It Isn't My Fault!

[efreet5]

This is an age old argument that comes from anyone involved in failure. The counter argument consists of fewer words, but gets straight to the point: YES IT WAS.

You see, wipes happen. Members of any guild, from any server, from any playstyle (casual, RP, PD, powergamers, etc.), they've all experienced a party wipe. Sometimes these are the result of the big bad lag monster or stepping in over your head, but a vast majority of the time they are the result of each party member subconsciously coordinating their incompetence and putting into action at the exact same time. These things are wonderful to behold. They're amazing. Really.

In the pug versions of these occurrences people pass all the blame onto the other anonymous people from their party. They tell campfire-style horror stories to their guildies, but all the while they leave out the fact that they are a TR'd fighter with no greensteel, greater banes, level appropriate stat items, armor, or armor class and that they spent the entire time leading up to the wipe being manhandled by every trash mob like a prison *****. These people then send tells to their former party members saying, in no uncertain terms, "It isn't my fault. You guys didn't have the right spells and gear." God knows their lack of any dps weapons, raid gear, or playing ability had nothing to do with the party having difficulty with anything. YOU offered to take leadership and leadership comes with responsibility. When a wipe happens it IS your fault.

Leadership does not consist of raising one's voice. If you want something done, give clear and concise instructions. For instance, yelling "FIREWALL!!!111!!!" doesn't really convey much information other than to cast the spell. Give details. What should he target the firewall on? Why is he doing this? What should he do after he casts a spell that will inevitably get him ALL of the aggro? As a leader you need to explain these things. New players are not evil, nor are they stupid (though a strong argument can be made for some...), they are inexperienced. You have to take this into consideration when giving instructions.

So, finally....YES, IT IS YOUR FAULT! It's mine too and everyone else that was in that party.

As a 4+ year veteran power gamer that knows most quests backwards and forwards, should I have taken leadership? Probably, but it was late and I was tired. All I wanted to do was kill some things and listen to music, but here I am annoyed and writing a wall of text that no one will read. Oh well, c'est la vie.

[Kriogen]

A good wipe is the best part of MMO game.

If everything is allways perfect, things get boring fast. It becomes like watching some cheap disney movie. But in MMOs theres allways ever present danger of someone making a mistake. And then theres chat drama and forum drama. Endless entertainment

Not a flame, I like a good drama. It's vital part of MMO. Its what MMO really is.

[Rineth]

If you're not going to complete, then an epic wipe is your best bet.