Ex Mediocris Licentia
From Mediocrity Freed. We, as a guild, come from an unsatisfied population. We saw the flaws in our current guilds, and after attempting to fix them, decided that when we were not heard, nor listened to, that it was time to take matters into our own hands, and take these flaws, fix them, and build upon the strengths of what we had saw. In that, we hope to rise above simply being average, and reach the true potential that we, as a coordinated group, have. As such, we will not recruit anyone who we feel would not mesh with our standards, ideals, or focus. Any member that is allowed in is someone that we believe to be of like mind as us. And as such, our leadership should never be of a wholly different mind than our membership. While a lack of new ideas, and inbreeding in trains of thought are obviously not ideal, we also do not wish to lay people against each other with totally opposite ideologies when it comes to game play, guild membership, and raiding in specific.
We recognize the flaws that most guilds suffer from. Often, you are either weighed down by a tyrannical leader who will rush headlong into things, going strictly on pride, rather than any rational line of thought. Other times, you will see a leader who delegates all of his authority to others, forcing them into the position, while still reserving the final call for him or herself. We also recognize that there are strengths in both of these approaches, as a strong leader is required, yet he or she should still be open for advice. This is why we have chosen to elect a Primus inter pares, or first among equals. In a raid setting, his or her word is law, without question. All guild members are expected to follow it, and failure to do so will result in repercussions. However, as the name implies, the princeps is still held accountable. The leadership of the guild makes up a council, and outside of the raid setting, things are discussed, strategies are formed, and actions are taken. We also encourage members to take an active role in the direction of the guild – our goal is to make the guild into something every member can be proud of, rather than just a vehicle for getting better items.
Sometimes, not everyone will agree on which action is best taken. In this case, votes are held. The princeps is always the last to vote, in case a tie is needed to be broken. In the account that Motion A holds 4 votes, and Motion B holds 3 votes, if the princeps votes for 3, the action will still be carried, as him voting for it would otherwise result in a tie. In this case, he does have a limited amount of power over the rest of the guild leadership. However, if Motion A held 5 votes, and Motion B held 3, his voting for B would not carry the motion. In this way, the council will never be deadlocked on an issue, but fairness is still preserved.
Item distribution is a mixture of a point currency, or the ever popular DKP system, and officer distribution. In most cases, it will be the familiar use of points used to acquire items. However, in some, the council may see fit to award the item to a specific player. An example would be the old world item, Thunderfury. While in most cases, items would be available for bidding, the council might have decided that the bindings should both go to the guild’s most active melee class, be it tank or damage dealer, as high attendance would be needed to utilize the weapon to its fullest. Other cases might be two people with similar point values vying for the same item, yet one is a longstanding member who is just missing it to complete their set, and the other is a newer recruit who has just recently joined.
Those seeking to join the guild must accept that things do not always seem one hundred percent fair, and be ready to deal with it. The leadership hopes that they will come to the best decision every time, but obviously, humans are not infallible. If you have a problem with what the leadership has done, you are certainly welcome to open up a line of communication, and see that we do our best to resolve things to their fullest. However, there are certain times and places to do so, and the middle of the raid is not the place to do so. The first course of action is to contact the council member in question, and try to resolve it privately. If this is not possible, the council should be contacted, and the issue will be discussed, and a course of action decided. If need be, this will be voted on. If this action is still not satisfactory, you have one course of action left at your disposal: You can put the action up to vote for the entire guild. If 67% or more of those who vote reach a decision, then that action will be taken.
While the original members of the council were chosen by the founders of the guild, it is important to recognize that as the membership grows, more people are needed to represent the interests of the guild. While the council itself can vote in new officers, there is also a way for the members to receive more representation. If a member can receive the backing of 10 others, they will be put up for council membership. If at least 34% of the council members vote yes, the member will be inducted into the council.
If the princeps ever has to step down, due to leaving the game, having to take a break, or just feeling that the demands of being the first among equals is too great, a replacement will be selected from the council. However, the candidate must have been a council member for at least 3 months, while active throughout the duration. They must have taken part in the majority of the votes during the past 3 months of their tenure. And they must be confirmed by at least 67% of the council. If no candidate receives this amount of votes, the three most senior council members will decide between the two candidates who received the most votes. If their decision is not satisfactory, the final recourse is for the others to call for a guild wide vote, in which the candidate with the most votes will receive the position.
As these votes and communication in general are such a vital part of the guild structure, it is expected that every member will be active on the guild forums, and it would also be greatly desirable if they were also available for contact through some other means, such as IRC.
We, as a guild, recognize that both a strong leadership and an ability to listen to the membership are vital. A functional guild requires members who will listen to the leader without hesitation or question when they are needed to work as a team, yet not be afraid to voice themselves when the situation permits. The guild members should never fear the leadership, but instead view it as a guiding hand that represents their interests as well. And the guild leadership should never view the members as simply tools or filler, but instead as a group of people just like them, who have honored them with their decision to join the guild.