TFM 2.0
Who we were:
For some of the new people and some of the old people, I’d like to explain to you what TFM used to be (correct me if I‘m wrong Vas!). Back in Burning Crusade, TFM was a small guild and they decided to join up with another small guild to enjoy the raids of the time. They decided to do all of the hip and upcoming raid encounters of that time, including SSC, Gruul’s Mag and etc. and were pretty successful at it. Then came Black Temple and we did a fair amount of progress.
I say we versus they because around the time they were doing the middle of Black Temple, in walks me on my Druid. I had played a badass Alliance Druid from Vanilla through SSC in TBC when my guild disbanded and I sulked back to the server I transferred from. It happened by luck that Vasquez caught me on one day and recruited my happy ass over to Rivendare where I rerolled a Horde Druid. I showed up with all these guys pimped out in epics wearing blues and greens and doing BT. Then came Mount Hyjal where we did a fairly good run there and almost defeated Archimonde. Then Sun Well Plateau released and due to in house disagreements only did trash in there and called it quits until WOTLK.
Once WOTLK came around, I think I did one raid on my Druid and decided to play a DK for shits and giggles and really fell in love with the class mechanics. The DK was like my dps Warrior that I played for a year and a half and I just really came to grow fond of the mechanics of them. So, I walked into Naxx with blues and greens amongst folks with epics again and again I worked my way up the ladder by doing heroics and busting my balls to get geared and equipped to do the fights I wanted to do. So TFM was doing Naxx and like all the other guilds at the time we were all very geared and bored out of our minds.
We did OS3D within two or three weeks after it released which was a very incredible experience overall. I don’t think many fights yet have come close to the intensity and concentration required for that fight. Then we progressed into Ulduar and got all the way up to Yogg. Frustrations with people’s performance and attendance ran rampant and at the eve of what could have been our crowning achievement, people got bored and retired from the game, most from the guild itself. It was a sad week for a lot of us and a confusing one as well.
Then something happened. Four people got together and said “hey, we don’t need people that don’t want to be here anyway. Lets just pick up where we left off and see what pieces we can try to glue together to make this work.”
Who we are:
So we did just that. Raaji, Tillion, myself and Seizurepony all started to pitch in on doing what was necessary to put TFM back together into the guild WE wanted it to be. Very early on in the process we decided that what we didn’t want was to blow through easy content without giving attempts to hard modes or hard content which was the bane of the previous iteration of TFM. Previously, we were just as happy to get the content down and log for the night as being in the instance. This was frustrating to some of the people in the guild because we weren’t even attempting hard content AT ALL.
The other thing that we were fortunate enough to have was people that decided not to bail on us. I don’t know if we talked a big game about progression or if they just had nowhere else to go but we got a handful of people that stuck with us and so far they’ve still been with us and I don’t know what words can explain my gratitude towards those people. They don’t get thanked enough for their previous and continued hard work and I wish I could send them nude telegrams from models but that’s just a bit outside my current budget.
So the next thing we did was try to get raids together by shotgun recruiting people. This is probably the best thing in my opinion that could have happened to us. Recruitment went nuts, we pulled in all kinds of people to just fill the vacant spots to do content. Although we never really had many crash and burn moments, we did have a lot of frustrating nights. Our turnover rate a month ago was 300% worse than it is right now. Yet the previously mentioned people I praised stayed with us, which is commendable.
The reason I say it was the best thing that could have happened to us is that in that time a lot of our current Gms got some much needed raid and guild leading experience. The impact was especially big when it came down to finding out who were the ones that were dedicated and who weren’t. It let us kind of find our identities as to who were as officers and what roles we needed to play to get the job done as a whole. So, as a result of that much needed experience, we are where we are today and we are who we are as well.
What we hope to become:
Now that you get an idea of the who and where we are, I’d like to make some things clear and what our goals are for this guild. We want to be consistently in the top 3 raiding guilds on the server. That’s going to be really tough considering that as a philosophy, we do more with less. We’re not as geared as a whole compared to some of the other guilds. We don’t spend as much time doing the content as they do. We don’t treat this place like a corporation 7 days of the week with mandatory overtime. What we do though and what we hope to do is move beyond those limitations and kick as much ass as possible.
What does all of this mean though in terms of raid and guild progression? It means that some major changes and overhauls will be coming through in the coming weeks to make yours and our experience a lot more satisfying as a whole. For example, there’s some items in particular that we’re looking to do:
1. THE LIST. What is this mystical list of things we keep track of during raids? Dps meters, deaths, healing, movement counters, disconnects, players that are excelling, players that aren’t, players that are bitching about wipes, people that aren’t, etc. I’m not sure if we’re really looking to make this list posted on the forums or whatever but just know that we are watching. That’s not entirely a bad thing either. We watch for people who are kicking ass too and who we can count on for tasks during encounters.
2. ROLE LEADERS. The list brings up another thing that we’re going to be bringing to the table very shortly. As officers, we’re completely overwhelmed sometimes and find it frustrating to even do our jobs during raids effectively. What we’ll be looking for is certain individuals who want to become more involved with the guild so that as officers we can do our jobs during raids and outside of them too more effectively. If you’d like to be a position like this, feel free to send myself or Raaji a PM on the forums with a brief explanation of why you’d be good at something like this. This job may come with perks as well so stay tuned for those.
3. ATTENDANCE/RAID POINTS. One thing that we’re all pretty thoroughly done with is the idea that once people make it to the raider position that they’ve paid their dues and the hard part is over. They can freely attend raids whenever they feel like it without giving much thought to the consequences. This will be changing shortly. Soon we will have a point system set up that is cumulative and deductive that will accurately portray your attendance and performance during and outside of raids. If anyone has a problem with this, you can talk to me inside the game or on PMs. I’m flat tired of more applicants showing up than raiders.
4. IMPROVE WEBSITE ATTENDANCE. We don’t require people to log as frequently as other guilds by far. What we do require is people to post and review strategies that have been posted. If it means that we’re going to have to hold people’s hands and make them put signatures under the official strategies posts to get raid invites then that’s what we’re going to do. I’d like to think that we’re all mature people here and can read what’s on the horizon for bosses but we don’t have that cooperation yet and all of the officers are willing to enforce it.
5. REWARDS FOR INDIVIDUAL PROGRESS. We’re not all slum and glum here at the Mongeese and we’re actually looking at finding a way to reward players that since entering the guild have made vast improvements. We’re also looking at rewarding those who make continued success. Maybe its extra gold for repairs or maybe its an extra night’s worth of dkp. Its all still on the table here but just keep in mind that we’re currently working on a system to reward you beyond loot for kicking ass.
6. ATTITUDES GOTTA GO. The other thing here is that we’re fed up as officers of people putting themselves before the guild. I can count on one hand who I know has 100% the guild’s best interest in their head when attending raids. Out of 40ish people that’s a sad ratio. Every single person that shows up to the raid needs to have the mentality that if it takes us doing content of any type, it is in the best interest of all the members. That means staying for wipe content (which pales in comparison to the wipe content in the previous patches so I don’t see what the issues are anyway) and staying the entire duration of raids regardless of our progress. We can’t progress through content without doing it and that includes any wipes too.
One other thing I’d like to remove is the idea that some people here aren’t replaceable or that they’re in such a place that if they don’t show up that its going to kill this guild. This guild was around prior to 90% of the current members and it will be here regardless of some people leaving. That being said, nobody here isn’t replaceable. Let me reiterate that. IF YOU CANNOT CUT THE ELITIST ATTITUDES, YOU WILL FIND YOURSELF HOMELESS. YOU ARE REPLACEABLE. That doesn’t mean that we want to just kick people who are having a bad night. Hell, I don’t want to kick players at all but if it comes between removing a good player to keep 3 others because nobody can get along with them, then that’s a choice I will make in a heartbeat. That means no more straight up defying our requests to stop actions, that means no more arguments with people giving advice and most importantly that means no more ninja logs. This is the final warning. Cut the shit and attend the raids with an attitude to win TOGETHER.
7.THE GUILD BANK. We’re currently looking at ways to promote refilling the bank in more ways than just ample donations by members. The first way we’re looking at it contributions from members in exchange for dkp. It would be a progressive scale with only a limited amount of dkp being able to be earned monthly with one exception. Those who are severely negative in dkp would be able to recuperate that dkp with items to the guild bank. We want the guild bank to be a thriving economy of its own where you’ll only have to look at getting stuff from AH on a specific needs only basis. We’ll be looking to some members to handle this as well so stay tuned in the future for what and who this corresponds to.
8.KNOW THE INFORMATION THAT IS PERTINENT TO THE CONTENT. We’re getting tired of telling people that have the dkp for trophies exactly what they’re used for EVERY SINGLE RAID. Whereas the people who are lusting for those items have to watch other people get them and not turn them in because they don’t know what the fuck to do with them. Become more familiar with what loot drops as well because if you’re content with getting a small upgrade for you because you don’t know there’s a potential large upgrade around the corner then we’ll see to it that we start enacting selective loot receiving and have our “fair dkp system” got to a “fairly selective dkp system.”
So at the incredible Mongeese here, we strive to be a name on the server that people can recognize. That people can go fuck yea, TFM! We had it once and now we're rebuilding that image into a guild that I think all of us can appreciate. The thing is though that building that image takes time, work and dedication. I have no doubt that a lot of people are dedicated. We have countless people show up to every raid willing to give their all and bust their ass for everyone. For that, myself and all of the officers here are grateful. No one is slipping through the cracks unnoticed, even though we might not pat you personally on the back. Trust me when I say that those who do attend raids ready to go are appreciated to the fullest.
Now the thing is that while we do have people who show up every raid, fully flasked, buffed and ready to go and ready to stick it out the entire night without incident, we have those who don't. Believe me folks when I say that those people do not go unnoticed as well. Believe me when I say that it equally pisses me off to see more applicants online than raiders for raids. It also frustrates me when we get people that come to a fight unprepared because they haven't taken 5 minutes out to review it and it makes everyone that did look it up look like assholes and feel like assholes.
We used to be a guild that gave a fuck and now its changed into this group of people that do give a fuck surrounded by those that don't. We used to be a guild that had people treat each other with respect and want to stay entire raid nights wiping if that's what it took to down bosses. Now we don't and I don't understand what's changed in people. Does the promise of purple lettered items really hold sway over people's minds more so than contributing to a greater good? I don't know. However, it is my job and the job of your other officers to fix it. What can I do as an officer or a GM or a person in position of power to change apathy? These are the questions that I ask myself frequently because not only am I asking myself, I have members asking me the same things.
Thus I must come to some conclusion on how to correct this. My thing is this: If you are only here for phat lewts then this guild isn't for you. If you only give a shit about yourself, then this guild isn't for you. If you feel like calling people out and not leaving it to the people leading this guild and the raids, then this guild isn't for you. If you don't care what tag you have under your name as long as you do content, then we aren't for you either. That's just how it is.
However, if you enjoy doing things as a guild, then we are for you. If you feel like you want to make a difference here and you don't care how many failed attempts it takes then we are for you. If you would just as rather see someone take the shoulders that's a small upgrade for you over a large upgrade for someone else, then this guild is for you. If you're like me and you don't give a shit what drops off what boss but you just enjoy the people’s company that you play with... then we are for you. These are things that people need to keep in mind.
Blizzard is handing out welfare epics like its candy and to me there's absolutely zero reason to be a loot whore any more. I mean the next expansion is only a year away anyhow? What's that shiny piece of gear going to get you if you don't have friends to show it off to and content to use it on anyway? That's honestly what the loot in this game is for. Sure my new shoulders look sweet and sure people think I'm wicked cool for wearing them but really what it comes down to is that what do you think people respect more, a guild that's tight as fuck that you do all this sweet content with or just being some homeless in Dalaran with some purple lettered gear on?
I know that this might be a TL:DR post for some people, but my hope that it is an invigorating one for most people. I want people to read this and I want people to sign this. I’ll also be enforcing this heavily very soon, because this information is VERY need to know stuff and I’m not content with people just wandering through the guild anymore without knowing a damn thing about the guild.
Read it, learn it, sign it.
For some of the new people and some of the old people, I’d like to explain to you what TFM used to be (correct me if I‘m wrong Vas!). Back in Burning Crusade, TFM was a small guild and they decided to join up with another small guild to enjoy the raids of the time. They decided to do all of the hip and upcoming raid encounters of that time, including SSC, Gruul’s Mag and etc. and were pretty successful at it. Then came Black Temple and we did a fair amount of progress.
I say we versus they because around the time they were doing the middle of Black Temple, in walks me on my Druid. I had played a badass Alliance Druid from Vanilla through SSC in TBC when my guild disbanded and I sulked back to the server I transferred from. It happened by luck that Vasquez caught me on one day and recruited my happy ass over to Rivendare where I rerolled a Horde Druid. I showed up with all these guys pimped out in epics wearing blues and greens and doing BT. Then came Mount Hyjal where we did a fairly good run there and almost defeated Archimonde. Then Sun Well Plateau released and due to in house disagreements only did trash in there and called it quits until WOTLK.
Once WOTLK came around, I think I did one raid on my Druid and decided to play a DK for shits and giggles and really fell in love with the class mechanics. The DK was like my dps Warrior that I played for a year and a half and I just really came to grow fond of the mechanics of them. So, I walked into Naxx with blues and greens amongst folks with epics again and again I worked my way up the ladder by doing heroics and busting my balls to get geared and equipped to do the fights I wanted to do. So TFM was doing Naxx and like all the other guilds at the time we were all very geared and bored out of our minds.
We did OS3D within two or three weeks after it released which was a very incredible experience overall. I don’t think many fights yet have come close to the intensity and concentration required for that fight. Then we progressed into Ulduar and got all the way up to Yogg. Frustrations with people’s performance and attendance ran rampant and at the eve of what could have been our crowning achievement, people got bored and retired from the game, most from the guild itself. It was a sad week for a lot of us and a confusing one as well.
Then something happened. Four people got together and said “hey, we don’t need people that don’t want to be here anyway. Lets just pick up where we left off and see what pieces we can try to glue together to make this work.”
Who we are:
So we did just that. Raaji, Tillion, myself and Seizurepony all started to pitch in on doing what was necessary to put TFM back together into the guild WE wanted it to be. Very early on in the process we decided that what we didn’t want was to blow through easy content without giving attempts to hard modes or hard content which was the bane of the previous iteration of TFM. Previously, we were just as happy to get the content down and log for the night as being in the instance. This was frustrating to some of the people in the guild because we weren’t even attempting hard content AT ALL.
The other thing that we were fortunate enough to have was people that decided not to bail on us. I don’t know if we talked a big game about progression or if they just had nowhere else to go but we got a handful of people that stuck with us and so far they’ve still been with us and I don’t know what words can explain my gratitude towards those people. They don’t get thanked enough for their previous and continued hard work and I wish I could send them nude telegrams from models but that’s just a bit outside my current budget.
So the next thing we did was try to get raids together by shotgun recruiting people. This is probably the best thing in my opinion that could have happened to us. Recruitment went nuts, we pulled in all kinds of people to just fill the vacant spots to do content. Although we never really had many crash and burn moments, we did have a lot of frustrating nights. Our turnover rate a month ago was 300% worse than it is right now. Yet the previously mentioned people I praised stayed with us, which is commendable.
The reason I say it was the best thing that could have happened to us is that in that time a lot of our current Gms got some much needed raid and guild leading experience. The impact was especially big when it came down to finding out who were the ones that were dedicated and who weren’t. It let us kind of find our identities as to who were as officers and what roles we needed to play to get the job done as a whole. So, as a result of that much needed experience, we are where we are today and we are who we are as well.
What we hope to become:
Now that you get an idea of the who and where we are, I’d like to make some things clear and what our goals are for this guild. We want to be consistently in the top 3 raiding guilds on the server. That’s going to be really tough considering that as a philosophy, we do more with less. We’re not as geared as a whole compared to some of the other guilds. We don’t spend as much time doing the content as they do. We don’t treat this place like a corporation 7 days of the week with mandatory overtime. What we do though and what we hope to do is move beyond those limitations and kick as much ass as possible.
What does all of this mean though in terms of raid and guild progression? It means that some major changes and overhauls will be coming through in the coming weeks to make yours and our experience a lot more satisfying as a whole. For example, there’s some items in particular that we’re looking to do:
1. THE LIST. What is this mystical list of things we keep track of during raids? Dps meters, deaths, healing, movement counters, disconnects, players that are excelling, players that aren’t, players that are bitching about wipes, people that aren’t, etc. I’m not sure if we’re really looking to make this list posted on the forums or whatever but just know that we are watching. That’s not entirely a bad thing either. We watch for people who are kicking ass too and who we can count on for tasks during encounters.
2. ROLE LEADERS. The list brings up another thing that we’re going to be bringing to the table very shortly. As officers, we’re completely overwhelmed sometimes and find it frustrating to even do our jobs during raids effectively. What we’ll be looking for is certain individuals who want to become more involved with the guild so that as officers we can do our jobs during raids and outside of them too more effectively. If you’d like to be a position like this, feel free to send myself or Raaji a PM on the forums with a brief explanation of why you’d be good at something like this. This job may come with perks as well so stay tuned for those.
3. ATTENDANCE/RAID POINTS. One thing that we’re all pretty thoroughly done with is the idea that once people make it to the raider position that they’ve paid their dues and the hard part is over. They can freely attend raids whenever they feel like it without giving much thought to the consequences. This will be changing shortly. Soon we will have a point system set up that is cumulative and deductive that will accurately portray your attendance and performance during and outside of raids. If anyone has a problem with this, you can talk to me inside the game or on PMs. I’m flat tired of more applicants showing up than raiders.
4. IMPROVE WEBSITE ATTENDANCE. We don’t require people to log as frequently as other guilds by far. What we do require is people to post and review strategies that have been posted. If it means that we’re going to have to hold people’s hands and make them put signatures under the official strategies posts to get raid invites then that’s what we’re going to do. I’d like to think that we’re all mature people here and can read what’s on the horizon for bosses but we don’t have that cooperation yet and all of the officers are willing to enforce it.
5. REWARDS FOR INDIVIDUAL PROGRESS. We’re not all slum and glum here at the Mongeese and we’re actually looking at finding a way to reward players that since entering the guild have made vast improvements. We’re also looking at rewarding those who make continued success. Maybe its extra gold for repairs or maybe its an extra night’s worth of dkp. Its all still on the table here but just keep in mind that we’re currently working on a system to reward you beyond loot for kicking ass.
6. ATTITUDES GOTTA GO. The other thing here is that we’re fed up as officers of people putting themselves before the guild. I can count on one hand who I know has 100% the guild’s best interest in their head when attending raids. Out of 40ish people that’s a sad ratio. Every single person that shows up to the raid needs to have the mentality that if it takes us doing content of any type, it is in the best interest of all the members. That means staying for wipe content (which pales in comparison to the wipe content in the previous patches so I don’t see what the issues are anyway) and staying the entire duration of raids regardless of our progress. We can’t progress through content without doing it and that includes any wipes too.
One other thing I’d like to remove is the idea that some people here aren’t replaceable or that they’re in such a place that if they don’t show up that its going to kill this guild. This guild was around prior to 90% of the current members and it will be here regardless of some people leaving. That being said, nobody here isn’t replaceable. Let me reiterate that. IF YOU CANNOT CUT THE ELITIST ATTITUDES, YOU WILL FIND YOURSELF HOMELESS. YOU ARE REPLACEABLE. That doesn’t mean that we want to just kick people who are having a bad night. Hell, I don’t want to kick players at all but if it comes between removing a good player to keep 3 others because nobody can get along with them, then that’s a choice I will make in a heartbeat. That means no more straight up defying our requests to stop actions, that means no more arguments with people giving advice and most importantly that means no more ninja logs. This is the final warning. Cut the shit and attend the raids with an attitude to win TOGETHER.
7.THE GUILD BANK. We’re currently looking at ways to promote refilling the bank in more ways than just ample donations by members. The first way we’re looking at it contributions from members in exchange for dkp. It would be a progressive scale with only a limited amount of dkp being able to be earned monthly with one exception. Those who are severely negative in dkp would be able to recuperate that dkp with items to the guild bank. We want the guild bank to be a thriving economy of its own where you’ll only have to look at getting stuff from AH on a specific needs only basis. We’ll be looking to some members to handle this as well so stay tuned in the future for what and who this corresponds to.
8.KNOW THE INFORMATION THAT IS PERTINENT TO THE CONTENT. We’re getting tired of telling people that have the dkp for trophies exactly what they’re used for EVERY SINGLE RAID. Whereas the people who are lusting for those items have to watch other people get them and not turn them in because they don’t know what the fuck to do with them. Become more familiar with what loot drops as well because if you’re content with getting a small upgrade for you because you don’t know there’s a potential large upgrade around the corner then we’ll see to it that we start enacting selective loot receiving and have our “fair dkp system” got to a “fairly selective dkp system.”
So at the incredible Mongeese here, we strive to be a name on the server that people can recognize. That people can go fuck yea, TFM! We had it once and now we're rebuilding that image into a guild that I think all of us can appreciate. The thing is though that building that image takes time, work and dedication. I have no doubt that a lot of people are dedicated. We have countless people show up to every raid willing to give their all and bust their ass for everyone. For that, myself and all of the officers here are grateful. No one is slipping through the cracks unnoticed, even though we might not pat you personally on the back. Trust me when I say that those who do attend raids ready to go are appreciated to the fullest.
Now the thing is that while we do have people who show up every raid, fully flasked, buffed and ready to go and ready to stick it out the entire night without incident, we have those who don't. Believe me folks when I say that those people do not go unnoticed as well. Believe me when I say that it equally pisses me off to see more applicants online than raiders for raids. It also frustrates me when we get people that come to a fight unprepared because they haven't taken 5 minutes out to review it and it makes everyone that did look it up look like assholes and feel like assholes.
We used to be a guild that gave a fuck and now its changed into this group of people that do give a fuck surrounded by those that don't. We used to be a guild that had people treat each other with respect and want to stay entire raid nights wiping if that's what it took to down bosses. Now we don't and I don't understand what's changed in people. Does the promise of purple lettered items really hold sway over people's minds more so than contributing to a greater good? I don't know. However, it is my job and the job of your other officers to fix it. What can I do as an officer or a GM or a person in position of power to change apathy? These are the questions that I ask myself frequently because not only am I asking myself, I have members asking me the same things.
Thus I must come to some conclusion on how to correct this. My thing is this: If you are only here for phat lewts then this guild isn't for you. If you only give a shit about yourself, then this guild isn't for you. If you feel like calling people out and not leaving it to the people leading this guild and the raids, then this guild isn't for you. If you don't care what tag you have under your name as long as you do content, then we aren't for you either. That's just how it is.
However, if you enjoy doing things as a guild, then we are for you. If you feel like you want to make a difference here and you don't care how many failed attempts it takes then we are for you. If you would just as rather see someone take the shoulders that's a small upgrade for you over a large upgrade for someone else, then this guild is for you. If you're like me and you don't give a shit what drops off what boss but you just enjoy the people’s company that you play with... then we are for you. These are things that people need to keep in mind.
Blizzard is handing out welfare epics like its candy and to me there's absolutely zero reason to be a loot whore any more. I mean the next expansion is only a year away anyhow? What's that shiny piece of gear going to get you if you don't have friends to show it off to and content to use it on anyway? That's honestly what the loot in this game is for. Sure my new shoulders look sweet and sure people think I'm wicked cool for wearing them but really what it comes down to is that what do you think people respect more, a guild that's tight as fuck that you do all this sweet content with or just being some homeless in Dalaran with some purple lettered gear on?
I know that this might be a TL:DR post for some people, but my hope that it is an invigorating one for most people. I want people to read this and I want people to sign this. I’ll also be enforcing this heavily very soon, because this information is VERY need to know stuff and I’m not content with people just wandering through the guild anymore without knowing a damn thing about the guild.
Read it, learn it, sign it.
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"I'll work just as hard for you as you work for me." 
