• Who needs a tank!

    Picture the scene…

    I’m about to log off for the night but I need to do my daily random heroic…

    You know I always try to grab guildies before I jump in a queue so I asked Skankas if he wouldn’t mind tanking for us to which he replied “I really fancy doing some more healing actually” so I agreed to queue as discipline DPS priest which amounts to atonement healing meaning 2 healers in essence 🙂
    Devilslotus and Debbs joined in so we only needed our tank. In pops Spyrot with his trusty core hound lol. I ask him to bring his pet to tank and he agrees 🙂

    Skankas queued as tank just so we were able to queue and Bunnyboiler proceeds to pull everything in sight through the Gate of the Setting Sun!

    Debbs tried respeccing at one point so I pulled the next mini boss. Then he tried again so I life gripped him and pulled the boss with the bombs leaving the lagging Skankas outside the door 🙁

    After blitzing the boss, Debbs managed to respec lol and then we had Skankass unable to mount the elevator, either due to Sursumdeorsumphobia or that old excuse ‘lag’again 😀

    After breezing down the boss and then easily dispatching the big bug at the end, we realised how much fun it all had been. Making fun of each other in mumble with the ever-present Lee (Biggooliess) laughing his ass off at us bickering at each other was just typical of the kind of shenanigans that go on around here.

    In addition, it was great to see around 20 characters online last night in a guild of just over 50 accounts. Something special is going on around here!

    Lets keep up the fun.

    /Salute

  • Leadership Decimation

    Due to our recent realm transfer, we have lost several officers of high standing because of unforeseen circumstances surrounding the way the move was planned. Officers in the guild should be expected to sacrifice time to promote the guild and ensure their work is done however, as a GM it is a lot to ask of everyone to expect them all to pay to transfer characters at their own personal cost.

    The move the guild has made is 100% positive and we continue to flourish among our new social scene, killing Oondasta, breezing down Galleon whenever we want, having opportunities to jump into RBG teams and old raids that are searching for people constantly.

    One problem we have tho, is that Trikié, Kuja and Nevra from our officer team have not travelled with us. It’s totally not expected that they will pay for a realm change but the facts remain that we require a 2nd team raid leader/general comedy co-ordinator (of which there are none as good as Trikié in this unique role). Spyrot needs help with the transitional main raid team recruitment and organisation. In addition, we lack a dedicated person/people to lead old raids on a weekly basis for Dambusters to just get together on mumble and blow some content down for achievements, mounts, transmog or simply just because. These were hugely popular at the tail end of last year and we really need that to return!

    The 3 leaders mentioned have every chance to come over and retake their positions but in the meantime, the guild must search for replacements just incase we don’t see them for some time to come.

    Illia also dropped out of the ‘Chief Recruitment Officer’ position which is now officially open, with the ever-keen Debbs pushing our wares on the forums and all over the server with a view to maybe jumping into the officer ranks if his work is proven to get results.

    At this time tho, recruitment is everyone’s responsibility, and remember when out there interacting with your Ragnaros compatriots, you are an ambassador for The Dambusters. Make them see what a great bunch you all are!

    /Salute

    Warrant Officers

    Maryhinge – Guild Rules Enforced

    Spyrot – Guild Primary Raid Leader

    Flight Sergeants

    Díputs – Assistant Guild Bank Maintenance Manager

    Egmag – Website Forum Co-ordinator

    *Illia – Chief Recruitment Officer

    *Kuja – Old Raid Team Leader/Assistant to Primary Raid Leader

    *Nevra – Old Raid Team Leader/Assistant to Primary Raid Leader

    Pocahunter – Guild Bank Maintenance Manager

    *Trikié – 2nd Raid Team Leader and General Comedy Coordinator

    ( * denotes a position currently up for grabs)

  • Jin’rohk ‘the Broken’ Down!

    First boss in Throne of Thunder was killed on Thursday night by our raid team to open our account for 5.2.

    We are in a transition period where we need to recruit for the raid team due to (possibly only temporary?) loss of Kuja, Nevra, Trikié and Kleinie in the realm change.

    Thursday’s successful team consisted of-:

    Spyrot
    Manacle
    Díputs
    Bunnyboiler
    Pocadøts
    Gincor
    Devilslotus
    Starclear (new recruit shaman)
    Pugged ret pala
    Pugged holy pala

    Our kill happened before Starclear joined the guild so we will have to down the boss again next week before its a registered kill 🙁

    Nevertheless, we must recruit a melee DPS and a paladin/druid healer at the very least before this Wednesday otherwise we must pug again.

    Good luck Spyrot and Debbs who will be at the forefront of the recruitment drive with myself this coming week. If anyone else reading can help with recruitment then your work will be greatly appreciated. All members continue to have unlimited invitation permission until such times as we steadily have over 20 online at once in any given night of activity.

    /Salute

  • Officers Who Don’t Do Anything

    Guild officer jobs are often thankless tasks that are very important to the smooth running of a guild. It’s a well known fact that a lot of officers retain their status without going far enough out of their way to warrant their lofty position.

    Make no mistake, our guild is no different but that is where your Guild Leader comes in. It is my job to make sure the leaders of the community are doing enough to retain their rank as officers. If I feel an officer is not performing their duty then you can be sure the position will soon be up for grabs. The first step in ensuring the officers are trying their best is to write a public blog post. If you are an officer and you feel you could be doing more then this is your call to arms 🙂

    If you are an officer and you feel that you no longer wish to perform your duties, do the right thing and talk to me about it. You might feel this post is unjustly directed at you but the post is not intended to upset any officers, just to provide clarity that there is a way to make sure we are all working together by communication. If you have something on your mind then get it out there. There’s no need for drama if you need to keep something confidential between your GM and yourself. The guild operation is very much dependent on that clear communication between the leadership.

    There are only limited jobs available in the guild so let me know if you feel you are doing something that deserves to be recognised, we cannot rest on our laurels. I need help from the entire guild and especially my officers.

    There is so much to do from restructuring the decimated raid team with good old Spyrot at the frontline there, to further recruitment driven currently by Debbs mainly at the moment although its everyone’s responsibility. The old raid nights need some leadership to get them going again, our 2nd team seems a long way off at the moment but all it takes is for me to hire a raid leader and give him the power to recruit and that could be sorted. There is no sign of a rated battleground team yet. The forums are underused so we need someone to push to get people on there. These are all jobs that need doing, let me know if you can lend a hand.

    To the current officers, lets get chatting with our thoughts together. This is a tricky time for the guild in only its first week after moving. We have done really well but lost of consistency has been lost in the transition. Re-doubling our efforts should provide a nice spring blossom for the famous Dambusters of Ragnaros!

    /Salute

  • New Guild on the Block

    Hi ‘Dambusters of Ragnaros’ and ‘Legacy of the Dambusters of Xavius’

    As previously decreed, the guild prepared, executed and are now settling into our new server.  The aspects of the guild realm transfer I discussed in ‘Mobilisation of the Dambusters’ blog post have gone exactly as planned.  The move was seamless and smooth and as such, we have enjoyed a drama free beginning to our gameplay on Ragnaros.

    It seems everyone who has moved has commented on their joy at being part of the guild on a busy server where business and co-operation with other people is absolutely thriving.  Much has been discussed regarding the surprising way the Horde and Alliance generally quest in the new Isle of Thunder in relative peace, happily passing enemies by on journeys and helping each other to kill rare monsters with the common goal of being able to loot together regardless of which faction tagged the mob.

    These activities are not global however and occasional battles break out!  This is a real delight as I personally love the exhilarating chaos in a world PvP war, even with the underlying grumblings of being overwhelmed by people who fight dirty etc. I have missed the old days of watching your back as you quest, wearing PvP gear etc and using every trick in the book to get out of danger.  Smart resurrection at the outer edges of the ‘res zone’ are of paramount importance when being corpse camped by unruly Horde bitches who do nothing but gank it seems, usually rezzing behind obstacles to ‘Line of Sight’ the griefing bastard and get away promptly before he spots you.  These are good times, things which heighten the pleasure of playing in my opinion.  These events are occasional rather than frequent but they do happen and this type of play is what Blizzard intends.  Just look how they laid out the new island…

    I have been in a raid with a group of alliance who had decided they just got sick of it and set out towards the horde camp and proceeded to hammer every horde who dared appear from their base, including having a pop at their actual boss hehe.  These events are spontaneous but definitely possible, totally unlike anything that can happen in Xavius these days.  For too long, the old server has been a farmer’s haven, a place for the mundane.  Guilds cannot maintain their rosters due to lack of interest in playing on Xavius, people have been staying away and because of this, guilds stagnate and many die as a result.

    No way am I letting The Dambusters die, no longer will I accept 2nd best on a server that is now a total backwater where the only notable progression guild on the alliance side are ‘you know who’ and frankly, I’m sorry to have handed the rest of the population to them.  Funsucking idiots will now have their voices heard more loudly on Xavius because people like Kuja and Bigticket are no longer there to ram their words down their throats.  I was recently trolled in trade there along the lines of  “why move your guild to Ragnaros? To be ‘social’ somewhere else?”  and that attitude makes me want to vomit!

    People who consider only guild raid progression as a means to determine the qualities of a guild, assuming there is no point in trying to provide a good gaming environment for a guild if it’s not at the cutting edge of ego-pandering and heroic raiding are so narrow-minded it’s unbelievable.  Alas I will no longer be willing to engage their puny little brains in tit-for-tat trolling on a backwater little server, they can keep it.  Our history there is now solidified with the renaming (as promised) to ‘Legacy of the Dambusters’ and long may people remember the pleasantness, togetherness and tenacity displayed by our guild over the years while our name still resonates there.

    The next step for the old guild is to find a member who is 100% staying there with no intention to move to hand over leadership powers.  Having discussed with prominent members of the guild recently, I have decided to retain overall Guild Leader status on an alt to ensure the old guild’s continued existence in it’s current form.  There is too much there that we are proud of to allow to slip away to another’s potential malpractice so an incumbent leader will manifest the day-to-day running of the guild but yours truly will retain the ability to ensure nothing bad can happen to the old guild.

    Meanwhile on Ragnaros, we continue to grow as people trickle over from Xavius as they stabilise finances before realm transfers and create new characters in the guild.  We continue to recruit from Ragnaros and beyond by using the server forums to advertise our guild, reaching out to all EU players who read the official forums.  The activity is currently sitting at an acceptable level, usually 10-15 online per evening at any one time and around 75% of characters online in a 24 hour period which is a better ratio than when we were in Xavius.  This is expected since all the more active players have moved over with us.

    More opportunities for grouping up and doing stuff together coming up, hopefully we will get some better raid progress and the 2nd team will come back strong when we get the leadership back on track.  I’m looking to Kuja to move this week and finally get his Rated Battleground team up and running.

    /Salute

     

     

     

  • Mobilisation of the Dambusters

    Friday is the big day for the official move. A certain chain of events will take place to make the move as seamless as possible.

    The stages will be as follows:-

    1. Preparation work begins, I have stopped all guild bank gold withdrawal allowances for anyone with that ability but guild repairs will continue as normal
    2. Before Friday, people are welcome to create new characters in preparation for the guild to start invites on Friday or at your own leisure, you may join us when you are ready anytime thereafter but DO NOT quit the guild on your current character(s) if you wish to retain your reputation.  After the guild has moved, you will be prompted to follow it and automatically retain your position in the guild over on Ragnaros
    3. On Friday, Bigticket will server change with the guild and commence recruitment as soon as the transfer is complete
    4. As the transfer is made,  I will appoint a remaining alt of my own as GM until a new leader is ready to assume control of the old guild after the renaming to ‘Legacy of the Dambusters’
    5. On Ragnaros, the recruitment drive will begin, all current members will have a limited period of open ended invite capability by-passing the usual ‘applications only’ entry requirements until such times as the leadership feel we are happy with the numbers before reverting to the usual procedure, where we will continue to advertise our website application point on /tradechat as necessary
    6. I advise people to stick together where possible on the new server and join the mumble chat to keep communication to a quick process, things will be mayhem especially on the new daily questing hub where certain quest mobs might be harder to find, ganking becomes commonplace and people will become frustrated, stick together Dambusters

    We plan a brief get together right in the middle of the SW trade district, guild standards and mounts, whoopin n hallerrin’ and general loudness tho polite friendly banter with the inevitable trolls is demanded. Remember, you are all ambassadors for the guild. Make a good impression, don’t troll back. We are the new guys here!

    Additional blog posts to follow….

  • Dambusters Server Transfer

    The decision has been made!

    The time has come, the Dambusters’ ambitions have outgrown the possibilities available in Xavius.

    The switch will happen this Friday, the 15th of March 2013.

    The new server will be Ragnaros and ALL current guild members are 100% welcome to transfer with us or make new characters to join the newly established guild in the new server.

    I am deeply sorry to anyone who feels that they cannot move with us for whatever reason, you gotta make your own decision for your own reasons but I am sure you all understand that the people who take the time and make such great efforts to push for this move are very important in the decisions I make for the guild. The people who have proven to me that they want to put the time and effort into making their feelings known in a constructive manner have the ability to drive the direction of the guild with my blessing and support.

    Your voices are heard. Lets make this move count!

    /Salute to the Dambusters

  • Solid Foundation Modification

    I repeatedly state about how proud I am about the foundations of the guild being very secure.  This is a very short blog post today, I will ask only 1 question and hope to get a lot of comments.  Apathy here does not count since any lack of replies here will simply show me people don’t care enough to be bothered.  In that circumstance then I will please myself and the officers and move the guild to a busy server where people can pug freely, our raid team can actually recruit raiders who care enough to show up and know their class inside out and the social levellers may actually have a place where they can be social, whereas in sleepy old Xavius there is only sporadic outbreaks of morale and fighting fun.

    Should we stay on Xavius or move to a busier server?   I’m waiting your replies…

    /Salute

  • The Nine

    Raid teams need commitment. If you want to be part of a team in any activity then a certain level of commitment is needed or the team is unlikely to succeed.

    The Air Raid team has had it’s share of lethargy, a touch of drama and a lot of players come and go but overall there has been a dedicated group of nine players who have not wavered in this expansion since the team started forging their way through Mogu’shan Vaults and Heart of Fear.

    Spyrot, Kuja, Nevra, Kleinie, Pocahunter(Pocadøts) Bunnyboiler, Manacle, Diputs, Trikié

    If you look at the gear levels on these characters then you will notice they are the forerunners of our guild at progression, all are around or over the 490ilvl mark. The Dambusters are far from the top raid team on the server but we hope the solidarity our team has created together can help us to overcome some boss fights and have a proud realm ranking in the weeks to come starting patch 5.2.

    This brings me to spot number 10. Currently we have eyes on Devilslotus because the team has been crying out for a powerful and dedicated mage for some time. We have used Narcise and even pugged in mages from other guilds who have neither come up to the required standards nor grabbed the oppertunity by committing themselves to the team. Each week seems to bring a different 10th player. People like Gincor do well when they listen but sadly inability to always be there when it really matters renders the raid leader helpless in his quest to fill that last spot.

    I hope Devilslotus has what it takes to stay in the team since tonight we clear Mogu’shan Vaults primarily to get him a piece or two of gear. If something comes up, and he fails to grab the last spot in the team on a permanent basis then that place will continue to be up for grabs.

    Commitment is of utmost importance because if you don’t show up for whatever reason then you jeapordise the actual raid group’s ability to go. Think of ‘the other nine’ who did manage to set aside that time in their busy weekly schedule to be there, be prepared with all the right gear, the right gems, enchants and reformed gear with flasks and food. These guys have put the work in so your effort in showing up is rewarded with a raid. You must do the same, treat the team as your irl friends who all got together for YOUR birthday party, you must show up and do your best.

    That is the kind of team I want to be part of. Everyone has a life outside the game, but being part of the team means setting aside that time to be there fully, no distractions, to do your very best. This kind of life management gets bosses down!

    Patch 5.2 is a new dawn and our team is raring to get started. Anyone who is keen to raid with the famous Dambusters needs to do the things I have talked about. Get into the Saturday raids we run and get noticed. Spots on the main team do open up so it’s your job to be there, be ready to drop what you are doing and come in if Spyrot needs you on a Wednesday and Thursday evening. Someone who is online waiting for an opening is someone we can rely on, that is a raider. If you get in, don’t ever let it go, stay in and grab your chance! If you do well then it’s hard to then drop you back out for the next run.

    /Salute to the dedicated nine!

  • Meet Your Officers

    Warrant Officers

    Maryhinge – Guild Rules Enforcer

    Pocahunter – Guild Bank Maintenance Manager

    Spyrot – Guild Primary Raid Leader

    Flight Sergeants

    Diputs – Assistant Guild Bank Maintenance Manager

    Egmag – (new role to be confirmed)

    Illia – Chief Recruitment Officer

    Kuja – Old Raid Team Leader/Assistant to Primary Raid Leader

    Nevra – Old Raid Team Leader/Assistant to Primary Raid Leader

    Trikié – 2nd Raid Team Leader and General Comedy Coordinator