Just some things that I've been thinking about and feel like I should actually put in writing to look over.

Raid Sign Ups

Basic Idea: To change the current First Come First Served system into a time independent system.

Implementation: Raids go onto the raid sign up site as usual with class spots left at 0/0. For two/three days after the raid goes on the page all signups go to the queue. At the end of the 'free sign up' period a roll off is made to determine if you attend the raid or get a backup position on the queue. If you are rolled off to the queue you are exempt from being rolled off on the next chronological raid you have signed up for. After the roll off is done then the raid is populated with people who were lucky enough to win and any left over class balanced spots are then populated with the usual FCFS method.

Example: There are 7 people signed up for the 5 hunter slots. /roll 7 is used and a 3 pops up so the third person to sign up chronologically is then moved to the queue. /roll 6 is used and a 6 pops up so the 7th person to sign up chronologically is then moved to the queue. That means 1,2,4,5,and 6 all get a spot on the raid with 3 and 7 in the queue. If the same 7 sign up on the raid the next day then 3 and 7 get bumped up to the raid and /roll is used twice to leave two off again between 1,2,4,5, and 6.

Reasoning: The current raid sign up system is very luck dependent and somewhat unfair to some people depending on when the raid goes up. There are days you are told when it is up and you can sign up right away, and there are days you notice it’s been up for over 24 hours and you're lucky if you get the 3rd spot on the queue. By shifting away from a FCFS system to one that's random and time independent then it means people have a buffer where they can sign up and still have a chance at getting a spot on the raid. Also if we have an over abundance of people of one class, it ensures that there is a somewhat even chance that people will be rotated in and out at random so that everyone can attend raids.

Cons: It is possible to get an 'unlucky streak' and get rolled off every other raid you've signed up for. Also, DKP is definitely slanted on a few days more than others. If we do all of MC on Saturday and only Onyxia on Friday and Sunday then its obvious that people who get into Saturday's raid will have more DKP then people in Friday's and Sunday's.

BoE, DE, and DKP

Basic Idea: To provide a system that maintains Zero-Sum DKP and does not penalize newer members or pressure people into taking items they don't want due to DKP loss from items.

Implementation: A raid member called 'bank' is added to all the raids. That means if 40 people are in the raid the DKP is split between those 40 and the bank for a 41 way split. This ensures that the bank is always gaining DKP. If a BoE drops that no one wants then the epic is bought by the bank and the DKP is split amongst the raid. That BoE can then be bought from the bank by another character with a simple transfer of DKP from that character to the bank. Yes, that means the bank gets the split from winning the BoE and the full cost of the item from the receiving character, but lets consider that a 'holding fee'. If an epic is DEed (IE Nexusstrike) then the item is bought by the bank and DKP is awarded to the raid as usual.

Example: [item]Bracers of Might[/item] drop (again) and no warrior in the raid needs it when it is offered. The item is then bought by the bank and the 20 DKP is split amongst the 41 raid members (40 PCs + bank). Another warrior then wants to buy the bracers so 20 DKP is transferred from the warrior to the bank. [item]Shadowstrike[/item] drops...again...and no one wants it...again. The bank then buys the item as its DEed for 20 DKP that is split amongst the 41 members of the raid.

Reasoning: As more and more people get all their gear more and more of those items will start to get DEed. That means people who start to raid with us later on will get less DKP than people who were raiding from the beginning. The only problem with awarding DKP for a DEed item right now is because it loses Zero Sum since DKP is going out without any going back in. Adding the bank as a raiding toon serves two purposes really. It provides DKP for items we DE so that no DKP is 'lost' during the raid and it also provides a list of what has been DEed before for the records. Since DKP is going in (from nonbanked/DEed items) and going out (from banked/DEed items) Zero Sum is maintained.

Cons: All items are valued with an even number of DKP and 41 is an odd number for a split. However, it is the same problem if only 39 people are in the raid so not really much of an excuse to not do it. Also, with an extra 'body' in the raid there will be slightly less DKP per person per item. Yet, the difference between a 40 and a 41 split is so minor the amount of DKP gained from a DE compensates for that.

Amendment: If we acquire any Tier 1 BoEs through nonBoE trade/gift/theft then the DKP cost for those items is awarded directly to the bank and not to the entire guild. If the BoE is traded for another BoE then DKP is transferred as mentioned above. If DKP is awarded to the entire guild on a 'give away' then it is definately possible that the more alts you have the more DKP you will get for those BoEs.