Code Of Ethical Conduct

World Of Warcraft Code Of Ethical Conduct

When grouping with friends, fellow guild partners, or even total strangers, there is always the issue of who gets what items, when they get them, and why. The argument for what is fair and what is not fair seems never ending. To settle the debate I have developed 3 basic rules of thumb which I feel should yield an ethical and fair solution.

For the purposes of my example below I shall base it on a simple group consisting of 2 people.

Rule 1 - Need versus Greed:
The party wishing to gain for Greed should refrain from rolling, if their group partner is rolling for Need.

Rule 2 - Greed versus Greed:
When both parties stand to gain from Greed, both parties should roll on the first drop and alternate on subsequent Greed versus Greed deadlocks.

Rule 3 - Need versus Need:
When both parties stand to gain from Need, both parties should roll on the first drop and alternate on subsequent Need versus Need deadlocks.

So What constitute Need and Greed:
Need is any Item which is class specific (Paladin, Rogue, Shaman etc.). For example a Paladins needs would include Mail Armour, Melee Weapons etc. A Hunters needs would include Leather Armour and Ranged Weapons, and a Mage’s needs would include Cloth Armour, Staves, Wands etc…

Any item that is not specifically designed for your class character is a Greed item.

The exception to this rule, is item drops which are not Class specific i.e. recipes and regents etc. In which case Need is defined by the additional Trade skills of the character rather than their specific class.

Arguments:
Now an enchanters (or similar) may argue that all coloured drops are ‘Need’ items, and thus its fair for them to roll on everything… Here is my response:

Based on the ethics of fair play, each character in a group, should on average, acquire an equal number of items from group quests. If any player, for example an enchanter, rolls on every single drop. They will obtain far more items, according to the laws of average, than a player who rolls selectively.

Even the most backward of logic should agree that this is both true, and clearly unfair. This is why they should refrain from rolling simply to disenchant, and do what all other Gatherer skills do, and solo their gathering items.

Implementation:
Implementing the 3 rules is trickier than one might think, and obviously requires a little co-operation from both parties.

The 3 rules should come into play on any items that can be acquired by more than one party. Chests, Rollable Drops, Gatherer Materials (Ore, Herbs, Skins), etc. Where possible you should always try and alternate on deadlock situation (both parties with the same requirement), and only roll on the first encounter of that particular deadlock.

For example, the first chest encounter should be rolled for by both parties, the winner receives the loot, and the looser then automatically obtains the second chest in alternate sequence. The first Rollable Drop that has a deadlock is also rolled for, but subsequent instances are resolved by mutually taking turns.

Conclusion:
Using the 3 rules, I believe each party member stands to gain, on average, an equal number of items, providing a fair system that everyone can accept.

Good luck everyone, and above all, have fun…