Why You Should Not Be Worried...........

[TeaLeaf]

There's a lot going on at the moment and change always unsettles people, so I thought it might be helpful to put down some of my thoughts and some facts.

Firstly, please don't be worried about SOG, it will be here come the expansion and it will be strong.

If you feel uncertainty you're simply feeling the uncertainty that everyone else is because nobody (yep, nobody, not even other Guilds, new or old) yet knows exactly how the expansion will force us to organise Guilds/Raid Groups.   Some players will no doubt leave to try their hand at something new, some Guilds will simply crack under the strain (check out Righteous RG1 - it is practically non-existant already),  other Guilds will survive the change, reorganise and move forward even stronger.  

I believe SOG will be in that latter group, it will be a survivor and a leading raiding Guild.  Many of the Guilds do not have the support structure we have - our great forums, our teamspeak server, our social scene which bonds us and more than anything our 200 members.  However it would be completely wrong to expect to go through TBC without anything happening to us; no Guild will come out of TBC unscathed and we will all have to cope with change.  It is how we choose to manage that change that will determine how well we survive into TBC.

Remember that TBC will be a great leveller.  We will not need to be devastated at losing some of the 50 RG1 members or 60 RG2 members because TBC means as a Guild we can rely on all 200 SOG members not just the ones with the 'leet gear'.  L61 greens equal the T1 epics, L62 blues exceed some T2.5 epics and so if we lose a few people from RG1 or RG2 we need not be devastated!   From that point of view TBC will create a new and level playing field and all members get a shot at raiding if they want.  The current difference in gear from member to member will not be a defining factor and the levelling effect will actually help us through the change.

Remember also that the 110 members of RG1 & RG2 plus 90 or so Soldiers now have to fit into 25 person raid groups, so whilst seeing a friend leave is always sad, it is not too important if lose some current members or their leet gear.  Their gear is not important as it is replaced by better green/blue gear in the first 2 levels of TBC.  Arguably their raid experience is a loss, but remember we will all be learning new ways of raiding in smaller groups - many of the 40 person raid tactics will simply not work with 25 person raid groups, so we will all be starting afresh.

What SOG needs is strong leadership which we have in Bastet.  For OUR part we need to have a willingness to manage the change.  As Douglas Adams once wrote on the front of a somewhat clunky book, in large friendly letters:
DON'T PANIC!

Plan to expect change, manage the change properly and SOG will prosper.  
To plan to expect no change would be foolhardy.  

I hope this post helps some members.  It is not an attempt to pre-empt any formal policy announcement as it contains no 'official SOG plans', it is simply my personal attempt to explain to those who might be concerned by some recent losses from the Guild why the impact of TBC and those losses should not be seen as too important.  In due course I am sure Bastet will post the formal plans for the Guild (I know there has been a lot of work going on by the officers in this respect).

TL.

[FATAL]

WELL SAID THAT MAN :cheers: :beer:

[Bob]

*running around in circles screaming*
/slap
*feels much better now*

Wise words TL :learn:
Hang in there folks - we will prevail, like we've done so m any times before :boxing:

[Moonwind]

Well sed m8 :yahoo: we are a well structured guild and will defo survive the expansion so no need to panic

[Luminance]

It would be nice if we become the leading guild on this server :flirty:

and what you said is true tl, but what i don't get is why the 2 warriors left the guild so soon for the expension :S

[StrontiumDog]

Well i'm not going anywhere...I need Umbra to abuse when i'm drunk...

[Neff]

Well said tl!
but:

L61 greens equal the T1 epics, L62 blues exceed some T2.5 epics and so if we lose a few people from RG1 or RG2 we need not be devastated! From that point of view TBC will create a new and level playing field and all members get a shot at raiding if they want. The current difference in gear from member to member will not be a defining factor and the levelling effect will actually help us through the change.

Well, if i still raided i'd love to actually raid with SOG RG1. Not FORMERLY KNOWN AS SOG RG1. Misunderstand me right, every member that comes into sog and stays is a sog, but my worries are if the many "crucial" sog'ers leave, not only with their leet epix, but with the player behind the keyboard.

[kregoron]

Well Neff i can follow your consern, but throughtout SoG's history core members have always left for other guilds. Its just how it is. Nothing that can be done about.

I myself are considoring trying out something new when TBC hits, not cause there is anything wrong with sog at all, but merely cause i need a little "air change". My love is with sog, but sometimes it can refreshing to try something  new for some people. I have still not decided to keep cool fellas
(Please do not respond to this in this thread as this is not meant for it)

[Lucian]

Well I'm planning on hanging about.  I doubt most other guilds would take given the amount of chaos I cause...

[Bastet]

Well I'm planning on hanging about. I doubt most other guilds would take given the amount of chaos I cause...

Or the screaming on TS... :devil:

[Lucian]

Its what has made me the guild mascot.

[Luminance]

Have been thinking ur post over TL, and its true loosing RG1 or RG2 geared people aint that bad gearwise, it is bad for moral (if one sheep goes other follow and now we lose more and more every Day! ), and with that we loose raiding experience (meaning, people that know how to function well in raids and so) and ofc real people with all there unique values fun wise.

And TL is right we still have 200 people left, and we can find new once. But it still doesn't feel right if people are "abondoning" sog.

and call me naive, but i have to agree with JT (with his other posts in other topics), can't see why people wanna join a new guild, if most say they have a good time here.

It still is theyr decision ofc. you can't make people stay, but it would nice if people could wait a bit till tbc is out before rushing things. The new rg's will be alot diffirent then what you are used now (there are less of each class, with diffirent roles, and since there are less of each class, there will be less competition for other items (so that problem is solved a bit) so i beg people to think it over once more before dropping in search for a "better or more fun" guild

(keep in mind: the grass/gear will always look greener/shinier at the neighbers/otherguilds so don't be blinded by that pls)

-lumi-

[StrontiumDog]

I personally call it the 'Sinap effect' wait and see....

[Knabbel]

Well there are a few things to think about what this guild has:
 
- The ever working TeamSpeak server. Something most guild will not have and a MUST have for every raiding guild (even with 80 people).
- Structure.
- Raiding all instances.

[jantore]

I personally call it the 'Sinap effect' wait and see....

Well i told him last night, that he will be back again.