weren't Supporting Members.

So...I'm asking for an informal poll to take our collective temperature on the idea of having unique benefits available in game for our Supporting Members, benefits that would above and beyond those that are customary for all guildies.

**Altor** · 04-26-2006, 04:28 PM

I would say give them special bennies on the website, but not in game. Just my opinion.

**Diablo2k** · 04-26-2006, 04:54 PM

ok, I am a moron, I entered my choice in the poll before reading the first post.

I would like to change my vote from yes, to depends on the benifit.

As for getting special chances to roll on items then I would have to say that the item would have to be something like a pet that has absolutly no benifit to actual gameplay. Items such as the Disgusting Oozling and other pets are fine, but anything such as armor and weapons needs to be kept the way it is.
This is just my opinion and is always up for debate and subject to change!

**beep** · 04-26-2006, 05:59 PM

Originally Posted by Diablo2k

ok, I am a moron, I entered my choice in the poll before reading the first post.

I would like to change my vote from yes, to depends on the benifit.

As for getting special chances to roll on items then I would have to say that the item would have to be something like a pet that has absolutly no benifit to actual gameplay. Items such as the Disgusting Oozling and other pets are fine, but anything such as armor and weapons needs to be kept the way it is.
This is just my opinion and is always up for debate and subject to change!

To "stir the pot" a bit, let's consider that Supporting Members are likely to feel that they are deserve more than a pet or non-gameplay benefit. For the sake of discussion, consider something like a small DKP bonus or priority rights in raid signup.

**ScratchMonkey** · 04-26-2006, 10:55 PM

Do SM's get priority in BF2 match signups? (I don't recall, having not played on TG's side in a match.) If so, that would set some precedent for giving priority for a raid signup. (SM's do get priority on the BF2 server when it's full, which may also be relevant.) That's really the only SM benefit that would interest me.

**Vinzalf** · 04-27-2006, 12:06 AM

Blizzard is very unforgiving to our situation here. There is not much that can be done to reward certain people for doing something outside the game. There are certain things that can be done. But Theres a few things that I believe should be known.

1.) Being a SM Should be Rewarded in addition to the pride that comes from Supporting. Both In-Game and Out.
2.) The 'Reward' should not be the reason someone a.) Quits the Guild, or b.) Becomes a SM. An Incentive, yes, the only reason, NO.
3.) The Reward should be exclusive.

If you compare those three to other games supported by TG, it's rather simple to find solutions. When you compare it to WoW, you will have a hard time finding something that adequately fits those three rough guidelines.

I also know that there is a very fine line that must be tread when even talking about this sort of thing.

I recieved alot of heat from certain people because of what I felt was the right thing to do, reward the SMs. I paid my own money, to buy three items that I felt best fit that description. I kept one for myself, because I paid for it. =p But when people heard that *gasp* only SM's could have a chance for one... well, theres the 'heat'.

That, to me shows exactly the oposite of what these 'rewards' should accomplish. Though I still believe what I did should have been taken significantly better.

I felt terrible after doing that. Why? Not because some people were mad at me over it, but because people felt that SMs were no more deserving of that than themselves. They make this community possible!! They sure are deserving of it!

I completely understand some are not able to support TG. I also understand that WoW isn't necessarily 'cheap' to play for some. I cancel my MMO memberships often enough, budgets aren't always relaxed. But we need to take care of those who help this community.

**ScratchMonkey** · 04-27-2006, 01:15 AM

I became an SM while I was playing BF2, largely because of that reserved slot that let me play here on Saturdays. But that was because I wanted to play here, not with the regular pubbers.

Similarly, giving priority in raids to SM's would provide a way for SM's to guarantee they get to play with their favorite team when space is tight. It's a reward of community rather than a commercial reward.

I'm not really interested in trinkets but I do like the special rank I get as SM because it does much the same thing as the little bar over my avatar in telling the world that I hold special value in TG. The rank doesn't say TG values me so much as it says that I value TG.

**Kemotaha** · 04-27-2006, 01:55 AM

I want to hear from some of those who are not Supporting members. This discussion is fine for us who are SMs But I value the input on the non-SMs on this topic. That is one of the reasons why beep brought this out of the officer forums to the public forums, because most of us are SMs there.

**Tonk** · 04-27-2006, 02:05 AM

am i correct in stating that only SM can do a poll? if so.. thats kinda like a bill going into congress asking to raise the salary of congress members... its a no brainer

**Phantom** · 04-27-2006, 02:08 AM

No chair, anybody can vote in the poll.

**Tonk** · 04-27-2006, 02:09 AM

Originally Posted by Vinzalf

I recieved alot of heat from certain people because of what I felt was the right thing to do, reward the SMs. I paid my own money, to buy three items that I felt best fit that description. I kept one for myself, because I paid for it. =p But when people heard that *gasp* only SM's could have a chance for one... well, theres the 'heat'.

i won one of the said items BEFORE i became an SM... i was really mad when i couldnt win a second one later that day *note: JK

in all honesty, i feel that he did the right thing in only letting SM be able to roll on one of the said items

**Vinzalf** · 04-27-2006, 02:40 AM

Originally Posted by Chair

i won one of the said items BEFORE i became an SM... i was really mad when i couldnt win a second one later that day *note: JK

in all honesty, i feel that he did the right thing in only letting SM be able to roll on one of the said items

In all honesty, the only reason that happened was cuz I was working at the time. Otherwise it probably wouldn't have. both were intended for SM only. But I'm glad it went to you now. You're still an SM, and you were respectful of my suggestion, and an asset to our guild.

**perry** · 04-27-2006, 02:43 AM

Originally Posted by ScratchMonkey

Do SM's get priority in BF2 match signups?

Yep, SM's get priority in BF2 scrims.

**Amrod** · 04-27-2006, 07:49 AM

I'm a bit torn...

One side of me agrees that, as paying members of an established community, you should have the right to certain "perks". I especially like the idea of preferred placement in raids, etc. since it guarantees play time during busy periods. A small DKP bonus might also be a workable idea since it would not be binding to one particular item.

However, as a poster stated above, weapons and armor and such might be best left as is. There is always the possibility of creating an "Animal Farm" situation in which "all guildies are equal, but some are more equal than others". That will do more to fragment a community than draw it together.

In any event, any special benefits should be specifically outlined in order to avoid unsightly disagreements during stressful situations, i.e. during raid looting, etc. As long as people know ahead of time what the deal is, I don't see why this can't be reasonably implemented.

**Altor** · 04-27-2006, 11:29 AM

I think if we start offering more in-game to SM's, then it will create a rift between us.

On a side note, please allow me to state what I am seeing since I'm not in the officers group and haven't been here that long. It seems the something is always being done to lose guildies. I really don't know what the deal was when we loast Skeet, Kossi, and a lot of others. But I do remember being a Supporting Member was discussed in a lot of those threads. Now we are talking about making one group of people "better" then the rest of the guild. You may not see it as that, but that is what you are doing.

The more I read about becoming an SM, the more I feel that is the driving force of the guild. I understand this is someone's income. I like many of the people in this guild. But WOW players can go almost anywhere and be able to play end-game. I just don't see TG being a sucessfull guild if we continuously pressure people to pay money to you. Don't be confused by saying it's only a perk. You are making one group of people better then another.