A Few Words On Guild WvW Events
By: Cedar
Hail Gaiscioch!
I just came off of another excellent guild WvW event, where we really stuck it to Darkhaven. Well done all!
However, there are a few things that I think deserve mention, to help us be even more effective and ensure success.
The first is "chatter" in RaidCall. As a social group, it is natural that we want to talk to one another, and who wouldn't want to get in on such an opportunity with so many members present at once to talk to! But "chatter" also has a darkside. It can make important directions from the Commander and aides hard to hear. Or, if they are heard, it can make their comments more difficult to understand. For these reasons, it is probably best is we try and resist the urge to chat during scheduled WvW events. Guild chat is still a great place for commentary while we're running, or within your party if everyone is cool with it. This applies as well to off-topic commentary such as gameplay/"noob" questions and the like. Basically, socializing is a great part of Gaiscioch, but might not fit so well into WvW event RaidCalls!
The second issue pertains to the chain of command. The battlefield is a chaotic place, full of possibility and different approaches. Discussing strategy at the macro- and micro-level will only serve to make us stronger BUT the middle of a WvW event is not the time for it. The Commander running the event needs us all to act as a cohesive unit, so quite simply, what they say goes! When a Commander issues an order, we should follow it. If you think there was an error in strategy, please do bring it up as we can all grow from discussion, but bring it up before/after events. When questioning a Commander's orders during an event, although we mean well, we are creating confusion and detracting from the decisive speed of action that makes our WvW events so successful. Please, do not argue with Commanders or question their orders during events!
Finally, related to the first issue, is over-sharing. Think carefully about info you are about to share, and ask yourself if it really needs sharing. For example, "a dozen Darkhaven coming up the south" is super-useful information! While "I just switched to my elemental, gonna grab a staff and I'll be right there" probably doesn't need to be shared in the RaidCall (though your Party might like this info!) Making sure that we're only adding useful information to the RaidCall will help ensure clear and concise communication.
Well, that's about it for now. I hope this seems reasonable, as we're already so effective that if we tighten up in those few areas where we are weaker we'll be even more famous than the GSCH tag already makes us!
tl;dr Chatter, over-sharing, and questioning/arguing with the Commander are a detriment to our success and enjoyment.
Battle On!