Over the last month, several things have been going on for OC.

The KLA ceased raiding ops in mid-December; we had successfully recruited several folks to try and ba able to have 10 consistently on for raids, but unfortunately also lost a few for various reasons and so were back where we started: usually a few short of what we needed on most nights. After discussion among the officers, we decided to stop raiding and essentially close the KLA, leaving only some old-timers and folks’ alts in guild.

It’s tough to try and raid with folks you like, with varying degrees of skill and commitment. Raid guilds typically have an attendance policy, loot systems designed to both orient drops towards the main components of raids, and expect their members to maximize their gear and skill through a commitment to that end. The KLA had little of that, and although we had fun 5manning heroics and hanging out, in the end we either progressed too slowly for those with that commitment, or were unable to fulfill our goals because of the lack of that focus among those that remained.

Over the last few weeks, OC has run a bunch of raids through folks I know outside of guild, gotten some drops, ran some old raids, returned to some old stomping grounds finshing up some Acheivements, and generally tooled around doing whatever struck me at the moment.

Tooling around has been made much for fun with the help of his Kams OC Special, pictured above! I’ve transferred my horde shaman, Gathun, to Alliance (along with sufficient funds for chopper mats), and OC can now be found cruising Azeroth. The shot above is one I particularly like

It is also, appropriately, the last picture of Oilcan with the Kitten Liberation Army tag…

For the last few weeks, as I’ve kept up with old friends and ran with new ones, I’ve been measuring and weighing OC’s options for a new guild to raid with. I’ve stayed in the KLA in the meanwhile, as OC <unguilded> would get quite a few join requests even without actively seeking membership. Raiding has never been Oilcan’s only activity; I like PvE, PvP and RP too, and a pure raiding focus would quickly lose my interest. More important are the people in a guild, and the variety, and this is what I sought.

After weeks of consideration, OC decided to apply to an old guild on Steamwheedle Cartel, dating back to pretty much server start: The Hammer of Magni. I’ve known them, and of them, for years, and could likely tell some stories to current members about back when that they’ve never heard, but I’ve also kept in and out of touch with the Hammers through the years, and they have always been one of the guilds I respected on server. Good folks, some raiding, some RP…I think Oilcan will be quite happy there.

U10 group had good dps, though melee heavy, as the KLA downed Freya (try #2) and Thorim (try#3).

Freya trash has a disconcerting tendency to ignore OC’s traps. No resists. No dots on target. Well away from main group. Just….trap disappears while OC get whacked on. <sigh>

Resolved: I will not die in the Gauntlet on Thorim.

Poor Dram, our dps warrior, did. We took quite a while getting through it, as we missed an acolyte standing under a mini-boss for about 30 seconds, and the mini-boss’ AoE took Dram (and Tito) out. We made to the Arena, though, and started the boss stage.

Rezzers: “Where’s Dram? I can’t find him??”

Me: “In the Gauntlet. Dead. You can’t rez him.”

“Oh”

Must be the most boring death, falling in the Gauntlet, yet watching the raid fight the boss, in chat and vent,  while you stare at dead npcs, the odd skittering vermin, and the Release Box. And even after Victory….you still have to release….raid has to wait while you run back in….folks staring greedily at the loot chest, salivating….while they wait for you….

Won’t happen to me. I’ll MD the Gauntlet healer, send Tito straight after Thorim, something, anything.