Eight Ways To Ruin a Raid Before It Starts

1. List your starting time as the time you actually want to start fighting. Equally bad, give your people a start time far in advance of actual action. If you want to start killing at nine o’clock, you want people to show up at 8:45. If you tell people 8:30 when you mean 9:00 too many times, they’ll get used to coming late to minimize the time they stand around.

2. Make yourself the sole organizer. For a 9:00 PM raid, most of your players should show up at 8:45 but your group leaders should arrive at 8:30. Yes, pre-designate your squad leaders. Having the group leaders arrive a little early allows the whole group to get organized quickly.

3. Have anyone else at the raid equal in authority to yourself. Well, if you enjoy it when your attendees have the option of going to cry to Daddy when they don’t like what Mommy says, then don’t worry about this one.

4. Don’t post the raid requirements in advance. Do the attendees need keys? Reagents? Specific armor? Potions? Weapons? Ammo packs? If any of the items necessary for the raid aren’t posted in advance, you’re looking at a half hour for acquisition and people running off in all directions.

5. Ignore interpersonal drama, in the hope that it will just go away before the raid kicks off. After all, it will go away eventually if only by the guild itself imploding.

6. Allow chat free-for-alls in the raid communication channel. Nothing says "entertainment" like taking about porn just before you give the command to execute the final charge towards the final objective.

7. Let the loot distribution be a surprise. Some people go on raids because they love raids. Some go because they love hanging out. Some even go just to help newer or inexperienced friends learn something. But most people go for the loot. Ignore this basic element of human nature at your peril.

8. Draw a distinction between the "haves" and the "have nots." Or "old school" versus "newbs" or any other categorization that makes one faction always feel like small children with their nose pressed up against the window. On a cold December day. Say, Christmas morning. There’s a difference between giving the newbies something to aspire to, and making them feel like they’ll always be outsiders.