Speak up, dont be shy

[nolaureltree000]

i find more people will speak up if after you say 'is anyone new to this raid?' you qualify it with 'i dont care if anyone is new, i wont kick you or anything, i just need to know how detailed of directions i need to give'.

[Doomcrew]

Try waiting for everyone to be inside the quest, where thay are safe
from the "boot", ask, and explain why you are asking. Won't be 100%
but might get a few newer folks in the loop.

[Rian]

Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. (or was it force? action? great...)

While there are many willing to teach, there are also many who refuse to.
Same for the students.
While there are some willing to learn, others will refuse to...

Sounds like highschool...

[Miahoo]

Try a different aspect: Ask who know the quest, and how many times he have done it.

So anyone who's not replying probably dont know it (Or too elitish to response, which is not the problem)

[Gremmlynn]

My experience with being asked that question in raids, granted it being limited to the 4 TS runs I've done that lead me to decide raids are not for me, just means the leader wants to know how many will be doing the raid and how many will have to be rounded up (though given a chance to loot chests) whenever it seems convenient.

In regular quests things tend not to be so bad in my experience and it likely has more to do with TS's horrid map situation (are all raids this way?) than leaders not caring. But the more detailed instructions in my few experiences have "been try to keep up".

[Zillee]

In regular quests things tend not to be so bad in my experience and it likely has more to do with TS's horrid map situation (are all raids this way?)

No, the map situation in the other raids is the same as in quests. It just seems to be in TS where you can't use the map to locate where you are.

[bkasavan]

Gremmlynn, Dont let Tepest Spine discourage you. Almost all the other raids are better, especially the higher level raids, were someone zill almost always explain.

Otherwise, unless i Really want to do a raid, i always tell the leader that i dont know the raid ( even when i've done it 10-20 times. ) If he doesnt let me in, ill start a new lfm, with All Welcome. It almost always works better, and fills quicker then the other group.
( Also if i get refused, have alot of time, and got anoyed, i take another toon, and correct every single error that the leader makes

[Claver]

BTW, I never even join "byoh" or "know it dont die" kind of LFMs even if i know the quest. I figured i probably was better off not running with these rude Vet/TRs. It's a game after all.

Give the BYOH "Bring Your Own Healing" description another chance. I post this on LFMs to let people know we will not be waiting for a healer per se. I consider myself very patient and helpful. I do however appreciate it when party members can bring just a few healing/repair potions or wands to get them through the rough spots. I don't demand this on Korthos but by 6th/7th/8th level everyone should have 10 potions for emergencies and if it is clear that no dedicated healer will be joining the party then people should go out and buy some more.

Again, I know lots of people who want to help - BYOH is just code for meeting us half way.

[Zillee]

Give the BYOH "Bring Your Own Healing" description another chance. I post this on LFMs to let people know we will not be waiting for a healer per se. I consider myself very patient and helpful. I do however appreciate it when party members can bring just a few healing/repair potions or wands to get them through the rough spots. I don't demand this on Korthos but by 6th/7th/8th level everyone should have 10 potions for emergencies and if it is clear that no dedicated healer will be joining the party then people should go out and buy some more.

Again, I know lots of people who want to help - BYOH is just code for meeting us half way.

For a long time, I assumed BYOH meant have some kind of healing option other than drinking pots - because having healing pots just seemed obvious if you didn't have other options. I still sorta avoid those groups though because I'm not sure folk would be happy seeing me lag behind while I chug pots to heal up when they're racing ahead.

Are there really players out there who'll step into a quest with no healing options available to them once you get past korthos/harbour?

[Gkar]

My take on this topic, as a newbie, is that it's really important to send a tell to the group leader before you ask to join his group, when you don't know the quest/raid. (Especially true for quests after level 12/14, when doing something wrong can mean put the whole group into trouble). I always ask :"Hello is it ok for a first timer to join your group ?"

Maybe its just me but I'd rather you just join and then let me know. I find tells when I'll getting ready annoying because I'm often doing something (clearing inventory, buffing, going to grab a drink, whatever) and as a result the tells often get ignored. Just hit the LFM

BTW, I never even join "byoh" or "know it dont die" kind of LFMs even if i know the quest. I figured i probably was better off not running with these rude Vet/TRs. It's a game after all.

You are probably best to ignore the know it or die lfms...heck I'm a vet and I ignore "don't die" ones because I think it speaks negatively about the LFM poster and I've also noticed that is likely the first person to die.

As for be self sufficient and byoh, consider joining those. Just...bring along a 100 stack of pots (or wands/scrolls if you can use them). I often post those LFMs myself, not because I mind new players, but because I have no intention of waiting 20 minutes for a "healer". (Also from my own experience that actually tends to ENCOURAGE clerics and fvs to join the LFM, while "we just need a healer" LFMs are poison). In most quests I just take the first 5 random people to join and we go. Heck, if it is taking a while to fill, I'll start short handed and mark it "IP". Unless you can't afford the potions because you are new, this type of questing can actually be a lot of fun. Also don't be afraid to ask if you can bring a pocket healer. It's cheaper than pots and often the group leader doesn't mind, especially if you are also topping up others between battles.

[coolpenguin410]

Make a party where you are the leader. When Everyone enters don't ask if it's their first time. Simply Start taking command.

Tell who's casting what, who's running where and let them know what's happening. Put something of this effect in the LFM.

This.

I rarely lead pugs anymore, but when I do, I don't ask for volunteers anymore. I'll say "Bob, can you do this? Joe, can you take care of this?" If they say no, then we adapt, but most of the time people are happy to have clear and defined expectations of what they need to do.

Once I've assigned rolls I ask if any new timers want an explanation. By then I've established that were on our way and rolling and the newbs are less afraid of speaking up.

[Miow]

Anyone can do things with proper direction, given they listen :P i can't stand it when the party leader won't talk in his mic.(I tend to open my big mouth)

[Dark83]

some people don't even put a space after a period (let alone two, as is standard in many professional documents)

<random tangent>
Actually, you're only supposed to have two spaces after a period in monospace fonts. Most typing nowadays is done on computers, and not only is two spaces unnecessary with variable-width fonts, but most programs automatically increase the whitespace after a full stop. (Therefore replicating the effect of breaking up sentences, which was the point of a double-space after a full stop.)

Where monospace fonts were more legible with a double space after a full stop, putting in two spaces in variable-width fonts not only look ugly, but will confuse the program when it's trying to justify or set alignment. (This is because most programs treat single-spaces and double-spaces differently for formatting.)

In any case, I feel proper paragraph breaks are more important than spacing for most forums.
</random tangent>

Are there really players out there who'll step into a quest with no healing options available to them once you get past korthos/harbour?

I was in a party where I ended up acting as a "healer" to someone with my CLW and Aid clickies from Korthos. It was ridiculous, he was running around with like 10% of his hp, constantly asking people for heals - in spite of the group having no healers.

[Claver]

Are there really players out there who'll step into a quest with no healing options available to them once you get past korthos/harbour?

Yes, I'm afraid there are. One of my recent memories involved being one of three rangers in a Tear of Darkhaan (spelling) quest. We had no clerics, I ended up playing healer with a cure wand. The other two rangers hadn't bothered to bring any wands OR any healing potions for themselves.

This is not the only time this has happened; by level 8 it should never happen.

Since that experience I always state BYOH in LFMs