Relmstein tells you how to poach great raiders
by Mike Schramm 
Dec 10th 2007 at 2:30PM
Relmstein has a great tongue-in-cheek guide up about how to "poach" great raiders for your guild. I'm assuming that he doesn't actually suggest you start stealing raiders from other guilds (unless you want to show up in Guildwatch next week), but not only is Relmstein's writeup really funny, but there are a few actual suggestions hidden in there about ways to promote your own growing guild legitimately.Now, you don't want to start lying about how Eyonix is your GL (#7), or stand outside Karazhan trying to show off (#4), but there's nothing wrong with making sure people know that you're progressing. Have your guildleader post on the forums when you make a big kill, or throw out a few yells when you're about to give out a zone-wide buff (I remember when my guild turned in the Onyxia head way back when, and we did a nice parade through the center of Orgrimmar, all decked out on our mounts). A great video helps, too-- a funny recruitment video will get you attention, but a how-to video for a tough boss your guild has on farm will attract exactly the kind of people you want on your team.
You should never try to steal raiders from other guilds-- guildleaders have a hard enough time keeping a raiding team together as it is without teams fighting amongst themselves for players. But there are always good ways to "advertise" your guild to the right people, so that when a good raider is looking for a place to hang their hat, you can make sure they find you.
Filed under: Guilds, Odds and ends, Humor, Raiding
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
thunder Dec 10th 2007 3:13PM
I expected comment discussion of 'morality'
I also think its wrong to poach, but recruiting good raiders from effective guilds isn't poaching, (which I think i'm agreeing with you), There's nothing wrong with 'advertising' your guild, nor is there anything wrong with applying to a better guild and leaving the one you're in. Raiding Guild membership is like a job. All buisness ethics applies.
darian Dec 10th 2007 4:15PM
Not all raiding guilds are like jobs, many are like families. For those guilds, losing members is painful beyond the hit taken to raiding.
I wouldn't complain if a guild advertised and one of my guildies decided, without being directly contacted, that they would be better off somewhere else. However "poaching", as I understand it, is when direct contact initiated by the recruiting guild is the catalyst rather that the recruit's own initiative.
Mort Dec 10th 2007 4:06PM
Well, being a hardcore, server first, raiding guild means finding the best and making the great into the best. Find people in PuGs, BGs, out in the random-ness, and recruit them, get them to fill a spot in your group to see how you operate.
Picked up some of our best players that way, guilds fell apart, cherry picking from the remains and so on. Be honest with them about the guild, the good AND the bad. If you need a new mage, find the best one that you possibly can. Doesn't matter if he is in the number (Your guild rank minus one) guild.
I don't see why people get upset about it. If the player leaves so easily, they were already considering it, or are easily distracted by purple shinies. In which case they will jump ship from their new home as soon as the going gets rough.
Been both the victim and the offender in this sort of case. It happens over and over, blegh.
Relm's blog was funny though. Had to try hard not to laugh while at work, you get funny looks.
theRaptor Dec 10th 2007 8:08PM
Advertising is one thing, poaching/headhunting is another. If people leave your guild because they have heard about how another guild more closely meets their goals, that is fine. But when you have 3/4 guilds whispering your members because they have decided you are a feeder guild, you may as well gdisband.
This is only a game, so you can be sporting about it and still "win". Far to many raiders have a win at all costs mentality.
Naleak Dec 11th 2007 4:57PM
This is really making the actual blog look better then it really is. The blog was extremely boring and ill humored.
Kees Dec 11th 2007 8:43AM
Being a CO of a respected guild on bloodscalp-EU we've got some serieous healing raiders issues.
We recruit quite aggresively, checking out other persons forums' and try to get the best PuG healers into our arms.
The consequence can be the following :
[url]http://forums.wow-europe.com/thread.html;jsessionid=07EC0AF92E5933778F7347A44EB22DB1.app03_02?topicId=1905631836&sid=1[/url]
Ana Dec 11th 2007 12:39PM
"A great video helps, too-- a funny recruitment video will get you attention, but a how-to video for a tough boss your guild has on farm will attract exactly the kind of people you want on your team."
Hmm... and I'd wondered why all our apps lately were gnome engineers... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdSYb0q6VX0