LORDS OF THE DEAD BY-LAWS
SECTION I GUILD LEADERSHIP
Guildmaster: Hades
Assistant Guildmaster: Palebrew
Council of Elders: GC, Borric, Thorizdin, Gaunsaku, Sauron, Valus
Guild Master (GM)
The Guild Master is the overall authority of the guild. As such, he is in charge of the execution of the guild law. While the guild master in LotD does wield a power much like that of the monarchs of old, meaning that he does have somewhat absolute power, the way in which he executes these by laws are up to interpretation by the GM, as well as the Council of Elders. The GM, with the aid of the AGM and the Council of Elders handles all political dealings, treaties, alliances, matters of war, and guild policy. It is up to the GM as to how the execution of these duties will be carried out and by whom.
Assistant Guild Master (AGM)
The Assistant Guild Master is there to do just what his name implies, assist the GM in the execution of his duties. The GM nominates the AGM, and the Council of Elders then makes his appointment after a vote. While it is highly doubtful that the Council of Elders would not accept the nomination of the GM, if for some reason the candidate is found unfit by the council, they may veto the nomination, but must provide clear concrete proof as to why the selection is unfit. The AGM may perform what duties the GM delegates, and may serve for as long as the GM desires. The AGM would assume all duties of the GM should the GM not be able to, until the Council of Elders selects a new GM by vote.
The Council of Elders
The Council of Elders is the ruling arm of LotD. It aids the GM and AGM in the creation and execution of guild law. It is comprised of veteran core members who have proven to be worthy of guiding the guild. Elders should be given the utmost respect, whether they be voting or non-voting Elders. The Council of Elders will include the GM and AGM, together with other members that have been voted to the Council by the Council. These Elders have proven their ability as leaders and will serve as the heart of LotD. They will be responsible for declaring and or rescinding hostilities with other guilds, forging and maintaining alliances, member advancement, strategic planning, resource management, sub-guild management, public relations, recruitment and training, and maintaining an intelligence network.
In the case of any tie votes within the Council, the GM will cast the deciding vote. The GM (or AGM) presides over the council and oversees their activities. The Council will make all guild decisions. A majority vote is all that is necessary to pass any judgment.
Not-Voting Elders
Members that have proven themselves to be worthy of the honor of sitting on the Council of Elders, but refuse the responsibility of carrying out the duties, or who simply cannot because of reasons beyond their control, carry out the duties of a Voting Elder, will be named Non-Voting Elders. These are individuals of have earned honor and the respect of the guild. They may be called upon by the GM at times to act as a Voting Elder, should the GM see fit. If a voting Elder decides not to game in any current subchapter for a prolonged period of time, that Elder will be set to non-voting status.
Warlords
Warlords are Core Guild members (Lords) who have shown and unswerving dedication to the guild and possess strong leadership skills. They act as guild officers assist the Council of Elders in various tasks which include, but are not limited to: assisting in the set up of a new chapter by acting as chapter leadership, evaluating chapter members for promotion to core membership, addressing concerns and acting as a liaison with the Council of Elders on behalf of core or chapter members, or assuming special administrative posts within the guild as required.
Sanctioned Guild Sub-Chapter Leadership
LotD has created an official structure for sanctioned Guild Sub-Chapters. Each sub-chapter operates under LotD rules, laws, and recruitment policy to ensure uniformity of standards. However, its own internal leadership independently governs each sub-chapter. These leadership positions are:
Sub-Chapter Guild Leader
Sub-Chapter Assistant Guild Leaders
Special Officers (as needed)
Regular members (provisionals, Chapter Members, and Lords)
The Sub-Chapter guild leadership is responsible for its own recruiting, PR, discipline, etc. Core LotD Leaders (GM,AGM,ELDERS) will ensure that each sub-chapter is operating within the parameters established by LotD law and policy, but will not intervene in the affairs of sub-chapters unless that chapter leadership needs to be removed , to support and reinforce the chapter leadership, or in cases where the chapter leadership is failing to enforce guild standards.
The chapter leadership is also responsible for maintaining a roster listing name, date joined, position, status and date left for each member of the chapter. A spreadsheet is available for this task.
Sub-Chapter leadership is designated by the Core LotD GM, AGM, and Elders.
SECTION II GUILD MEMBERSHIP
Lords (LotD Core Members)
Lords are full members who have completed all of the provisionary requirements for membership. Members are voted to the rank of Lord upon completion of their provisionary requirements within a subchapter. The Council of Elders may assign Lords special sub-titles or special ranks of responsibility as they see fit. The GM/AGM may also assign special duties and/or ranks. Lords assist the Elders in performing guild resource gaining and in the fighting in guild wars. Lords will educate the provisionary and sub chapter members in guild law and history, as well as keep them informed of ongoing guild activities.
Sub-Chapter Member
Chapter members are people who joined the guild in a particular game, and have shown enough aptitude to remain under our tag and help us achieve our goals. If they measure up, they can apply for promotion to full LotD member. Otherwise normal chapter members hold the same status in this guild as a senior provisional type member. The exception to this is that chapter members are primarily governed and disciplined by their chapter leadership instead of the full LotD leadership.
Provisional
Provisional members are aspirants to the guild. They undergo a series of trials and rigorous training in order to prove their worth and loyalty to the guild and the Council within a subchapter. The provisional process is designed to separate the strong from the weak and ensure that we retain only the very best in our ranks, and those that are willing to work cooperatively with other guild members to a common goal.
Provisional status is generally a minimum of 45 days of evaluation, but the guild or chapter leadership may request additional time.
SECTION III PROMOTION STANDARDS
The following ranks are determined on an application basis. Candidates who believe that they have excelled within the guild and are interested in becoming more than just chapter members will be required to post an application for the appropriate rank. This application should consist of what rank the applicant wishes to attain as well as their rationale for why they should be awarded that rank given the criteria set out for the applicable rank. To obtain the rank of Lord or Warlord, a simple majority of guild Elders is required; for Elder, it must be a 75% majority.
Lord
At least 8 months in good standing in a chapter in the guild.
Documented contributions in some form of positive way to the guild.
Demonstrate an understanding of the guild and chapter structures as well as an effort to learn more about all of the chapters past and present.
Warlord
At least the rank of Lord.
At least 1 year in good standing in a chapter in the guild.
At least 4 months of a positively documented leadership position in one or more chapters.
Demonstrate an understanding of building and maintaining a successful guild.
Demonstrate an understanding of how to setup and organize the guild into new chapters in new games.
Elder
At least 1 year at the rank of Warlord in the guild.
At least two chapters under their belt.
Repeated demonstration of excellence in leadership.
Repeated demonstration of loyalty.
Repeated demonstration of skill.
SECTION IV CONDUCT AND DISCIPLINE
Discipline
Leadership can take action to discipline, demote or remove any member who conducts himself in an improper way. Examples of Improper conduct may be, but are not limited to, slandering the guild publicly, inciting internal strife within the guild, insubordination, being a member of another guild in a game where LotD has an active presence, or tarnishing the guild's image/name.
Sub-Chapters
The sub-chapter leadership will create a post with the charges against the member, and call for a vote. A simple majority is all that is needed to remove a member from a sub-chapter.
Core Member (Lord/Warlord)
If a core member is gaming in a sub-chapter and needs to be removed from the sub-chapter for discipline reasons, then the rules for removing sub-chapter member apply. If the core member is removed from the chapter, they will face additional penalties if they continue to involve themselves in chapter activities.
If core member is brought up on charges that warrant full guild removal or demotion, then the following procedure will be used:
1. Any Lord may call for the removal or demotion of a member from the guild. Lords must be prepared to provide substantial evidence of the member?s transgressions. Falsely suing for the removal of another member is grounds for removal.
2. An official complaint charge will be filed by an Elder in the formal complaints forum. The accused member will be allowed to post 1 rebuttal argument unless granted permission by the GM or AGM to make additional posts.
3. Additional discussions may be held with the member in order to reach a solution to the issues. If a solution is reached, the complaint will be closed out with a note about how the issue was resolved. If no solution can be reached, the Elder may then call for a private vote to demote, dismiss, or drop the charges against the core member. A simple majority vote that lasts no longer than 72 hours will be the deciding factor.
4. No complaint will be left open for more than 5 days. If a complaint needs more time to be resolved, then the Elder who brings the charges must request more time for a resolution to be reached. If that time is not granted, the charges will be dismissed. The GM or AGM will close out each complaint post as the resolutions are reached, and provide a summary of the course of action that was decided on a particular case.
NB: In cases of gross betrayal or serious harm to the guild, the Council of Elders may opt to call a closed meeting to discuss the issue. If it is found that there is sufficient evidence to warrant removal, the Elders may, for the good of the guild, remove the member(s) immediately, bypassing the normal complaint process. This is an extreme measure and is only to be used in the most dire of circumstances.
Removal - Involuntary
Any full or chapter member that is removed from the guild via a disciplinary action may be forever barred from returning to LotD. Such persons will not have site, forum, or ventrilo access and will not be invited to official guild activities.
SECTION V GUILD INACTIVITY
A guild member, whether core or chapter, upon wishing to stop playing a game for any reason or will be absent for longer than thirty (30) days, but still desires to game with the guild in the future must petition his Chapter GM in the appropriate forum for permission to go inactive. The chapter GM will review the member's performance, and will make a decision. If the Chapter GM's decision is no, the member may appeal the Elder Council who will review the situation and provide a final ruling.
Chapter members who have official inactive status will lose access to all chapter forums, and their membership category will be switched to "Inactive". The only private forum they will retain access to will be the private "Chapter Member News & Beta" forum until they actively join another chapter. Core members will be able to view core LotD forums, but not individual chapter forums.
While inactive, a member may NOT join another guild on any server in the game he went inactive from. The member is also prohibited from joining another guild in a game where LotD has an official chapter presence. Violation of this clause shall result in immediate dismissal.
If a member does not petition for inactive status, but simply disappears for longer than 30 days, he shall be removed from the guild. Those in prior good standing wishing to rejoin the guild in the same game may do so at the discretion of the Chapter GM. Those wishing to join the guild in another game must reapply and repeat any provisional term. Elders who go inactive without notification will lose their Elder status and demoted to Lord. At that point they will be relieved of any responsibilities they currently hold, as well as any special titles.
Those members who have not reached chapter member rank are not permitted to go inactive, and must reapply for any subsequent LotD game.
The Council of Elders has the final authority on any inactivity issues and a simple majority vote is all that is required to settle any case.
SECTION VI REINSTATEMENT TO THE GUILD
Lords and Elders that have gone inactive may petition the Council of Elders for reinstatement. Elders that have gone inactive will petition for reinstatement to Lord. If the Council accepts the petition, the petitioner will go before the Council to explain the inactivity, and may be given a task or set of tasks that must be completed in order to be reinstated. Any member banished for improper conduct will not be allowed to petition for reinstatement.
SECTION VII RECRUITMENT AND RECRUITMENT STANDARDS
All chapters will recruit based on the following format:
Step One: Read LotD By-Laws. Read these carefully, as they govern guild policy, which you are subject to as a provisional chapter member.
Step Two: Read any special chapter by-laws that are applicable to the gaming chapter you wish to join.
Step Three: Fill out an application in the required format in the chapter?s general forum. Failure to complete the application as requested may cause it to be permanently rejected.
Step Four: Get Ventrilo. Current Ventrilo information can be found in a sticky thread in each chapter?s forum set.
The Recruitment Rundown
Once you are accepted, it is up to you to integrate into the guild. We are very team oriented and we quickly assimilate those who show themselves to be team players. We have no tolerance for people who do their own thing, fight over PVE related bullshit, or who want to be on the "A Team" for PVP without first paying their dues. We will train all new recruits in our PVP tactics, so don't worry about having to be a PVP God at the time you join. At some point though we will make an assessment of you, and we will either keep or boot you.
SECTION VIII RETURN ON INVESTMENT (ROI)
If you sign up for an LotD game and utilize guild time and resources towards developing your character (meaning we put you in guild groups, give you access to guild gear, etc) and you bail on us inside of 90 days, you will be flagged as a bad ROI. If you are flagged as a bad ROI you will not be allowed to utilize guild resources if you return to that game, you will not be given priority in PVE or PVP grouping situations, and you will have to do a full 90 days in that game before being taken off the ROI list.
If you leave prior to 90 days and do not return to the guild game, then you will be flagged for the next game. That means in the next game you may not be allowed to game with the guild at all. If you are allowed to game with the guild you will be the last person we put in PVP and PVE groups, and you will need to find your own way of obtaining gear to equip yourself. If you hang through a full 90 days under these circumstances and go the extra mile to help out where needed, then you will be removed from the ROI list.
Exceptions
You post in the appropriate chapter forum and gain leadership's permission to be absent.
There is no other exception that will be authorized. In-between games and prior to the new game, we will publish an ROI list so that people know where they stand.
Reasoning
When we go into a new game, we depend on the guild members who sign up. It takes approximately 30-45 days to get a good guild setup and moving ahead in a new game, and approximately 90 days to develop enough of a recruitment pool to absorb core member loses. We also need members to help train and orient new members to the guild. Losing people rapidly over 90 days can collapse the guild in a game, and that can be a black mark on our 12 year history of success.
Core LotD and Chapter members are expected to go the extra mile for the guild, and those who don't are not entitled to a continuous seat at our table. So think long and hard before you sign up for any future games, because that signature will be your bond. If you break it, then you are simply helping to set the guild up for failure and that will not be allowed.
SECTION IX JOINING A NEW GAME CHAPTER
Everyone holding Lord rank and below will be required to fill out a formal application in order to join any guild chapter. You will not be added to any chapter user group or given any private chapter forum access until you have completed an application. The reasoning behind this is so there is no doubt on someone's status within a chapter. So if you fill out an application to join the chapter, you are considered to be an actively participating chapter member.
SECTION X GUILD TAGS AND DUAL GUILDING
LotD members who actively game in a game world where LotD has an active chapter are not allowed to belong to any other guild on any server. Dual guilding is NEVER permitted in a game where LotD has an official presence, regardless of server. It is, however, acceptable to tag with another guild in a game where LotD has no official presence.
SECTION XI NEW SUB-CHAPTER PETITION
LotD will not sanction any official sub-chapter unless there is at least one active voting Elder willing to participate. The role of the LotD Elder would be to oversee the chapter, orient the new leadership and ensure that the chapter meets guild standards. If a member is interested in expanding LotD?s presence into a new game world, they will contact an Elder who will bring it before guild leadership.
These by-laws are subject to change and revision. Copyright Lords of the Dead 1995-2008.
