Guild:Meridian (Kargath US)

Guild Summary
Meridian is an Alliance guild on the Kargath server. We work hard to have fun, while being the best we can be - while still allowing time for our raiders to have real lives (13 hour raiding schedule). To fill out an application goto.

Officers

 * Andrea [ Rogue ], Guild Leader :
 * Rainke [ Shaman ], Raid Leader :
 * Chelsa [ Priest ], Officer :
 * Shagaholic [ Druid ], Officer :
 * Stumpknocker [ Warrior ], Officer :

The Burning Crusade Raid Progress
25 Person Raids
 * Sunwell Plateau - Incomplete
 * The Black Temple - Completed
 * Hyjal Summit - Completed
 * Tempest Keep: The Eye - Completed
 * Serpentshrine Cavern - Completed
 * Magtheridon's Lair - Completed
 * Gruul's Lair - Completed

10 Person Raids
 * Zul'Aman - Completed
 * Karazhan - Completed

Pre-Expansion Raid Progress
40 Person Raids
 * Naxxramas - Incomplete
 * Temple of Ahn'Qiraj - Completed
 * Blackwing Lair - Completed
 * Molten Core - Completed
 * Onyxia's Lair - Completed

20 Person Raids
 * Ruins of Ahn'Qiraj - Completed
 * Zul'Gurub - Completed

History
Meridian was formed duing the original World of Warcraft release. It was created when the guild Supreme Raiders reformed. Supreme Raiders was created when Ring of Valor and The Supreme Council merged in order to start raiding high level content.

Weekly Raid Schedule

 * Sunday,   7:00PM - 12:00AM
 * Monday,   8:00PM - 12:00AM
 * Wednesday, 8:00PM - 12:00AM

Guild Rules
Raid Attendance

Meridian is primarily a raiding guild. Everyone was recruited to raid and is expected to raid. Certain exceptions will be made, but if you don't raid you may be asked to leave the guild. It's more likely that this request will be made of you if you're a relatively new member, but veterans are not necessarily immune, especially if inactive for a long period of time.

We raid Sunday from 6:45 pm to midnight, Monday from 7:45 pm to midnight, and Wednesday from 7:45 to midnight. Invites to raids will generally start sometime between half past the hour and a quarter til the hour. Those who join first will generally have preference over those that join later, all things being equal.

We have various ranks in the guild. Tier 1 is made up of those people who have at least 80% attendance over the last 60 days. Tier 2 is made up of those that have at least 60% attendance over the last 60 days. Standby are those raiders that have less than 60% attendance over the last 60 days. Retired is the rank given to those who don't or rarely raid for any given reason. These raiding ranks are calculated at the beginning of every month. Generally Tier 1 raiders will have precedence over Tier 2, Tier 2 will have preference over Standby, etc. Attendance for the tier calculation is taken at the beginning of a raid so even if you see that we have enough for a full raid of Tier 1 ranks you're expected to join the raid. If you don't join the raid then you won't be counted and you won't advance in raiding rank. Those that don't make a raid but are online may be called to join the raid if you're needed, so if you're PvPing and the raid needs you you're expected to join the raid. You may also be asked to leave a raid at certain times. For example, if we need an extra dps for certain fights we may sub out a healer. In general higher tiers have preference for staying, but that's not a guarantee. The needs of the raid take precedence.

There is a special section of the forums called "Going Away/Taking a Break". If you know that you'll be unable to make a scheduled raid night for any reason then you're expected to make a post in this forum. Failure to post can result in a loss of DKP. Repeated failures to post can result in the loss of your raid spot and even removal from the guild. We also request to be informed if you have plans to significantly alter your attendance (whether it's to move up or down in rank) to help us know when to recruit or not.

Raid Loot

Meridian uses a DKP system. DKP points are awarded for raid attendance. We award one DKP point for being on time for the raid and then either four per hour on a "learning night" or one per hour on a "farming night". The determination of whether a night is classified as learning or farming is up to the officers, primarily the raid leader.

There is a cap on DKP of three hundred points per individual. After you earn three hundred DKP you will stop accumulating points. DKP is meant to be spent and not hoarded so use them up. If you are asked to sit out of a raid because of lack of spots then you'll still be awarded full DKP for the night (as long as you're available). You must keep your character in the raid if asked to sit out to receive DKP. We use an automated system that awards DKP only if you're in the raid. It is the responsibility of every member to verify his or her DKP regularly. Corrections can be made if necessary.

Meridian uses a secret bidding system on loot. When epic loot drops everyone needs to pass on the roll and the raid will be instructed to send bids to one of the officers. If you wish to bid on an item send the indicated officer your bid in the following format: Amount of bid/total DKP you have. In other words, if an item drops and you have 230 DKP and wish to bid 97 on the item you would whisper the officer "97/230". The member with the highest bid will receive the item for the second highest bid plus one point. For example, if you bid 110 points on an item and the next highest bid is 73 then you will get the item for 74 points.

There are certain minimum bids set for items. Currently the minimum bid is twenty DKP for everything except class trinkets which have a minimum bid of one DKP. There are certain exceptions to this rule for patterns, nethers, etc. You will be informed of these exceptions. Everyone is allowed to bid the minimum amount for an item regardless of DKP even if it results in the individual ending up with negative DKP.

When green items drop everyone rolls greed for the item. Again, there are certain exceptions that you will be informed of.

It should go without saying that any "ninja" looting during raids opens the possibility of severe consequences. The punishment can include, but is not limited to anything from loss of DKP up to immediate removal from the guild.

Raid Performance

Meridian raids less nights than most raiding guilds yet we still pride ourselves on our level of progression. For that reason we expect a certain level of performance and attention while a raid is going on. We run meters. If you are consistently performing poorly "by the numbers" then someone may talk to you about it in an effort to help you improve. If you consistently break crowd control, consistently pull aggro from the tanks, repeatedly make the same mistakes then, again, you will be contacted to discuss ways of improvement. Failure to improve after many attempts to correct performance issues may result in losing your raid spot and possibly be asked to leave the guild.

As said above we only raid three nights a week so we need to maximize our speed when we're raiding. Going afk after every pull or multi-tasking in a way that causes the raid team to wait for you is unacceptable. We try to keep our rate of passage through trash and bosses as quick as possible so any unnecessary delays need to be minimized. If we're constantly waiting for a person to catch up or accept a rez it slows us down. If we find that we're repeatedly waiting for any individual then they will be contacted and the matter discussed.

Voice Communications (Ventrilo)

The guild provides a Ventrilo server for use by it's members. The server address is meridian.ventrilo.org. The port is 3815. Ask an officer or member what the password to the private channels are.

Guests are welcome on the voice server, but they're expected to conduct themselves well. If it's found that they're not they will be kicked and banned from the server. There is also a limit of fifty voice connections at a time. We don't expect to ever hit that limit, but if it happens guests will be asked to leave or kicked from the server to make room for members.

During raids you are required to be on Ventrilo and in the proper channel. It's not required that you say anything, but you need to be able to listen. Most instructions are given by voice and if you can't hear them you can't perform as you should.

During raids (and especially during boss encounters) you are expected to keep chit chat to a minimum. All raid level instructions are the purview of the raid leader and, to a lesser extent, the rest of the officers. Do not call wipes. Do not call targets. In general, don't call instructions that may confuse the raid team. Keep in mind that each individual has the power to mute you individually. If you're causing confusion or just being annoying in general you may find yourself without any audience at all.

Applicants

Meridian prefers a stable, loyal, long term raid team, but we understand that we'll need to add new people on occasion. The amount of time that a person will remain an applicant can vary but will generally last between four and eight weeks. This time is used to get an impression of the applicant, how they perform, how they act, and how they fit with the guild in general. After the officers have determined that enough time has passed to judge an applicants performance, dedication, and general fit with the guild then a vote will be held to determine if an applicant will be granted full member status.

Applicants have certain restrictions and expectations placed on them over and above the general guild rules. They are expected to demonstrate that they can make a majority of the raids so their attendance is scrutinized. They are not allowed to bid on loot unless no members bid on it. This bidding restriction may be lifted after the applicant has been in the guild a while but before they're granted full member status.

Applicants will be treated as members by the rest of the membership. We value our apps and expect them to get courteous and respectful treatment during their application process. Getting to know an entire group of new people while trying to make a good impression can be daunting and stressful. Please don't make it more difficult on them.

Alternate Characters

Alternate characters of members are welcome in the guild when they reach level 58. Just contact an officer if you'd like to have an alt added. Adding your alts to the guild is not a requirement.

Alternate characters are not allowed on raids on our three main raiding nights. It is possible to switch your main raiding character but there are many conditions that must be met such as how needed your current main is, how needed your alt would be, the gear level of your alt, your skill with your alt, any attunement requirements and so on. This switch has happened rarely and must be sanctioned by the officers and switching characters causes you to effectively lose your DKP (because your old character won't be allowed on raids anymore) and triggers a new application period.

We usually run member sponsored raids through ten man content on our off nights. Alternates are welcome on these runs. These are not guild sponsored runs so any loot rules are up to the leader of the run. In general though mains get no preference over alternate characters on these runs.

It's perfectly acceptable to have your alt in another guild that raids if you so choose. That being said, we expect Meridian to be your priority. If you miss Meridian raids because you're raiding with another guild on an alt you may find that you've at least lost your raid spot and may be removed from the guild.

Guild Ranks

The guild has a number of ranks. We have a guild master, officers, officer alts, members, alts, retirees, and applicants. Various ranks have various meanings and will be assigned based on those meanings.

Our officer corps is here to provide the best possible environment for raiding while staying within certain boundaries as possible. Officers are chosen by the other officers and will be removed by the officers. If any member of the guild has a problem with an officer please bring it to the attention of another officer or the Guild Master.

There are no hard and fast criteria for becoming an officer. They are generally chosen based on how well they work with the rest of the officers and the membership and their dedication to the guild. There is no hard and fast number of officers. Officers are generally chosen when the officer corps sees a need.

The majority of guild members will have the rank of Member. Members are our raiders.

While any individual is in their applicant phase they will hold the rank of applicant. They will be promoted to the Member rank after they have gone through the application period and been voted on my the raiding members.

A "special rank" is that of Retired. Those with this rank are those that don't raid but are friends of he guild that no longer raid.

Guild Bank

Meridian maintains a guild bank. Everyone in the guild can look at and make donations to the guild. Donations are not in any way required. The bank makes plenty of money from selling BoE items gained from raids that no one bids on.

Items in the bank are available for purchase by guild members at approximately half the current auction house price. If you see an item in the bank that you'd like to purchase talk to an officer and they will take care of the transaction for you. This is on a first come first served basis.

The money that the bank receives will be used for the benefit of the guild and it's members. It will be used to purchase any special equipment or consumables that the guild might need. The guild will also occasionally open the guild bank for repairs on learning nights if the funds are available. This determination will be made by the officers at the beginning of the raid.

General Conduct

Meridian has a good reputation on the server and we'd prefer to keep it that way. As a rule we expect our members to be courteous and respectful to other people who play this game. Bend over backward to accommodate people. Don't dump out of runs that aren't going as well as you'd prefer. Don't do or say anything in any of the zone chat channels that could be construed as vulgar or rude. Infractions of these rules may result in consequences depending on their severity.

Meridian tries to keep it's roster as small as possible to ensure that the maximum number of members get to participate in the maximum number of raids. For that to work we require a certain amount of dedication and loyalty to the guild. In that vein one of the severest slights to the guild is "jumping ship" for "greener pastures". If it's found that you have applied with other guilds then you can expect a relatively quick removal from the guild. It's perfectly understandable that you may desire to leave the guild for many reasons whether they be personality conflicts or a general unhappiness with the guild. If you wish to leave the guild then do so. Don't "test the waters" while trying to remain in Meridian.

Conclusion

We've tried to be as comprehensive as possible with these rules, but it's almost a certainty that we didn't cover every possible situation. The officers of Meridian will try to deal with anything not covered in a fair and sensible manner. Also please keep in mind that these rules are subject to change.