So, you want to lead a raid....

[Gladlyn]

So, you want to lead a raid ...

The easy part:

First set a goal and a time and post a sign up on the calendar.  Post loot rules and goals.
Do your homework so you understand what you are getting into.
If people want to go they will sign up.
Go and have fun raiding.


The hard part:

Keeping the raid full with the right classes
Keeping people happy and wanting to come back if you are chewing glass
Keeping people happy with loot systems if you are downing bosses.


Thoughts on the hard part:


Keeping the raid full with the right classes and mostly that seems to mean healers and tanks. 

I think one of the reasons that people don't like to heal or tank is because there is a lot of pressure on them.  If a heal lands on second too late or the tank hits the wrong key the raid can wipe.  There is much less pressure on the DPS classes.  They can wipe the raid too but the normally have to work harder at a wipe and a mistake is less noticed that if the healer or tank do something wrong.

One of the ways you can keep those classes happy is to not call out mistakes.  I have seen many wipes blamed on the healers when nothing could have kept the tank up under those conditions.   I believe that is why there is always a healer shortage.  The newer the content the harder the bosses and trash hit and the more healers needed.  I don't remember but I don't believe in Molten Core we needed 1/3 of the 40 man raid to be healers.  It seems the recommendation is 7 healers for the high end 25 man content.  Even kara seems to require 2.5 healers so there are 3 healers for the boss fights.

If you must correct, do it privately and praise publicly.  Focus on what was done right and correct what was wrong very lightly. 

Pep talks

A raid leader must be the master of the pep talk and know when the pep talk is needed.  When the raid is stuck give them a pep talk and try again.  If there is no progress then do something different or fight another fight and come back later.   The mood of the raid effect performance.  This is a game and it should be fun.

Chewing glass should only be done for set times or tries.  I personally think with flasks that it should be kept to the length of time the flask is in place.  Take the flask right before the boss pull and don't go over 2 hours from there.

Loot

Loot is the hardest part sometimes because even people that don't care about loot normally get upset if they are not allowed to roll or they lose the roll on something they really wanted.  This is why I recommend Double SKG or a list like it that rewards coming to the raid with getting higher chance of winning what you want.   Even if you are a very fair person, until people get to know that for themselves you must go out of your way to remove any doubt about your honesty.

The 2 biggest mistakes I see new raid leaders make:

Not delegate.  Part of what makes a team gel is giving people roles/jobs to do and letting them do it.  Also, raid leaders can burn out if they are busy trying to run a raid and do everyone's job for them.  The roles in the raid also make people have pride of team work and give them ownership of the raid.  That is really important to make a raid both fun and successful.  A stressed raid leader is not a fun person to be around.

Not being flexable.  There is more than one way to do a boss and often you have to change something about how you deal with a fight due to group make up.  If you don't consider your group and just do the cookie cutter strat, unless you have a cookie cutter group you will have a lot more trouble than if you adjust to what you have.  Play to your group's strengths.

The biggest mistake I see made in the game:

Forgetting that this is a game.  Acting like it is a job and making the game feel like work.  Perfectionist raid leaders are the worst offenders.   

Have fun raiding.
Gladlyn

[Lainia]

very nice write up glad you have hit it on the head so to speak ,
one other thing i would recommend is that you at least have some knowledge
of the instance your trying to do, read strats etc so you have more than
one way of doing things just in case with your particular group makeup
the way your trying isnt working 

and as glad said most important make it fun   lots of people like me
feel we pay to play and have fun not get yelled at if something happens

[Gladlyn]

Good point, I will add my thoughts about being flexable to the message.

Glad

[Eibhiln]

Speak it sister!

As a healer, I hate getting yelled at for having been unable to keep someone alive in an unlikely situation, especially in vent! I'm not going to a raid to kill people, you know? Though, I am first to admit I'm not the best healer either, I often make mistakes or have a slow reaction at the most inopportune time. Sometimes people ought to be spoken to, you know if you arent healing your assignment, etc, but maybe by personal tell from the raid leader, etc. 

Your ability to write all that down so well, and having an understanding of the game and people, is why you are such an awesome leader!

[Kaylu]

Speak it sister!

As a healer, I hate getting yelled at for having been unable to keep someone alive in an unlikely situation, especially in vent!

lrn2heal k thx eib.. i don't let people die <33

Its true glad... =) you are good leader.. make me look like crap when i feel sick =P

[Gladlyn]

No, you are a fine leader.  I think you are doing great!

I was just thinking about things after 2 glass chewers in a row and thought that my ideas might help a new leader that had never lead a raid chewing glass.

Gladlyn

[Bronil]

There is much less pressure on the DPS classes. 

Actually it's a lot like Survivor.  With shotguns. 

I'm not going to a raid to kill people, you know?

You. Are. Missing. Out. 

-Bronil

[Lendilsson]

I'm not going to a raid to kill people, you know?

You. Are. Missing. Out. 

-Bronil

Heh.  More fun is to be had with MD than you can imagine...

Mage: "Nub!!!!  My uber-scorch-fire-arcane spec can out dps you every time!!!! Why do you bother to play??"
Hunter: uses macro to set mage as focus, pulls Tidewalker to mage, Feigns Death

[Andria]

*ponders the title* I feel like I was hijacked. Hmmm. *wink*

[Lendilsson]

*ponders the title* I feel like I was hijacked. Hmmm. *wink*

Eh, maybe it was highjacked but to the original topic Gladlyn has some very valid points.  The main reason I kept running gruul's with her over and over and over is because she is a great "cheerleader" for folks and keeps everyone spirits up even when things are most annoying.   She also did her research about the fights but was flexible enough to listen to folks about ideas when our mix of people was less than optimal.

Andria, you did a good job on Friday.  I think a little more tweaking of what to do and experience on the part of the raiders for the fight and that monkey will go down just as easily as the others. 

[Gladlyn]

I hope everyone takes this as it was meant... a guide to help for new raid leaders.  This is not about anyone or meant to say anything bad about anyone.  Lots of guides out there for strats and stuff but not about really how to run a raid.  I learned a lot watching both good and bad raid leaders from way back when we could not even get Ony down.   I took the best from everyone and learned a lot about what "not to do".  I hope I can pass it on to help new people.

Gladlyn

[Bronil]

*ponders the title* I feel like I was hijacked. Hmmm. *wink*

Indeed.  This thread is now about the trials and tribulations of healers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCYC0nd46ms

-Bronil

[Lendilsson]

heh, great video

[Lainia]

i would like to add a little bit to this ,  i know i am not a "raid leader" but as a raider
to me this is just courtesy on the raid leaders part,i thnk anyhow

please post an updated roster before the time of invites, at least 24hrs if possible
               ( i used the idea if the roster isnt up at least 12 hrs before invite time
                  i dont feel i am obligated , although i have never missed one based on that )

Please post an alt list if you have more signups than you need , (let us know we prob wont be going)
                On the flip side raiders need to be ready if alt listed

If you are not going to take a raider as a "starter" or and alt list please let them know
                very discourteous not to  as they will prob want to make other plans

thats it for now

[Andria]

As a raid leader, I can tell you three things about an alt list that are exceptionally frustrating:

1. 9 times out of 10, the ALTS are not online or get saved to another run without ever saying anything
2. I use my alt list regularly. Most weeks I have to tap it once or twice, if not more. More often than not, I end up pulling in someone random because I can't find a single person on the alt list. 
3. Raiders who fail to show up when they have been regularly rostered are more likely to be alted and alt listers who are consistently NEVER on when I tap the alt list aren't going to make it that far.

Raids can be a tough business and I get that a lot of people want to go and they don't want to be alted, but a raid leader needs reliable raiders. Now that's not to say life doesn't happen, but if it happens every raid invite time then it's time to rethink raid planning.