GM’s: Do You Give Second Chances?

First, I hope you all enjoyed yesterdays semi-RP post. I’ve always wanted to try my hand at creative writing. Although after I finished writing that, I felt it was a bit unpolished like it had nails sticking out of a piece of wood work without any varnish or paint. I guess my writing’s a bit rusty. Will I write something like that again? You bet!

Several days ago, a former Guildie returned to the Guild. He was a central pillar to our healing corps and we felt his loss when he had left. At the time, he offered no explanation as to why he left or that he had even left at all. Now he has expressed genuine remorse and regret.

So the question I’d like to pose to you is would you allow a former Guildmate back into your Guild if he reapplies? Obviously the conditions will vary from case to case. But let’s assume it’s a scenario similar to this one in which a player ups and leaves without cause.

Arguments for

Everyone deserves a second chance, right? A friend of mine left this very same Guild and decided to reapply again knowing that the personnel now we have now are vastly different then the ones he had a year ago.

Everyone is familiar with the player and knows his habits and abilities. There’s no need to rebuild any chemistry. Old habits do die hard and chances are they’re as familiar with the fights that are being done now so it is not required to "train" them on how to do the same old fights.

Arguments against

If they did it once, they can do it again. Not long ago, a certain Warlock left our guild. This was the second time he did this. Once before when Carnage was in Black Wing Lair, this player went all in on a chest piece and promptly took off a few days later to a different guild on a different server. A few months later during the opening months of Burning Crusade, that player came back again expressing his desire to come back and raid again. When we killed Vashj, he took the chest piece again and took off to a different Guild on the same server.

It’s another get out of jail free card. A precedent like this means that a player can leave the Guild once after getting something they want, hop around onto another Guild, and come back knowing they’ll be accepted. It may not be with open arms, but they will still be accepted nonetheless.

What do you think?

It’s no secret I’m fairly conservative in my thinking. But what do you think? I’ve studied Criminology throughout my post secondary career and the one thing that has been taught to us is that there is no such thing as an ex ex-con. On the other hand, some people do turn a new leaf.

14 thoughts on “GM’s: Do You Give Second Chances?”

  1. In my oh so humble opinion, it depends on the reasons/circumstances they left.

    If they left because they came down with Crohn’s disease, couldn’t meet raid times anymore, and didn’t want to hold everyone else back, yeah, let them back in.
    If they left because they felt your guild couldn’t clear SSC fast enough and went elsewhere, no, I wouldn’t let them back in.

    If they left because another member pissed them right the hell off and they simply could not deal with said member, but that member left, and they want back in, let’em rejoin!
    If they took four Nether Vortexes from the bank and ditched, keep them away.

    If they left because they were quitting the game, didn’t want to be deadweight, and then realized their addiction was too much to overcome a month later, open your arms!
    If they were booted for whatever reason, those reasons still stand, do they not?

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  2. I say it depends on how they left. Go out with a bang and you arn’t coming back. I can understand people looking for greener pastures and all that. As long as they are honest and respectful (and not someone we were hoping would leave anyway) then they would be welcomed back.

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  3. But isnt every single new person that joins your guild at 70 a “ex con”? after all they all left some guild and arrived at yours and I highly doubt you are taking new 70’s as applicants.

    We do but it isnt as simple as a re-invite. They apped like every body else and in few cases werent accepted back.

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  4. I usually give second chances, but I don’t give thirds.

    That said, our guild policies say “/gquit is a decision, not a way to make a point” and that we’ll consider people asking to rejoin on a case-by-case basis. Some have been allowed, others disallowed, and it’s really based on me and the officers considering why the person left, was it reasonable for them to leave, will they fit back in okay in the guild as it stands now, and are they likely to ‘reoffend’.

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  5. Matticus, long time reader first time responder but I hope to make a habit of it in the time to come just to be more active in the blog-o-sphere (read Ego makes me 😀 )

    First let me say regarding yesterdays post, you have to have the raw wood steps first. And I find that allowing others to see those raw wood steps gets you moving farther along faster than if you keep them to yourself. It sort of forces you to see them as raw wood rather then being quitely satisfied.

    Now, as to second chances. I am a huge proponent of the truth, and people telling it. And while “Everyone deserves a second chance, right?” sounds awesome, its honestly not always true and I think you actually list the perfect example under the “Arguments against” header with the warlock leaving after getting his item from Vashj. If said player took his leave without a) notifying the leadership that it was happening in some advance time and b) simply gave no notice as to why at all, then no I would likely never give this person another chance.

    Common courtesy and discretion are some qualities that, being removed from one another by the game itself seems to cause the majority of the players to ignore, I really feel we as people should always strive to uphold.

    (Wow, did that turn into something of a late night tirade? Sorry if so.)

    Sincerely, Kwane.

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  6. Well we took a rules from another guild which basically goes like this “everbody is allowed to fuck up once”. So you get a second chance.

    People who manage to leave in peace and gracefully have been accepted back.

    We even have at least one member who has been accepted back several times. His situation with us is way too complicated though to discuss here.

    People who re-apply need to tell us why things have changed. Why come back now … and they must pass the whole application process again.

    So far we have a few ex-members I am sure we will not be taking in again. In the end however, we are deciding such things as guild and if the guild says yes we do it.

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  7. Our guild allows for second chances, depending on the circumstances of the original departure, but no third chances. One guy recently left to join a more progressed raiding guild but came back within a week. He realised the grass isn’t always greener. But the emotional yo-yos who /gquit in a sulk are not welcome, and the two-strike rule helps to weed them out.

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  8. It’s really tough to answer these kinds of things in a black-and-white way. Personally, for the vast majority of people I know, there are no second chances with me. I don’t trust easily or lightly, and a guildie breaking my trust to run off will always be stained in my eyes.

    In general.

    But there are a few people who I might be able to forgive, some extenuating circumstances that I might be able to accept. Just… not very many, and certainly not more than once.

    I could possibly give a second chance if I were GM, but they’d sure as hell never get a third.

    RAWR,
    ~Rhoe

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  9. Not everyone deserves a second chance. Honestly, a lot of people didn’t deserve their first chance.

    If they left without a reason, that’s not good – but at the same time, as long as they did no harm to you (IE, getting the T5 chest and then leaving) I don’t see why welcoming them back isn’t a possibility. I would want to have some notion of why they left, why they’re returning and how y’all could avoid the situation in the future that made him leave without explanation, but all of these things have reasonable possibilities.

    Mostly, I’d ask this: was he a good player? Was he a good fit for the group? If the answers are yes, chances are he’ll be okay to come back.

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  10. Glad to see all this excellent discussion going on!

    Kwane: Way to build up on my analogy. I’ll keep what you’ve said in mind.

    It certainly appears that second chances will be granted. But the odds of the third chance are next to nothing.

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  11. This wasn’t in a guild but in another social club, but I got very depressed, had a major responsibility I failed in fulfilling which meant other poeple’s work had gone to naught and affected the name of my club for a while– because I couldn’t face walking away from the club. Sometimes leaving is better for the club/guild asa whole for a while until you getyourself back to yourself again.

    Now I don’t know why your person left the guild, but I’d take a look at those reasons and look atif there’s realistically a spot in the guild for him, and if circumstances a likely to recur. One can’t predict the future…

    I’d epxlain to him that he’s starting at the bottom and needs ot earn his way back into trust.

    I know that’s what I expect from my club… and hope for…

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  12. Mmmm Maybe if you allowed him back in the guild with probation? But It’s always a tough call, considering there is no trust for that player from the majority of the guild (I’m guessing). I think you need to decide if the chances of him leaving again out weigh him being in the guild

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  13. I would withold any decision and tell him straight up that you won’t consider taking him back until he tells you why he left and why he didn’t tell anyone. Make it clear that he will not be accepted unless you feel confident that you understand well enough for WoW work why he left with no notice, and isn’t likely to happen again.

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  14. I value when people tell the truth especially when they look bad. This is a class act in this culture. We can deal with the problem too

    Chris                                                                                                                                                                Owner CEL Financial Services                                                                                                                          Registered bonded California CTEC Tax Preparer                                                             Income Tax Preparation Santa Paula Fillmore Piru                                        http://www.taxprepfillmore.com/income-tax-glossary

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