FAQs-Running of the Gnomes
Where can I donate?
The charity of choice this year is yet again the Touhy Vaccine which has made progress since last year and started human clinical trials.
We have a fundraising page with the Cleveland Clinic. We’ve found them to be top notch to use every year! If you have any questions, feel free to let us, or them know!
http://ccf.convio.net/goto/gnomerun2k16
What about sharding?
I have no idea, but even if there’s sharding, at the very least a lot of gnomes will likely be together, so it won’t matter. The more of you that show up, the better!
When should I show up?
Early. the run leaves at 7pm EST, so please arrive a bit early if you’re wanting a ginvite, as there will be a lot of people there. By a bit, I mean at least half an hour.
What about tabards this year?
Since tabards became BoP, we’re going to have to get creative. I’ll be accepting donations of cloth on Scarlet Crusade, and crafting as many shirts as I can. I’ll also start farming cloth for this, but I still also have to try to keep my spot on a raid team.
The concept of having a thousand or so shirts prepared for trading is a serious, and expensive, task. I cannot promise that I will have more than a few hundred at best. First come, first serve.
Consequently, if you really would like one of our adorable tabards (they’re pink with a white heart) you need only run to Ironforge and purchase one, or better yet, if you have one, mail yourself the Account Bound guild tabard, and equip it.
Why guilds?
Low levels (below level 10) cannot join raids without a workaround script that has some trouble working reliably. Even still, 2,500 ish Gnomes would need over 62 raid groups. 4-5 official guilds serves the purpose better of communicating where everyone is going, and how many people exactly we have.
Plus if you purchase a tabard, you have an instant cute outfit with a heart.
What about toys, pets and mounts?
Keep in mind that there will be a lot of you all in one place at once. The more toys, pets, mounts you use, the worse it will be. Dismissing things like battle pets, while fun, will reduce lag and strain on people’s computers. Not summoning Yogg with the low level trinket heirloom tentacle trinkets will also prevent the server from crashing like last year.
Just like tons of spell effects will slow things down, tons of fun toys will slow down the server too, and it’s the last thing we want.
The “Race” isn’t about who gets there first, and people who use the Heirloom Mounts tend to get jumped on by wild creatures as they get ahead of the pack. They also cause some lag as well when a ton of them are out. They also leave the trial accounts who are awesome enough to show up way far behind.
If you wanted to ride a mount, the Riding Turtle is perfect for a low level character, as it’s fun but doesn’t get you there any faster.
I can’t tell you guys not to use any of these things, but let’s try to keep the server afloat!
Can you invite me cross server?
Unfortunately, no, the Gnomes are all very low levels,and the few high level helpers we are bringing are using group invites to help lost Gnomes as they can. I won’t do this for anyone, and please don’t ask anyone to, as they’ll wind up without anyone, and upset/stressed out at me.
If I get lost/eaten/fall off/other problem on the run can someone help me?
If you ask in the chat channel /Gnomerun someone can try! Whispering me won’t get you anywhere very fast as I’m on a level 1, and cannot fly, summon or teleport you anywhere. Try finding one of the helpers and ask them! There are a handful of them and a whole lotta Gnomes. Don’t stress if a spirit healer visit happens and you run back! Lots of people run into stuff along the way, so you’ll still be with the group!
Keep in mind, the whole idea behind winning isn’t getting there first, but simply making it to the end.
Can I level my character first or reuse my character from previous years?
Of course! We say roll a level 1, but it’s only a suggestion. You can use whatever character you would like. Some people roll Death Knights, but you have to be certain you’ve completed the starting zone because Arthas is clingy and won’t let go of our soul.
The character only need be on the Scarlet Crusade-Feathermoon Cluster. See the same answer about high level characters on Scarlet Crusade.
I only have a trial account, I really want to tag along, is that okay?
YES! The only thing is that you cannot join the Gnome racing guilds. That's okay though, because once the run starts, we turn off guild chat to help people not get so lost. You will still be able to tag along!
After the run just send us a message on social media with your name so we can headcount you.
I'm a Gnome on Scarlet Crusade, but I'm a high level.
Do I HAVE to roll a new Gnome?
You don't have to! There are many people from the Alliance who run along protecting our Tiny Gnomes!
If you want to feel festive: maybe change your hair color to pink, dress up pretty, get on a fancy mount, or help pick up Gnomes who get lost. The transmog options are endless!! Just run along with us. All of our Gnomies will appreciate the escort through the scarier parts of our trip!
If you ran along and didn't join the Gnome racing guild, please send us a message on social media
*Please remember, we cannot invite you cross realm.*
I only have Hordies on Scarlet Crusade, and all of my character slots are full, or all of my characters on Scarlet Crusade aren't Gnomes!
We love, love, love our yearly Horde protectors! (Even if you help kill us during the after party!) Just send us a message on facebook/twitter/tumblr whatever and let us know how many of you guys are in your group! You can also roll a Gnome on Feathermoon.
Just keep in mind this is a peaceful event and try to avoid the Alliance cities like Duskwood if you belong to the Horde! It’s best to meet us outside the Stormwind Gates.
Also, keep in mind your ideas to Whirlwind, Rain of Fire, or whatever the Gnomes is impossible, as Scarlet Crusade is an RP realm.
I want to help with the run!
Tell your friends! Post this on your guild website! Come to the run! Like our facebook page and share it with your friends, reblog stuff from our tumblr! Tweet about it! Spread the word! Tell everyone you know! Change your guild's tabards and tell people why!
Feel free to send a donation of the materials for a Pink Mageweave shirt to help clothe a brand new Gnome in need to Dravinna on Scarlet Crusade.
If you have another idea you can tweet at me @Dravvie, or leave me a message here. I’m open to ideas, but I like to keep the chaos to a minimum.
Is there an EU version?
Unfortunately not this year as of right now. I wanted to this year, but I’m overwhelmed with RL stuff. :(
If you are an EU player, you can download the US trial version and run along with us through if you wish to participate!
Can I stay in the guild afterwards?
Yes! They’re not super guilds, but your Gnome will be waiting for you each year!
I can't attend but will there be a stream/video?:
Not officially yet, but there’s always amazing videos created by the community members that we are happy to share.
If you are interested in streaming the run, please do! It’s a great way for people to partake even if they aren’t able to for a variety of reasons, and I’m super hype about people meeting and following content creators who care about the community.
However we must very firmly ask that you remove personal donation links from your Twitch or other streaming services during the run, and put up a link to the Cleveland Clinic, so that other people do not think they are donating to a charity, when they are really donating to you.
Where are you guys running?:
There's a copy of our map posted on our blogs!
Social Media:
Tumblr:gnomerun2k16.tumblr.com
Twitter: Warcraft Cares
Twitter: Dravvie
Facebook: Running of the Gnomes:
Hashtag: #GnomeRun2K16