Raiding as we go forward

[Tuftears]

Please have a look at the BRP point system - you may find it interesting.

Features of the system:

• zero-sum, so there is no 'point inflation' over time and you can add newcomers and they will be on a statistically even level with other raiders<>
  
• raid leaders decide the cost of items so people don't try to game the system by bidding low on some items to save points for hotly contested items - so, when someone wins something, they pay X points, everyone else gets X/(N-1) points where N is the number of people in the raid<>
  
• accounts for crafting material by having them automatically won by a guild bank, so everyone gets points for helping in trash mob clearing, and people can turn in points for materials<>
  [st]
  Newcomers can opt to either start earning points immediately or not be enrolled in the point system until a boss kill when they can 'force' a random allocation, after which they would be automatically enrolled if they won - however, that's not a feature in my opinion, it's a hack.
  
  Note that this system is not an official Basin system - that is, raids run by or involving Basin guild members are not required to use this system. It's also not intended to be used for smaller raids than 40-man Molten Core/Onyxia/Azuregos/etc. raids. (for instance, I will not be using it for Zul'gurub runs, when Zul'gurub comes out)
  
  However, it does attempt to solve a lot of 'fairness' questions.
  
  Another loot system that was in discussion for a while was the 'loot list'. Basically, the idea was that everyone would be put into a list, randomly at first. For loot, people would express interest and the person highest on the list would get it, then be moved to the bottom of the list. People who haven't gone to raids in a while can't lose their list position, they just get passed over if they're not at a raid.
  
  The problem is that if the list has been running for a while, then where do you put newcomers? Putting them behind all the people who haven't won anything in the last (few) runs could mean they'd feel like they have no chance to win something. (this is also the case for the BRP system because at 0 points, you'll be behind everyone with a positive point balance - you're simply ahead of the people with negative points)
  
  In the end, you just have to realize that if you're a newcomer to an established raid, you probably won't be getting anything except stuff that the more established raiders already have, until you've 'paid your dues'.