One thing I really appreciate about raiding with Que Sera Sera is the expectation that your fellow raiders are prepared. Not just gear and mats, that goes without saying, but also knowing the raid content. Even on progression nights, on a first attempt at a new boss, it's expected that everyone in the raid has read up on the encounters and has an idea what to do. And it mostly works; people really do prepare. And so we don't spend 10 boring minutes before every fight talking about what to do.
The best thing about the preparation requirement is that it makes individuals responsible for their performance. It challenges raid members to play their best. If raiders get in the habit of waiting for instructions and being told what to do there's the risk they approach the whole game passively, don't perform well. Being forced to research a role makes someone take ownership of that role, play it better.
It doesn't always work. Sometimes people read conflicting strategies and there's confusion on what to do during the fight. The lack of discussion means we don't always adapt between fight attempts. I miss analysis and strategizing during the raid, although I see the greater good in being disciplined. The worst problem, though, is when someone doesn't prepare but is embarassed to say they don't know what the hell they're doing. More on that in a future post, tentatively titled "Teron Gorefiend, the most irrtitating boss encounter ever designed".
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