Cryn wrote:It's a valid point, and one which I think Sharkith mentioned in another thread a while back. The trouble is, people can always convince themselves they "need" money, so if you allow that way of looking at it, everyone will roll for everything.
You say that as though it's a bad thing? I personally think that's the fairest way, in that items are then either used by the person who wins the roll, or sold by them to someone who does.
If I bring a bard I rarely play on a raid and win a flute that I will therefore hardly ever use, how is that better than a hero winning the same item and selling it? Using "need" to determine if someone should be able to win an item is hugely subjective, as everyone can define "need" in their own way. And on a practical level, it's also largely unverifiable - I have alts that can use nearly every high value items that could possibly drop. But instead of having everyone justify how they would use an item, on my ML10 farming raids everyone is encouraged to roll for everything. Either they use an item directly on one of their characters or they can sell it to buy something they can use.
As for everyone becoming an accountant or a merchant - everyone is already both an accountant and a merchant. Items have values in an open market, and are fungible* with regards to platinum and therefore other items. In small groups of people who all know each other, sometimes we choose to act otherwise because under those circumstances there are things that are more important and it all works out in the end. But at a realm level, if you are on a raid, as far as I'm concerned you have earned the right to roll for any item that's up for lotto.
Finally, this is how I think loot should be split, and it is how I run my raids. I don't expect to convince someone who thinks differently. However, when I go on raids where leaders have different philosophies with regard to loot splits, I respect them (or I choose not to participate). Plac was very clear about claiming an item, and I believe he has a "free for all" loot split policy which implies anyone is free to sell anything they win. If people don't like that, there are certainly other raids going.
And yes, I believe Sharkith and I are thinking along the same lines, so apologies if I'm repeating anything he's already stated.
* fungible means that you are welcome to give any high value items to Fung, one of my animists.
) heck they complain if ml1 takes more than 1 hr these days also it seems to be accepted that people will farm artifacts just to sell them 
its always interesting reading.