We got Aggro Lootrules - Version 2.4 25.5.2009

Dear friends, we raidleaders and officers have come up with a vision that is hopefully shared by most of you. While raiding is certainly not the only thing for us in WoW to do, it is enjoyed by the majority of us and we need a common view on this. Much has been said ingame and on the forum, and we have tried to structure this a bit:

Our vision,
the goals/guidelines to achieve that vision,
and the actual implementation.

Now loot distribution is definitely not the only thing that makes a raid fun or not, it's nonetheless important to handle "right".
Note: Things like raid speed, raid concentration, (raid targets!) are also vital parts if a raid is fun or not, but we will not cover those in rules yet. Remains to be seen if it will be necessary and if that would benefit us.

We could very likely discuss this topic for the next 12 months without getting to a complete consensus, but I hope that most of you agree to the vision and goals.
Note: The actual implementation is definitely not set in stone and will likely change over time.


The vision:
"Every single raid should leave a warm fuzzy feeling for our guildies that makes them want to enjoy another raid evening like that!"

The goals/guidelines:
- Distributing - not disenchanting - as much loot as possible
- We do want to reward our regular raiders for their contributions
- We want to encourage bringing our main toons, with main specs
- As much ease and clarity as possible in our loot distribution

The implementation (rules):
+ We use /roll ingame to distribute our loot.
+ The order in which guildies are asked to roll is: Main Character/Mainspec > Main Character/Offspec > Alt Character/Mainspec > Alt Character/Offspec
+ It will be very clear to see which character is a Main and which spec is the main spec.
+ For every raid a Main Character participates, he will get points. Once there are ten points gathered, the character will receive a 'trump card'.
+ These 'trump cards' can be used to state exceptional interest in one item and the character shall get that item he used the 'trump card' for.
+ One character can never have more than one 'trump card' at any given time.
+ All items go to /roll if no one brings their Trump Card to the attention of the Raid Leader.
+ Don't be greedy.

Frequently asked questions:
"Why rolling? Why a 'trump card' system?"
We are a mixed guild, with various interests. We have players who enjoy the raiding game above all and get excited from wiping and progressing in unknown areas when they learn a new encounter. We have players who like to play chilled farm instances and we have players who can only play a limited time or enjoy the social aspect.
In addition we raiding and loot distribution to be easy and fun, because we play for the giggle and laughter, not for server first kills.
Since rolling for loot is easy to administrate, it's an obvious choice. Yet, we are focused enough that we see the need to have a little influence in the dice god's decisions. That is what the trump card is for. This will help gearing us up faster, gives regular raiders some sort of control of when they will get an upgrade and is still only little administrative overhead. We hope the 'trump card' system is a good balance between total luck and controlled loot distribution for our regular raiders.
In addition, the 'trump card' system gives an incentive to bring your main character to farm runs. Having a good amount of main characters in farm runs speeds them up and helps lesser equipped guildies to gear up faster as well.

"Can I roll more than one time per raidnight?
Since there are no specific rules as how many items you can get in an evening's raid, you are free to roll as often as you want, but you are asked to respect the "Don't be greedy" rule.

"Why is there an order in which guildies are asked to roll?"
We want Main Characters to have priority in loot calls. They help us progress through the content and Main Characters are usually the ones we can play best. By gearing up Main Characters first, we will be able to play the new challenges sooner, learn those new encounters and thus giving that knowledge and experience to the rest of the guildies.

"Will there be any penalty if I /roll with an Alt, or if I roll for an offspec item?"
We want to distribute as much loot as possible, while disenchanting as few items as needed, so no, there is no penalty for doing that, but again, you are asked to respect the "Don't be greedy" rule.

"When can I use my trump card? What will happen if two people use their trump card on the same item?"
You are asked to announce either in raidchat or on teamspeak (in either way be sure your call is heard!) as soon as possible that you are especially interested in an item. This can be when we check what just dropped from a boss, or you can announce it at the start of the raid: "I really really pretty please want item xxx if it drops and will use my trump card for it." Should more than one person use their trump card on the same item, they will roll. The winner gets the item and his trump card and counter will be reset to zero, the loser of this roll keeps his trump card and can use it again whenever he wants to.

"When should I use my trump card? Would it be wise to save it for [insert last boss in highest available instance at the time]?"
While there is no rule as to where you can use your card, it is advised to use it as soon as you can. After all, what good is a trump that should gurantee you an item, when everyone saves them and you have to roll anyway? The main idea behind the trump cards is to give regular raiders the chance to grab that missing item from a lower tier instance. So, use them early when you can and start getting a new one. Remember, you can only have one card at a time.

"How do I get a trump card again? How do I see if I have a trump card?"
[i]At the start of every raid, or when someone joins midterm, you will get up to one point. Get 10 points and you will receive a trump card. Once you used your trump card you will lose it and your counter resets to zero. On the next raid you participate you will get points again and your counter will raise accordingly. The counter and trump cards will be administrated ingame, using the officers note in the guild roster. Therefore we will make changes to the access rights, so that every guildie can see this officers note field. (Note: We did not use it prior to the 'trump card' system.)

"Can I get more than one trump card?"
No, you cannot get more than one card at any given time. Once you have a trump card, your counter will stay at 10. Hording cards will not be possible. Still, regular raiders will naturally get more chances to get trump cards.

"Can I get a trump card for my alt character?"
No, only main characters can get trump cards. It would defeat the idea of giving main characters priority when an alt can play a trump card to nick an exceptional upgrade from a main character who would benefit us all more.

"Why 10 points per trump card? Why not e.g. 6?"
Good question. Chances are that in our previous loot systems we used, you would get a guaranteed item every 10th raid. To be frank, that number is totally artificial and we hope we got it right. Hopefully 10 points is not too high to be seen as impossible for less frequent raiders, and on the other hand not too low. Certainly a point for discussion in the future whether we shall lower or raise the amount of raids needed to qualify for a trump card. (think of the number as "drop chance" for the trump card)

Right now we award the following amount of points per run:
Naxx 10 - 0.25pt
Naxx 25 - 0.5pt
Eye of Eternity 10 - 0.5pt
Eye of Eternity 25 - 1pt
Vault of Archavon 10 - 0.25pt
Vault of Archavon 25 - 0.5pt
Sartharion 10 - 0.25pt
Sartharion 25 - 0.5pt
Ulduar 10 - 1pt
Ulduar 25 - 1pt


"What's with the "Don't be greedy" rule?"
While there is no problem at all if you get more than one item per raid, you are asked to give other guildies with less luck with the dices a chance to get loot as well. The more we distribute the loot amongst ourselves, the better we can play new challenges. But: There is no rule that forbids you to take two or more items in a row. Call it "good manners" to respect your fellow guildies and be happy with them as well when they get a nice upgrade.