A Shyste Story: What It's Like to be GM

Rewind to December 2008.

I'm on the phone with my buddy Anthony, after having just installed WoW, and he's walking me through the character options. Moments later, a level 1 Pally and Lock go shredding through Durotar, killing all the boars in sight...

Levelling was frustrating at first. I got lost easily, and it was a real struggle when Ant wasn't there to help me out. But, things gradually came together, and as I approached 55 I became intrigued with the Death Knight. So I rolled one...and never looked back. I found SkeletonJacks site--which got me learning about game/class mechanics, addons etc. And about a month after I opened as a level 1, I dinged 80. I never really instanced much while I levelled. The guild I was in at the time, was really a waste of space. They were unhelpful, and not very friendly. It wasn't until Deathroses invited us into H&G that I really started enjoying a multi-player experience in the game. After all, it was then, that I met a lot of the people that make up SATED now.

Fast Forward to a Month ago.

Friendless in H&G (besides Di), I decide to go rogue (not re-roll, but being mischevious) and create a guild to try and get all the people I enjoyed playing with, back together. Some had moved on to Impact Players, others to Deathgrip--and I remember thinking to myself, "man, I hope this doesn't fail."It was a little slow going at first...I even had my doubts. The first week was the toughest.

Fast Forward to the Present.

SATED is in full swing; tackling the raids that once seemed impossible to get through. I still remember back to when Di and I were the only ones in the guild. As it turns out, my doubts about forming the guild couldn't have been more wrong. 10 man (and woman) progression has been the pinnacle of our success: working on TotC and the very end of Ulduar. The guild is almost ready to step into the 25's arena, and I couldn't be more excited.

There are pros and cons that come with being a GM. I don't mind the scheduling, or the research. I enjoy the fights, and watching others get geared, fighting for top dps, downing a boss for the first time. It's cool to watch players graduate from Naxx to Uld, and wax intellectual about game mechanics, class nerfs, etc. But probably the greatest satisfaction I get, is from watching how guild members interact and help eachother. If there is a lone attribute that really contributes to the strength and synergy of the guild, that's it; and it makes all the difference.

The hardest part of the game for me, is in choosing the dodgeball team. We've got a lot of good players. A lot of good, geared players--it's really unfortunate to be forced to choose who goes and who stays. I absolutely hate leaving people out--I would never want to be left out, myself. Unfortunately, its just that part of the game we're trying to wade through, and hopefully, it will pass very soon.

So until that time that SATED is rolling 25 deep into Uld, and TotC, know that I'm trying my best to work people into the rotation (puff, puff, give), and still maintain a decent group composition. I'm right there with ya, so please be patient. It really is the hardest part of the job.