Houyhnhnm (Guild)
From SpiralKnights
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Guild Origin
- Why did Karhea start this guild?
After speaking with many players, and observing how other guilds were run, Karhea saw that some are good and some are bad. He wanted to try the things that were good, and avoid the things that were bad, and gave that a lot of thought.
Then one day he realized the only thing that really matters is how people treat each other. Spiral Knights is a game, and the rest is foolishness. People come here to play for many different reasons. If people will agree to act like good human beings, then nothing else really matters.
Some guilds only care how strong your weapons are, and some do not seem to care about anything at all. Karhea decided to start a guild where it does not matter how strong you are today. He knows that with time and help, anyone can grow stronger. Karhea saw that what matters is how you treat other people, so that all players can have fun, and feel safe to make mistakes. Because only people who make mistakes get stronger. This guild is about allowing people to get stronger.
The guild name, Houyhnhnm, is borrowed from the Houyhnhnm encountered by the character, Lemuel Gulliver, in his travels through the book, Gulliver's Travels written by Jonathan Swift. Gulliver learned much about the nature of mankind from the Houyhnhnm, and we take away that any man may aspire to greatness, and any man may fall. The Houyhnhnm represent an ideal character that can be sought after by all, but few if any will achieve.
Success is found in perfecting the journey, not arriving at the destination.
Guild Summary
- What is the purpose of the guild's existence?
This guild is predicated on the concept that its members will aspire to be, or to become, good quality players. A Good Quality Player, is something we expect ourselves, and our guild mates to work at. These principles will carry over into other games, and into real life.
The point, is we aspire to become greater than we are, but never forget our humble roots.
There is only one founding guild master, and that is Karhea. Karhea may appoint an acting guild master if he goes on extended leave, but he will always keep an eye on things. Nobody knows how he does it, but he does.
Karhea is too old to be bothered with all of it, so he expects each member of this guild is responsible for their actions, and to participate in self-regulating this guild. The rules are simple, if you take the time to understand them.
Just try to be a human being, not a Yahoo.
- Who is in this guild?
Guild Members
- How do I get started?
To join, you can approach any Officer, or Karhea if can you find him. He is sometimes found in Rescue Camp, and sometimes in Haven. The rest of the time, we think he goes off wandering the clockworks alone.
- Joining is easy. Becoming a member requires a small amount of effort.
Of course, anyone may leave at any time, but we would like to make nice and keep you as our friend. So tell people when you are thinking of leaving. Karhea learned that it is always best to stand up when you come, and also when you go. If you are unhappy about something, talk to the officers about it, and they will try to make you happy if they can.
Before kicking anyone, we will first talk to them. We will warn them and try to get them to follow the guild principles. If they won't play nice, or if the infraction is serious enough, then we will start the count.
Nobody, not even Karhea will kick a player alone. The Officers must vote, and any involved players will also vote. If Officers abuse their power to kick, then Karhea will kick them instead.
The time limits for activity are very long. If you say nothing for one month, we will start watching your slot. If you say nothing and do not play for two months, then we may offer your slot to a player who is active. You are always welcome back if there is a slot available when you return. Juat reapply.- How people get promoted and how a knight is expected to conduct oneself within the guild.
Guild Rules You are expected to strive to behave like a human being. Follow what some people call, the golden rule, karma, reciprocity, etc. Basically, be honorable and kind. Here are some guidelines to help you understand what Karhea had in mind when he founded this guild.
There will be some requirements for qualifying for membership. Mainly, you need to understand the game, how to get around, and how to learn all you need to know. Fortunately, we are patient, and will help you learn what you need to know to achieve success in this game.
- Read the Spiral Knights Terms of Service.
- Read the Spiral Knights WIKI.
- Read the Houyhnhnm_(Guild) WIKI page and also the Houyhnhnm Guild web page when there is one.
- Watch and Listen to other players.
- Learn from your errors.
List things people appreciate seeing others do.
- Communicate. Say hello, and answer when spoken to. Let people know what is on your mind. If you don't tell them, they will never know.
- Friendly. Not just in the guild. All the time. Smile when you type, it makes a difference.
- Praise others. Everybody likes to hear a good word said about them. Pump up your team mates.
- Helpful. The strong have an honorable duty to help the weak. Be prepared to share what you know.
- Self-reliant. Be prepared to do everything in this game on your own.
- Show gratitude. Be appreciative when others do help you. Thank them.
- Show respect. For yourself, and for others.
- Be kind.
- Share. Share the health and the wealth.
- Ask before you tell. If you want to share advice, ask them if they want it first. If they say no, then you should say nothing.
List things people do not appreciate seeing others do.
- Begging. Learn to accept gratefully, but never ask for stuff you did not earn.
- Join spamming. Sending unsolicited mission invitations is spam. Don't invite people until you have chatted with them first. Then tell them what the level is so they can bring the right Loadout.
- A Sore loser is a poor loser. Learning to lose well is an important skill.
- Boaster. Confidence is good. Cockiness is Yahoo behavior. Learn the difference.
- Selfish or Foolish. Find the balance between giving too little, giving too much, and giving just right.
- Disrespecting yourself, or others.
- Name calling. This is one of the worst things you can do in this game. Tearing down another players esteem is very much Yahoo behavior.
- Don't use foul language. We have guild members of all ages, from many parts of the world.
- No name calling. Do not offer criticism, unless the person actually asks you to give it, then only tell them what they need to know to get better.
- Invite People - If costumes, uniforms or gifts are required, then mention that.
- Make a short speech to let people know what the occasion is.
- If it is a rank promotion ceremony, or an induction ceremony, then line up and salute or whatever becomes customary.
- Exchange gifts if there are any.
- Hang out and have fun.
<Everyone starts out as a recruit, and everyone gets one month as a recruit to make friends in the guild. There is NO skill requirement. You will not be asked to leave before then unless you behave badly. If you can secure a sponsor, and make some friends in the guild, then it should not take even a month to arrange for a membership vote.
- To become a member, you must have other members sponsor you. Play with them in missions, be nice to them, impress them... and you will be fine.
- You must own a Miners Hat to become a member. We will wear them as a costume helm to some official events. It is the only equipment that we require. The rest of your armor and weapons are up to you.
- To become a Veteran, you must become a Vanguard and you must consistently live by the principles of this guild. We may have some Members, who are Vanguards, but never become Veterans. Veterans are the life blood of the guild, and we hope to develop many Veterans.
- To become an Officer, a position must become vacant. Veterans in good standing will be elligible to become officers. The first few officers will be chosen by Karhea. Then the rest will be chosen by, and voted on, by the officers themselves.
- Most people will not be promoted above Member or Veteran, because we are hoping not to be a top heavy guild. Karhea expects that we can take care of ourselves.
For now, the cost is zero.
When three Rings upgraded the guild halls to include guild banks, and other premium items, then this guild may start charging maintenance fees to pay your share of the guild hall upkeep. It would be fair, whatever it is. We don't know yet how that will work yet. We will learn how that works in October or November 2012 perhaps.In this guild, we understand that people like to play with others at their own level or higher. So, here is the deal.
- The party leader is the leader of the party. Simple enough? They outrank anyone in the guild, including officers, and including Karhea, on matters concerning how they want their party to be led. They can invite, or kick, anyone they choose to. We trust they will have good reasons, because kicking without good reason is Yahoo behavior.
- In general, we expect to see people match up by level and rank. 1* with 1*, 2* with 2*, and so forth. That is the best way.
- Higher rank players always have the option to join a lower ranking mission, if they have the time an inclination to help out. You can ask once on the guild chat channel, or one by private message. Do not send a mission invitation without talking to the person first.
Frequently used templates These lines are just here to give the WIKI editor a place to copy and paste common templates.
