Spiral Knights - What Rules to Create for a Guild

What Rules to Create for a Guild

25 replies [Last post]

Mon, 06/10/2013 - 18:09

Lsdakfjlkfdajlkads

Hello Spiral Knights Community,

I was wondering what rules do people usually create for a guild. I'm curious because there are a lot of people out there that would just join a guild and take advantage of the guild's services without giving anything in return. I'm not only just talking about raiding the guild storage, but also hopping rides in Vanaduke runs and getting help through missions.

If anyone would share any suggestions on what rules should be created for a guild, don't hesitate to comment.

Mon, 06/10/2013 - 19:01

Bopp

try wiki category Guild

Try looking through the Guild category on the wiki. It lists all of the guilds that have wiki pages. Many of them post their rules on their wiki pages.

My advice is to have as few rules as possible. Really, just imagine what offenses could get someone kicked out of the guild. Make rules against those, and don't make any other rules. People don't play games to memorize rules, and you certainly don't want to spend your time enforcing a lot of rules.

Now that we have communal features like mist wells, it may make sense to restrict access to Veterans or something like that, using a door.

Mon, 06/10/2013 - 21:22

Njthug

Bass down low I like my beat fast and my bass down low =0

=0 In Eos we really dont have a set of rules we ask players to follow we expect our members to be smart enough to know right from wrong

Mon, 06/10/2013 - 22:00

Fehzor

I've looked into guilds quite a bit, and I've seen a pretty huge set of trends.

The Average Guild
-Uses a set of simple or complicated rules to run itself, offering members benefits as they progress
-Often milks guild for crowns to pay for things
-Promotions are based off of obvious factors such as skill, gear, loyalty
-Low recruitment rate
-Focus on providing a program that helps knights through the game.
-See Bopp's comment

Lifetime Expectancy: Half a year, about. Some may last longer, depending on circumstance.
Reason for dying: Guild master leaves/low recruitment rate

The 1337 Guild
-Focuses on acquiring only skilled players.
-Focus on lockdown or PvE
-Consists of one small group of high level players. Like 10-15? Not sure.

Lifetime Expectancy: Maybe half a year? I haven't joined/experienced any of these yet.
Reason for dying: Elitist policy leads to low number of players; guild drama

The Pay to Players
-Usually snowballs a bit, picking up many members to get established. Or fails, but that goes for all guilds I guess.
-Hard to enter, must be rich/support OOO/social
-Incredible guild hall consisting of all possible outlets
-Many applicants
-High level players makes this kind of guild's lassez faire rules work; allow everyone to edit the guild hall? No problem. Their all mature enough to handle it.
-Can coincide with the 1337 guild; this usually does not bode well for it unless the guild snowballs.

Lifetime Expectancy: Almost indefinitely
Reason for dying: Guild Drama, Guild Master Leaving

Akin to Credibility Problems
-All players get officer within about a week, and guild master shortly thereafter.
-High recruitment rate
-High dropout rate
-Often filled with inactive members
-Problems regarding members abusing privileges; mist well unusable, stealing/bad decisions abound.
-Focus on freedom and equality and a sort of natural progression.

Lifetime Expectancy: Almost indefinitely
Reason for dying: This kind of guild only dies when someone ends it deliberately (kicks everyone), or when the guild becomes full of members and refuses to kick for inactivity. I'm still watching this guild go though.

Mon, 06/10/2013 - 21:59

Grantgalitz

problem with gm'ing every 13 year old

@fehzor good try on the GM'ing everyone experiment like on the test servers, but the abuse of gm power thing was determined to happen when gm'ing everyone. In TNW there's a reason we have an online app ( http://tinyurl.com/tnwapplication/ ) and take 2 weeks to a month before promoting someone to member.

Mon, 06/10/2013 - 21:59

Fehzor

If you'd like I can invite you Credibility Problems and you can observe us do our thing for a bit. I'm not lying, it works perfectly fine.... we don't "instantly GM", we leave them as veteran for about a day or so until someone with enough balls logs on and promotes them for nothing. I routinely promote veterans to officer without having any idea who they are, just because they're in game.

Mon, 06/10/2013 - 22:02

Grantgalitz

How's /g chat though? I've

How's /g chat though? I've observed a lot of begging in so many past guilds. Note to every guild out there: make a no begging or spamming /g policy (or spam vana invites without asking in a pm just to be your own personal vana slave).

Tue, 06/11/2013 - 04:44

Leekcoco

I've found out through

I've found out through experience that people hate reading, so just tell them what they want to know when they ask and forget the rest. They learn as they go. Idiot-proof everything.

Tue, 06/11/2013 - 08:28

Krakob

Here are some good rules:

1) No pooping in the basement.
2) This one is advice, rather than a rule but stay away from the bombers or they might eat one of your arms.
3) Put the lid down before flushing and keep it down. It's a hygiene thing.
4) Don't be a jerk.
5) Make sure the cookies are distributed evenly.
666) If you've got Dragneel in the guild, make sure to lock him up good so he doesn't escape.

Tue, 06/11/2013 - 14:10

Fehzor

/g Chat works fine. We have lots of good, funny, conversation, as there are lots of people that just like to hang out. Beggars etc. get kicked for breaking our one rule: Don't be a Craver about stuff.

Tue, 06/11/2013 - 14:17

#10

Krakob

I used to have a Cold Iron Craver.

Tue, 06/11/2013 - 15:06

#11

Lsdakfjlkfdajlkads

Replies!

@Bopp: I understand that having a long set of rules is quite annoying which is why I created this thread in the first place. I need to know which rules are needed so I don't have to create a long list of rules that will bore people to death. I will check out other guild pages, but I thought this thread would save me some time.

@Fehzor: I love your descriptions of the type of guilds that are out there. I find them amusing.

@Grantgalitz: An application sounds nice, but it seems like a hassle to fill out (probably because I'm lazy) and I think a no spamming policy in /g chat is a great idea.

@Leekcoco: Yes, we all hate reading; I can agree with that. I will just be up front about the rules then.

@Krakob: Some bombers are team players with the mist bombs and Electron Vortex (IF THEY KNOW HOW TO USE IT!). How should I distribute the muffins though?

Tue, 06/11/2013 - 16:33

#12

Bopp

okay

So you want us to tell you the "right" rules to have? Your guild would be more interesting if it came up with its own unusual rule set, but here are some:

There should be rules for recruitment and promotion. For Recruits, Members, and Veterans, the rules should be simple, indisputable, and implementable by any officer of the guild --- for example: have Tier 3 clearance, beat Firestorm Citadel with an Officer in tow, just be a member of the guild for one month, etc. Officers are more dangerous, and so should be more tightly controlled. For example, you have to decide whether any Officer can promote new Officers. If so, then those new Officers may be bad at the job and cause problems. The main problem is that they may promote even worse new Officers...
Bad behavior that makes the guild look bad: begging, being a sore loser at Lockdown, saying racial epithets, etc.
Mist well use --- anything from "don't use any mist that you didn't put in" to "use mist well as much as you want".
Officers wrecking the guild hall design or spending the guild treasury on lame furniture.
Mandatory weekly donations to the guild treasury, if your guild is into having a fancy guild hall.
Knights who haven't played in 3 months (say) will be removed from the guild.

Random notes:

Finding the right balance of rules is really hard. Too many rules is draconian and not effective anyway, because your Officers won't remember them. Too few rules may cause chaos, or the appearance of chaos to new recruits. Even if you set your guild up pretty well, it will go through cycles of boom and bust, as almost all knights leave the game after a fixed time. So you need to engineer your rules to have enough Officers, and to encourage them to recruit continually.

You're basically managing people, and managing people is not easy or especially fun. My advice is not to start a guild.

Many guilds fix a bust by merging with another guild. This fix is quite temporary. The new guild briefly booms, then busts, then needs to be rebuilt anyway.

Fehzor's classification is pretty good.

Tue, 06/11/2013 - 22:18

#13

Mayaura

here's our wiki site , if it's any help

Lionheart Guild

Wed, 06/12/2013 - 12:36

#14

Gfjmember

As Butler

1) Always ensure that there is fresh tea available
2) Be ready to provide requests for other refreshments besides tea, and to provide snacks and sandwiches as requested
3) Keep the guild hall clean. Sweep the floors, wipe down the tables, polish the trophies.
4) Go on expeditions to find ingredients for tea.
5) Ask Basil if he has any tea recipes (he never does)

Wed, 06/12/2013 - 13:30

#15

Tantarian

The only important rule

- No swimming in the CE pool after eating

Wed, 06/12/2013 - 14:50

#16

Njthug

@Tan

Please sir dont kick me again I did that last night....

Wed, 06/12/2013 - 16:17

#17

Milmo

I don't own a guild, But

I don't own a guild, But whatever the guild im in is, They make the rules and i break em and for some reason i still stay...

Wed, 06/12/2013 - 17:05

#18

Aggron-Bossgodora

background check...

how about do some background check on every knight that would join ur guild, like their personalty, history or watever,etc.... i dunno how will u do it....
so do it ur way....

Wed, 06/12/2013 - 17:10

#19

Thunderhawks

@njthug

I got kicked from EoS from doing literally nothing wrong. I simply was invited after doing a jk run and cobalt just decided to kick me. SO, are you absolutely sure about that? But of course, you'll need rules against begging, taking from the mist well, and random invites to everyone.

Wed, 06/12/2013 - 18:21

#20

Narfle

@thunder

No name n' shame, please. If you have a beef with NJ (mmm... beef...) take it up with him in person, not on the forums in someone else's thread.

On topic: I think the real measure of a guild's success (and what makes a guild last) is community. Any guild rules need to reinforce the kind of community you are looking to create--start by asking yourself exactly that: if you were looking to join a guild, what kind of guild would you yourself look for? All the rules in the world won't keep a guild going if players don't enjoy being a part of it. I would also add: I think it is important (whether through guild thread, in-game, etc.) to accurately communicate the personality of the guild to any potential recruits. Two guilds of a similar size, and with similar composition, can still have dramatically different personalities, and a recruit who comes in expecting something different than what the guild ultimately delivers probably won't last long.

Wed, 06/12/2013 - 20:56

#21

Korhallis

One word:

PLAYTESTING:

Any player that wants in has to be at least competent in a mission at LEAST as hard as your guild tackles regularly. If you're working for Vanaduke Farming, a quick run without the boss ought to tell you what you want. A quick Lockdown or RJP or Gloaming Woods is likewise a good idea depending in how you specialize. Advancement should be a good idea to have tests.
Ok, one more rule: Use /g before you hop into someone's mission.

And may I suggest a forum? It is easier to coordinate schedules that way.

Wed, 06/12/2013 - 21:23

#22

Xtweeterx

I'm not Guild Master, but as

I'm not Guild Master, but as a fellow Officer of Revelation, I have my perspective of things:

Our guild (Please don't take this as advertising):

Friendly, loyal members

Small, but workable GuildHall

Average recruitment

Is a member after week of staying

Kicks any inactives (At least that was like 4 days ago)

Always greeting recruits, making them feel good to be in your guild

Rank system is actually very balanced

Half (If not 1/4) PVP addicts, and (If not 3/4) PVE guys (Like me)

Mostly do FSC for funds

You must be 4* to enter
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
That's how mine works, I think the regular guild should have:

A decently fitting Guildhall, not too big, not too small. Please, for the love of Vog and all that is and holy, Don't try to compete with other GuildHalls *Cough* EoS *Cough*

Make sure the members are active, and know how things work

Grind bosses for funds (optional)

Greet recruits

Have nice MoTDs. Not just some random announcement like "Hey we gonna do LD" or "Deposit crowns for a promo!" or something like that. My guild has motivational MoTds. (I'll share screenshots if you want)

*IMPORTANT* Make the rank system SUPER PRECISE. DO NOT judge by looks, arsenal, rank, or combat skills for a rank system. Your guild will most likely get robbed of the Mist Well, and storages. Judge based on loyalty, activity, and sociability Which brings me nicely to the next rule.

Restrict the Mist Well. I had to learn this the hard way. The Mist Well WILL NOT repeat: WILL NOT ask if you're sure if you wanna take any mist out, or a certain amount. If you're a member, please ask before you take any out. I wasn't Demo'd or warned, after admitting my mistake, in fact I filled it back up after another FSC run, even if it jerked me from crafting the Dusker coat, it was still worth it.

If you do something wrong, PLEASE admit your mistakes. It's better to suffer the consequences of Truth than to get away with a lie, or concealing something.

Check the record often and see if there's any action to be taken upon. if you're a member, alert an Officer or GM

*IMPORTANT* Be nice to everyone. Don't cause a firestorm. Because someone will most likely get Demo'd or kicked.

To be safe, I think you should recruit 3* people or up. 4* to be safe

Kick any inactive people that haven't logged in for like a month or something. Or Demo someone who's inactive if you're higher than them.

*IMPORTANT* Always... and I mean ALWAYS help out your guildies build up their rank in the game on missions they're stuck on if you have the free time (However HoH they'll have to worry about themselves). if you can't, at least give a reason.

Like I said, Socialize and be nice. Don't cause turn your guild into a FSG (Firestorm Guild)

Have a jolly good time in the CW's or just shooting the breeze.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

These are all based on my experiences. I hope they are of use to you.

Fri, 06/14/2013 - 17:45

#23

Neodasus

A way to ensure that people

A way to ensure that people stay in your guild is to set the bar VERY high for promotions. Our guild, Blue Storm, is lockdown-based. It is due to this, that 10k damage (the amount depends on the weapons used) is member status while 25k is veteran status. We count every defend and cap as 500 damage, so we have alot of well-rounded veterans. It's a good thing to set the bar high, so players feel accomplished when they reach that plateau.

http://wiki.spiralknights.com/Blue_Storm_(Guild)

We don't have entry requirements. I usually recruit players that have a chance to be excellent in the future. This gives them a sense of belonging and acceptance early on, and encourages loyalty to the guild. It's actually better than recruiting established players that can just guild-hop on a whim. Either way I think this guild will last a long time just because of how high we set the bar for our elite guild members.

edit: and yes...our mist well is restricted to veterans only. Players good enough to reach the 25k benchmark are most likely notable players, and if there has been a mist hijack--we'll be sure to let the playerbase know who did it. It's because we're so adamant on this, we've never had a mist well hijack. Our vets take their reputation seriously.

inb4 advertising (we do enough of that in-game)

Fri, 06/14/2013 - 20:05

#24

Hexzyle

3) Put the lid down before flushing and keep it down. It's a hygiene thing.

Actually that just causes germs to spray out from under the lid in a high concentration and cover your feet and legs. I think.

Fri, 06/14/2013 - 22:29

#25

Hyper-Galactic

Rawr

Here's a good rule: If you're an officer or gm, don't constantly whine to your guildies and threaten them randomly. I've seen a handful of rather large guilds with abusive gms/officers.

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What Rules to Create for a Guild