Empire for Life Guild Charter
Empire for Life Guild Charter
Revised December 29, 2011
You have found the Empire for Life guild charter. Within these pages are the specifics of the Empire for Life guild that all members and potential members are expected to read and become familiar with. If you were directed here and/or are new to the guild, the sheer amount of information might seem daunting at first. However the information is important to your success and tenure with EFL as we believe we offer one of the strongest communities in the Old Republic.
Empire for Life Podcast
Empire for Life hosts a popular SWTOR podcast where we discuss the game, it’s mechanics, news, strategies and opinion on a weekly basis. We will also share guild information when necessary and even have members on as guests occasionally.
You can find the podcast on both iTunes and Stitcher Radio as well as on our network site EGO Networks.
Guild Contacts
Orion/Ares is the EFL guild leader and he can be reached on Twitter @ EGONetworks, on Skype @ Chargerrich and of course in game. Additionally, you can always email the guild at egonetworks@gmail.com. We will update this charter as appropriate with new officer and additional contact information.
Empire for Life Guild Charter
While this entire charter should be reviewed at length, we recommend for those that want to get an idea of what EFL is all about, to just read three sections; the E.M.P.I.R.E. Code and Guild Charter Synopsis which are the first two sections, followed by the FAQ at the bottom of the charter. This should at least give you a good idea if we are a good match for your play style and in-game attitude.
The E.M.P.I.R.E. Code
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The EFL E.M.P.I.R.E. Code is a summary, at the most basic level, of our core beliefs and tenants. We expect every member of Empire for Life from the Guild Leader down to a recruit to treat this code equally as a guiding principle for behavior expectations in EFL.
E – Equality
While it is technically impossible to create a true and literal flat guild hierarchy, Empire for Life strives to provide a egalitarian and democratic structure where every member has a voice. Just like any organization from governments to charities, leadership must be maintained, but privileges, ranks and authority in Empire for Life are based, in their entirety, on merit, necessity and attitude as opposed to gear, level or even ability. In short Attitude > All
M – Maturity
If forced to wear a label, Empire for Life would be categorized as a mature run guild. The majority of our members are not teenagers and a not insignificant percentage of our officer corps have children. It is important to note here that maturity refers only to the attitude and mindset of our members and not the language or ESRB rating of our guild. Empire for Life clearly recognizes that age and maturity are at times, mutually exclusive of one another and as such, an immature acting 35-year-old is just as unwelcome in our guild as any stereotypical 12-year-old. Drama and Nerd-rage are the same, regardless of your birth date. While EFL has no intention of discriminating against younger players who follow our code and rules, and in fact have some supreme examples of exceptional younger players, the fact remains that our guild is probably best suited for those players who are in the adult age bracket.
P – Patience
All too often, guild drama starts when a member wants help with (insert task, flashpoint, quest here) and becomes frustrated that not everyone is jumping to assist them. Please keep in mind that in something approaching 95% of the time a player is in game, he or she is doing “something” as opposed to waiting around for someone to ask for help. They too are on quests, involved in story lines, crafting et al. Feel free to ask for help once, but refrain from spamming or feeling as though you are entitled to the guilds attention right at that moment. If you feel that way, then EFL is probably not a home for you.
I – Independence
As a proper segue from “Patience”, members of EFL are expected to be – at least moderately – self sufficient and independent. That is not to say EFL will not do group activities at and before end game, quite the contrary. However hand holding someone constantly is something that is frustrating to many members who are also trying to enjoy the game. As SWTOR creates new guild functionality (and they will) we will see guild calendars and other activities being scheduled, including activites to help new and struggling players.
R – Respect
As a guild that strives to accommodate many play styles and dedications, we believe strongly that respect for one another is of paramount importance to the cohesion of the guild and it’s community. To maintain this level of respect we ask that members do not cross boundaries that include but are limited to; off-color or uncomfortable topics like vulgarity and racism or controversial topics such as politics or religion. Many people know the word respect but do not always understand the true meaning, we expect all our members to understand this fully.
E – Effort
While EFL is designed from the ground up to be community oriented and non obligatory in nature, some effort is required to sustain EFL as a guild that is both welcoming to new players and enjoyable to veterans. Effort can include little things such as welcoming new players in guild chat, answering questions of new players about the game and asking in guild if you are organizing an event or flashpoint. We believe that guilds and guild members should enhance, not limit a players opportunity to enjoy the game and the many various play styles that are available in any manner that they wish, provided it is done so in a stress and drama free environment and while not breaking our simple but zero tolerant guild rules.
Guild Charter Synopsis – What To Know Before Joining
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While many intricate details are contained in this guild charter that should be read, this section is designed for new players to get a quick reference of the most important rules and things to know about Empire for Life before joining. EFL is a zero drama guild. While this should be obvious, we have listed many but certainly not all behaviors that are considered drama and will not be tolerated by any member of any rank.
Core Rules
Guild Chat Behavior - Guild Chat is for all intents and purposes considered a public channel and as such must be monitored for offensive behavior. While EFL strives to offer a freedom of play style for its members, we must enforce certain rules of etiquette in the /g channel, vent and other in game public forums. The best advice one can follow in terms of guild chat is to think of it the same way you might think of any other real life public forum. We all have our proclivities around close friends and in family settings, however most if not all of us tend to talk with more respect in other forums. For instance, what you think might be appropriate to say to a close friend or a family member you might not say at your doctor’s office, place of work, church or at school. Follow that principal and you should never have a problem.
* Religion - This is a game first and foremost and not a place to offer your personal views of such topics. EFL is about tolerance and acceptance of others and your faith or opinion of faith is yours and yours alone. No one EVER wins a religious debate and expressing your views here only serves to cause drama and offense.
* Politics - Very similar to religion, no good comes from these discussions and any member who outwardly begins to voice opinions on these matters will be treated as hostile and drama inducing. This includes discussion on any countries politics, political leaders, stance on war and political affiliation. Many of us have our passions and beliefs outside of the game, but please keep them to yourself.
* Racism - One of the very few things that will get you removed faster than politics would be any level, however mild it may seem to you, of racism. If this has to be explained, then stop reading now as you are not a good fit for our guild.
* Discrimination - No member of EFL should be discriminated against or made to feel uncomfortable. We are old and young, male and female and many of us come from all walks of life. However in-game we are brothers and sisters and respect should be accorded to one another.
* Vulgarity - EFL is a mature guild and as such we expect that some mild curse words may be used in chat. Our overriding view on cursing in chat is generally that if someone takes the time to type out a series of curse words, it is just a way for someone to say “hey look at me, I am mad” and frowned upon. That said, we do have some tolerance here provided one is not being overtly vulgar for vulgarities sake.
* Screaming (ALL CAPS) - This is just bad form. EFL is the largest guild on our server and one of the largest in the entire game. As such understand that at any time we have 50 to 100 people who are online. Typing in all caps is simply rude and an annoyance so we ask that you please refrain from this type of ranting.
* Spamming - Additionally, please refrain from posting multiple line text, especially information such as damage meters and complex ASCII art or congrats. This rule does not apply to officers who post lengthy macros with important and guild relevant information (meetings, raids, guild and podcast updates, et al.).
* No Begging - This includes begging for gold or runs and covers guild chat, trade chat or anytime in-game. Any EFL member begging reflects poorly on our guild and this action simply cannot be tolerated.
Guild Overview
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Empire for Life (EFL) is a “seriously” casual Empire Guild on the Lord Ieldis US-RP Realm of Star Wars the Old Republic. We strive for and will always be a community guild where maturity, equality, respect and friendship are valued above all else. Our members realize that most of us receive enough stress and drama in our normal lives that we look to our online in-game experiences to provide an insulation from those negative energies. Participating in the EFL guild should never be a job. To that end, Empire for Life provides a home for only those that check attitudes, demands and any form of drama at the door.
While EFL certainly strives to reach all end game milestones, we will never do so in any way that would demand forced participation of any kind (raid, PvP, RP, et al) or otherwise take away from the “gaming” nature of this virtual world. We only ask that our members remain active, friendly and supportive of all drama free play styles. Conversely the very nature of our focus and culture to accommodate a freedom of play style does not limit or label our guild to only casual non raiding or non PvP type play styles.
In fact, we have and will always support raid and PvP initiatives and even work towards end game progression. The key however is that each raid or PvP team is self-contained and shall be led by a member who echos the same level of commitment exhibited from his or her team and that these initiatives never involve drama, stress or any expectation that falls out of our guild focus.
Guild Policies
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Empire for Life employs simple common sense rules that for most mature game players who are part of our target demographic, will be easy to understand and follow. These rules are in addition to abiding by our E.M.P.I.R.E. code as detailed at the beginning of this charter.
1. Drama - No player/member is above the guild and we have a simple one warning system in place. If you cause drama you will be asked to stop one time, if it continues you will be demoted to a rank with no guild privileges pending a discussion with an officer. At that time you will either be re-instated or removed with all due haste. If you are not sure what drama is or if you are doing it, you are not someone who should be part of our guild anyway.
2. Guild Rating - EFL is a mature guild. This means that cursing and some behavior that is not intended for young players is to be expected (but never promoted). That said, we are NOT an “X” rated guild and extreme vulgarity or graphic language for the sack of just being vulgar will not be tolerated. Any violation of this policy will be treated the same as drama.
3. Participation - As stated EFL does not require any member to raid or PvP. If however you join a raid or PvP team, then we do expect you to attend those raids you have committed to in a reliable and prompt fashion. Violation of this policy will result in raid leader action that is commensurate with the degree of the violation and the individual raid leader and raid team expectations.
4. Representation - Since all EFL members represent our guild in whatever he or she is doing in-game, any and all actions that reflect negatively on our guild will be dealt with swiftly and decisively.
Guild Expectations
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In addition to some very obvious policies there are a few expectations that should be covered as well. These are not so much rules as general direction or tips for a better guild experience, not just for you but for all our members.
1. Time Respect - Nothing is more aggravating than a guild member wanting to put together an impromptu, last-minute quest or flashpoint and then getting upset because everyone in the guild is not dropping whatever it is they are doing and accommodating a request of one individual. The fact is that while are a community and strive to be helpful and friendly, it is also unreasonable to not respect that most everyone online is doing “something” and not just waiting around to assist others. At the same time, for many members this is frustrating because you want to be helpful but with no planning or scheduling, these events usually fail and have less than desirable participation.
2. Ventrilo - The use of vent, a free communication tool (www.ventrilo.com) is not mandatory for guild entry but is required for some events at end game (at the discretion of the organizer). Many people are intimidated by vent, but keep in mind that you are not required to speak or even have a mic (unless you are leading) and just being able to hear direction in an event or encounter is very important.
3. Activity Levels - EFL is routinely at the Bioware mandated guild member cap and as such we are required to institute minimum activity levels of 2 weeks. This only means that the character must have been online at least once in a two week period (yes even logging on for a minute is acceptable). Any character that has been offline for 14 days or more is subject to removal. Special circumstances of course do exist, please see FAQ below for more detail.
The EFL Member Profile
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We often are asked to outline our guild’s focus and the type of player who would make an ideal member in Empire for Life. Are we an end game guild? PvP? Role Playing? Leveling? Hardcore? Casual? The truest answer is that we are a collection of dedicated players who immensely enjoy the game and the people who populate the server we call home. To label yourself into only one or two of the categories above is missing the point with Empire for Life. Some of our members can and do fit into all the above categories and that is perfectly acceptable.
The expectations of our members include:
1. Following of the E.M.P.I.R.E. code
2. You do not bring drama into our guild… ever
3. You follow our simple but zero tolerance rules (more on that below)
4. You understand that we allow and support all drama/stress free play styles
5. You are a mature and friendly individual
In the end, we encourage our members to ask themselves… “Am I having fun first and can I do so within the confines of the rules and code of the guild without stress or drama?” If the answer is yes, then Empire for Life is the community for you. To best determine if you are a good for Empire for Life, take the E.M.P.I.R.E. test at the bottom of this charter.
What is Casual?
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Guilds such as EFL are often labeled as casual because we do not support and in fact avoid at all costs, the militant and stressful nature of progression raid guilds and their accompanying obligations. While those individuals and guilds who chase world firsts and are fueled by the color purple are certainly hardcore, we would argue that our focus while accommodating to the casual player, is in fact not always casual.
Why?
Empire for Life will run all end game content
Empire for Life will support serious PvP teams
Empire for Life has dedicated players who match the most hardcore in terms of “hours online”
The difference is that the Empire for Life member understands fully that it is a game first and foremost. The EFL member will not introduce stress or drama over a game. And finally the Empire for Life member is not selfish and embraces a community focus and healthy respect for his or her guild brethren.
Role Playing
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Empire for Life while not a de-facto RP guild, respects and supports all drama free RP elements and will in fact create RP related events and provide RP leadership. The lore of Star Wars is without equal and we believe adds to the in-game experience.
End Game
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Empire for Life will participate in all end game content the game has to offer. However we will do so at various levels depending upon the raid team composition and we will never become or support militant raid progression teams. Our goal is to provide a home for the casual to serious player. However we do require that even our serious teams understand that this is a game and we will never threaten a player with a “raid or die” mentality. Raiding in EFL will always be done on a friendly and amicable basis, and those that raid do not have any preferential status over those that concentrate on other in-game pursuits.
It is very important to note that EFL will rely heavily on individual raid teams as opposed to a single guild raid team. We will encourage and support our members to create or join existing raid teams and support their endeavors with site updates, recruiting, vent access and repair gold. Raiders and Raid Leaders will be designated as such within our guild and will be expected to treat every member in the raid group as well as the guild with respect and to conduct yourself in a civil manner.
While raiding in Empire for Life is strictly voluntary and not a prerequisite to join our ranks, we do expect those who choose to raid to be prompt and reliable. The key here is and always will be that we will not support, tolerate or allow any team, raid or member that becomes militaristic, drama fueled or stressful. In the end, respect, enjoyment and community must be the undercurrent of everything we do.
Player vs. Player
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EFL is not a primary PvP guild. Most members of EFL will PvP in small, impromptu groups. However, some members will form WZ teams and organized groups. Like all other play styles within our guild, PvP is voluntary and never forced.
EFL Ranks
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NOTE: The guild ranks are in a state of construction due to some known bugs in the SWTOR guild interface. While the below ranks are intended, they will not be implemented until these interface issues are resolved by Bio-Ware.
The guilds ranks are designed to be simple and informative. A brief description of these ranks are as follows:
Trial - A trial member that will be reviewed and promoted with rights and privileges as an officer deems timely. No timetable here but feel free to contact an officer if you have been an active trial player for more than 2 weeks.
Core - Our primary member rank with guild rights and privileges. Core members will make up the bulk of our guild membership and should be considered a “member in good standing”. While there are higher ranks based on tenure and leadership positions, the Core member is in fact the rank that most players not interested in leadership will strive to achieve.
Defender- Defenders of EFL and our guild code; these quality members within EFL are honored Core members who have achieved two guild objectives. Defenders have served a tenure of 3 months within the guild but just as importantly, Defenders consistently and without fail, exhibit the qualities of the E.M.P.I.R.E. code in their in-game actions.
Commander – Commanders of EFL and our guild code, these quality members within EFL are honored Core members who have achieved three guild objectives. Commanders have served a tenure of 6 months within the guild, consistently and without fail exhibit the qualities of the E.M.P.I.R.E. code in their in-game actions and tend to go the extra distance to help and befriend others in guild. While Commanders are not defacto officers, they are fine examples of what we hold as important to our guild.
Second Officer- Second Officers of EFL and our guild code, this rank is an administrative level officer rank in the guild. Only the most dedicated and selfless individuals will be awarded this rank. Just as with the Defender and Commander ranks, simply a tenure does not warrant this promotion. While tenure is a component, more importantly your attitude and approach to the game and the guild as a whole will set you apart as a Second Officer. This rank is a fine example of a quality member and as such are held to a higher standard of rules adherence and expectations.
First Officer - The First Officer role in Empire for Life is a leadership role within EFL, made up of members who have shown leadership skills and a willingness to help shepard and direct our guild. The FO responsibilities include monitoring of rules violations, invites and demotions and general leadership and assistance. EFL will only have a maximum of 12 First Officers making up the guild council along with the Guild Leader.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
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1. Do I have to raid?
No member is required to raid or participate in any event that they do not want to. We are a casual guild first and foremost. However if you commit to an event, we do expect you to arrive on time and participate.
2. When do you raid?
As the game is newly launched and much is yet to come in terms of end game content all we can say for certain is that end game teams in EFL will be self-contained teams that will run on a schedule decided upon by the raid team and the raid leader.
3. How do I get promoted?
While there are about 5 paragraphs that could be outlined here, the simplest answer is to lead by example. Players and behaviors are noticed and noted. As a general rule, if you have to ask for a promotion, then you probably do not deserve one. The one notable exception to this would be the lifting of the trial status to that of a core member. If you have been in the guild for longer than 2 weeks and are still in trial status, feel free to contact an Officer.
4. You say you are helpful but you discourage asking for low level runs, what gives?
The game of SWTOR is an incredibly easy game in which to level. There are very select few facets of the game that would actually require the help of a max level character. That said, players often request a max level take a low level character through a dungeon or raid for experience and gear. The problem with this is we have something approaching 500 members and to ask someone to “run you” is not respectful of their time. You are welcome to use the calendar to organize an event or a dungeon run with level appropriate players but asking for runs if prohibited and labeled as begging.
5. How do I get noticed in such a large guild?
Large guilds sometimes get an unfair label as impersonal or “too large”. While EFL is certainly not the small or intimate guild of 10 that some are used to, our experience has been that the community and family atmosphere is just as strong in EFL as any guild and at times even more so. EFL strives to be very community oriented and takes note of individuals who make their quality presence felt. From simple and consistent player achievement “grats” to answering questions and just generally being friendly in guild chat, your actions are noticed. Officers monitor every day the contributions of membership and note general leadership qualities that some exhibit. It should be noted that EFL is almost always looking for quality leaders so if that is your goal and focus, opportunities abound.
6. You say EFL has zero drama tolerance, does that mean you do not give warnings?
Like all things in life, violations have varying degrees of seriousness. Zero Drama Tolerance does not mean that we instantly remove upon any infraction and warnings can be given for mistakes and violations. That said, there are certainly a number of violations that will result in instant removal. It should also be noted that if you are removed from EFL, you will not be welcomed back at a later date. Removal in all but the most conditional of circumstances is permanent.
7. What if I leave the guild, can I never return?
Unlike being removed, players leave guilds for a number of altruistic, noble and differing reasons many of which do not in any way taint your future prospects within EFL. Those players who take the time to let the guild and an officer know the reasons for leaving are welcome back if scenarios change. We understand that EFL, like any guild, cannot be and should not try to be all things to all players. For instance we will never become a hardcore progression guild, but a member in good standing might find that as they level they want to try that play style. We welcome that change and encourage players to find the part of the game that is most enjoyable to them and follow it.
