So, advise for a newb?

I've been teasing it through the Message of the Day all weekend, and here is the big announcement!

                         The Amazing Dragonstar Race                        

There are a lot of events looming on the horizon that will affect interest in World of Warcraft. I'll be frank in stating that I continue to play World of Warcraft because I love our community. In an effort to combat summer doldrums, Diablo III, and the general malaise associated with the end on an expansion cycle, I have developed the first of what I hope will be a series of fun community events. I realize thinking something like this can combat vacations and new games is wishful thinking, but I need to try.

The Amazing Dragonstar Race (it really needs a snazzier name) is based on the television show. Small team sof players take on timed races involving a number of tasks to be completed along the way. I have not finished hammering out every last detail, but I can give you a solid concept. Right now it's about the consistency of hour-old concrete.

• One leg per week during the month of May (four legs)
  
• Teams will consist of three unique players (as opposed to unique accounts)
• Team will be accompanied by a race official (anyone want to
  officiate with me?)
• Standings for each individual race-leg based in part on time
  and in part on tasks
  
• Standings for individual race-legs will earn points toward an overall champion
• Individual race-legs will have small prizes
• The overall competitions will win something a little more substantial
• Modes of travel will be determined per each leg-race
  

• Leg 1 – The Desolace Dash – Tue May 01 thru Mon May 07
• Leg 2 – Storming the Peaks – Tue May 08 thru Mon May 14
• Leg 3 – The Deepholm Drag – Tue May 15 thru Mon May 21
• Leg 4 – The Lordaeron Triathlon – Tue May 22 thru Mon May 28

 I would like to
declare Dragon Soul officially conquered and on farm status.

Congratulations
and thanks should go out to everyone. I can’t think of anyone who did not work his/her
tail off to defeat Dragon Soul. It wasn’t just hard work, either. Having the
same pool of eleven people week in and week out played a huge role in our
success. The consistency and camaraderie helped make us more than a collection
of ten people filling the necessary roles; it made us a cohesive team. That’s
not to say it was all fun and games, or was it? In any event, we faced plenty
of adversity. Many times individual and group patience was tested. In the end,
though, patience won out. This is the kind of team experience that keeps me
playing World of Warcraft. Thank you for being an integral part of my
experience.

Since Dragon Soul
is the last major content we will see before Mists of Pandaria. And, since most
sources place it at nine months or so out, I think we should start considering
the answer to “what do we do now?” before it becomes an issue. In the short
term, there really is no need to change anything. Plenty of us are still
looking for pieces of gear here and there. As we get what we want, however, I
can easily see the weekly raid turning into a perceived chore rather than an
event we look forward to each week. Therefore, for the long term, we should
consider options to keep everyone interested and motivated.

One simple option
would be to simply stop at a point we can all agree on. There is no chance of
burn-out with this option. I personally would miss the social and team aspect
too much to subscribe to this option. That said, it’s a viable option and needs
to be part of our discussion.

We can always
fall back on one of the many raiding models we have used in the past. I’m
thinking particularly of Karazhan and Icecrown Citadel. These other models
could involve alts, other guild members, or both. It could involve splitting
Dragon Soul in half and “alting” the Seige portion one night while mopping up
with mains on the “Fall” portion the next. It could involve rotating fresh
faces in two per week. (or any number for that matter) It could involve a main
run one night and alt run the next. I’m sure there are other models I am not
remembering. What they all share in common is growing options for future
raiding. This comes with possible backlash when we need to return to a core
team again.

It should also be
considered that there are still plenty of raid achievements and all the heroics
modes left to tackle. We might elect to rotate content. Each week could be a
different raid tier (variety is the spice of life) and we head in and
accomplish what we can. This option even comes with the added bonus of allowing
people to take regular breaks. Maybe I don’t want to do Firelands, so I sit
that one out to make room for others. I’m still raiding regularly with built in
breaks. The downside there is it can quickly turn into a scheduling nightmare.

Please feel free
to champion on of these options, provide constructive criticism, suggest your
own, or all three. But, if you want to flame me, please place it in a new
thread called, “It’s All Drak’s Fault.”

Thanks again,

--Gallatin