GM Notes v2 - Summer Review

I was on the back foot this year, both Leni and i took a time out from gamaing to have a baby girl. I had an overwhelming urge..not to play my paladin in WOTLK. I cant remember what i thought at that time, however something that suprised me was Blizzard saying..."Look Duel Spec" ............damn you! and then i remembered why.
I remember from TBC the gear for both tanking and the offspec healing gear, but then little room for a dps option. Sure, Tanking would be my main spec, but what would my off spec be? There are always 2 evils...not enough Tanks, and or not enough Healers. I would rather offspec DPS purely for questing, dailies etc. I did try to tank with my Death Knight, but that was like trying to train an old dog (me) new tricks, it didnt gel, it wasnt right, and it was completely alien, and maybe i am too set in my ways....after all i did play a tank, tank specced for 3 years + Heyho! ...nothing like being licked in a 5 man as a paladin tank?

The role of playing a dps within a raid was....interesting, you can completely switch off while the RL and the MT and Main Healer sort out whats happening, pre raid and during. No responsibility! And i think thats where, in Leni's eyes, things havent been..right? For me, its different, seeing my guild without me as the main tank, and watching the pull...and i have to admit, sometimes i think "I wouldnt have done it like that" but i wouldnt be human if i didnt really? Although we have some great tanks in the guild, there always seems to be (and even i have felt it) the dependancy to both acknowledge your main tank, and trust / have faith in that one individual to be foot to foot perfect in a fight, a pull, a switch etc etc, and sometimes, its just not there...for me, and Leni, and im not sure about everyone else.. You know a bad pull when you can almost see it in slow motion, and you look up at your raid grid and see the lights go out one by one..a few sigh's on vent, and that long silence when your tempted to ask..".........anyone there?"
Why do guild raids have those moments, moments of lack of control, a boss fight you could do with your eyes closed in 10 man, suddenly becomes a UN summit of tactical debate. Having a 10 man limit on a 25 man raid probably didnt help, but thats now solved with a 26 man ventrillo.

Compared to TBC the guild has progressed alot more, alot is down to the officers poking at the guild and encouraging them, we have had some dis-heartening times, but again pulled through them. Sometimes you have got to persist to get things moving, and to encourage folk to make a brave step, yet again.

I dont know how much of a role i have been as a GM when i returned to playing, but some assured responses said that it was needed for me to return to the game and put a face to the guild leadership, and steer the guild back into the rythmn of things again. But, like i said above, somethings have thrown the rythmn out, Co-Op raids etc, /gquits and farewell's and so on. Butu nothing dramatical in comparison to last year!!

All thats really left to say is.....watch this space.