Changes to the Stormrage Guild system

[MongoJerry]

Eventually the guild is going to grow large enough that we will need to have an established means of keeping the 1337 “doodz” and folks who are not “Lurker” material at bay. To this end I am creating and setting up, with Roane’s assistance, a rank system for the guild. Here are the ranks that are being put into place:

My worry about ranks is that they can become a slippery slope. The idealist in me feels that the only ranks the Lurker Lounge needs are those that one earns by reputation throught creating articulate posts with well thought out information and arguments. The idealist in me sees no need for formal ranks at all. The practical side of me, however, realizes that some structure is necessary. Still, that structure should only be what is necessary to meet the needs of the community and shouldn't be overly complicated. I especially want to avoid new people feeling that the Lurker Lounge in-game "guild" is some sort of clique.

Again, I must emphasize that the Lurker Lounge is not a guild and that the only reason we have these in-game "guilds" is to make it easier for Lurkers unaffiliated with a guild to find one another in game. These "guilds" are meant to be casual affairs. If a person wants a more rigid structure with a more formal vetting process for new members, then that person should join a more formal guild like the Amazon Basin. Our goal here is not to duplicate the work of the Amazon Basin or any other guilds. Instead, we are a site dedicated to bringing together players of all guilds and backgrounds together to intelligently share information and ideas with one another. If we formalize some sort of guild structure that looks too much like a formal guild, it could look to others from the outside that we are simply yet-another-guild-site. I want to avoid this strenuously.

To that end, I want to hear a good justification for the proposed rankings.

1. Guildmaster -- leader of the guild, able to set and adjust ranks and permissions. Current game mechanics dictate that there can only be one of these.

The game requires that there be one and only one of these, so obviously this has to stay.

2. Lounger -- officers of the guild, who are responsible for the day to day maintenance and smooth operation of the guild. They have the ability to promote and invite guild members and change the guild message of the day. Also, an officer is the person to go to when advice or conflict resolution is needed. This rank is made up primarily of those who have demonstrated in depth knowledge of the game, or have demonstrated leadership qualities. Limited to 9 positions initially, more will be added if necessary.

3. Lurker -- general membership of the guild. Able to invite, edit their own public note and talk in guild chat.

It's here I don't understand. What is the difference between these two groups and why does there need to be a distinction between them? As I read it, the officer group has the additional ability to set the motd and promote people. But if we can't trust a person to be able to handle the responsibilities that come with those abilities, then would you want to play with them? If you don't trust them to be responsible members in the guild, then don't invite them into the guild in the first place.

It's this differentiation between some "better" officer group and the general Lurker group that makes me queasy. What is your justification for making this seperation?

4. Lounge Lizard -- temporary position used for invitations extended to those with whom the guild has little experience. It is a trial position used solely in uncommon circumstances when a promotion to Lurker is not yet assured due to lack of familiarity. Able to talk in guild chat.

5. Initiate -- newly invited into the guild. Able to talk in guild chat. Most people will be promoted to Lurker immediately, assuming they are registered on the boards or are otherwise known to existing guild members.

I see no difference between these two groups. Both are new members whose only priviledges are being able to read and write to the guild chat.

The difference lies in that I am encouraging Lurkers to invite folks that they meet in the game into the fold if they feel like the candidates could be Lurkers.

I agree that there is a potential problem, but I think this is an utterly bad solution. What you propose, Tal, seems far different from what we had in beta that worked so well.

People in the guild should be limited to posters on the forum. If we don't want them in one, we don't want them in the other. I can live with having a period of initiation if you believe such is necessary, but beyond that I ask you to reconsider making any changes to the guild structure.

Here, I agree strongly with LavCat. If you feel a person is Lurker material, then that person should be encouraged to look at the website and become members of the forums. That person should not be recruited into the "guild" first. Only after the person joins and participates in the forums should they be encouraged to join the "guild." Members of the "guild" should only be those Lurkers who are known quantities on the site and to a lesser extent close friends and family. The focus of the Lurker Lounge is the website and forums -- not the individual "guilds" on the individual servers.