GUILD MEETING

Sunday at 9PM EST

This post is just to reiterate what Grim posted and brainstorm a basic agenda.

My take on this meeting is the following:

- This meeting is to discuss the future of Storm Shadow, and not the past. What's done is done. That is not to say discussing what happened is taboo, but the meeting should not just be about that.

- Nothing will be decided at this meeting. Ideas will be discussed regarding policies and leadership and where the Guild is going. Anything discussed will be provided on the forums for the members who were not able to attend so they can have a chance to review and make suggestions.

- I hope no one misunderstands the intent here. From my perspective too many rules or restrictions will kill a guild, but I think we have grown past the point of only having some generalizations.

Some ideas to think about (just brainstorming) -
- Guild Council (3 members rotated every 2 months) nominated and voted on by members. Might be a good idea if you can't be a council member twice in a row...

- Code of Conduct - Expectations and Guidelines for resolving internal issues.

- Raid Coordination - Best way to do this? Raid rules, leadership, etc....

- Recruiting - I like the way everyone in Storm Shadow has the opportunity to recruit... do we want to be bigger? stay the same size? .....

That's pretty much my laundry list... if anyone else has ideas please post them or bring them up at the meeting. I think the key is to not go overboard on this, but provide enough framework so new players know what is going on and know how to solve issues...

In my opinion…





I agree with just about everything Morrek is advocating.
While it’s a nice thought to operate under the notion that we have no
rules, this way of doing things functions best when the group is small, well
acquainted and shares singular unique goals. Morrek is right on the money when
he says that too many rules will kill a guild, however, no rules is just as
deadly. What we’ve seen over the past while highlights this marvelously. Rules,
in and of themselves are odious things, but without them, we’re just spinning
our wheels. Thankfully, we really don’t have a whole lot of things to
mandate…all we pretty much want to do is have fun and play our game. Finding
rules for that ought to be simple.





Storm Shadow isn’t a big guild, nor is it among the smallest;
however, one thing it lacks is cohesion. We have no underlying current of
loyalty because of the fluid nature of our membership. Granted, people come and
go fairly regularly, but if we continue to allow universal recruitment, the
guild becomes a revolving door for just about anyone. There isn’t a sense of
belonging to something, and thus no real effort to try to fit in. I know those
dreaded words “fit in” probably rankles with some folks, the very nature of the
guild is to accommodate everyone, so fitting in shouldn’t be a priority for
newcomers, but my argument here is that since we don’t make people believe that
they are now a part of the best guild on the server, how can we expect them to
show any kind of loyalty, solidarity or otherwise want to run with anyone?
Thus, I disagree strongly with continuing the practice of universal
recruitment.





Regulating things allows for the universal cry of the player
who never wants to play by the rules…we’ve all seen them…they bitch about a
guild being too “political”…or they left a guild because of politics. My
suspicion is that while some such complaints might have some kind of basis in
fact, the vast majority of people who leave a place is simply due to the fact
that current guild rules keep them from doing something that isn’t in the
interest of the entire body. Powerlevelling, raiding all the time, or what have
you. Whatever the cause, politics is going to enter into the equation the
moment we decide to regulate anything, be it recruitment, enact a code of
conduct, or whatever…I offer this point to forestall the inevitable hue and cry
of “politics” that I think will crop up when we meet and discuss rules. Rules
are there to ensure we ALL have fun, not a choice few.





Lastly, and most dramatically, I propose we disband the
guild. We meet to discuss the new direction the guild will take, elect a
provisional leader who will then reform the guild and accept requests to join
from those who wish to continue on with Storm Shadow. Whatever we decide on
Sunday, it will represent a new direction and new beginning for the guild.
Disbanding is a symbolic death and rebirth of this new idea, and further allows
those who are wavering (or who have already made the decision to leave, but
just can’t seem to do it) an opportunity to bow out and pursue their own
agendas. It would be nice to trim the guild list down a little too. Going forward,
disbanding and reforming makes us leaner, far more cohesive and hopefully
ensures a more enjoyable gaming experience for all concerned.








Trayjan

All good thoughts.

I will condensed version of what I THINK was discussed at the meeting. Please feel free to add comments and suggestions after I post it.

All in all, the meeting started a little chaotic but was a very good start to letting out some frustrations about leadership in the guild. We all want strong leadership managing the guild list and how promotions are made to officer status. We want a counsel to assist the leader in providing outlets to vent frustration. A key to a happy guild is good communications throughout the guild. Nominations for guild leader will be discussed in another thread. We will be taking nominations through forums for the next leader of the guild. Some responsibilities of the new leader will be to clean up the current guild list, provide leadership in disputes, and be a innovator/motivator.

There is a general agreement that bring new members should not be closed, but getting officer status will take a little longer. Membership is a changing entity. We need to keep new blood flowing into the guild, but it will take longer to get that right.

A counsel will be created ro assist the leader in solving disputes, organizing events, and managing the guild assets like the cleric's fund. The counsel will help in the venting process. Good communication goes a long way. If you have a problem real or preceived, this will be a safe place to discuss the issues.

A code of conducted was talked a little. Basic rules apply here is treat others as you would like to be treated.

Have fun! Enjoy the game and each other's company.