What kind of player are you looking for?
- Players who want to focus on group Campaigning, but still have a nice EK in which to keep their trophies.
- Players who may have a regular group of playing friends, and want to be incorporated as a group into a larger group, without having to follow constant command and instructions coming down from the top of the guild.
- Players who want to add more meaningfulness to their game, through alignment with a supplemental Lore and a social base on a developed EK.
- We are also looking for a few players who possess leadership, visual art, writing, or other specific talents that enhance everyone’s enjoyment of the game, and who willingly understand that such roles are to serve, not control.
Why would I join my group to the guild? By bringing your own pre-existing group into the guild, you will have the option to form your own Cohort, with its own style of play based on what your group enjoys. Additionally, having your own cohort allows you to immediately elevate one of your group’s members to the position of Officer of the Vanguard. Your new Cohort, through that new Officer, will be granted its own space on the guild’s EK.
Who leads the guild and how much control will they have?
The guild is organized around the idea of cohort (small group) cells that are quasi-independent but united within a common culture and lore provided by the guild. Each cohort establishes its own rules, cultures, and play-focus. They also develop their own piece of land within the guild’s EK. So, to answer the question, the cohort’s leader, called an Officer of the Vanguard, has the most authority within the guild although that authority does not cross over to other cohorts. We are seeking the perfect balance of enough structure to compete effectively in-game within a decentralized guild, and at the same time to remain united as a guild through our culture, lore, and developing EK.
ALTERNATE ANSWER
My name is Seth. I live in Guam or Japan. While I seek people playing near my timezones, I am used to playing with US or European groups. I spent some significant time in LOTRO (pre-free-to-play) and EVE. I have a Kickstarter Saphire level of investment in this game, so I am unlikely to just vanish unless the DEVs really break the game or some serious personal-life issue strikes. Also, that level of investment left me with lots of perks that have no direct play-to-win value, but have a lot of potential for developing a lot of guild advantages and perks. So, I began playing around and considering what could be done with those resources and what we know of the game. Those musings gave birth to the 13th Legion. I am not looking for people to boss around, as I have lead enough things in my life to know that leadership is a burden. I am hoping to gather and inspire enough like-minded players that the burden is worth carrying. I am also trying to delegate as much authority as I can to the Officers of each Cohort, so that I can enjoy playing too.
So what are all these leader titles above the vanguard in your organizational chart?
The other titles, above Officer of the Vanguard, are for the handful of people charged with serving the guild in various specific roles. To serve, they do need certain authority. However, their power is soft power.
- Some will exercise their power by generating the lore of the guild. Feel free to ignore it. But if they are good at creating it, you will want to interact with it. This is soft power.
- Others supply information and suggestions to Officers of the Vanguard. For example, someone will need to keep track of which guilds are currently hostile to or targets of the 13th. That person has influence within the 13th, and can declare “Guild Asshats is a problem and should be crushed in any campaign you find them in. In particular, if any Cohorts are playing in Campaign X, we need a Cohort to guard this point against them”, but they cannot declare “Cohort A, you must stop what you are doing and spend your time guarding this point in case Guild Asshats comes by.”
- In our war with guild Asshats, we will need a specific leader organizing the cohorts in their efforts, but that leader can be ignored by any particular cohort that has other plans. This is a game! The war leader is offering us an opportunity to play at war. She or he serves us by offering missions and tasks, just like an NPC quest giver might, only this is more fun because it is a real person within the relations of your guild urging us on against real enemies.
- Finally, some people will have soft power because they manage a shared resource. While a specific cohort develops their own corner of the EK, this type of leader might manage the EK as a whole.A different resource leader would be the person who manages our website, forums, player lists and such. Again, they have a lot of soft power, but they are not going to be bossing anyone.
There are 5 levels of conflict that will be handled differently.
- A non-guild member is irritating a guild member or cohort on our EK. The annoyed guild member will notify the appropriate leadership that manages the EK, who will deal with the situation.
- An Officer of the Vanguard is being annoying to a member in his or her cohort. Very little is needed to be done here. The irritated member contacts a different cohort’s Officer, gets permission to join the new cohort, and then informs the Keeper of Records and his or her old cohort’s Officer of the change being made. Members get to "vote with their feet.”
- Two members or cohorts are in conflict with each other:
- If they are both in the same cohort, their Officer deals with it.
- If they are in separate cohorts, for example in the above case if one was kicked out of the cohort by the Officer and joined a new one, but the conflict continues. In this case, the two Officers of the two cohorts need to meet and deal with it.
- If two officers (or their cohorts) are in conflict, for example if in the above case the two officers cannot deal with the issue and it grows into their two cohorts having conflict. In this case, all of the Officers in the guild will be given a (written) description of the conflict by each member involved or the Officer who represents them. These descriptions will be posted on a secret/hidden forum.After being given time to review the case, Officers will be given time to comment on and suggest solutions to the case within that private forum. Then a vote will be taken on any suggested solution. If a majority vote for a solution it will be enacted, if there is not a majority then they debate and vote again until a majority can agree.
- If it is decided that no majority agreement is likely among the Officers (see #3) In this case the 3 leadership referred to as the Legate’s Inner Council will step in, review the discussions on the secret forum, discuss among themselves in an even more secret/private manner, and go with a majority (2 out of 3) decision on a solution, either one already mentioned by Officers or a new one determined by the Legate’s Inner Council. They may reach out to the parties involved to determine if a compromise is possible.
- If someone with a leadership role above the Vanguard is being annoying. In this case, 3 of the Officers of the Vanguard must publicly agree with you. If they do, they will put forth a petition for a vote of confidence against the leader. After a reasonable period of time for both sides to present their case, all of the Officers of the Vanguard will vote, if a majority agree, than the Leader losses his or her Leadership position, but may still remain a member of the 13th unless they fail to find a cohort to accept them.
It is a little early, as we do not know enough details of actual game mechanics, but as a general outline….
Regular members will not be taxed directly by the head of the guild and they will be granted space on the guild’s EK.
Those who want to lead a cohort will be granted a large enough space that the members of her or his cohort will be able to have for themselves, in a fealty tree. It will be up to the Cohort leader to provide a regular tithe to the guild to cover any basic land costs the DEVs assign, and a small amount for guild upkeep and growth of the EK. A good leader may also want to develop the specific land her or his cohort controls. To do all of this, the cohort leader will need to lead her or his group in campaigns, and arrange within the cohort for some of the resources won to be reserved, before dividing the rest among the cohort. YES this is an indirect tax on all members, but it is not determined and enforced by the guild leadership, but rather it is determined and organized at the cohort level. Different cohorts can have different levels of taxation, different quality of developed land on our EK, and different methods for raising funds: flat monthly fee paid to leader, % of earnings from group play, or even scheduled “EK resource” gathering parties (think mining parties in EVE), or whatever else you and your cohort leader come up with.
What kind of player are you looking for?
- Players who want to focus on group Campaigning, but still have a nice EK in which to keep their trophies.
- Players who may have a regular group of playing friends, and want to be incorporated as a group into a larger group, without having to follow constant command and instructions coming down from the top of the guild.
- Players who want to add more meaningfulness to their game, through alignment with a supplemental Lore and a social base on a developed EK.
- We are also looking for a few players who possess leadership, visual art, writing, or other specific talents that enhance everyone’s enjoyment of the game, and who willingly understand that such roles are to serve, not control.
Why would I join my group to the guild? By bringing your own pre-existing group into the guild, you will have the option to form your own Cohort, with its own style of play based on what your group enjoys. Additionally, having your own cohort allows you to immediately elevate one of your group’s members to the position of Officer of the Vanguard. Your new Cohort, through that new Officer, will be granted its own space on the guild’s EK.
Who leads the guild and how much control will they have?
The guild is organized around the idea of cohort (small group) cells that are quasi-independent but united within a common culture and lore provided by the guild. Each cohort establishes its own rules, cultures, and play-focus. They also develop their own piece of land within the guild’s EK. So, to answer the question, the cohort’s leader, called an Officer of the Vanguard, has the most authority within the guild although that authority does not cross over to other cohorts. We are seeking the perfect balance of enough structure to compete effectively in-game within a decentralized guild, and at the same time to remain united as a guild through our culture, lore, and developing EK.
ALTERNATE ANSWER
My name is Seth. I live in Guam or Japan. While I seek people playing near my timezones, I am used to playing with US or European groups. I spent some significant time in LOTRO (pre-free-to-play) and EVE. I have a Kickstarter Saphire level of investment in this game, so I am unlikely to just vanish unless the DEVs really break the game or some serious personal-life issue strikes. Also, that level of investment left me with lots of perks that have no direct play-to-win value, but have a lot of potential for developing a lot of guild advantages and perks. So, I began playing around and considering what could be done with those resources and what we know of the game. Those musings gave birth to the 13th Legion. I am not looking for people to boss around, as I have lead enough things in my life to know that leadership is a burden. I am hoping to gather and inspire enough like-minded players that the burden is worth carrying. I am also trying to delegate as much authority as I can to the Officers of each Cohort, so that I can enjoy playing too.
So what are all these leader titles above the vanguard in your organizational chart?
The other titles, above Officer of the Vanguard, are for the handful of people charged with serving the guild in various specific roles. To serve, they do need certain authority. However, their power is soft power.
- Some will exercise their power by generating the lore of the guild. Feel free to ignore it. But if they are good at creating it, you will want to interact with it. This is soft power.
- Others supply information and suggestions to Officers of the Vanguard. For example, someone will need to keep track of which guilds are currently hostile to or targets of the 13th. That person has influence within the 13th, and can declare “Guild Asshats is a problem and should be crushed in any campaign you find them in. In particular, if any Cohorts are playing in Campaign X, we need a Cohort to guard this point against them”, but they cannot declare “Cohort A, you must stop what you are doing and spend your time guarding this point in case Guild Asshats comes by.”
- In our war with guild Asshats, we will need a specific leader organizing the cohorts in their efforts, but that leader can be ignored by any particular cohort that has other plans. This is a game! The war leader is offering us an opportunity to play at war. She or he serves us by offering missions and tasks, just like an NPC quest giver might, only this is more fun because it is a real person within the relations of your guild urging us on against real enemies.
- Finally, some people will have soft power because they manage a shared resource. While a specific cohort develops their own corner of the EK, this type of leader might manage the EK as a whole.A different resource leader would be the person who manages our website, forums, player lists and such. Again, they have a lot of soft power, but they are not going to be bossing anyone.
There are 5 levels of conflict that will be handled differently.
- A non-guild member is irritating a guild member or cohort on our EK. The annoyed guild member will notify the appropriate leadership that manages the EK, who will deal with the situation.
- An Officer of the Vanguard is being annoying to a member in his or her cohort. Very little is needed to be done here. The irritated member contacts a different cohort’s Officer, gets permission to join the new cohort, and then informs the Keeper of Records and his or her old cohort’s Officer of the change being made. Members get to "vote with their feet.”
- Two members or cohorts are in conflict with each other:
- If they are both in the same cohort, their Officer deals with it.
- If they are in separate cohorts, for example in the above case if one was kicked out of the cohort by the Officer and joined a new one, but the conflict continues. In this case, the two Officers of the two cohorts need to meet and deal with it.
- If two officers (or their cohorts) are in conflict, for example if in the above case the two officers cannot deal with the issue and it grows into their two cohorts having conflict. In this case, all of the Officers in the guild will be given a (written) description of the conflict by each member involved or the Officer who represents them. These descriptions will be posted on a secret/hidden forum.After being given time to review the case, Officers will be given time to comment on and suggest solutions to the case within that private forum. Then a vote will be taken on any suggested solution. If a majority vote for a solution it will be enacted, if there is not a majority then they debate and vote again until a majority can agree.
- If it is decided that no majority agreement is likely among the Officers (see #3) In this case the 3 leadership referred to as the Legate’s Inner Council will step in, review the discussions on the secret forum, discuss among themselves in an even more secret/private manner, and go with a majority (2 out of 3) decision on a solution, either one already mentioned by Officers or a new one determined by the Legate’s Inner Council. They may reach out to the parties involved to determine if a compromise is possible.
- If someone with a leadership role above the Vanguard is being annoying. In this case, 3 of the Officers of the Vanguard must publicly agree with you. If they do, they will put forth a petition for a vote of confidence against the leader. After a reasonable period of time for both sides to present their case, all of the Officers of the Vanguard will vote, if a majority agree, than the Leader losses his or her Leadership position, but may still remain a member of the 13th unless they fail to find a cohort to accept them.
It is a little early, as we do not know enough details of actual game mechanics, but as a general outline….
Regular members will not be taxed directly by the head of the guild and they will be granted space on the guild’s EK.
Those who want to lead a cohort will be granted a large enough space that the members of her or his cohort will be able to have for themselves, in a fealty tree. It will be up to the Cohort leader to provide a regular tithe to the guild to cover any basic land costs the DEVs assign, and a small amount for guild upkeep and growth of the EK. A good leader may also want to develop the specific land her or his cohort controls. To do all of this, the cohort leader will need to lead her or his group in campaigns, and arrange within the cohort for some of the resources won to be reserved, before dividing the rest among the cohort. YES this is an indirect tax on all members, but it is not determined and enforced by the guild leadership, but rather it is determined and organized at the cohort level. Different cohorts can have different levels of taxation, different quality of developed land on our EK, and different methods for raising funds: flat monthly fee paid to leader, % of earnings from group play, or even scheduled “EK resource” gathering parties (think mining parties in EVE), or whatever else you and your cohort leader come up with.