GoldMaking Ethics – Responsibility to Guildmates
The GoldMaking Ethics is a series of Warcraft Opinion Articles documenting responses to ethical questions posed on Twitter on 8 May 2018.
Tweets are presented out of context, and you can click them to read the rest of the conversation. You are always welcome to chat with me on twitter where my name is @thegoldqueen and you can find Gold Dragon here also @Dragonbearjoe
We have 9 articles for you to read, culminating in a TGQ Long Read with my own opinions. Today we talk about our ethical responsibility to guild mates. Do we treat them like friends, colleagues or competitors? Where is that line? And how do we arrive at that opinion?
All stories were gathered in a judgement-free atmosphere. I understand if you disagree with other people or get upset by it, but during the Ethics Questions, we are examining responses in a detached scientific manner.
I posed a series of questions and got an avalanche of opinions about how we should treat our Warcraft Guild Mates!
Sold!
Emrie accidentally sells to his guild mates!
When this happens to me I usually contact them and chat about it.
.@thegoldqueen I've unknowingly sold overpriced flasks, foods, enchants, gems, drums, tomes, and potions to guildies.
I say unkowingly because I just posted neat stacks and they bought them.
I told them, and they just said they just wanted the right stack.
Ethics?
— Emrie (@Emrie01) May 9, 2018
Nothing is Free
Daphne says never to give anything free
Never give guildies anything free, cause what about the others that don't have it, that means you are saying they are better then the one you didn't give anything to.
— daphne hoole (@DaphneHoole) May 9, 2018
But Kyle and Yetian disagree, and they give their guild mates items at mats cost
Same here, a guild is meant to be made up of like minded friends that help each other. At least the ones I'm a part of.
— Yetian (@MMOYeti) May 9, 2018
Size Matters
Zulell has a small guild of close friends, but things could be different
I’m in a small, tight knit guild. We don’t charge each other for raid food, enchants, or really anything. I’m sure it would be different if we were a giant guild but thankfully we’re not.
— Zullell (@Zullell) May 9, 2018
It’s Free!
Zombeeman says give it away free
It’s a guildie, I give it to them free if I have it. If I don’t, then I give them what they are missing in gold if I can.
— Zombeeman (@ZombeeDan) May 9, 2018
Or just for mats!
But our own Gold Dragon has a bad experience of this
I had one guildee that during lich king was taking gems I was putting in the guild bank and selling them on the AH to 'recover his costs on leveling'.
I had a very direct discussion how he was wrong in doing this. Ultimately he ended leaving the guild.— The Gold Dragon (@Dragonbearjoe) May 9, 2018
Give Everything Away!
Shohno is super generous to their guild mates
i give guildies bags, gear for free. if it’s mounts i just have them but orbs or whatever. if that lol i just like to give ppl stuff. i used to hang out i the starter zones giving out neatherweave bags and $100g lol. it was fun 😃😃😃
— shohno (@shohno721) May 9, 2018
We help each other
Kegarot enjoys giving to their guildies, because they know they will get something back. Sounds like a trustworthy guild.
I guess this is one of the joys of being in such a small guild with people you can class as friends. We all know we will use the item and will pay each other back in other ways. Example Fia giving me that boe mace on stream, I used it and she got stuff for her alliance toon.
— Keg (@Kegarot) May 8, 2018
Involve the Officers
If there’s a problem, defer to authority, says Jagerfish
If it's an old-school, tight-knit guild, involve the officers and resolve the problem. If it's one of those new 'neighborhood' guilds where people are just kinda in the guild randomly, it's your loss.
— Jagerfish (@NigelTheLondon) May 8, 2018
Never Again
Nef would be disappointed by unethical behaviour in guild mates
You never give that person anything free again. You talk and say although it wasn't explicit, you expected it to be used by them, and you're disappointed with them, and that you can no longer trust them.
— Nef (@NefNeferteri) May 8, 2018
And might burn them with sweetness!
You could go false over-the-top sweet, and congratulate him on making some money. And since the person is a jerk, not interact with him again.
— Nef (@NefNeferteri) May 8, 2018
RIP
Manech would say nothing to their guild mate, just let them suffer.
Neithet. Just file the memory away for next time they need my heals and "accidently" allow them to die to AoE damage.
Italian Alzheimers: You forget everything but your enemies.
— Manech (@MichaelJPetty) May 8, 2018
Just Ask
When your guild mate screws you over, Marathal wishes they would just ask first.
Helped someone make something once by farming things and buying a few. They listed it for sale. All I told them was if they needed money for something they should have just asked.
— ⛈ Mara ⛈™️ (@The_Marathal) May 8, 2018
Worse than Reporting?
Guild mates have responsibility to you too. Break it, and Brunold will be disappointed in you. Very disappointed. *glares at you from over the top of slightly-lowered spectacles*
Worse. I'd be disappointed. Few people understand, but this is pretty much the worst a relationship could go with me.
— Brunold, a gnome mage pondering real life (@TobiasTegge) May 8, 2018
You get one chance
And then you’re not friends with Nef anymore
You could go false over-the-top sweet, and congratulate him on making some money. And since the person is a jerk, not interact with him again.
— Nef (@NefNeferteri) May 8, 2018
Depends on the Item
Jonathan thinks it depends on the item that’s on the AH
There would be a difference to me with items I don't often need but suddenly found myself needed and items I routinely deal in but gave away and then saw being sold.
— Jonathan Andrist (@rwfrk) May 8, 2018
Guildies are friends. Full Stop. Period.
Enikka’s guild mates are friends. No question.
Maybe I’m too honest for my own good. In her scenario I would’ve returned the item. Guildies are friends & 500k isn’t chump change for most even now.
— Enikka_CTR (@Enikka_Huntress) May 8, 2018
We got convoluted
Conversation got complicated! Nyn thinks this question depends on variables, Jonathan chats with her about it.
There are items I'm pretty sure have been sitting in these guild banks since the day I joined. None of them I'd use or they'd be gone. Other items bags? They were the most efficient way to level my crafts. I'd give them away. They craft at a loss anyway. Recoup isn't realistic.
— Jonathan Andrist (@rwfrk) May 8, 2018
No Crafting Cost
A recurring response was charging for materials, not for crafting work. Jamie and Amanda agree.
Free with your mats for guildies.
— Jamie Miller (@Szefir) May 8, 2018
If they bring me mats to make something I don't charge them. If I make them something I will charge them less then ah. Free services is my time to make the item. I could have been farming. Time is more valuable then gold.
— Amanda Thomas (@sanquisdragon) May 8, 2018
Amazing Day Trading idea
Suddenly we had an amazing day-trading idea from Manech.
With guild master privs, he would temporarily take the guild bank materials, trade them on the auction house, sell them, then buy even more with his gold.
I used to day-trade with guild's stores of herbs and fish during Cata. Had both market's timed, knew when bots posted cheaply.
In 3 months I did this we doubled inventory to where I had to create a 2nd guild to hold mats and tripled our liquid gold amount.— Manech (@MichaelJPetty) May 8, 2018
Dishonest Guild Mates
Gets a big nope from TechZar and Jonathan
Concur. Dishonesty gets you a drop-kick. A misunderstanding is something I can work with, but you're not doing it again
— Jonathan Andrist (@rwfrk) May 8, 2018
When Trust Goes Wrong
Manech’s guildies screwed him over. Often. So have mine.
Five different times I crafted a chopper for a guildmate.
All five players quit Warcraft within a month later.
I'm afraid to do it again.
— Manech (@MichaelJPetty) May 8, 2018
Guild mates abusing your trust hurts more than strangers who take advantage. Heath talks about feeling cynical, Amanda expresses the same.
It sucks when it's someone you don't know. It's worse when it's people you do know. I've gotten friends toon up, gave them gold, time, expansions. Ask for a run or go do something together. Nope don't have time. 2 mins later can they ask for help expecting it.
— Amanda Thomas (@sanquisdragon) May 8, 2018
It sucks when it's someone you don't know. It's worse when it's people you do know. I've gotten friends toon up, gave them gold, time, expansions. Ask for a run or go do something together. Nope don't have time. 2 mins later can they ask for help expecting it.
— Amanda Thomas (@sanquisdragon) May 8, 2018
Ashwind lost a friend over Auction House pvp.
Touchy subject. I lost a friend over gold making on same server, mostly due to us coming to an agreement on markets we'd run and then him shoving me out of mine using dirty tactics, so I fought back. He's since left the server, which is my only server.
— Optimistic Ashwind, the Curious One (@AshwindGamer) May 8, 2018
Reward Good Guild Mates
Nyn recalls buying gift for guild mates and loves the memories.
Oh, and I bought someone the green fire starting item once too, so they could do the questline. I actually forgot about both of these until you asked this question.
— Nyn (@Lawilc01) May 8, 2018
Bradley thinks the best help is education.
People who put something up for obviously the wrong price (like 40g instead of 40,000g) buying it and mailing it back to them cod 40g because I’ve made that mistake before and it feels terrible.
— Bradley Weaver (@MrFlibble007) May 8, 2018
Over to you
What’s your opinion on trusting, helping and advising guild mates? How cynical have you become? How does that affect your interact with your guild?
About the Author
Warcraft’s longest running Gold Making blog, The Gold Queen is written by Alyzande since 2010. Working on her 14th level 110, she has 9 years expertise in making gold, 19,000+ achievements, 1593 days played, over 39 million gold earned, and now playing World of Warcraft Legion live on www.twitch.tv/thegoldqueen The Gold Queen blog teaches you how to make gold playing Warcraft using ethical trading, auction house flipping, crafting, reselling, snatch lists, and farming gold making. Want more updates on Warcraft Battle for Azeroth? Support my Patreon for exclusive pre-release Gold Guides
