Guild History and Rules - guild, history, promotion, rankings, recruitment, rules

History of Art of War

Art of War is the title of an Ancient Chinese war treatise written by Sun Tzu. Our guild was formed on September 10, 2006 by wyldekiwi, StealJenny, and MrHKagent (character retired). Our emblem is a black shield on a blue background.

Rankings

SunTzu - Guild Master
General - Junior Masters
Counsel - Responsible for keeping the guild operating when Juniors are not on.
Soldier - Rank of members who successfully pass Trial.
Trial - All members who initially join the guild.

Rules

Account Sharing
The primary player is the individual who answered questions during the interview. Additional players are all other people who play extensively on the account. The primary player is deemed responsible for any actions of additional players using the account.

Demotion / Promotion
Do not demote or promote other members “just for fun” or “as a joke.” Ranks roughly determine how much work members put into the guild, but they do not equal any inherent “power” or superiority. Tension created from random demotion and promotion is not favorable to the guild atmosphere.

Expulsion
Trials will normally be expelled at Counsel and Junior meetings.

In extreme situations, after warnings have been issued and the Trial’s behavior remains the same, a Junior Master or myself must discuss expulsion and vote with at least two other Junior Masters, three Counsels, or five Soldiers. If higher ranks are in-game, consult with them first. When the group agrees, continue to expel. If the group does not agree, please wait for discussion at the meeting.

If the Trial is online, either myself and a Junior or two Juniors will explain the decision in neutral terms and wish them well. At least two members must explain the decision together. If the Trial is not online, continue to expel.

If members are contacted by expelled Trials seeking an explanation, please refer them to any Juniors or myself. If we are not in-game, please ask them to send us a message through Profil3 or Sleepy.

After expulsion, list the ign, date, and reason in BBS.

Expulsion of Soldiers will only be determined at meetings and follow the procedure for voting at meetings.

Forum
Art of War Guild Forum is the nexus of all guild operations. Any important guild discussion should be placed in the private forum and not on Profil3.

Guild Events
Guild Events are open to anyone in the guild to organize. All ideas are welcome. Participation is not mandatory.

Hacking
Any member found hacking or to have hacked in the past will be expelled immediately, bypassing normal and situational Expulsion procedure. Please list ign, date, and reason in BBS. Juniors and Counsels will check up on new and current members.

Inactive Members
Members who are inactive for more than three months will be expelled to make room for new members. If they want to rejoin upon returning to Maple, they will be re-invited and ranked, no questions asked.

Kill Stealing
Any member found KSing will be expelled. Juniors and Counsels will check up on new and current members.

If as a guild member, you were on the map first and a person begins to KS you, as in purposefully killing the monsters you are trying to kill and purposefully trying to take your map, first ask, "Can you please change channel?" Ask three to five times and if they do not leave, report them and find another map. Do not be upset and do not say anything else to the KSer, which will only provoke them. If they follow you to a new map three times, tell the guild and we will help report the KSer.

Meetings
Counsels and Juniors will line up in an organized manner. First, guild matters unrelated to Promotion will be discussed. Then, Promotion will be discussed. A Trial will be named. Counsels will begin the discussion. Counsels will speak in the order that they are lined up. They will state any information or concerns that influence their voting decision and that may be useful for everyone at the meeting to consider. Junior Masters will discuss in the same manner. Voting for each Trial will be conducted in the same order. Votes can be yay, nay, wait, or abstain. Abstentions carry with the decision of the majority.

Profil3
The guild Profil3 page is a forum designed for general public awareness about the Art of War guild. Individual Profil3 pages are designed for member's own use. If posting pictures of hackers, please list the date, time, and location where you found the hacker. Do not post comments to the effect of "that damn hacker, what a loser" etc. The same rules apply for posting pictures of ksers. If the individual comments on the picture, ignore it.

Promotion
Junior Masters:
Junior Masters are selected by myself and other Juniors from among members of Counsel rank. The decision is based on various factors including honesty, responsibility, trustworthiness, and activity. The total number of Junior Masters will depend on how many slots we expand to.

Counsels:
Counsels are periodically voted in by all members. Before the voting period begins, Counsels will return to Soldier rank. Soldiers and above will send votes to a Junior Master in-game or through Profil3. A number of Soldiers receiving the highest number of votes are promoted to Counsels. The total number of Counsels may vary depending on activity of the guild at the time of voting.

Soldiers:
Juniors and Counsels will have meetings, usually every other week, to discuss and vote on promoting Trials. See Expulsion and Meetings for more information.

Trials:
The Trial period may last from 1 to 4 weeks. Trials do not GPQ. Trials will not be added to our Profil3 page. Trials are not allowed to substitute their character with a different character. Past Soldiers seeking to rejoin the guild after leaving on their own as opposed to being inactive for more than three months must go through another Trial period.

Recruitment
Prospective members will contact either myself or Junior Masters. If Counsels or Soldiers are contacted by prospective members, refer them to Juniors and myself.

Inquiries will most likely be made with a whispered message. At this point, ask for their age, level, and job. Depending on the response, find another Junior or Counsel to accompany for the interview. If still uncertain after the initial response, discuss with at least two other Juniors, three Counsels, or five Soldiers. If the prospective member has not seen or read anything about the guild, direct them to the Sleepywood ad, and let them contact you again if they are still interested.

The Junior Master who received the initial whispered message will conduct the interview. Begin by saying hi or hello and introduce yourself. Ask for their name or nickname, job, level, age, time zone, and hours of play. Further questions will be asked depending on their responses, manner, and tone. Questions should be neutral and reasonably professional. Do not be excessively friendly or mean. If there are peculiarities, discuss with Juniors, Counsels, and the guild in general.

During the interview, the other Junior Master or Counsel should be conducting a quick background check online. They will discuss any peculiarities with the main interviewer, who may respond by asking the prospective member more detailed questions. The accompanying interviewer will also prompt the main interviewer through whispers about any questions they forgot to ask. A more thorough check will be conducted as needed.

If the prospective member is not accepted, explain why and allow the opportunity for another interview if applicable. If the prospective member is accepted, tell the guild the new Trial’s name before inviting, so we can all be prepared to welcome them.

Secondary Characters / Mules
Members with rank Counsel and above are allowed to have one secondary character in the guild. Mules will be added and expelled on an as-need basis (GPQ sacrifice etc).

Spamming
There is a difference between talking and spamming. Selling and trading within the guild is encouraged. Do not hit enter indiscriminately and say the same thing 5 times. Be "random" with discretion. If it impedes ongoing or important discussion, withhold your "randomness" for a more suitable lull in conversation. Be aware of typing in caps. Think before typing.

Talking
Say hi or hello to members signing on. Say goodbye to members signing off. WB and GTHUB are encouraged. Congrats when members level etc. Members who do not talk or commonly ignore other members will be kicked regardless of level or rank. Do not speak if guild members are in first stage of GPQ. Use the whisper function at your own discretion.

Warnings
In certain circumstances, such as when a Trial is annoying, Junior Masters must warn the Trial of any specific rule they are breaking. For example, they may be spamming or excessively excited. A whispered message explaining, “We have a rule against spam. Tone it down” or “We have a rule against spam. Stop asking questions that you can easily find answers for on Sleepy” will suffice. Allow a reasonable amount of time for them to correct the behavior. Allow for three warnings. If the behavior continues and the situation warrants expulsion, please follow procedures listed under Expulsion.

*Edited
Aug 4, 2007 - KSing, Promotion/Counsels
Dec 28, 2007 - Junior Masters, Promotion/Counsels
Jan 20, 2008 - Inactive Members, Promotion/Trials, Recruitment, Secondary Characters
May 17, 2008 – Expulsion
May 18, 2008 – Rankings, Demoting, Expulsion, Hacking, Inactive Members, Kill Stealing, Meetings, Profil3, Promotion/Counsels, Promotion/Soldiers, Recruitment, Spamming, Warnings
May 20, 2008 - Warnings
May 24, 2008 - Profil3, Forum, Account Sharing