The Band Changes!

by Rinoi Wed Dec 24, 2014 3:49 pm

Yuan’do steps down as leader
As some of you might have noticed, there has been some changes in the leadership of the guild. The guildleader Madam Yuan’do has stepped down, as well as Dragonheart Lennix. Other members have said they’ll be more inactive from now on, so there’ll be some changes in what Brave people you’ll see around.

New leadership
I, Rinoi, am the new guildleader, and I’ll be promoting some new officers too. The current officers you can poke with all your questions are; Rinoi, Shapur, Liamsa and Jarke.

And now?
I felt the Band was headed in a direction that didn’t fit it, so I proposed various changes to take the guild in a way I would enjoy. These were posted on the forums (you can find the original post in a spoiler at the bottom of this one), and talked about in game. I received mostly positive reactions, so…

Changes to the rules!
On Saturday the 27th I announced these changes in character- our last few days in the Brave garrison. These are the following changes;

No more garrison overlords!
The Band will leave the garrison as their IC home. We will still RP there, but as visitors, not permanent residents.

OOC officers
Lionheart is now an OOC officer role. It doesn’t hold sway IC anymore. The reason for this is that some IC characters would deserve to be officers, but their players have no interest to do that. Other characters are too wacky to hold a position of authority, but their players are active and can help with leading the guild. It is also a position that can be in flux. Someone who is promoted as officer one month, and becomes inactive two months later will be demoted. That is not meant as a slight to them, but simply the nature of activity in WoW.

Other rank changes
Dragonheart as second-in-command will remain inactive for the time being. The rank of guild leader is renamed to 'The Chief'.

90+ and Warlords of Draenor
The Band will be having most of its adventures in Draenor at this time, as such, everyone will have to be at least level 90+ (and in possession of Warlords of Draenor). Alts of existing characters that adhere to the above rule can join with lower levels.

Too big!
The Band has gotten too big to be an adventurer’s club, and instead turned out to be more of an army. I’ll be more actively removing characters that haven’t been on for two months, and those that are below level 90 to clean the roster up some.

I got kicked, what’s up with that?!
If you found your character or alt kicked, and are wondering why- or would like to return. Give me a whisper in game, or a PM on here and I’ll look into it.

I hope that informs you all on what’s been happening. You’re always free to shoot me a PM, reply below, or whisper me in game for your thoughts on this direction for the guild. I am open to the discussion (although I might not always be in game, depending on when you contact me.)

Old Post:

by Adry Wed Dec 24, 2014 3:52 pm

ALL HAIL OUR NEW OVERLORD

by Liam_Samuels Wed Dec 24, 2014 4:04 pm

All hail Rinoi!

But these changes sound good, it's nice to see the ranks streamlined a little.

by **erwtenpeller** Wed Dec 24, 2014 5:12 pm

I think a constant "on the road" format is not sustainable on Defias Broterhood due to the PvP ruleset, and the general tenancy of other players and guilds to be stationary in one place. It was my original vision to be a roaming guild, we tried taking an extensive trip through pandaria and it just did not work.

My advice is to:
A) Stay on DB, and base yourself where-ever the bulk of players is based. If that is still stupid Stormwind, then go there.
B) Pack up and move to a PvE-RP server, where a roaming guild is more easily sustained and won't be harassed.

by Halewood Wed Dec 24, 2014 5:28 pm

Ideas sound great , But as erwt says the roaming may be a problem. Personally I'd love to be out of the garrison more often and rping again as before it was Dm this and Dm that. Looking forward to it!

by Rinoi Thu Dec 25, 2014 12:23 pm

Yes, I am hearing your feedback on the 'on the road' format, and I agree. On a PvP realm, and on a pure coordination and activity perspective it does seem hard to maintain. The garrison will not be entirely abandoned, and will probably provide the place for 'casual' RP. Be it at the inn, by the tents and campfire at the front of the garrison, or perhaps even in the garrison jail. We might end up there in one point, all cosily locked up in a brick room. The garrison provides privacy and sanctuary from trolls and ganks- which is something many people certainly want.

However, having said that... I will try to send us out of the way to every corner of Draenor for our events. Part of that is RP'ing that we've been 'on the road', although I don't feel the need to adhere to strict rules about 'and now we have to camp and stick around here for two days'. Instead of maintaining a strict timeline about where everyone is at any time, I prefer to RP slices of life. A moment on the road. That time we fought that one-eyed ogre, or ate that meal made with an arrokoa recipe. Or one of those many times we sat at the fire to relax. That isn't to say there won't be any continuity, but in this format it'll be more flexible. What do you guys think?

by Jian Shu Sat Dec 27, 2014 12:28 am

Halewood wrote:rping again as before it was Dm this and Dm that.

It was always this, just saying.

by Nyxamante Sun Dec 28, 2014 12:30 am

I'm sorry could you specify what you said about alts? Do you mean:

A) Alts will be kept if their "main", aka the same player, has been online the past 2 months
or
B) Alts will be kicked unless whoever plays them makes a conscious effort to log into each one every two months, even though they're regularly on their main

by **erwtenpeller** Sun Dec 28, 2014 12:44 am

I always treated alts exactly the same as mains. Not being played = kick. They can always be invited back in.

by Rinoi Sun Dec 28, 2014 12:53 am

Alts will be treated as their own characters. They are not automatically Bravehearts if their mains are. They will be kicked after two months, even if the main has been active. That player has to make a conscience effort to log in with them. They can also be reinvited, as erwt says, so if they get kicked and you go back to playing them- they're free to get another invite.

Where they are different from mains, is that alts from existing members can be low level. Players who don't have 90+ characters in the guild won't have that privilege any more.

by Halewood Sun Dec 28, 2014 8:51 pm

Jian Shu wrote:
Halewood wrote:rping again as before it was Dm this and Dm that.

It was always this, just saying.

with a bit more hub rp too , As in walking around stormwind and learning characters backstory through talking to them IC and stuff , Events were a lot less frequent too. (At least they were in my memory Razz

)

by Rinoi Sun Dec 28, 2014 11:27 pm

I believe what you mention was mostly a waning in activity, which resulted in less events. We won't be doing as much walking or sitting around in Stormwind in the upcoming times either, if all goes well. Hopefully Draenor will provide enough inspiration for fun RP, so we don't have to idle back in ol' Stormwind.

I have some other thoughts as well I'd like all your input on, in the next post.

by Rinoi Sun Dec 28, 2014 11:28 pm

I have updated the first post to update with the new rules that have now been implemented. I'll still use this topic to discuss further changes I'd like your input on. Such as the following point;

What we will be doing now!

Back on the road
The band will go back on the road, and travel to all the corners of Draenor in search for adventure. Events may take place anywhere.

Wacky adventures!
We will come across colourful characters good and bad, weird situations, and have a mixture of both light-hearted and epic plots. Try seeing the fun in both, and reading into what sort of stuff is happening. Taking mortal wounds and bleeding in dismay for a month after slipping on a banana might not always be fitting. Just a thought!

Timey-wimey
Time is a fickle thing in World of Warcraft. The game doesn’t seem to know or care very much either (with ‘cleared’ areas still being rife with war, etc.) This means that the concept of ‘being on the road’ will not literally take us from area to area for a couple of weeks at a time. We don’t have to sit in one lonely area for a few days, wishing some RP’d come around, because we’re on our way to a planned event. Instead, we’ll do timeskips, going to the fun bits. Doing an event here or there, or reminiscing by the fire. It does make strict chronology hard to follow, and we will attempt to more or less move forward with time and the plot in a linear fashion. But try to adopt a more flexible stance on it and don’t hammer on the fine details.

The nature of being a Braveheart
In the past the promotion to Braveheart was more or less permanent, unless the character really screwed up. I am thinking of leaving only the active core of the Braves as a Braveheart. Characters who barely RP with us or are only loosely affiliated will go down to the Greenhorn rank. I was considering changing this Greenhorn rank to 'Companion', as Greenhorn implies the character is somehow a newbie, or inducted into the Band as a member, albeit a low-ranking one. I am not sure I appreciate that association. But as it is a longstanding rank, I'd like to gather some more input on suggestions on this.

What do you guys think?

by Rinoi Wed Jan 07, 2015 5:07 pm

Although I've had little reaction to my last post, I'll be passing on some of its changes. Know that they are still up for changing and discussion. I encourage you to do that here, but you may also PM me, or bring it up to me in game!

by Rinoi Tue Feb 24, 2015 3:40 pm

More Upcoming Changes?

Hey everyone! We’ve been chugging along for a while now, and I stepped back to do another assessment of how things are going. A few things came to mind as points of improvement, and I’d like to share with you my ideas on how the officers work now, and the problem of active, but uninvolved members. These are possible upcoming changes, but they could be scrapped entirely, or be changed according to your input! This is the place where you can let your voice be heard. Or get in touch with me in PM’s, or in game, although I cannot guarantee I’ll be able to respond there at all times.

Officers

When I took over from Yuan, I made some changes to the officer ranks. I made Lionheart an OOC rank for one, and demoted/promoted old, and new officers. My main goal was to get a core of a few players that would actively keep the guild, and guildchat a pleasant place. This was my primary instruction for them at the time. I believe it has done pretty well! But now I believe more will be required to keep the guild moving forward. as I can’t keep up creating/leading events and raids at my current pace. That’s why I want to give more responsibility to the officers, and more clearly put into words what is expected of them, and what members can expect from them.

Keeping the guild a pleasant place for everyone.
Officers should be present and friendly. This often takes the form of moderating guild chat, as this is where we most often communicate. Asking to bring inappropriate topics to private, sussing out problems or fights that may occur and being a presence in the chat for people to look up to, or go to for questions are all part of this. However, whispering members to ask how they are, or help them out with problems is a less visible way in which this may occur.
Being aware and involved with the guild rules and policies.
Officers should be knowledgable of the rules of the guild so they can moderate accordingly, and answer questions, when they arise. Being aware of the rules may give them insight in when, and where things don’t go as smooth as they should. This’ll allow the officers to change rules, and work towards fixing problems!
Keeping the guild active.
The officers and GM work together to share the load of creating events and content for the guild. This takes many forms, as we engage in many different types of content. At time of writing, these primarily mean;
Roleplay events, and Raids. This responsibility does not mean the calendar should be spammed with events. Nights off are fine, and even required to catch a breath! The officers should discuss amongst each other the state of the planned events, so there is neither a lack or an overabundance. The load of making events does not lie solely on officers. Bravehearts and even enterprising companions (provided they get someone to put it on the calendar for them) may create events. Officers simply need to make sure events do occur, and they are in accordance to the guild’s nature, and its policies.
This is the biggest change to how things were run before. There was no demand for officers to make events- and although this does not make it a demand, officers do have to be aware of the calendar and tend to it. I would greatly enjoy an officer to take the raids and raid progression under their wing. Although I don’t mind organising them, I am not extremely capable, and it requires a fair share of my time.
Present
Officers should be around often to perform their duties. Not a day should go by where no officer comes online at all. Of course, this does not mean that officers need to be omnipresent, but one of them should be about every evening at the very least.

Oversight
Although the officers tend to the members, they are not without oversight either. I am always open to feedback (in private) about officers, and I will take it into account. I will also sometimes poke members about their opinions and thoughts on how the guild is ran.

Which officers?
Right now there are four officers, which I believe is a good number for the amount of players we’re at. If members feel they have what it takes to take on the load described above, they are free to approach and I will consider it! Likewise, if current officers can not keep up, or struggle, they may be led go. It will not have an IC effect, and neither is it a disgrace. Sometimes other things weight more heavily than putting a lot of time in guild leading, such is the way of things! Although being an officer is mostly about handling responsibility, officers do have a strong place in shaping the image of the guild like no other!

Lost Companions

Problem
There are some players that log in regularly, but haven't been to any guild events, or have even RP'd with us in a long time. (Mains, not alts). They heap up mostly in the companion rank.

Reason I think it’s a problem
I want to keep the guild focused on its goal of telling stories of adventure, on the frontier. If people are not interested in that- they should find a guild that does interest them. The guild is big enough without them in it, and there are plenty of fine alternatives on the server. They can always return when they are interested, or join us on events regardless of the guild they are in.
I don’t want them walking around with the guild tag, not representing what we are and do. If they are not in the Band, they will find another guild to join, which’ll hopefully help those guilds out more!

Solutions
Officers make a judgement call which people have not been sticking around/being in touch and pose it to the rest of the officers. Since these people do log in, it is hard to tell when their last activity has been. The current kick-timer is two months, so if the last moment these people have been seen actively contributing to the guild has been a month ago, it is safe to make this call.

Then these members are provided a warning of two weeks notice (put in officer note as (MIA; *current date*). If said person has still not made an effort by that time, they are removed. This warning is not an alarm-bell ringing, super-serious threat, but a friendly heads up/encouraging. If they do return for an event, the warning stays, but is extended. I don’t want people showing up for an hour and then vanishing again for a month.

by Rinoi Tue Mar 03, 2015 12:37 pm

The above changes will be implemented soon!

Members who receive an MIA tag in their name along with the current date risk being removed within two weeks time! If all is right, they should have been given this notice in person too. If you feel that you were unjustly removed, or unjustly given the tag, feel free to approach the officers or myself!

by Adry Tue Mar 24, 2015 12:25 pm

*Template for giving people an MIA tag: *

*Subject: *From the Band of the Brave

*Actual text: *Hello friend of the Braves! We're concerned that we might be losing you, as we've seen you around, but haven't seen you RPing with us for a while. You've been issued an 'MIA'. This means that we'd like to see you with us again soon.

If all is well, and you RP again soon, the tag will be removed. If two weeks pass and we still don't hear from you, we'll remove you from the guild; please do not mistake this as a serious threat, or anything malicious- we merely wish to tidy the roster.
Thanks!

*Template for removing people who have timed out on their MIA tag: *

*Subject: *From the Band of the Brave

*Actual text: *Regrettably it seems that you've become inactive. We have a new policy of issuing inactive people an 'MIA' note, which you should have received in the mail, or in person if you were online. This is not a super-serious threat, more a friendly encouragement.

As you have been inactive for quite some time now, you have been removed from the guild. Please do not mistake this for a malicious act, merely a wish to tidy up the guild roster. There is always a seat ready for you when you wish to return.

by Rinoi Wed Mar 25, 2015 12:39 pm

Nicely written, Adry. Let's hope people won't have to see 'em in game! Smile

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