Project Lore

There was a post over on Elitist Jerks that outlined a loot distribution system called GDKP, or "gold DKP". I really like the concept and plan to try it out soon. It has been popular in Korea for some time year, and it is getting some traction on US and EU realms. GDKP is a relatively simple system. Here is how it works:

1. Whenever a desirable item drops, bidding starts. There is a minimum bid for items, usually around 50g. If the item is disenchantable, its always higher than the market price of the shard in principle.
2. Bidding can be done in a variety of ways. The most common way is publicly in raid chat, with no limit on the number of bids any one person can make. Bids have a required increment above the previous bid.
3. If no bids are made for 10 seconds, the highest bidder receives the item and pays his money into the "pool". It is usually held by the raid leader/loot master. If no bids are made, the item is disenchanted and bid off, starting low.
4. At the end of the raid, the "pool" is divided among the raiders.

This system has many benefits, as well as a few weaknesses. The biggest advantage I see to this is a modularity of raid members and of loot "karma". Loot systems like karma and DKP based ones make it difficult for new members to get loot. With this system, everyone comes in with as much "karma" as they carry in their wallet. Whenever someone gets usable loot, its of direct (monetary) benefit to all other raiders, so other people receiving usable loot is a good thing. If you are raiding with someone who wants the same item as you and you both bid vigorously, one of you receives it and the other gets a large sum of money. In this way, there is less drama about who to bring to raids. Undergeared people will get lots of gear, and geared people will receive compensation for not directly receiving loot. Another benefit is the removal of any RNG elements. There is absolutely no randomness in who receives gear; its a completely deterministic way to distribute loot. It also removes any "weight" the raid leaders have on who they think should receive loot. Do you think its unfair that you are being forced to heal and cannot roll on DPS gear? There is no main spec/off spec distinction, so if you desire it as much as someone who wants it for main spec, you can still choose to receive that gear. Feel like its unfair someone is receiving all the gear? You receive compensation, and if you want gear next time, go grind out some gold. Additionally, if you "kind of" want some gear that noone else wants, you don't get penalized for taking it with a major karma/DKP loss, its only a small payment that shows that you value it more than a shard. The negatives of this system really lie in people being dishonest. There is always the possibility of the raid leader stealing the gold pool. This is why it is highly suggested that the entire system is explained before the raid in game; GMs will intervene and take disciplinary action if a raid leader does not honor loot agreements. Always make sure this conversation takes place in game to refer to later for your own security. There is also the possibility of raiders bidding more gold than they have. This is usually fixed quickly since they need to pay on the spot, but artificially inflating prices without the risk of actually having to pay is usually a good reason to immediately remove someone from the raid without compensation. Additionally, all raid members are usually bound til the end in order to receive their cut of the pool. This is a double-edged sword; it keeps people going, but it can be inconvenient when the raid leader holds all the bargaining chips to push the raid further, which is ripe for possible abuse. This system really requires a lot of trust from all participants. There are all sorts of variations. While this (in theory) could even be useful for PUGs, it can be a great way for guilds to raise money. You can decide to take 10% of the pool for your guild bank, and if the guild needs money, open up runs to other people to get some funds. You can also reward skill by giving less of the pool to raiders who underperform, such as giving the top DPS, healers, and tank (to compensate for repair costs) slightly more gold, and dock percentage points for raiders who "fail", such as dying while fighting Heigan or standing in some flavor of fire. Its a very goblinist way of raiding. Gevlon would be proud. Would you try this system if given the chance?