I'm getting back to WoW Insider after a month's real-life-related absence and have been spending some time playing catch-up on the site. One of the articles that caught my attention was Matt Rossi's popular "One reason tanks won't PuG," in no small part because I play a tank and my own PuG runs have been few and far between of late. My main, a Tauren Druid, respecced from balance to feral at level 69 because there were so few tanks on my server, and I literally spent months and months tanking PuG's to get experience and gear.

During that period I saw everything from rogues rolling on +healing maces to warlocks needing on tanking cloaks, and I learned that you never can tell what you're going to get from a PuG. Yes, you'll get hunters who can't trap, mages who never resheep, rogues who mistakenly believe they leveled a warrior, and priests who Power Word: Shield you straight off the pull -- but you'll also find people who know their class well, or are in the process of learning just like you are, and who are fun to be around. I have now killed Illidan with a contingent of people who showed up to my PuG's back when I was a wee lolbaretank in quest greens and Heavy Clefthoof, so as a matter of personal experience I think PuG's are a somewhat underrated way to meet people who will later turn out to play crucial roles in how you experience the game.

I don't PuG as frequently anymore due to time constraints and increased time spent leveling alts, but I still hang out in LFG from time to time for the pure enjoyment of meeting new people. Yes, it is often difficult to PuG tanks and healers (I would submit, as someone who typically tanks or heals in dungeons, that it is also difficult to PuG skilled DPS), but a lot of people could make it easier on themselves than they do. If you're having problems finding a tank or healer for your PuG's, try these.

From the training of a rat to a meeting of the altaholics, to a little bit of man lovin', this week's comics progress storylines, provide gaming commentary, and bring out the laughs.

1. This week, The Scout Report teaches us a bit more about Ogre culture.
2. On Teh Gladiators, Trevor tries to train his hunter pet, the valiant rat.
3. Monkey Punchers goes all-out for the Man Love this week!
4. This week's LFG was definitely hilarious. I won't even comment, so as not to spoil it.
5. Shakes and Fidget are out for Rock 'n' Roll this week.
6. Dark Legacy's NPCs are getting Stinking Rich.
7. Okay so WoW isn't as customizable as the generic MMO featured in this week's NoObz, but I think we can all relate. Besides, Wrath is bringing us new hair!
8. Ding! talks about altoholics.
9. Quite probably my personal favorite this week, The Adventures of Disgraph T. Dwarf, Episode 14: Orphan Saga, Part 1.

Click through to cast your vote for the best comic from this week's selection.

This week we have an NPC coup, a battle of the bands, two strikes, and of course, the much beloved mischief.

1. In the Scout Report, #37, a new activist wanders onto the scene.
2. From the Noob Comic comes Area Effect. Sometimes, a mage just can't help himself.
3. Messy Cow has some adventures in Skinning, although she should have been healing. The best part? The "rouge" who was stealing corpses!
4. Teh Gladiators battle their stealthed opponents, and the Murlocs heat up the scene. This week, the commentary beneath the comic is decidedly worth the read.
5. Sockpuppet holds the "Azertoh Battle of the Bands." Yes, I said "Azertoh."
   
6. Want to see a raid with the characters from Real Life?
7. NoObz #9 brings you to a special mob-held meeting of sorts, where you get to meet the gray kangaroo (wolf).
8. The old computer has finally broken him. A friend of Monkey Punchers is finally Losing It.
9. In LFG this week, my favorite character breaks into a song and dance!
10. Shakes and Fidget have made their Preparations, and with proper hilarity ensuing.
11. This week on Dark Legacy Comics, the NPCs launch plans to take over the world, through Operation: Horace.
12. From Action Trip comes Impressive Knowledge. Seriously, kids these days really know their stuff! Sure, they might lose a finger or a hand, but then they'll know which faction they're dealing with, right?

Pass through the break to vote for your favorite from this week's selection.

This week we have some exciting developments, from the infiltration of a Horde town, to Sunwell progression, to a pet dragon. As always, I welcome suggestions for comics we've missed, so post away in the comments section! We even have a new one this week.

1. From Action Trip comes What's the opposite of Undead?
   
2. Horde PuGs a battleground this week in Ding!
3. NoObz #7 is highly recommended! Thanks for the tip, Gene.
4. Cluck Cluck from Dark Legacy Comics teaches us the joys of cooking.
5. Damage Done from Extra Life is funny on too many levels.
6. Shakes and Fidget are going on an Infiltration mission!
7. Fun with the Bloodrage from LFG.
8. Monkey Punchers explores the ups and downs of Minimum System Requirements.
9. Teh Gladiators get new teammates.
10. Episode 11: The Waiting is the Hardest Part. Disgraph has some adventures when the Shattered Sun badge loot vendor becomes available.
11. The Scout Report meets Mister Snuggles.

Are you ready to vote? Pop through the break to choose this week's favorite.

Although we are in an awkward period, with no new content to look forward to until Wrath of the Lich King lands, things are not as dull as one might think. With arena season 4 just around the corner, leaking expansion information, and the exploration and mastery of patch 2.4 content still underway, life in the World of Warcraft is still heating up.

To add to the entertainment, we have a new comic or two, as well as several with plots that are gearing up towards something great.

1. Node from Dark Legacy Comics has fun with the new(ish) mini-maps.
   
2. Just Walk Away... from Extra Life.
   
3. The Map from Shakes and Fidget.
4. I Would Guess from the folks at GU Comics.
5. LFG #138. Puns bring the silly.
   
6. Murphy's Law from Monkey Punchers.
   
7. Ding! Hunters are smooth talkers.
8. The first match from Teh Gladiators kicked off, with a surprising twist.
9. If you didn't catch our recent highlight of The Scout Report, then you might not have caught yourself up on the storyline. Trust me though when I say that it is worth it! Although I recommend pawing back to the beginning of the archive, for the current storyline to make sense, you need only start here.
   

If you're ready to vote, head on through the break!

Whether your "holy grail" takes the form of your freedom, an end to loneliness, treasure, glorious achievement, or that coveted raid spot, you're sure to find entertainment this morning.

1. Team Speak + Air Traffic Control = Bad from Action Trip. This one is pretty self-explanatory!
2. Saved? from the Adventures of Blanc.
3. You no take candle! from Dark Legacy Comics. Anything with that title you know just has to be awesome.
4. A Deadly Plan from Shakes and Fidget.
5. LFG #136. I have to say that I try each week to bring you a selection from LFG that can stand alone, so that even those who do not follow it dutifully can be entertained, or even motivated to check it out. As such, I'm proud of this entry; it's funny, and very noob-friendly.
6. Ding! supports completionist ways. Sort of.
7. Let's get introduced to Teh Gladiators. If you failed to read the intro, well then you fail. Carrying on for the rest of you, here's the first and second comic. Don't forget to read the commentary beneath! It's worth the extra three seconds of effort (seriously).
8. From The Adventures of Messy Cow comes "Raid Life." Part one. Then, part two. Who recognizes this guy anyway?
9. Intense Matchup from Action Trip. I just couldn't resist!

Press through to vote on your favorite!

For some reason on my home server, Eldre'Thalas, when folks see a tank standing around in Shattrath without anything to do, they immediately start sending tells asking if I want to go tank such-and-such an instance for them. I don't mind it when my friends or guild mates do it, but it does get a little annoying when complete strangers do it constantly.

So I've come up with a solution: spirit and intellect armor. Whenever I'm doing anything other than fighting, I'm wearing bright yellow spirit and intellect armor that I got off the AH. I spent about a hundred gold on this dastardly set. It looks awful, it smells awful, and it's a great repellent for annoying unsolicited LFG tells.

I got the idea from looking at people's gear who are apping to my guild. Some of it was just plain nuts – spirit gear on Warriors, "of stamina" gear on Priests, things like that. Of course, they might have just been logged out in that gear the same way I'm logged out in mine right now. But when you're apping to a guild and one of the requirements is to log out in PvE gear for the next week, well, too bad so sad for them.

Sunday Morning Funnies has quite the line-up this week, with even more on the horizon for next week. As always, don't forget to leave a tip about a WoW-themed comic you know!

• A new WoW-themed comic from Action Trip. I would explain but I think I'll just let you click through and see for yourselves.
• Regrettable Choice from Extra Life. Just mentally scratch out "Youtube" and replace it with "WoW Community Forums."
• A New Beginning with Shakes and Fidget. It comes complete with gratuitous Bar Maiden.
• Feel like an economic squabble? GU Comics has Just a Little Suggestion for Activision and Gibson.
  
• If you'd rather chew on politics, LFG lays out the facts of a prison break.
  
• Manic Graffiti has some insight on the Frostmourne Replica. That's pretty self-explanatory, but if you'd like more information, check out our coverage and opinions.
  
• Ding! has an opinion on Tauren hunters.
• From Teh Gladiators comes an intro, or a prequel, to soon-to-come shenanigans.
• The Brotherhood of the Hat from The Adventures of Disgraph T. Dwarf.

Head through the break in order to vote on the one you liked best.

Since there is a shortage of tanks, it's probably easiest for tank classes to find a group. That also means it's hardest if you are not a tank to find someone to play that role. The next most difficult is a healer. There's usually plenty of DPS to go around. It can take some time to make a group, but since dungeons provide excellent loot and good experience it's usually worthwhile to stick with it.

Lane is facing a problem I face quite a bit in World of Warcraft, and I bet you have, too: she needs a group but doesn't have one. I don't care how many friends you have or how awesome your guild is, there are just going to be some times in game where you have a quest to do, or you have something that needs to be done, and you don't have four other people to do it with.

So how do you get things done? Me, I usually just sit in LFG while grinding or doing something else, and then just hope I get a group together eventually. But my Hunter has had to run Ramparts for a long time, and no one's jumped up to take me, so I may start offering incentives soon. You'd think the incentive to get some loot and have a good time in a group would be enough, but no -- if you're trying to do a quest that's months old in game and happen to be on your own on a server, you're often times out of luck.

So how do you get a group together when you don't have one? Do you ping the major cities and try to pull an expedition together? Do you just ignore the quest and go without? Or do you have to have a guild or friends on the same server to get certain things done? What do you do when you need a group, but just don't have one?

Dear PUG Members,

Recently you've asked me to group with you. This is cool, and I appreciate being wanted. It gives me that warm and fuzzy feeling inside. The same warm and fuzzy feeling you get after you've killed a million boars and are holding the Sword of a Thousand Truths. However, if you don't mind, could we go over a few dos and don'ts?

Here's what you should do:

• Do ask nicely if I have time to join your group.
• Do look to see if I'm using the LFG tool. If I'm not, I probably don't want to group.
• Do offer me at least 100 gold to run you through the Stockades. The two gold you're putting forth does not make up for the time it's going to take me to run you through.
• Do talk in English or some other real language. I'll even accept Klingon. Leet speak is not a language.
• Do ask if everyone is ready before MDing the boss to me.
• Do use Omen or KTM.
• Do use something more than auto-attack.

Here's what you should NOT do:

Here's some really interesting news from the guys who make the popular Looking For Group comic: a feature film is in the works. Sohmer, who runs Blind Ferret Entertainment (which is also working on projects for PvP and Ctrl-Alt-Delete), says that the company is going to make a "75-80 minute feature film" (animated, of course) starring the LFG gang.

And the piece above is a "teaser" for the movie, tentatively titled "LFG: The Origin of Dick." (The character in the video above, if you haven't read the comic, is named Richard). No word on whether the whole movie will consist of songs, or song parodies, but the short is pretty well done, and so if that's any indication, the full-length movie will be a good time. Not to mention quite an achievement-- are there any other online comics that have gone on to support a feature film? I can't think of any.

Of course, that's assuming the comic can actually support it. We'll find out when it releases-- Blind Ferret says they're targeting it for late 2008.

Do you consider your guild to be a casual one? If so, how often do you raid? Today in Guildwatch, we've got news of a guild that considers themselves casual, but has downed 3 bosses in Serpentshrine, and raids three nights a week, four hours a raid. Is that casual or hardcore? What is casual raiding, exactly? And have you ever heard of a guild that's working through Black Temple while only raiding once a week? Is that even possible?

Along with all those questions, we've got your weekly dose of guild drama, downed, and recruiting notices, as we do every week on Tuesday (and feel free to send us your own for next week, at wowguildwatch@gmail.com). Hit the link to check out this week's GW!

EU Forums MVP Schwick has posted episode number 100 of his Warcraft Weekly forum feature, and it's a humdinger. It's got lots of tidbits from around the forums, including Blue posts, the best of fan posting, and even a brand new comic based on forum comings and goings called Forum Life (there's quite a few in-jokes in the first one, but hopefully subsequent comics will be a little more about the forums, and a little less about the people running them).

And in his "Specials" post, Schwick's got interviews aplenty-- he was able to talk to the devs (he doesn't get much out of them, but Elekk and Hawkstrider PvP mounts are on the way, and both a Shaman totem UI and more weather effects are being planned), and also got to chat with three of the best WoW comics artists out there-- the guys from LFG, Dark Legacy (who just hit a hundred of their own), and Chidori from The Flaming Ruby.

Excellent job as always, Schwick, and grats on number 100.

Distraction on the WoW LJ posts about something I've noticed while sitting in the LFG channel over the last few days on my server as well: Alliance are having a nice big party in the LFG channel, while Horde seem kind of lonely in it.

Why does it seem like Alliance run more PUGs than Horde do? It seems to happen on every server that I've been on, and it can't just be a population thing-- even Horde heavy servers (of which there aren't many) seem to have more PUGs rolling on the Alliance side. Could it be that Alliance players are more social, or just more likely to be unguilded?

And another thing I've noticed (and while Distraction doesn't mention it obviously, you can see it in his script) is that Horde seem to be less responsive to pleas for help in terms of LFG as well. Not only is it less common for a group to be LFG on Horde side, it seems, but it's less common for anyone LFG to find the help they need. I watched one guy Hordeside look for a Botanica group member for about 2 hours over the weekend, and when I finally joined up, the group frll apart anyway. Has that been your experience? And if so, why could that possibly be?