LOOT: EPGP Loot System

Updated Feb 7

EP/GP Loot System

I'm new to the guild. When can I start rolling on gear?

Most likely on your second or third raid with us. You won't be allowed to roll on your first raid with us (unless nobody needs the item of course), what with you being probationary and us not knowing if you'll spazz out and gquit the next week. So chill out, hang with us for a bit, you'll be able to roll when you're promoted to Raider (and not a Probationary member). You will be accumulating points from your first raid onward however, so you're not raiding for nothing.

Why do we need a loot system? Why can't we just /roll?

Imagine how you would feel if you raided every week, bought flasks, spend hundreds of gold on repairs, woke up early and played for 5 hours straight for months and months because you wanted uber raid gear, only to have some guy you hate who sucks at WoW and is an idiot, and probably ugly, with missing teeth who lets his nephew play his character in raids get most of the loot you wanted just because he happened to roll a higher number than you every time? That's why we need a loot system, fo'shizzle.

What do I, the raider, need to have in order to use this loot system?

EPGP Loot Master <-- You will need to install the "EPGP Lootmaster Core" addon (you can ignore the Lootmaster ML addon that is in the same zip file, you only need the lootmaster core) to get loot. No exceptions, if you don't have this addon you simply won't be getting any loot because you will be unable to hit need/greed/pass.
That's it!

How do I make use of this loot system?

In practice it's fairly easy. Something drops, everyone in the raid (who has the lootmaster addon) will see a window pop up that says Need/Greed/Pass. If you need the item for your main spec, for your main character, hit need. If you want the item for offspec for your main character, or for the main spec of an alt, hit greed. If you have no interest in the item, hit pass.

Ok, so what decides who gets the loot?

That is a little more complicated. The system is based on the coefficient of Effort Points to Gear Points. While in the raid you will receive Effort Points (EP). You might get EP from killing a boss, being ready early for the raid, for signing up on the website and attending the raid (as opposed to not signing up but coming), etc. You will also get a set number of EP every little while as long as you're in the raid - say every 15 minutes, you get some points. When an item drops and you win it, you are given Gear Points (GP). To simplify things, GP are based on how "good" the item is. (It takes into account the iLvl of the item, as well as the slot it fits)
Now, the EPGP loot system will take your Effort Points, and compare it to your Gear Points to figure out your priority for loot. Someone who put in a lot of effort and has lots of EP, but hasn't gotten a lot of loot (and therefore has less GP) will win the item over someone who hasn't put in much effort and has low GP, or someone who has put in lots of effort but also received a lot of loot and has a lot of GP.

How can I make sure that I get the item I really really want?

The more raids you come to, the more EP you will get. The more EP you get, the more gear you get. It's like a "gear budget", the more EP you have the more gear you can get while still winning items. If you don't have a lot of EP then you will win items less often, and less regularly.
I will post a list of ways to increase the amount of EP you get near the end of this post.

What if nobody needs an item? Will people be given GP for greed rolling on items?

Nope, greed rolls are GP free provided they are for your off spec. You'll only be hit with GP for items you need for main spec/main character.

What if an item drops that is for my main spec, but I can't currently use it because it has less hit rating/lacking something else? Should I greed it?

If you roll on an item and win (whether you hit need or greed), and the item benefits your main spec, you will be given GP for it. If it's something that makes you go "meh" and you don't want it, don't roll on it. If it's something you might use down the line when you can make up for the loss in hit/other stats, then you deserve to get GP for it. If you're not going to use it, pass to someone else who WILL use it! A tank or healer who can switch to DPS gear for some fights is much more useful than a pair of boots with lots of Armor Penetration and no Hit Rating sitting in your bank collecting dust.

Should I avoid rolling need on items so that I can have a better chance of winning the one super awesome item I really want?

No, because who knows when or how often that item will drop, and you need to gear up to perform well in raids. You can't "save up" for something really pretty looking because you won't be getting all the other (less cool looking) gear that makes you do a good job in a raid.
And you can't cheat the system by rolling greed on a need item - Lets say some shoulders drop that you need for your main spec, and you roll greed instead of need because you don't want to be given GP. You'll be given the item and appropriate GP.

What if two (or more) people have the exact same amount of EP and GP, and there is no clear winner for an item?

It will be /rolled on.

What if we PUG someone to fill a spot in the raid?

Items will simply be /rolled for, and the loot system will continue to award EP and GP respectively. This means that we are fair to people we PUG, and fair to our guildmates by continuing to reward their effort with EP and note their wins with GP. In our previous loot system, PUGs presented a major problem. We just couldn't use the system if we pugged anyone, because people were earning points with the SWAPS system and using them to "buy" gear. If we did that for a number of raids, and then had to pug one healer, and ultimately were forced to /roll on gear for a 25 man raid then you could encounter situations where a pug wins something over someone who has tons of points saved up. And then what are the points worth? Nothing.
EPGP rewards effort. You don't bid points, you win items with how much effort you put in, so if we pug someone and have to do random /rolls during that raid, things might still be random - but your effort is being rewarded with EP just the same and people who win gear will receive GP just the same. So after the PUG raid, the standings will still be appropriate - people who put effort in and need gear will be on top, people who got lots of gear in the middle, people who put no effort in will be on the bottom. I'm rambling, but trust me, this is a miraculous in comparison to other loot systems.

Can people raid a whole bunch, then do nothing for 6 months, and come back to win a bunch of items because of how much they previously raided?

Nope, EP and GP decay over time. If you go away for 6 months you'll have to put a lot of raiding time in to be able to win items.

What can I do to get more Effort Points (and therefore win more gear)?

If you are online, AT the raid location at least 15 minutes before the time the raid is supposed to start, you will get bonus EP.

If come buffed with a flask you will get bonus EP.

If you sign up on the website during the week, and then attend the raid, you will get bonus EP.

If you are present at the guild first kill of a boss, you will get bonus EP.

If we are short a healer or tank and are asked to respec (assuming you can perform the role well), you will get bonus EP.

What should I AVOID doing, else I be punished with the dreaded -50 DKP (so to speak)?

Post a damage meter during the raid? -50 DKP!

Wipe the entire raid doing something stupid more than an occasional mistake? -50 DKP!

Constantly going AFK? -50 DKP!

Constantly have to leave the raid early? Either -50 DKP or we just wont be inviting you back.

Insult anyone, piss off anyone, finger-point at anyone during the raid? (Or ever) -50 DKP

Please ask any questions you have about the loot system in this thread. Smile

_________________
~ Eliagillad, Dontcha, Picklemonkey, Pryormonkey GM of Magna Carta

Last edited by Eliagillad on Tue Mar 03, 2009 3:05 pm; edited 3 times in total

Sounds very fair. I like it. Also very simple to download. Nice choice of loot system.