Tich BRP

Introduction

The Basin on Tichondrius uses the Basin Raid Points (BRP) system to distribute loot dropped on raids. Key features of the BRP system:

• It is a zero-sum points system with no inflation. Long-term, frequent raid participants cannot monopolize loot at the expense of less frequent or newer participants.
• Items have a fixed point cost. When an individual loots an item, those points are deducted from his or her total and redistributed to the other people present on the raid.
• Loot distribution is proportional to the time you spend raiding. Individuals can enjoy steady progress for each raid they attend without experiencing the ceiling of a weighted random system or the strict turns of a list system.

The system is subject to change at the discretion of the raid leaders, and indeed it has changed several times since inception. This document sets out the system in place as at 5 April 2006.

The BRP systems are managed by a dedicated website. We maintain separate BRP systems for each of the following:

• Molten Core, Onyxia, World Bosses
• Blackwing Lair
• Ruins of Ahn Qiraj (AQ20)
• Temple of Ahn Qiraj (AQ40)
• Naxxramas

Points earned in one system may only be spent within that same system. This has been done to prevent farming points in earlier instances to spend in later ones.

Earning points

When an item is looted, the looter pays the points value of that item. That value is then divided by the number of raiders present, and awarded to them.

So basically, you earn points by being on raids where items are looted by someone other than you.

Spending points

When an item drops that is to be distributed by the BRP system, the loot leader will announce the item on teamspeak or in the raid channel (/ra), and invite calls. There are a number of calls you may make if you want the item:

• Need: You should call need if you need that item on the toon you are playing on that raid. Need calls have the highest priority for loot.
• Upgrade: You may call upgrade on your Tier 2 hat or leg item (dropped by Onyxia and Ragnaros respectively) if you already have the Tier 1 item for that slot. Upgrade calls rank equally with need calls, but the price that you pay will be the difference between the Tier 1 cost and the Tier 2 cost (ie 45 BRP rather than 175 BRP).
• Downgrade: You may call downgrade on a Tier 1 item if you already have the Tier 2 item for that slot. Downgrade calls rank after need and upgrade calls in priority for looting, but if you win, you will pay nothing for the item.

After waiting an appropriate length of time (not generally more than 30 second or so) and trying to ensure that all calls have been made, the loot leader will check the BRP tables and announce the winner, who will be the person with the highest number of current BRP (subject to the priority explained above – ie need/upgrade first, and if nobody calls these, then downgrade).

If nobody calls an item, it will either be disenchanted (if it is a bind on pick-up item) and the nexus shards bought by the Banker (see later), or held by the loot leader (if it is a bind on equip item) and distributed via the forums, using the BRP system.

Class discounts

Certain items may be available to certain characters at a discount to their value, to reflect the fact that these toons receive less utility from these items than others. Examples of this are:

• Melee characters bidding on ranged weapons
• Hunters bidding on certain melee weapons

However, someone paying the full price for an item (ie a hunter no a ranged weapon, or a melee character on a melee weapon) will always take priority over someone paying a discounted price.

Banker

The Banker is a dummy toon who exists in the BRP system to ensure that zero-sum is preserved. He will buy all items that are looted but not awarded to a character present on the raid (eg fiery cores, lava cores, bloods of the mountain, BoE items not won on the raid, Nexus shards etc). These items will be distributed on the forums as follows:

• BoE items: Using the BRP system over a specified period of time (eg a week). People will place their calls on the forums and at the specified close time for that auction, the winner will be selected in the usual way, and the item mailed to them. BRP will be charged against the system in which the item was looted.
• Cores/BotM/Nexus: People may request these for specific purposes through the forums thread. Distributions will be made periodically, according to current BRP totals, and items mailed to winners.

[How do we ensure zero-sum in respect of Nexus? Banker will be buying them in each of the BRP databases - do we track this and award them in the relevant one, or is it all done through the MC/Ony one?]

Item values

Item values are calculated according to the following formula (if you are curious as to where this comes from, you may like to read this reverse engineering thread:

BRP value = iLvl^2 * (Slot Mod * 1.2) * 0.025

Explanation of terms:

• ilvl is the Item Level. It is squared to make higher-level items cost disproportionately more.
• Slot mods are as follows:
  • Head – 100%
  • Neck – 54%
  • Shoulder – 74%
  • Back – 54%
  • Chest – 100%
  • Wrist – 54%
  • Hands – 74%
  • Waist – 74%
  • Legs – 100%
  • Feet – 74%
  • Ring – 54%
  • Trinket – 68%
  • Shield/off-hand – 50%
  • Wands - 45%
  • 1h Weapon – 70%
  • 2h Weapon – 110%
  • 1 Hand Melee Weapons for Hunters - 40%
  • 2 Hand Melee Weapons for Hunters - 60%
  • Ranged Weapons for Melee Classes- 40%
• The 1.2 is the modifier for any purple (blues are 1.1 and greens are 1.0), again from the reverse engineering thread above.
• The 0.025 is a constant that scales the values back down to something approaching our old BRP values.

This formula makes higher-level items cost disporportionately more as we get into harder and harder instances that drop epics with a higher base item levels. We pay more to reflect the increased difficulty of the instance and the dedication we have to put into our toons to be able to contribute to a boss kill that can drop an item of that level.

List of values

[insert pricelist]