greetings! as a raid leader i think that i have three main responsibilities:
1. that we are progressing at a reasonable rate
2. that we use our time efficiently
3. that everyone has fun while doing so
a problem this presents is that different people have different ideas of what these things mean therefore this thread will contain a list of my expectations that hopefully everyone can generally agree on. due to the fact that reality has a tendency to interfere with play time you should consider this a list of ideals.
attitude
first and foremost, don't be toxic. i expect you to respect your fellow raiders and guildmates and if you are unpleasant to raid with on a regular basis you will find yourself unwelcome in my raid group. this is something i've tolerated to an extent in the past but will not tolerate henceforth.
in general you should have a relatively positive attitude. there are several reasons, both in game and out, that sometimes make maintaining a positive demeanor difficult, but being negative isn't helpful and usually makes things worse. you should also be able to accept and evaluate constructive criticism without being offended or getting upset.
preparation and performance
you should be prepared for raids. this means meeting and maintaining the raider requirements, having the appropriate consumables, and being specced, talented, and fully repaired prior to the start of the raid. you should also have a general knowledge of the encounters we will be working on, and ideally read the relevant threads in the combat logs and raid strategy forums during progression so that you are up to date with current strategy theories and developments.
additionally, i expect people to learn encounter mechanics and how to deal with them, learn from their mistakes, and develop a personal strategy for each encounter. as a general rule we do not call people out individually for poor performance, but everyone needs to contribute to the best of their abilities in order for the team to succeed. encounters require practice and it takes time to learn them, but if you repeatedly fail mechanics or are consistently detrimental to the group's progress beyond the standard learning curve you may be asked to sit out. that said, such things are a rare occurrence since it isn't fun for anyone and i hate doing that to people.
calendar and raid invites
only characters that meet raider requirements will receive calendar invites to progression raids. if you accept a raid invite it is expected that you will stay for the entire raid unless you have a valid reason to leave. please accept the calendar invites, even if it is a few minutes before the raid, as the calendar is used to determine the roster for the evening and to send raid invites. please do not accept the calendar invite on multiple characters as that makes things confusing.
if your availability changes please update your response on the calendar, leave a message in an appropriate channel in game, or post on the forums. i usually do not assume that anyone will or will not attend any given raid and you may be replaced or benched if you are not online when the raid is supposed to start. invites for the raid will go out when there are enough people confirmed to make a feasible group. you should check the calendar invite to see your status and the status of the group in general. accepting a calendar invite does not guarantee you a spot. not accepting a calendar invite almost guarantees you will not receive a raid invite.
punctuality and time management
we have a limited amount of time each week to raid and we must use it efficiently if we want to progress. as a general rule we follow the posted schedule and take a five to ten minute break halfway through the raid. there are valid reasons to be afk at times but otherwise you are expected to be actively participating in the raid. if you are frequently afk it is likely that you are wasting everyone else's time while we wait for you.
you should be on time for raids, which means that you are at the instance when the raid is scheduled to start. you may be late due to things such as work, traffic, kids, and whatever else, which is fine. if you are doing dailies, running dungeons, pvping, on an alt, or afk, it is unlikely that we will wait for you. if you know you are going to be late for a raid please provide notice and try to park your character near the entrance of the instance we will be working on for the evening. the instance is generally listed in the calendar invite.
during progression we may extend the raid a bit, but usually not more than fifteen minutes and staying late is optional. towards the end of raid tiers we may trim the raid schedule, do optional activities such as alt raids or achievements, or take nights off if that seems preferable.
discord / mumble
i realize that one of the reasons that people enjoy raiding is the social aspect but please do not talk excessively on discord / mumble. chatting while waiting around or during trash or on farm bosses is usually ok. chatting during progression when communication is essential and people need to concentrate is not ok. questions should be asked and strategies should be discussed between pulls, not during an encounter. only relevant information should be conveyed during an attempt otherwise you are probably talking over something important and / or distracting everyone else. although it is a rare occurrence i reserve the right to globally mute anyone that is causing issues. also, ready check = please stop talking.
forums and communication
i use the forums to communicate general information about raids and the guild as a whole and i prefer that you keep yourself informed about what is posted. if you have questions about something please feel free to ask, but please be aware that if you message me in game just prior to or during a raid i will probably not respond as i will be busy raid leadering.
distractions
i expect people to pay attention and be focused during raids, especially during progression, since every single person in the raid needs to be at their best in order to be successful. you should not be watching tv / movies / youtube / netflix / whatever, talking on the phone, or texting frequently during the raid. obviously there are calls you need to take and messages you need to reply to sometimes but they should not be a frequent occurrence.
computer / internet
all of the above don't matter much if you do not have a computer and internet connection that allow you to raid without excessive lag. this affects the entire group, as it isn't uncommon for encounters to have individual mechanics that can wipe the raid if you are not able to react properly in a timely fashion. computers break and the internets will be wonky at times but if you consistently have issues you will likely be benched until you get them sorted out.
loot
with personal loot this topic is less of an issue, but my general opinion of loot is that whatever drops progresses the raid as a whole and therefore i do not care about any specific item. if we are progressing as we should everyone should have a chance to get whatever they want before it is replaced with the next new hotness. if you receive an item you do not need it is appreciated if you make it available to others via rolls. if you receive a boe you are free to do whatever you want with it and are not obligated to give it to someone else. if you have an issue with loot please bring it to my attention as i'm sure something can be worked out, but for the most part i will not tolerate loot drama.
shenanigans
in general i'm a big fan of shenanigans, except during raids. please do not waste time screwing around, for example using certain items or spells that may or may not get you removed from the group.
dealing with the raid leader
i'm pretty set in the way i operate things. for the most part this is something you'll just have to deal with but if you have any issues with me individually please bring them to my attention. i can't fix something i'm not aware of and i appreciate feedback so that i can improve. also, if i am not meeting any of these expectations please feel free to call me out on it.
as always, if you have any questions / comments / suggestions / whatever, please let me know!