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There are three primary goals that we as a guild strive to achieve: Have fun, Stay friendly, Be successful:
- Trying to stay friendly at all times is important among family - even if you roleplay do so with the knowledge that it is all in good fun. - Strive for success in everything you do, to satisfy your desires for accomplishment, and to help the guild and your guildmates.
We always try to keep in good standing with other guilds of our realm. If they are in need of help and we can provide, we try to. If there is a dispute between members of our guild and theirs, we try to resolve the dispute if at all possible and keep spirits high. The enemy isn't other guilds from our realm (or their members) - it is the other realm! Territory, whether it be a fully-blown Guild House, a Keep with our banner flying from it, or just a street corner we use to meet each other on for various things - is important to TAO. It provides a sense of home, of belonging, and of property that we are entrusted with guarding and providing for. Depending on the size and importance of the territory in question, and the number of members actively trying to provide and defend it, the guild will be placing appropriate requests for help from members towards keeping (or acquiring) it. "Responding to need" is something TAO takes seriously. If it is a new member who simply needs help with finishing a low-level quest in the starter area, or an established member who needs help finishing a milestone quest for a set of armor, or even another guild trying to defend their territory - we will respond with whatever assistance we can muster at the time. That doesn't mean it is a requirement that people drop what they are doing and rush off to help, but it is an informal "request" from TAO Officers and myself as the leader, that we help where we can. Good things happen to good people, and helping others in need will more often than not return twofold when asked for later.
Underneath that leadership are the guild's Officers - a group of knowledgeable and competent people who handle the guild's needs for various things, from events, to disputes, and beyond. Their formal title is the TAO Council, which represents their standing of importance and contribution to the guild. They are looked at as the right and left hand of TAO, and should always maintain a mature and friendly attitude when dealing with guild matters. When the guild leader isn't available, they act in his stead to handle matters. Under the Officers is another level of veteran members with the unofficial title of Jr. Officers. They are essentially members who have attained a level of respect, importance, contribution, and duration of membership in the guild that would normally warrant them the full title of Counsilor, but who do not officially hold title as Officers. This is a position of recognition and respect, as once it has been granted it was assuredly earned. Beyond the Officers and Jr. Officers are the general ranks of TAO's membership, represented by multiple honorary ranks ranging from new members, to veterans within the guild.
TAO's US and EU branches will each have two servers the guild calls home, one for Order and one for Destruction. This makes consolidation of members and our resources much easier, and increases communication and cooperation among all members of that branch. Exactly which servers will be picked will be announced at the appropriate time. Members are free to join as many guild branches as they desire. The only thing we would like members to keep in mind, is that dividing their attention also divides the strength of the guild among separate servers, and lessens the force we are able to muster should the call to battle arise. To that end, it would be preferable that members pick either Order or Destruction as their "primary" server, and consider the other a secondary. In addition, to keep communication high, it is recommended that members login to the website and check the WAR Announcements forum regularly for updates on events for both guild servers in their branch.
If you have a helpful demeanor and are a person who naturally works well with others, you are a valuable asset to the guild. Even if you aren't the most social person however, there is still a place for you within the guild, as long as you keep your presence within the guild known, and your character attends meetings from time to time. As WAR is an online game where thousands of people interact, we would hope that people playing that game are naturally inclined to seek out social interaction with each other, and members go so far as to help each other at every opportunity. Any disputes that cannot be resolved between members of TAO, or members of TAO and another guild, should be forwarded promptly to an Officer or Guild Leader. We encourage members to try and resolve problems on their own - to a point. When either feels they have reached an impasse, please get the attention of an Officer or Leader who has time to address your issues, and help bring the conflict to a quick and agreeable end for all parties. Guild members with the informal title of "Ambassador" are especially well equipped to handle disputes and obtain resolutions, so involve them whenever possible.
And if you find yourself in the sticky situation where the only thing to say is something negative, simply don't say anything at all. Turn the other cheek if possible, and save face for everyone involved - including TAO. Tolerance and maturity are highly prized assets for our members, which absolutely will be noticed and rewarded where applicable.
Regarding Public vs Private Roleplaying & OOC: OOC (Out of Character) chat is permissable on TAO's forums, and in our server-based guild chat channel. People found discussing football, their school or careers, or any other subjects not related to the game on a public in-game chat channel will be asked to stop immediately. While we aren't a roleplay guild, neither will we intentionally add to the onslaught of OOC chatter in-game that tends to destroy immersion. Members are free to chat just as their characters would - just leave real life where it belongs, outside the game or in private tells.
Guild Events can be arranged and held by and guild member, though Officers and Event Coordinators are chiefly the orchestrators of guild-wide events. If nothing is going on at any particular moment in time, feel free to figure out something to do, announce it on the guild channel in-game, and gather up people who would like to attend. Usually it is good to give a bit of notice before an event, but ad-hoc things are great fun too. There may be events of this nature immediately following guild meetings, so attending is usually a good idea!
While the guild will never force a member to do anything they don't want to, we will recognize those who respond to the call of war, and reward them periodically for doing so. Those are the members that take an active interest in their guild and their Realm, and who should be recognized for doing so. Members who rarely answer the call while online, will not be reprimanded, but they will be noticed for having done so. Excessive non-attendance while logged in (i.e. not taking part with the guild for months at a time) will merit a discussion with an Officer or Leader, and consideration of that person's membership status. We respect people's right to privacy and to do their own thing, but if you are in a guild you should take part and support it whenever possible. During Realm vs Realm conflict, members are asked to know who is giving orders and to respect and follow them. This helps us coordinate our actions better when things need to be done, and minimizes confusion and wasted effort. Members report to Officers and/or RvR Leaders respectively, who report to the guild leader(s) if present. If you have ideas or information during RvR battles that is of value, send it to an Officer or RvR Leader that is present. Blurting it out on the guild's chat channel or a group's private channel rarely helps as it gets lost in other chatter. If you can quietly and effectively send that information to a person who is either making decisions (or who can send it to the person who is) you have cut down on overall confusion and helped both your guild and realm. We recognize that it is occasionally inefficient to try and follow a strict chain of command. i.e. when the engagement is small, or when you cooperate with other guild members instead of TAO members. In these cases we would simply ask that you keep someone informed or involved through whatever channel is most appropriate (like Guild chat). Sometimes the smallest encounter can lead to something big, and keeping the rest of the guild in the loop really helps.
If you join the guild and turn out to be a griefer, gold farmer, complete ass, or similar quality of individual, you can expect a quick boot from the guild and a public notice on the forums regarding your activities. We don't tolerate people of this caliber - if you have issue with that, re-read the section on this page entitled "Primary Goals", which explains what could be called our three main rules. Having said that, we have one last rule: that you have fun playing Warhammer, and enjoy your time in the guild!
So you're interested in TAO? You will need to:
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| Last Updated ( Sunday, 27 July 2008 11:23 ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
- As long as you are having fun and not detracting from someone else's enjoyment of the game, the sky is the limit.
TAO strives to be a "Living Guild", meaning that we always want to have something going on to keep members interested, involved, and having fun. It doesn't matter if it is a full-blown RvR-scale attack on an enemy city, or a simple scavenger hunt put up by another member - anything counts towards the guild's activity level.
TAO has a straightforward structure that is easily adopted to online gaming and guild formation within MMOGs. There is one leader for each game in question - for WAR that leader is Jaga Telesin, and whomever else he deems fit to run the guild as Co-Leader, if the need should ever arise.
TAO's primary guild branches are US-Order and US-Destruction. **Provided the addition of a EU Guild Leader, we will provide both EU-Order and EU-Destruction guild branches to European players!** Branch leaders report to guild founders (and each other) on the standing of their branch on a regular basis, and communicate needs or concerns so they may be dealt with by the guild at large. The US-Order and Destruction branches have Central as their primary timezone for coordinating events.
TAO has ten formal Ranks in Warhammer Online, and several informal ranks known as "Stations". These ranks are arranged in the following fashion:
Members are encouraged to keep a helpful, outgoing, and friendly attitude towards other members at all times. While we recognize that this can't always be the case, and animousity will arise between certain members, we still try and remind people that this is a game and we are all here to have fun.
TAO will be actively involved in a server-based Alliance, and take an equal role in that Alliance with other guilds. Because of that, it is good to remember that anytime you as a TAO member interact with another guild (Alliance or not), you are setting an example by which the rest of our guild will be judged. For that reason alone we would hope that people act with as much maturity and respect for others as possible. Help Alliance guilds whenever possible, just as you would a TAO member in need.
TAO encouages members to Roleplay their characters whenever possible, but we do not consider ourselves a hardcore Roleplay guild. Any roleplaying done is purely at the discretion of the member doing so, but will still be noticed, and as it is encouraged it will add to the guild just like any other asset, and eventually be rewarded as such. We consider roleplayers to be highly creative people who work hard on their character, and who add to the game world and TAO as a result.
TAO will hold regular guild meetings every (2) weeks, which will be altered as needed with notice on the forums and in-game calendar. This will include things like welcoming new members, notifications of promotions in rank, updates on guild and server information, etc. The guild Council (Officers) will also meet on the same schedule, just prior to the guild meeting so that the agenda can be discussed and modified as needed.
TAO will inevitably engage in Realm vs Realm (RvR) encounters, as that is a primary activity within WAR. In fact, we place just as much of an importance on RvR as we do anything else, be it questing, leveling your character, crafting, etc. Fighting for your guild and your realm is perhaps as important as all of the other activities in the game, from our standpoint, as it leads to greater rewards for the victors down the road.
As we've stated a few times (and hinted at a few more), member etiquette, maturity, and the use of good judgement and manners will be noticed and rewarded. There may be additional rules put in place for the good of the guild, that do not get added here. That does not make them any less important, or to be dismissed out of hand. When the rules (wherever posted or discussed) get broken, repercussions can be expected. Sometimes it's merely a verbal caution, sometimes heads roll. The guild leader and officers have final say with regard to decisions made regarding any warnings and/or punishments for breaking said rules. We would like to think our members are perfect in every way possible, but know that we are all human after all, and sometimes rules just get broken. Making it a habit isn't a good way to remain a member, nor to reward your friends and family, so don't!
