Demoniac is official!
Well, its been just over a week since the guild was created in-game. We're very small still, but you've got to start somewhere. We have so much to do now it almost seems overwhelming. Including myself, we already have four of our officers and have already begun the recruiting process for the others.
With all the kids coming and going in my household, both my fiancee and myself being sick, and Canadian Thanksgiving, I've been extremely busy and the guild hasn't grown much. I have managed to dig up enough time to create a guild website and try to get things going on the forums.
Recruitment
I've been trying to stress the importance of recruitment to the other guild officers. So far I've been keeping up posts on both the official Horde Recruitment Forum as well as the official Blackhand-US Forum. This week I hope to begin actively recruiting in-game as well. We don't have a Recruitment Officer yet, so this job falls on all of the guild's officers.
For officer positions, we're still looking for a Recruitment Officer and a Raid Officer. The Recruitment Officer is responsible for all matters concerning guild recruitment and the Raid Officer oversees and schedules all guild raids and is in charge of appointing raid leaders, loot managers, and raid assistants. We're also looking for regular guild members as well. If you're interested in either an officer or a general membership, please contact me.
Showing posts with label guild. Show all posts
Showing posts with label guild. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
A Guild is born!
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Cataclysm is before us
I have to apologize for my lack of blog posts as of late. I've been sick and the dayhome has been quite busy. We now have a steady few kids coming each day. Today we have seven kids! Good thing there are two of us. I have been trying to figure out video editing program Sony Vegas with every free minute I get. I'm very thankful for the invention of quiet/nap time! Hopefully, I'll have a video to show you guys soon. This also means that we're doing better financially, being able to pay off our bills sooner, which, in turn, means I'll be getting more game time soon (Likely before the end of the month!).
Cataclysm is coming!
It seems like everyone is posting about Cataclysm these days. I don't consider myself a follower but why wouldn't everyone be posting about Cataclysm? I'm sure we're all looking forward to the new expansion not only for new content to explore but also for the opportunity to explore Azeroth again in a whole new way. If I get my gamecard before Cataclysm comes out, I will not be making too many low level alts. I'm going to hold off until Cataclysm hits, so that I can level a new character in the new Azeroth.
I'm loving the new Guild systems Blizzard is adding in Cataclysm. While they bring more challenges to smaller and growing guilds, I see them as an exciting challenge. Guild leveling means every guild member will be able to contribute to the guild by doing the everyday tasks they normally would with their characters; participating in rated battlegrounds, dungeons, raids, completing quests, and unlocking guild achievements. Helping the guild level will also reward the guild member with guild reputation and guild perks. This will, hopefully, reduce guild hopping and encourage bonding and more camaraderie within guilds.
I'm also looking forward to the new guild user interface. It will include upcoming events, the guild experience bar, your reputation with the guild, latest guild news, and major guild accomplishments. The roster will now show player professions as well as their recipes. Blizzard has obviously noticed that people were creating many different addons to hold information just like this. I guess they are paying attention to what their fans want after all.
There have been many different reports of when Cataclysm is going to be released. Apparently, Amazon sent emails out to various sources saying it would be released November 23, 2010. I've seen other people reporting that it would come out on November 29, 2010. Most retailers seem to be posting December 31, 2010 as the date, but I seriously doubt it would be released after X-mas. Blizzard has been silent on the release date but they have posted a rough schedule of upcoming patches suggesting that after patch 4.03 there will be a pre-release patch to prepare for Cataclysm. Since the PTR is on patch 4.01, I'm guessing a November date is more likely for the release date.
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Saturday, September 11, 2010
Updates
Ch-ch-ch-changes
After reading various blogs, I discovered a problem in the guild structure I have. Having separate alt ranks for Fallen, Drudes, and the Haradrim creates an opening for someone to take advantage of our guild. Someone could look up our guild on our website or in the Armory and see what characters have higher ranks. Then they could make a character and say they are said character's alt. In turn, this could leave an opening for them to take advantage of the rank and remove items and/or gold from the guild bank. They could also use the opportunity to sabotage or plant drama within the guild, because they would essentially be posing as an officer. Therefore, I made some changes to the ranks:
- Haradrim, Drudes, and Fallen no longer have their own separate rank for alts.
- There is now one rank for every alt character which holds the same guild rights as Fallen.
- The new rank mentioned will be called Abomination.
I've also altered the blog slightly by adding a picture to each post. This will hopefully make the blog a little more attractive to look at. I edited the posts themselves as well, separating longer paragraphs into smaller ones to make them easier on the eye. Apart from basic blog edits, I've come to a couple important decisions regarding the guild. First, I've decided which realm I will start the guild on. Second, I have decided not to use Ventrilo, but have chosen to use imVOX instead for the guild's voice chat program.
A place to call home
The realm I have chosen as the home of the guild will be Blackhand-US. It was a close race between Blackhand-US and Ravenholdt-US, but I think I've made the best choice for the guild. Blackhand-US has a nice sized population that ranges between medium and high, in favor of the Horde around 61%. There is an average amount of lower level players and a good amount of players with no guild. Both servers have their fair share of QQ and immature trolls, but as I mentioned in my previous post, there's no real way to get away from that.
Probably the most importance factor to influence my choice was that Raveholdt-US is a RP-PVP realm and while some people wouldn't mind a non-RP guild starting up there, its not what the server was built for. The majority of the guilds I found on Ravenholdt-US were RP guilds and a guild alliance with them would create some unnecessary difficulties. I didn't want to start the guild out with a reputation of going against not only Blizzard's purpose for this realm, but also against the majority of the players and guilds on the realm itself. On Blackhand-US, I found 4 different guilds Demoniac could possibly form an alliance with while on Ravenholdt-US, I didn't find any that fit my criteria.
Communication
In the past, I've had experience with both Ventrilo and Teamspeak. While they both offer an acceptable service for the voice communications of a guild, they are also both fairly complicated and can be expensive. I'm aware there are some people who offer free channels on their Ventrilo, Teamspeak, or Mumble servers, but I haven't found any that offer free individual servers for guilds. That is until now.
A voice communications program called imVOX offers guilds their own server for 30 people at one time, for free. As part of this service, you can customize various features (backgrounds, server icon image, profile information as well as personal user photo. As the server admin, you can also create channels, set passwords for channels, and assign admin rights. As a small guild that's just starting out, this is more than ideal. It only took me a few minutes to get our guild server setup and ready for recruitment interviews.
If, at anytime, you find that a server for 30 people isn't enough for your guild, you can always upgrade to an inexpensive Pro account. With the Pro account you can create up to 10 different servers with up to 250 users connected across them in total. This would be ideal for larger guilds who want to have people running 25 to 40 man raids as well as 5 man groups, all at one time. The price imVOX has set for their Pro account is $24.99 per year. That's simply crazy when you consider that the average service offering either Ventrilo, Teamspeak, or Mumble on average cost anywhere between $20.00 to $30.00 per month for only 100 person slots.
Don't just take my word for it though, be sure to check it out for yourself: http://www.imvox.com/
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Don't judge a book by it's cover
The past few days I've been continually doing research on which realm I'd like to start the guild on. And while I've had some success in narrowing it down, I've also come to the conclusion that there will be idiots on any server I start on. What I consider as idiotic behavior varies from immature character names, bashing each other in trade chat, ignorant and/or improper use of words like "gay" and "fag" (for example; calling other people "fag" or referring to something stupid as "That's so gay," and intentionally causing drama on either forums or in trade chat. These things infuriate me, but I realize that there is no getting away from it in the game.
Everyone is human and it sometimes takes longer for some people to mature than others. Apart from that, people grow up in various different situations; causing the influence of certain beliefs, etc. on sections of the population. I, personally, am someone who grew up and was raised in a community that inadvertently taunt their children to hate others because they were sinful or not chosen by god. While I grew up that way, I'm a much different person now. I've changed a great deal in the last 10-15 years. So I do realize that everyone deserves a chance to change. I can't be too harsh on realms in general because of the behavior of a few people. With that in mind, I'll return to the main subject.
To review, my four main choices were Blackhand-US, Cairne-US, Ysera-US, and Ravenholdt-US. I've narrowed it down to Blackhand-US and Ravenholdt-US. I've spent some time on both servers via trail account the last few days and have also observed the behavior on the official realm forums. Ravenholdt seemed like the more mature and best choice out of the two. When I was on there today, however, I saw some negative things. I saw someone who chose the name "Dick" for their character and someone else who had "Anusol" as their character name (in case you don't know, Anusol is similar to Preparation H).
There was also a discussion about the show Jersey Shore which was basically bickering over who liked it and others who either hated it or didn't want to hear about it. Now, I don't watch the show and don't really care about it, but that's not the point. The point was how the conversation was started and carried out. It seemed like the person starting the discussion simply wanted to start a pissing fight. It actually reminded me of fights I used to have with my brothers that basically sounded like this: "You're a [insert insulting name]," "I know you are but what am I?" I ended up finding similar things on the Blackhand forums. This was both disappointing and it left me wondering if I would actually find a realm that didn't have this sort of behavior.
The answer is no. Every realm will have something I don't like on it. Every realm will have people that won't like me. I need to approach the realms like everyone has to approach life; there will be people who don't like you and the vise-versa, but you can't let that discourage you. Everyone is different and instead of being discouraged by that, we need to embrace it. So, with that being said, I'm not going to judge the realms too harshly when it comes to what I may perceive as idiocy.
Before I continue I just want to make sure those reading this aren't thinking I'm some sort of stuck up snobbish type. I'm actually pretty easygoing and flexible. I know I make mistakes and am far from perfect. I know there will never be a perfect guild and I'm not aiming for the perfect guild. I just want to have fun. (Cyndi Lauper anyone?) I think I'm going to take the rest of the week to decide which of the two I want to pick. In the meantime, I'm also going to be looking into other guilds on both servers to try and see if they could be possible allies and I'm also going to be looking into voice chat programs that are used for WoW. Stay tuned.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
What factors come into play when chosing a realm to play on?
In order to decide which realm I'd like to start the guild on I need to answer a few questions first. I've done some research on the web and found various reasons for playing on particular servers. The main reasons people choose the realm they play on are as follows:
- They know people who play on said realm, usually being either friends, family, or both.
- The server is in the same time zone they want to play in or even located in the same city they're in.
- The realm has a population they like, whether it be low, medium, or high. Realm population can effect how long you have to wait for battlegrounds, instances, or queuing to log into the server.
- The realm has a really cool name. This is probably the least important thing, but at the same time, its what guides a lot of noobs to pick a realm. I admit that its what guided me when I first started playing.
- The server has a good, fair, or poor economy. This factor can be very important. While you don't want to pay 20 gold for a low level green item, it can benefit you if you are the seller of the items.
- How is the community on the realm? Is it drama-prone with constant bickering in trade chat? Is the trade chat filled with references to all things "anal"? Does the server have a cool vibe of helpful and kind people? How is the QQ on the realm?
- What type of realm is it? Normal? PVP? RP? A mix? This is another basic area that highly influences one's choice in server.
- As mentioned above briefly, queues also influence a players choice of realm. Do they have to wait a long time to get into a Battleground, Instance, Raid, etc.? Are there enough players around their level to group with for harder quests?
- Success in both raid progression as well as PVP progress are also a factor for some players. Have the guilds on the server progressed through the deepest, darkest, and nastiest raids? Do the Horde or Alliance constantly win in Wintergrasp or other Battlegrounds?
- Does the Battlegroup the realm belongs to have a good reputation for hardcore raiding, PVP, or positive people?
- Are there a lot of noobs or lower level characters? (After all, a person with a level 50 character can still have no clue how to play the character). This can be good and bad, it all depends on perspective. Do you want to help teach and mentor new players in the game? Would you rather only play with people who know their characters inside and out?
- Each different type of server also has its own issues. For PVP: How nasty is the ganking, camping, and so on? For RP: Are there a lot of guilds and players that actually roleplay or is it an aside?
- How are the other guilds on the server? Are they elitist and arrogant? Are they made up of a rude bunch of brats? Or are they easy-going, helpful, nice, and respectful of everyone?
- One might also want to know how many guilds on the realm are recruiting and what kind of guilds are recruiting.
- Are there a large number of people complaining about lag, constant resets, login queues and other technical problems? Some realms just aren't as stable as others.
- Players might also be interested in how old the server is. Older realms might just have more experienced players.
- Another thing players might want to look at is how mature the server is. Some say PVP realms attract rambunctious younger players, while RP realms attract more quiet and mature players.
Looking over the list, I can come to a basic conclusion of what sort of things I'm looking for in a realm and then go from there. Knowing people on the server whether it be family or friends will not effect my decision. When I first started playing it did because I had family and friends playing on certain servers. I even bought the European version so that I could play on the EU realms with some of my European friends. But now my closest friend is probably going to quit WoW when Cataclysm comes out and I'd rather not play the game with family anymore (too much drama... perhaps a story for another time). I have other friends who play on various other servers, but my hope is to recruit them to the guild and persuade them to at least make an alt to play in the guild. My hope is to make some new friends with the new guild, so I'm not depending on my other friends.
The server timezone and location don't really mean a lot to me either. I'm fairly flexable when it comes to timezones. I'm in Edmonton, which is in the mountain standard timezone. While I think it would be cool to meet and play with some others from the same city, its not a high priority. With that being said, I do plan to advertise the guild to people in some facebook groups and one of those groups is specifically for my city.
Realm population is one factor I am considering. I'd rather not the start the guild on a full, high, or low populated realm. Full or highly populated servers often mean waiting in queue to just log into the realm. I'm looking for a medium to high population which will weigh more on the Horde side. Most of the realms I've been interested in for this guild have around 60 percent Horde, which is fine with me.
The realm name really has no influence in what realm I pick now even though it was probably one of the main things I was interested in when I first started playing the game. I would also find myself picking random realms with the odd technique of closing my eyes and then picking whichever realm my cursor stopped on. Kind of a goofy way to pick a server, but it worked for me at the time.
The economy of a realm does carry some weight for me, personally. I like to use the AH to its full extent. I like to be able to buy low and sell high. Its always nice to have some money in your pocket for goodies like mounts, vanity pets, and gear. While economy is important to me, I don't focus on it too much simply because the economy of a realm can go in waves just like it does in the real world. By the way, I thought I'd mention that economics aren't all that interesting to me in real life. Its odd that I'm fascinated by the economics in the game though.
Community is a huge factor in my decision. I don't want to play on a realm that constantly has people bickering, making fun of others, being judgmental of others, complaining, or making up childish jokes about all things "anal". Besides being more of a boob chick than an ass chick, I find respect and maturity to be very important to me. I can't stand ignorance and while there will likely be some of that on every realm out there, I'd prefer to be on a realm where its minimal. People saying things like "That's so gay," or being racist and/or prejudice in anyway make me want to stay away. The "ignore" function can come in handy when necessary. I really want to be part of a community that helps one another and not only respects one another but also understands the meaning of common courtesy. Call me an idealist but its what I want. To quote John Lennon, "You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one." :)
A Battlegroup's reputation, a realm's raid progression, or how bad-ass their realm is for PVP, really have no influence on my decision. These things simply aren't important to me probably because my game play doesn't focus on any one of these factors. As for there being a large amount of noobs on the server, I'm perfectly fine with that. While noobs can sometimes be an annoyance, one has to remember that they were once a noob as well. Part of me likes to mentor and help out new players while I also want times to just solo and not have to worry about showing a noob how to do something. I think its the difference between teaching someone to be independent or dependent on you.
I usually pick normal PVE realms to play on. When I was a noob, I tried playing on a PVP server and during one of the world holiday events a high level player ganked me and I was only level 7. After killing me the first time, the high level player camped and waited for me to respawn, then when I did, he killed me again. It was very frustrating. I have more experience now in the game but even so, I still carry that memory in the back of my head that makes me want to avoid PVP servers.
For Demoniac, I want to be able to make alliances with other guilds on the server. Therefore, it is very important to me what kind of guilds are on the realm. I think it would be ideal to group up with another guild for things like instances, raids, etc. to help each other out. I would rather not be around guilds who think they're all that and a bag of chips. Arrogance and Elitism are complete turn-offs for me. I've been on a realm (Khaz Modan) where there were some very arrogant players who were constantly criticizing other guilds in trade. I want no part of that.
With all these things in mind, I need to determine which realm fits closest with my needs.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
What's in a realm?
I've been doing some research and have come to the conclusion that Hydraxis might not be the best realm to start the guild on. Various people on the official forums have said that its not a very good realm for Horde. I also got a trial account to check out the realm first hand. I wasn't impressed. As such, I've been trying to find a new realm where we could start out. I want a server that's at least slightly higher in population on the Horde side. I've looked at the Warcraft Realms website to try and help with that. I'm also looking at the official realm forums, checking to see first hand (via trial membership) to see how many low level players were just starting out, checking to see what the population was like in the busiest (non-WOTLK) cities, and checking to see what kind of quality and traffic the trade channels received.
I also wanted to limit the realms to Normal PVE, however @myrandriel via twitter suggested that I try a RP-PVP realm, namely Ravenholdt. I'm not really looking at RP realms simply because it doesn't appeal to me at the moment. However, @myrandriel assured me, "Contrary to popular belief, you don't actually have to RP on an RP realm. And anyway, only like a fraction of us RP anymore." I took a look at the official realm forums for Ravenholdt and was surprised by the positive attitudes and maturity the posters displayed. On most realm forums you see a barrage of posts about how better someone is over another or how so-and-so guild sucks. I was actually shocked to not see any of that on the Raveholdt realm forum. In-game, I saw a similar result. There was no trade chat shenanigans that you see on most realms. It was surprisingly refreshing. Even so, I'm still not 100% sure I want to setup shop on an RP realm.
I've narrowed my search to four realms: Ravenholdt, Blackhand, Cairne, and Ysera. Logging into Blackhand as an Orc Rogue I see 3 others running around the area working on beginner quests. On my way to the city, I don't see anyone but my /who search reveals that there are 11 players under the level of 20. Just outside of Orgrimmar there is the usual bunch of duelers, in this case there were 5. Taking a look around in the city I can see around 10 players that are non-guilded. The trade chat seemed fairly normal with people looking for more for heroics, instances, and raids. There were also a couple people advertising their guild, someone looking for a guild, and another giving 10 gold for charter signatures. According to Warcraft Realms the overall population is about 17, 500 with 61% behind Horde. Its a PVE server in a central timezone and its considered a medium population realm. The official realm forum doesn't seem very active, mostly just people advertising their guilds or selling/trading items.
Next to evaluate is Cairne. In the starting zone there was 16 players below level 20. On the way to Orgrimmar there are skeletons everywhere, which suggests some world pvp. Inside the city there doesn't seem to be too many players that do not have a guild. There were maybe a couple who were non-guilded. While in the city someone whispered me and asked if I wanted to be the GM of their guild. They were also yelling for someone to be the GM of their guild in trade chat... classy. There was also someone who named their character Chucknorrizz...ugh. The trade chat itself seemed fairly normal with the addition of some QQ about there not being enough healers. On the Cairne official forums there seems to be some QQ and immature posts, but overall it doesn't seem very active. The Warcraft Realms site says Cairne is 50% Horde and 50% Alliance with an overall population of around 12,000 and its in a central timezone. Obviously, the stats don't seem to match up with what the official site says (it considers Carine a high population realm).
The Ysera official forums seems fairly normal and are a little more active than the last two realms but only by a couple of days. According to Warcraft Realms, this realm has a population around 21,000 with 61% being Horde. Its a normal realm and its in an eastern timezone. There were 17 out of 25 players in the starting area that were lower than level 20. In Orgrimmar there were only a few players who were non-guilded. Trade chat seemed fairly normal without any major QQ or immaturity. There was a couple guilds advertising as well.
Evaluating Ravenholdt a bit more I found that they are not only fairly active on the official realm forums but they also have some forums devoted especially to the RPers of Raveholdt at www.ravenholdt.us. Warcraft Realms says that it is an eastern timezone realm and its population is around 19,000, favoring the Horde. There were 2 players right away in the starting area, although one of them was named Fistinbutt. I guess there are idiots on every server. While on my way to Orgrimmar, I was messaged by someone. He/she spammed me with the question, "y arent u doin quests," but when I answered, he/she seemed very friendly and told me how great the server was. In Orgrimmar there were a few players without a guild and the trade chat was very active with the usual banter, selling/trading, and advertising.
Right now it seems like Ravenholdt has many advantages over the other three but I'm still not sure. I'll need to determine exactly what the guild needs in a server.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Why Demoniac?
I think I need to define what Demoniac means:
Demoniac - [dih-moh-nee-ak, dee-muh-nahy-ak]Now, just so you know, I'm not possessed or anything similar. I picked this name because it was original. No other guild in WoW has this name. I also wanted a name for a Horde guild that was similar to evil or wicked. Not because we were going to be nasty to others in the game, but because it stands out. I chose a one word name for the guild because they generally are more successful.
1. of, pertaining to, or like a demon; demonic: demoniac laughter.
2. possessed by or as by an evil spirit; raging; frantic.
My Vision - Demoniac's Membership Application
Who is Demoniac?
Demoniac is not a hardcore raiding guild. We believe real life comes first before WoW and as such, we understand that people have time restrictions due to real life. In addition to that, we strive to enjoy every aspect of this game. We consider Demoniac to be a social, casual raiding, leveling, and PVP guild. The only aspect of the game we don't really explore is roleplay, although we do not prohibit members from doing this.
Want to join?
Your application is a reflection of you and the person we're (hopefully) going to meet. Make sure you are thorough and give us a good indication of who you are before you submit it for review. Applicants are strongly encouraged to do the following before applying:
* Read our Guild Charter.
* Read our Guild Code of Conduct.
* Read our Guild Ranks & Responsibilities.
* Register your character(s).
Fill out the form below to apply to join Demoniac. Once your application is received it will be reviewed internally. You will receive notification on this website and/or in-game as soon as a decision is made. The information you provide us in the application will help both us and you determine if this is the right guild for you.
We thank you for your interest in joining us! After you have filled out the application, please make sure you verify your character(s). Please give us a minimum of 48 hours to review your application. As such, please refrain from contacting anyone in the guild in regards to your application. We will contact you as soon as we have reviewed your application. Thanks.
Required Questions
01) What is you real name?
02) What is your age/age bracket?
03) What current/desired spec is your character and if this is your current character, can you please provide us with an armory link?
04) How long have you been playing World of Warcraft and what dungeon and raid experience do you have?
05) How often do you play World of Warcraft each week?
06) What is your raid day/time availability? What time zone are you in?
07) Do you have working access to imVOX (www.imvox.com)? (You will at least need the ability to listen - not necessarily speak)
Yes/No
08) What is your previous guild history and why did you leave those guilds?
09) Have you previously grouped with anyone in our guild now who can personally vouch for you?
10) What do you bring to the table? How can you contribute to help improve our guild?
11) What are your major pet peeves when it comes to a guild?
12) What are your must-haves when it comes to a guild?
13) What aspects of World of Warcraft do you enjoy the most? (for example; leveling, pvp, raiding, dungeons, farming, socializing, exploring, etc.)
14) We are still a growing guild, do you have issues with this being a smaller guild at the moment?
15) Where did you hear about us?
16) Have you read the guild charter, code of conduct, and rank policies?
Yes/No
Optional Questions
17) Do you have any additional comments, questions, or suggestions?
Monday, August 30, 2010
My Vision - Demoniac's Officer Recuitment Post
Are you someone that…
a) has an interest in becoming part of a close-knit community and has a desire for tolerance, support, and camaraderie?
b) believes high gear scores and excellent tactics mean nothing without honor and integrity?
c) is tired of just being a number on a raid roster?
d) wants to enjoy the game at your own pace and not be forced to raid?
e) desires the option to raid when you want?
f) wants to play an active role as part of the guild leadership team in helping your guild reach its full potential?
g) understands that real life takes precedence over WoW, but is still responsible for honoring their commitments made to the guild?
Demoniac of Blackhand-US is a newly-formed horde guild that was created to provide a home for those of us seeking a fairly casual environment, yet still see content at our own pace. What sets us apart from many other guilds you’ll encounter is that every one of our members has a chance to have input. We value each and every person and embrace what he or she has to offer. We’re still in our infant stages so we are highly interested in patient individuals willing to put in the work to help make this the best home possible.
We’re currently looking for players to fill the roles of guild officer. There are five positions open right now; Raid Officer, Administration Officer, Recruitment Officer, Mitigation Officer, and Events Officer. Descriptions of each of these positions can be found below. We’re recruiting intelligently and selectively. This means we’re looking for great people, not just great players. We don’t care that you are the best warlock we’ve ever seen – if you’re a jerk, you can look elsewhere.
Job duties and responsibilities:
Administration Officer - serves as the guild’s treasurer in not only managing the guild bank, but also taking guild meeting minutes.
Raid Officer - oversees and schedules all guild raids and is in charge of appointing raid leaders, loot managers, and raid assistants.
Recruitment Officer - responsible for all matters concerning guild recruitment.
Mitigation Officer - primarily responsible to act as a mediator and help facilitate a conflict resolution when disagreements arise between members.
Events Officer - responsible for planning and running major guild events as well as monitoring guild morale.
While each of these roles may require specific qualifications, each of the officer positions require the following qualifications on some level or another. Each officer applicant should…
a) have an exceptional sense of humor.
b) have enough game knowledge and experience to be able to advise, mentor, and guide others.
c) have the responsibility to fulfill the specific officer position they are applying for to the best of their ability.
d) be a minimum of 18 years of age.
e) have a desire and ability to lead a group of very diverse people without holding any favouritism or prejudice.
f) be able to arbitrate disputes calmly and fairly.
g) share the same vision and goals for the guild and help the vision and goals come to fruition.
h) not only be able to work with the guild’s membership but also be able to support and work closely with other officers.
i) be able to contribute ideas and suggestions to the officer council.
j) actively participate in the guild both in-game as well as on the website.
k) have maturity and be able to keep themselves out of guild drama.
l) be friendly and approachable.
m) be honest, trustworthy, and loyal to the guild and its members.
If you are interested in becoming an officer of Demoniac, be sure to fully read and understand both the guild charter and the guild code of conduct (can be found on the website). If you are interested in applying or have any questions, please send an email to Windrunner at demoniacguild@gmail.com. Our website can be found at http://demoniacguild.blogspot.com/.
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Friday, August 27, 2010
My Vision - Demoniac's Ranks & Responsibilites
Fiend
A Fiend is an individual who has applied for membership to the Guild through the required channels, has agreed to abide by the published Guild Policies and been welcomed into the Guild for a trial period during which time the Initiate will be evaluated for compatibility and integrity. Fiends have no obligation to stay with the Guild and may leave at any time. Fiends will not have access to the Guild Bank and may only apply with one character but may participate in all Guild events for which they are geared and eligible. A Fiend may be promoted by the Council to full membership upon recommendation by other General Members or Council Members. The rank of Fiend is that of an initiate. It is someone who is giving our guild a try. This rank allows both the guild and the player to decide if this guild is a good fit for them.
Benefits / Responsibilities:
- Guild Tabard (Let us know if you need one).
- Group with our guild members.
- Let us know you intend to join us.
- Complete the application for web site membership.
- Get to know our names and play styles.
- The process may take a minimum of one week.
The Fallen & Abomination
The Fallen are individuals who have successfully completed the Fiend Phase and have been approved for full membership by the Council. The Fallen will have full access to all Guild events and the Guild Bank general tabs in accordance with established withdrawal limits. Guild Alts are called the Abomination and they carry the same rank and responsibilities as the Fallen. The Fallen are members that have shown a strong contribution and commitment to the guild over time.
Benefits / Responsibilities: (inclusive of above)
- Expected to participate in keeping the guild bank economy healthy.
- Access to some Guild bank items.
- Can create and modify your own scheduled events in-game.
- Able to access guild bank funds for repairs.
- Expected to use these privileges responsibly for the betterment of the guild.
- The Fallen are required to have completed the web site application process.
- You get promoted to Fallen when you've gotten to know us, your personality blends well with the group, and it is clear that you are going to stick around. This might happen in a few days, but is usually a bit longer, perhaps months.
- To become one of the Fallen, a recommendation must be made on your behalf by at least two current Drudes (or higher). The recommendation will then be considered by the Dark Council.
Drude
Drudes are veteran members and essentially hold the same Guild rights as the Haradrim (advisers) without actually being advisers. Drudes consistently demonstrate their ability to lead by example as they are veteran guild members. Drudes are expected to support all guild members by sharing their knowledge as well as sharing their techniques to discover knowledge.
Benefits / Responsibilities: (inclusive of above)
- Expected to participate in keeping the guild bank economy healthy.
- Access to some Guild bank items.
- Can create and modify your own scheduled events in-game.
- Able to add/edit your public notes.
- Able to access guild bank funds for repairs.
- Able to change the MOTD in-game.
- Expected to recommend members for promotion when appropriate.
- Expected to use these privileges responsibly for the betterment of the guild.
- Become known for being kind, knowledgeable, helpful, and above all approachable.
- Show leadership when grouping with guild members.
- Show responsibility and superior commitment to your fellow guild members.
- Two Drudes (or higher) are needed to recommend a promotion to Drude. The recommendation will then be considered by the Dark Council.
Haradrim
The Haradrim are the adviser members and they are very active Guild Members who are dedicated WoW players, enjoy helping other players and are happy to help others with various aspects of game play and issue resolution. The Haradrim should play an active role in new member assessment and activities organization in conjunction with the appropriate Council Member. The Haradrim may be called upon by a Dark Council Member to act in an understudy position whereby the Haradrim would learn that role and be able to act in an assistant capacity or as an acting-Council Member in the event of an extended absence or vacancy of that position.
Benefits / Responsibilities: (inclusive of above)
- Expected to participate in keeping the guild bank economy healthy.
- Access to some Guild bank items.
- Can create and modify your own scheduled events in-game.
- Able to add/edit your public notes and officer notes.
- Access to the Adviser's Forum.
- Able to access guild bank funds for repairs.
- Able to change the MOTD in-game.
- Expected to recommend members for promotion when appropriate.
- Expected to use these privileges responsibly for the betterment of the guild.
- Become known for being kind, knowledgeable, helpful, and above all approachable.
- Show leadership when grouping with guild members.
- Show responsibility and superior commitment to your fellow guild members.
- Two Haradrim (or higher) are needed to recommend a promotion to Haradrim. The recommendation will then be considered by the Dark Council.
Profession Aides & Gatherers
Blacksmithing, Alchemy, Enchanting, Engineering, Leatherworking, Jewelcrafting, Tailoring, and Inscription will each have two Haradrim to serve as aides for the Guild.
Herbalism, Mining, and Skinning will each have four Haradrim to serve as Gatherers of these materials for the guild bank and the needs of the Guild.
Class Mentors
Druids, Hunters, Mages, Paladins, Priests, Rogues, Shaman, Warlocks, Warriors, and Deathknights will all have two Haradrim to serve as mentors for the Guild.
Raid Leaders and Loot Managers
There will be two Haradrim who will be Raid Leaders and two as Loot Managers. They will be recommended and appointed by the Raid Officer. The Loot Managers will report to the Raid Officer with details on each raid (which bosses were downed, who won the loot, what kind of loot dropped, which guildees participated etc.), and provide screenshots from the raids for the website, while the Raid Leaders will (of course) lead raids each week. Raid Leaders will lead a minimum of one raid per week and the Loot Managers will participate in a minimum of one raid per week as well (one for each Raid Leader and each Loot Manager).
Wraith
Wraiths, as the guild's officers, are to be the representation of our guild's essence, inside and outside of the guild. More than the members of the guild, our behavior is a direct and lasting impression of the people that make up our guild. Wraiths are members of the Dark Council. All officers are held to Demoniac's high standards, and are not only expected to follow the code, but are expected to exemplify those attributes in a manner that others can see as well. All officers must be active participants in the guild and keep up with the forums on a weekly basis. As part of the Dark Council, they work to provide leadership, promote community development, and are responsible for the establishment and enforcement of Guild Policies. Each Council Member is assigned a specific title and role within the Guild; however, every member of the Council should be able and willing to assist the other Council Members and General Membership as needed.
The Dark Council consists of the following positions (excluding the Infernal):
Administrative Officer (AO) – The AO is responsible for presenting agendas and gathering data for Council meetings and recording the minutes of such. The AO will also serve as the Guild’s Treasurer and oversee the financial status and business of the Guild (i.e. subscriptions, web site fees, Ventrilo, etc.). Monthly financial reports shall be included when the previous meeting minutes are submitted to all Council Members. Expenditure of Guild funds must be preapproved by the Council. The AO is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the Guild Bank. The AO will have a dedicated Auction House character which will be the tool used to place surplus items from the guild bank on the Auction House for sale. The AO is the only person that may sell items from the Guild Bank except in the circumstance that the AO is unavailable for an extended length of time in which case, the Council may appoint another Council Member to act as the AO on a temporary basis. The money gained will be placed back into the Guild bank for purchasing additional guild tabs and items which are necessary for raiding and other Guild events. The AO will work closely with Master Crafters and Gatherers (Advisers) and other Members to keep the Bank stocked with appropriate items.
Technical Officer (TO) - The TO is responsible for maintaining and overseeing the Guild website, Ventrilo and other social media outlets (facebook, twitter, etc.). The TO will assist the AO if it is necessary.
Membership Recruitment Officer (MRO) - The MRO is responsible for all matters pertaining to recruitment of new Guild Members and their ensuing education regarding Guild operations and expectations. This position is not just about Guild recruitment; it includes presenting the Guild’s overall image to the public in a positive way. The MRO will work closely with Advisor Members to ensure that new Members are made to feel welcome through a variety of means and events.
Mitigation Officer (MO) - The MO’s primary responsibility is to act as a mediator and help facilitate a conflict resolution when disagreements arise between Members of any rank or a Member and a non-member. The MO will gather information by meeting with involved parties in both a private and a group setting. In the instance where a consensual agreement cannot be reached, the matter will be brought before the Council for final resolution with all involved parties in attendance.
Raid Officer (RO) - The RO is responsible for overseeing raid events for the Guild. It is not required that the RO act as a Raid Leader, but will organize regular weekly events in which Members may participate and which will not conflict [when possible] with other Guild events. Schedules will be posted on the Guild’s web site Events section where Members may sign up. The RO will be responsible for posting fight strategy guides and videos on the Guild's web site. The RO will work closely with the Events Officer to coordinate activities. The RO will work closely with the Events Officer to coordinate activities. The RO will appoint two Raid Leaders and two Loot Managers from the veteran (Drude) membership.
Events Officer (EO) – The EO’s primary responsibility is to organize fun events in which Members may participate in order to gear up, level up, earn achievements and gain technical knowledge. The events need not be limited to established WoW events but may include parades, picture sessions and other events which will enhance the WoW experience as a Member of Demoniac. The EO will work closely with the Raid Officer when scheduling events.
Benefits / Responsibilities: (inclusive of above)
- Expected to participate in keeping the guild bank economy healthy.
- Full access to the Guild bank items as well as gold.
- Able to update the Guild bank tabs information.
- Can create and modify your own scheduled events in-game.
- Able to add/edit your public notes and officer notes.
- Access to the Officer's Forum and Officer's Chat in-game.
- Able to access guild bank funds for repairs.
- Able to change the MOTD in-game.
- Are required to act as GM once every six months.
- Able to promote or demote members and also remove members when necessary.
- Expected to enforce guild conduct rules when necessary.
- Expected to recommend members for promotion when appropriate.
- Expected to use these privileges responsibly for the betterment of the guild.
- Be an exemplairy contributing member. Group with guildies. Help folks out. Be a leader in groups. Chat in guild chat.
- Earn the guilds respect.
- The Dark Council can promote someone to Wraith, but only does so when there is a vacancy and with the majority of the existing Council's agreement.
- There are only 5 Wraith at one time.
The Infernal
The Infernal is the Guild Master and the Chair of Dark Council. The Infernal's votes hold no more or less weight that any other member of the Dark Council. The Infernal is responsible for the general oversight of the Guild. The GM conducts Council meetings, helps to coordinate tasks among the other Council Members, and fulfills other duties as needed and requested by the Council as a whole. The GM will take on one of the officer roles while it holds the position of GM as well. The rank of Infernal will not be limited to one person; it will be cycled through monthly by a different officer each month.
**Ranking information based partly on the ranks and responsibilities of the guild Quintessential of Dragonblight as well as the guild Pendragon of Proudmoore.
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Wednesday, August 25, 2010
My Vision - Demoniac's Guild Charter
Again, I will be using the World of Matticus blog's article Build Your Own Guild as a guide to draw from. I'll also be using various guild charters to draw from; namely: Chivalry of Eonar, Pendragon of Proudmoore, and Spectrum Rage/Spectrum Blade of Proudmoore. The combination of these three guilds is basically what I'm looking to achieve. Just as an aside, the name of the guild is Demoniac.
Guild Philosophy
Demoniac is not a hardcore raiding guild. We believe real life comes first before WoW and as such, we understand that people have time restrictions due to real life. In addition to that, we strive to enjoy every aspect of this game. We consider Demoniac to be a social, casual raiding, leveling, and PVP guild. The only aspect of the game we don't really explore is roleplay, although we do not prohibit members from doing this.
The mission of the Demoniac of the Blackhand-US server is to form a cohesive group of individuals who will work and play together to create an enjoyable atmosphere for not only Guild Members but also those with whom Members interact in their travels through the lands of Azeroth.
Demoniac is not only a guild, it is a community of like-minded individuals who share the gaming values of respect, courtesy, support and cooperation. As such, it is expected that members of Demoniac will share these values and participate in the community in a positive manner.
Because Demoniac prides itself on developing a sense of community among its members, disruptive behavior or behavior that runs contrary to the community or values of the community may result in removal from the guild.
Demoniac will never require specific talent specs or consistent play-time. Although we do not require members to be helpful, we have worked hard to cultivate an atmosphere that balances give and take. When it is not possible to help the person who helped you, we pass it on to another guildee in need! This attitude has kept us going for a long time, and has contributed to our slow, steady growth.
If you want to build the best possible character, with the best gear possible: we are here to help you. If you just want to get on once a week with no greater plans than to chat with friends and maybe do a bit of questing, we will be here to listen and chat back! If you want to charge to the highest Arena ranking we will be here to encourage you and cheer you along your way. In other words, here at Demoniac your goals (or lack of them) will be respected!
Our requests:
- respect your guildmates and others in WoW according to Demoniac’s Code;
- realize that we are here to help you, but we are not here to ‘give’ you complete freebies without some investment in return. While we want to help you play the game, we also want you to enjoy the experience of leveling your character and being a little independent: learning a profession, learning how to grind for items or money, playing the AH, etc.
That said, this guild and its mission are not for everyone, and that is why there are hundreds of guilds out there. It’s also very true that this guild may be perfect for you now but after awhile that may change. While you will undoubtedly be missed, no one ever wants you to feel bad about leaving this guild. If your goals change then you should move to another guild, rather than try to change the guild in a way that doesn't match our philosophy. As long as someone leaves in a respectful way, all of us here will be happy to respect their choice!
If someone leaves, and later wishes to return they are almost always welcome. We are not here to support guild-hopping every few weeks, however, and may not reinvite someone if they join and leave Demoniac multiple times. There are always exceptions, however, and these may be discussed directly with our officers.
A note of caution: If you are the type of person who wants all the gold you can get no matter who you take it from, wants all the gear they can, takes help from others but never returns the favor, then this guild is not for you.
We hope that you have chosen to join us as we continue here on the Blackhand-US server. Hopefully, whether you are friends in another guild, or a member of our own, you will be a part of our striving to create a history and future where we are known for our Integrity!
Guild Structure
The governing structure for Demoniac is based on a Dark Council which is modeled after King Arthur’s Knights of the Round Table wherein all Council Members serve in an equal capacity through various roles and duties. The Council consists of six Council Members which have been duly nominated and appointed to such positions by the Council at large. The Dark Council works to provide leadership and promote community development and is responsible for the establishment and enforcement of Guild Policies. Each Council Member is assigned a specific title and role within the Guild; however, every member of the Council should be able and willing to assist the other Council Members and General Membership as needed.
Demoniac's ranks are followed as described on the 'Membership Ranks' section. There is one Infernal at any given time. All officers are held to Demoniac's high standards, and are not only expected to follow the code, but are expected to exemplify those attributes in a manner that others can see as well. All officers must be active participants in the guild and keep up with the forums on a weekly basis.
The Dark Council consists of the following positions:
Guild Master (GM) aka Infernal – The Guild Master is responsible for the general oversight of the Guild. The GM conducts Council meetings, helps to coordinate tasks among the other Council Members, and fulfills other duties as needed and requested by the Council as a whole. The GM will take on one of the officer roles while it holds the position of GM as well. The rank of Infernal will not be limited to one person; it will be cycled through monthly by a different officer each month.
Administrative Officer (AO) – The AO is responsible for presenting agendas and gathering data for Council meetings and recording the minutes of such. The AO will also serve as the Guild’s Treasurer and oversee the financial status and business of the Guild (i.e. subscriptions, web site fees, Ventrilo, etc.). Monthly financial reports shall be included when the previous meeting minutes are submitted to all Council Members. Expenditure of Guild funds must be preapproved by the Council. The AO is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the Guild Bank. The AO will have a dedicated Auction House character which will be the tool used to place surplus items from the guild bank on the Auction House for sale. The AO is the only person that may sell items from the Guild Bank except in the circumstance that the AO is unavailable for an extended length of time in which case, the Council may appoint another Council Member to act as the AO on a temporary basis. The money gained will be placed back into the Guild bank for purchasing additional guild tabs and items which are necessary for raiding and other Guild events. The AO will work closely with Master Crafters and Gatherers (Advisers) and other Members to keep the Bank stocked with appropriate items.
Technical Officer (TO) - The TO is responsible for maintaining and overseeing the Guild website, Ventrilo and other social media outlets (facebook, twitter, etc.). The TO will assist the AO if it is necessary.
Membership Recruitment Officer (MRO) - The MRO is responsible for all matters pertaining to recruitment of new Guild Members and their ensuing education regarding Guild operations and expectations. This position is not just about Guild recruitment; it includes presenting the Guild’s overall image to the public in a positive way. The MRO will work closely with Advisor Members to ensure that new Members are made to feel welcome through a variety of means and events.
Mitigation Officer (MO) - The MO’s primary responsibility is to act as a mediator and help facilitate a conflict resolution when disagreements arise between Members of any rank or a Member and a non-member. The MO will gather information by meeting with involved parties in both a private and a group setting. In the instance where a consensual agreement cannot be reached, the matter will be brought before the Council for final resolution with all involved parties in attendance.
Raid Officer (RO) - The RO is responsible for overseeing raid events for the Guild. It is not required that the RO act as a Raid Leader, but will organize regular weekly events in which Members may participate and which will not conflict [when possible] with other Guild events. Schedules will be posted on the Guild’s web site Events section where Members may sign up. The RO will be responsible for posting fight strategy guides and videos on the Guild's web site. The RO will work closely with the Events Officer to coordinate activities. The RO will appoint two Raid Leaders and two Loot Managers from the veteran (Drude) membership.
Events Officer (EO) – The EO’s primary responsibility is to organize fun events in which Members may participate in order to gear up, level up, earn achievements and gain technical knowledge. The events need not be limited to established WoW events but may include parades, picture sessions and other events which will enhance the WoW experience as a Member of Demoniac. The EO will work closely with the Raid Officer when scheduling events.
Operations of the Dark Council
The Infernal (GM) will convene a meeting on a monthly basis with a set agenda. Meeting minutes being recorded and posted to an open forum on the Guild web site. Agenda items other than Monthly or Old Business must be posted on the Council forum at least two days prior to the scheduled meeting. The Council agenda will be posted to the Council Forum one day prior to the scheduled meeting. Contingency sessions may be called by any Council Member when the need arises and executive sessions may be held as necessary. All Members are invited to attend the regular monthly meetings on Ventrilo but are asked to request speaking time at least two days in advance by posting the request on the appropriate Guild web site forum. Complaints or problems which Members wish the Council to address must be brought to the Mitigation Officer first who will then bring it to the Council if deemed necessary.
All Council Members must have the ability and initiative to perform their specific duties as outlined. In addition, they must be willing to help other Members of any rank resolve problems and issues in a prompt and equitable manner. Demoniac is a family, and as leaders, Officers are responsible for ensuring that Guild Policies are upheld. Failure to exhibit these qualities or to conduct one's self in an exemplary manner means ineligibility for a Dark Council position.
When a Dark Council position becomes available the General Membership will be given the opportunity to elect an Adviser to fill the position. Only interested Advisers with the necessary skills to perform the duties of the open Council Member position will be eligible for election. An election will be held where a majority vote is required to bring the nomination to the Dark Council for final approval. All elections will be open for no less than one week but are subject to be extended as needed. If a majority vote is not reached within the time allotted, the dark Council may appoint an Adviser which meets the position requirements to fill the post at its discretion.
A Council Member may be removed from office for reason by a majority vote of the Council with the Council Member in question being ineligible to vote. The General Membership may also initiate a vote to recall an Council Member from the Council by submitting a petition to such effect on the appropriate Guild web site forum. If fifty-one percent of the active Members approve the recall, the Council Member will be removed from the Council.
Guild Membership
As Members travel the many paths of Azeroth they act as emissaries of Demoniac and are thus expected to conduct themselves in a manner which is becoming to the Guild. Crude language, demeaning or insulting comments and rude or petty behavior have no place in any Guild chat or interactive forums and will be dealt with immediately at the witnessing Council Member's and/or MO’s discretion upon receiving a complaint. That is not to say that members are expected to be straight-laced and uptight, but rather to be mindful that it requires a little courtesy and discretion to build good group dynamics. When interacting with a regularly convening Guild group [i.e. a raid team] these rules may be relaxed to a level at which all members of the team are comfortable.
Member Applications
An individual wishing to apply for membership to the Guild shall submit an application for membership through the Guild’s website. The application will be reviewed and approved or rejected by a majority vote of the Dark Council.
Member Ranks
Fiend – A Fiend is an individual who has applied for membership to the Guild through the required channels, has agreed to abide by the published Guild Policies and been welcomed into the Guild for a trial period during which time the Initiate will be evaluated for compatibility and integrity. Fiends have no obligation to stay with the Guild and may leave at any time. Fiends will not have access to the Guild Bank and may only apply with one character but may participate in all Guild events for which they are geared and eligible. A Fiend may be promoted by the Council to full membership upon recommendation by other General Members or Council Members.
The Fallen - The Fallen are individuals who have successfully completed the Fiend Phase and have been approved for full membership by the Council. The Fallen will have full access to all Guild events and the Guild Bank general tabs in accordance with established withdrawal limits. Guild alts for any ranks will be called Abomination and they will carry the same rights and responsibilities as the Fallen.
The Haradrim and the Drude - Drudes are veteran members and essentially hold the same Guild rights as the Haradrim (advisers) without actually being advisers. The Haradrim are the adviser members and they are very active Guild Members who are dedicated WoW players, enjoy helping other players and are happy to help others with various aspects of game play and issue resolution. The Haradrim should play an active role in new member assessment and activities organization in conjunction with the appropriate Council Member. The Haradrim may be called upon by a Dark Council Member to act in an understudy position whereby the Haradrim would learn that role and be able to act in an assistant capacity or as an acting-Council Member in the event of an extended absence or vacancy of that position. There will be two Haradrim for every class and every profession.
Charter Amendments
This Charter may be amended as needed to reflect changing circumstances by a majority vote of the Dark Council. Should a majority vote be unattainable, the question shall be put before the General Membership for final resolution with a fifty-one percent aye vote required for approval of the amendment.
This Charter hereby serves as the founding document for the Demoniac of the Blackhand-US server, approved and implemented this 25th day of August 2010.
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Monday, August 23, 2010
Preparation, Preparation, Preparation
Before I can even begin to form a new guild, I need to evaluate my reasons for doing so. I've been doing a lot of research and as a result, I've come across some very helpful advice and information regarding guilds. I'm using the Build Your Own Guild From the Ground Up articles by Sydera from the World of Matticus blog as a main basis for my building a guild preparation. The first part of that article asks 4 basic questions that everyone who wants to start a guild, should answer first: What kind of guild do I want to be in? How much work can I put into it? Do I know people who can help me? Why do I want to be a GM?
What kind of guild do I want to be in?
The first section goes on to ask, "How much do you play? What kind of hours do you want to put in raiding? How much say do you want to have in guild decisions? What kind of attitude do you want your guild to have?" And I'm going to add one more question, "What do I want from the guild?"
Right now I'm not playing at all because my subscription is up and I have no money to buy a game card right now. However, if I remain unemployed, I'll have more than enough time to play once I'm able to get the game card. More likely though is that I will at the very least be part-time employed, which means I will have to balance my game time between work, fiancee time, house time, and other things (including meals, etc.). Realistically, I will likely spend around 2-4 hours playing the game each day. Apart from that, I would make sure I devoted at least 1-2 hours to guild stuff, whether that be website management, posting on forums, guild meetings, dealing with guildie issues, etc. I think this question carries into the next section, so I'm going to leave it at that for now.
The question of raiding is somewhat of a sticky issue for me. I have a fiancee and as such I can't spend too much time raiding. Preferably, I'd like to spend, at the most, four hours for a raid once a week. I don't want to devote too much time to raiding for a couple of reasons. One, like I said before, I have a fiancee and while she doesn't prohibit me from playing the game or raiding, I can tell it bothers her if I spend too much time raiding or playing and not enough time with her. The second reason is simply that there are so many other aspects of the game that I love and actually like more than raiding. I don't want to be in a guild that requires me to raid any amount of time. I want the freedom to enjoy the environment, to level, to pvp every once and a while, or even just to chat with friends/guildies.
As part of a council (you'll need to read the third section to find out more about that), I would be one of a group of people making the guild decisions. If necessary, votes could be held between the council and maybe, eventually, even between the membership. I do want to be part of the guild decisions, not for egotistical reasons, but because I have a certain vision for the guild. That's the whole purpose of me doing this.
The attitude I want the guild to have is a relaxed one. WoW is a game and I've had times where this has been forgotten. I've been pressured to raid when I didn't want to and I believe that's so wrong. As a game, it should be fun... and frankly, fun should be the most important part of the game. In my opinion, hardcore guilds are not fun. I know there are people who, for them, raiding is the best and funnest part of the game. This is not true for me. So basically, I want a guild that's relaxed and casual. Which leads me to my last point for this section.
What do I want from the guild? Before I can answer this completely, I need to refer you to where I first got this question from, the blog Pugnacious Priest. I came across this question as part of my research from their article Guild Audit - and Guild Loyalty. I found myself agreeing with pretty much everything Pugnacious was saying. "Maturity, experience, understanding, patience, support, advice, fun, adaptability, companionship – Dedication."
I do want a more mature guild. All too often I used to find myself babysitting kids 14 and under instead of enjoying the game. Now please understand I have nothing against young people and part of me would like to be a mentor to these adolescent players and I also appreciate the fact that there are some teenagers who are mature for their age. Even with those things in mind, I think it would still be best to be a part of an 18+ guild. Experience for me isn't as important for the guild in general. Don't get me wrong, a certain amount of experienced members have an essential part of a guild and when it comes to raiding experience plays an important part as well. All that being said, I would be perfectly fine having some less experienced members as part of the guild who the more experienced players could mentor. As far as I'm concerned, even though I've been playing since December 2005, I still have a lot to learn about the game and would assume others do as well.
Companionship is perhaps one of the most important things I want in a guild. Its important to have people who have the same goals and enjoy the same things. This is true in both real life and in the game. And for me, having in game companions also leads to the possibility of having those people eventually becoming friends. To me the ideal guild is like a family. I do realize and strongly believe that real life comes first, but at the same time I also believe that just because I've met someone online instead of in person, it doesn't make them any less important. In fact, I've met my best friends online, including my fiancee. When I was younger I always had trouble from my biological family because they did not value the friends I had met online, they were simply referred to as "internet people," like they were lepers or something.
How much work can I put into it?
I do realize that the amount of time I would need to put into the guild will differ from the time when it begins to the time when things like the guild charter, website, etc. are complete. The World of Matticus mentions spending around 15 hours per week on getting a new guild established. I believe I can accomplish this, even if I am working full time. I've setup guilds before, writing guild charters, setting up the website, recruiting, and all the other things required to get a new guild going... and I did that by myself too. I'm not too worried about this as a result.
Do I know people who can help me?
I know lots of people who play WoW, yet there is only really one I know well enough that I know I could trust her as someone who could help me with a guild. And while I may ask her to be a part of this, at the same time I know she has many other commitments and has actually said she might not even buy the new expansion. I don't want her to feel pressured to help me out. With that in mind, what I want to do is set up a council type leadership where I'm not the only leader. I know guilds are like this generally already, having guild leaders and their officers to help them lead. But that's not what I'm talking about. I want to be a GM but not the only GM. I want a group of five or more people who are each considered equal leaders of the guild. I've even heard the idea of having a different person in that council be GM for a certain period of time and then switch it off to the next council member. I think this might help with things like GM burn outs and getting bored of the same thing. Therefore, I would have to do a search for officers for this council first before recruiting to the guild. I would also have to build a relationship with these people and feel like I can trust them.
Why do I want to be a GM?
I have asked this question of myself many times before and always come to the same conclusion. I have a vision for what I believe would make a great, fun guild. It may be selfish to an extent, but I want to see the guild grow and flourish in that vision. However, I want this for not only myself, but also for the entire guild as a whole. I want everyone in the guild feel satisfaction for having the guild reach the potential we all believe it can reach. I want to experience this with other people who share the same vision.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
And So It Begins
Its been almost six months since I've played World of Warcraft. My game card time expired on March 18th, 2010 and I haven't been able to scramble enough money to buy more time. There's been too many bills to pay and a wedding to plan, so the priority for my money spending has obviously not been on WoW.
It honestly doesn't feel like its been almost six months, but the more I read about the new expansion coming out (likely in December of 2010), the more I miss it. I wouldn't consider myself addicted to the game even though when I have it, I play it religiously. This, I believe, is not because I'm addicted, but rather because when I start a game I go into it fully. I'm a hardcore gamer in that I dive right into a game and want to explore, achieve, level, and enjoy every aspect of the game. I'm not a hardcore raider though, possibly only because most raids take too much time to commit to and require my undivided attention.
Raiding can be difficult when your better half doesn't play WoW or any other MMO's. One major problem I have is acceptable or proper time management. I have a bad habit of sitting down with my laptop and playing WoW for hours on end. I get so into the game that I play non-stop. Its not as bad as the Southpark World of Warcraft episode though... thankfully.
Without WoW, I often find myself fairly bored. I've turned to other games in the meantime to pass extra time and while I've enjoyed those games, its just not the same. I think part of what I miss the most about WoW is the guild environment. Being able to play alongside friends and meeting new friends in the process. I also miss being a guild master and planning fun events for everyone. I love setting up the website and having the guild members actively communicating on both the website and in-game. I strongly believe a good guild has a true family and community feel to it. Its been a long time since I've been a part of a guild like that and I keep finding myself wanting to try and have that again.
One of my reasons for starting this blog was to try and start planning what I would want do if I wanted to start a new guild . I've had a few in the passed and only one of them was somewhat successful. I think it would be a good plan to hash out all my ideas on this blog before I actually start one again, if I do.
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