Do you remember back when, if you were in a group, you would /roll to see who could mine/pick/skin a node? (Or at least the first one to start, and then going in rotation if more than two were present?)

I remember those days. Those were quite a while ago. That used to be the way everyone did it, it seemed – at least with the parties of server mates I might have grouped with, then later in guild events.

However, when randoms started, I think everyone forgot about common courtesy and just ran around picking and mining and skinning anything, screw whoever else might have wanted to also participate.

Last night in Silithus, I got a polite whisper from a guild master about their guild, asking if I’d like to join. Because I was so tired of having guild invite screens shoved in my face, and I appreciated the politeness of informing/asking, I decided to give it a go, even though I had thought I might want to stay guildless through the leveling of this Tauren hunter.

After joining I was immediately given an invite to a party – there were three other guildies and the guild master in Silithus, also questing. After killing lots of spiders, there was a Rich Thorium Vein that I definitely wanted to mine, but in /p I asked, “Anyone else a miner?” and when I was informed another was, I asked them to /roll, to see who would get this node.

Turns out the other miner wasn’t high enough level, but I was thanked effusively by the guild leader for even asking. (In caps, which perhaps says something about the last time that’s happened.)

Before I logged, I was told to expect a welcome package in my mail, since I was so polite.

Have we reached the place where a common courtesy /roll request is rewarded with a special welcome package?

(I got a great package – a bigger bag, some gold, a tabard and an Adventurer’s Journal.)