A brief outline of Blackguard OOC policies. Where the language and the spirit of things conflict, the later takes precedence. There are currently two sections: Membership and Code of Conduct.


MEMBERSHIP
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Membership is granted by forum application, a brief OOC chat to decide which is the most convenient way to introduce your char (usually they'll be signing up for a contract) and finally RP'ing the actual meeting. We attempt to resolve applications quickly, but because we also like the guild to have a tight-knit feel IC and OOC, we will sometimes have a pause on recruitment to integrate recent recruits before taking new ones.

Members joining the guild will always be considered one of the following:

NEW – New members are in their trial period. The point of the trial is to let you decide if you like us and us to decide if we like you, as players as much as characters. The trial lasts as long as it needs to, IC and OOC, and there are no exact criteria for passing it. Above all we're looking for people who are active, fun to have around OOC and fit well with the Blackguard IC.
New members will always begin as Prospects enlisting in the Blackguard, unless explicitly otherwise agreed. They are limited to the one character.

ACTIVE – Active members are the people we see almost every day, but at least every week: life happens so the limits are flexible. Leeway increases when you've been active and keep us informed of needing time away: new recruits will be dropped after some weeks of inactivity, old members with a history of being around almost daily and giving notice of a hiatus will be retained for months.
Active members will generally have at least one character who is a Regular with Blackguard, though in rare cases where promotion can't happen for RP reasons, very involved Prospects can also be considered Active. The main perk of Active status is having alts in the guild (Alt and Associate ranks, not just the IC company ranks).

INACTIVE – All ranks are subject to a 1 month inactivity rule. Inactive Prospects will be booted, old members who are taking a break or play very rarely will be bumped to inactive status. Usually this means clearing their alts from the roster (to avoid roster bloat and hacker exposure) and keeping their main as a contact character for when they return from hiatus or feel like socialising.
Inactive members get their RP status and alt privileges back once they have rejoined roleplay and/or other guild activities again.



CODE OF CONDUCT
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1) Take an interest
Guild events are rarely put in the calendar, but if you're around for the social stuff, you'll find out about the job stuff too. Make an active effort to RP with your guildies, whether it's looking for things to do or getting to know other people's characters. Being useful gets you respect and being interested makes you more interesting.

2) Take responsibility
Only you can make your roleplay work. Blackguard characters are rarely well-behaved or nice, but they do need to be useful more often than they're plain trouble. If you're having trouble making your character work with something particular or in general, you can always poke /gchat or officers for suggestions – but ultimately control over your character's actions, attitudes and viability rests with you.

3) Use guildchat
Even if you have no time for rp a given day, you can always connect through /gchat. In addition to random OOC chat, it's also the perfect place for any and all questions. Can't find RP? Ask. Unsure if an idea you have is good? Ask! Confused about something? Ask! Want bg or dungeon company or something else completely OOC? Ask! Communication solves a lot of problems.

4) Bring the respect and the fun OOC
We like our reputation as reasonable and easy-going people about the server, and your actions while wearing our guild tag reflect on us all. Be mindful that this, whether it's on the in /gchat, in roleplay or on the forums. Ugly forum fights cause drama which we hate, and /gchat rants about other guilds or other people's RP kill the fun. We expect members to know when "discussion" becomes "trolling" or "whining" – and to not go there. If you don't like someone's stuff, don't play with them; if you absolutely must rant, do it in whispers to someone you like.

5) Language
IC language we won't regulate, but OOC we won't put up with negative use of gay, lesbian, rape or any other variant of gaybashing, misogynist or racist language. We know it's called "gamer slang" in some circles, but we don't use it. There are other ways to say what you mean, use them.

6) Expect to make mistakes
Everyone will at some point or other make mistakes. This is normal and not the end of the world. Most slips will be corrected, addressed, and then forgotten about.