The Guild Grows

It is an amazingly dreary day here in Tulsaland.  As we were going for our evening walk last night the thunderheads were rolling in, and it quickened our pace a bit hoping to make the loop before getting rained on.  Throughout the course of the night there were some extreme bouts of house rattling thunder.  So other than braving the rain to go grab some breakfast… this is the perfect kind of day to stay inside and hide.

Bring July Showers

As we slept apparently bad things were happening, and we awoke this morning to the sound of the bedroom window leaking again.  We thought this was past us… so it was a pretty major hit in the gut to hear it happening again.  Last year we put a new roof on the house after some “vandalism”… otherwise known as opportunists going up onto our roof and making hail damage.  After getting a reputable company to replace the roof the leak had stopped.  The thing is I think it has nothing to do with the roof.

We have a second floor deck, and I think somehow it is leaking in up there and running down the wall and finally finds its way in via the window.  This only seems to happen with particularly horizontal rains…  which sadly happens quite frequently in Oklahoma.  Ultimately we will need to call the roofers out… because while I don’t think they have anything to do with it… I also certainly have no clue how to fix it more permanently.  I figure the roofers are a good starting place.

So my solid sleep stopped about 5 am when after a really loud thunder boom we noticed the drip.  While we tried to ignore it… the drip drip drip permeated all attempts to sleep.  Eventually at one point I needed to run to the bathroom… and when I went to jiggle the handle my wife begged me not to.  Apparently the sound of the toilet running was greatly preferable to the sporadic dripping of the window.  Just add this to the long list of things that need to get taken care of soon.

The Guild Grows

Yesterday we added several more people to the ranks, and I have been amazed at just how smooth and organic the growth has been.  I think that is ultimately what killed the WoW Stalwart for me… the growth ceased to be organic… and with the changes in Cataclysm we diluted the overall culture of the guild too much by taking on far too many people.  I said the other day that our guild has a really strong culture, and with it a certain brand of ethics.  When we used to grow a person or two at a time… it was easy to keep these common shared values.

However when we enveloped all of the guilds that raided as a part of Duranub Raiding Company… we grew too large too fast.  I don’t necessarily feel like the size of a guild is what is critical… it is the rate of acquisition of new members that ends up causing problems.  If you double your size over night… you greatly damage your guilds common core.  So as we continue to grow I will have to be weary of this.  Always in the past I sought out like minded people and abducted them into my guild, and I think this method will work well going forward as well.

Simple Message

I think what also helps is that House Stalwart has a really simple message, and this is personified by our three simple rules.  It used to be two simple rules… but i added a third because I felt it added just the right flavor to the mix to help reinforce the shared values.

1 – To Be A Member, You Must Have a Member in Good Standing Vouch for You.

This is one of the most important tenants I think.  Essentially it assures that anyone that joins the guild is already grounded in the culture through at least one existing member.  Additionally it is explained that this is a two way street.  When you choose to sponsor someone, you are also putting your own reputation on the line.  If you do not feel like a person is a good fit for the guild, then simply do not invite them.  We have a social channel that is completely viable to let folks into without necessarily inviting them to the guild.

2 – Don’t Be A Dick

The universal rule of the internet… the Wheaton rule.  The phrasing is a little harsh but it is also fairly ubiquitous with internet culture.  Our interpretation covers pretty much everything.  Don’t be a dick anywhere at all.  Some guilds compartmentalize… so long as their members don’t start trouble in the guild they don’t care what they are doing in the greater gaming  community.  I care… I care deeply.  We expect our members to represent the guild well outside the bounds of guild chat.  It used to make my day when some random stranger would message me just to let me know how much they enjoyed grouping with a member of House Stalwart in a dungeon or out in the world.  The attitude of our members is the best recruitment poster we will ever have.

3 – Help Others, As Often As Possible

This is the newest rule but I feel it sets the tone for the shared values.  If someone needs help… help them if you can.  If a guild member is stuck on a quest, if a random stranger out in the world is about to die to a mob, if someone needs that one last widget to craft something epic…  help them out if you have the ability to do so.  This is not to say that you should bend over backwards and put yourself in harms way just so someone else can benefit from your pain.  But if it is in your power, and you have the ability to do so… lend a helping hand whenever you can.

Going Forward

The key is that wherever we are… my hope is that we continue to carry the same values.  The World of Warcraft guild has strayed a bit from the basic message, and it is in part because rule three never existed there.  So people are following rule 1 and 2 well, but without 3… and with me no longer tending the flock it felt like that shared ethic of helping others when they need it without thought of remuneration was lost.  My goal has always been to keep the rules super simple, because if you have to lift up the weight of your rule book in order to determine the correct course it means your rules will ultimately get discarded.

So far the Rift community has been pretty awesome, and the Rift guild feels like home with everyone pulling together for the greater good.  Here is hoping we can maintain this momentum and keep the three tenants in mind as we go forward.  I know we still have several people who have not been online since the move, and that we will be increasing our numbers slightly.  Additionally I am always open to awesome people joining our ranks.  I have always been one that cares far more about the character of the person… rather than the skill at performing some game related task.  I am completely fine if Stalwart is nothing but a social guild… but hopefully Rift provides us with more than enough group based activities that we can get together and hang out.

Wrapping Up

Well I didn’t really intend this to be a treatise on my guild believes… but it turned into that.  I have a grumpy cat trying hard to snuggle with me… but ending up moved regularly to type… so I am going to spend some time petting her after I wrap this up.  I hope you all have a good rest of the weekend… for me I am completely fine being “rainbound” of sorts… but i know we ultimately need to get out and go to the grocery store.  Here is hoping we have a break in the rain somewhere… and I have the “give a shit” to actually get up and around and go.