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Charter
Guardsmen and those that wish to enlist with the Guardsmen, are expected to have read and follow
the guidelines set forth in the Charter, and set a positive example for the Free Peoples.
char·ter
\'chär-tər\
noun
a written instrument or contract (as a deed) executed in due form
a written instrument from the authorities of a society creating a lodge or branch
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Behavior
- Be nice to others. Do not insult or criticize people. Treat others as you want to be treated. Guardsmen will treat everyone (both Kinship and non-Kinship players) with respect.
- Watch your language, in what you say and type. Swearing, racist slurs, bigotry comments, sexist remarks, etc. will result in disciplinary action which may include expulsion from the Kinship and/or being reported to the Game's company. Conversations that occur where multiple people are potentially present (such as Kinship Chat, voice chat, message boards, forums), be mindful of non-game related subjects (e.g. politics, religion) which may distract players from the reason they are logged in.
- Do not "voice spam" when using any form of voice chat (in-game or third-party). Keep your broadcasts short and to the point.
- Walk away for awhile if you are becoming frustrated with a player or you're having a bad gaming streak. If you keep playing, chances are you will only get even more frustrated or make the situation worse which you may later regret.
- Cooperation is something we take pride in. While assistance is always appreciated, it is not expected higher-level characters give up their time to help out lower-level characters (10 or more levels between two characters). Be respectful that other players are logged in to play the game and spend their time how they choose to.
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Role-playing
- Casual, light role-playing is encouraged for those comfortable with it. The Lord of the Rings Online is a MMORPG (Massive Multi-player Online Role-Playing Game), and it is implied that role-playing will be involved to some degree while playing the game.
- Be courteous to players who are role-playing even if you are not participating. Role-playing can be fun and enhance the overall game. While players are role-playing, please respect their wishes and resist the urge to spoil the mood with unrelated conversation, ruining a role-playing activity or event, or just being an inconsiderate player.
- Role-playing situations are not exempt from good behavior; be cautious on how the character's words and actions are perceived. The character is enlisted as part of the Guardsmen, the elite of the Free Peoples, and is expected to be courteous, honorable and always representing the Kinship in a positive manner (see the "Behavior" section for details).
- There is no requirement for a player to be a Middle-earth expert. In light of this, we encourage that everyone stay in the highest spirit of role-play, and not be critical when someone doesn't have the vast knowledge of Tolkien's Middle-earth you may have.
- Role-play guidelines for various chat channels:
Say: This is the one channel that is considered to always be in-character ("IC").
Fellowship/Raid: It depends on the group you are with. Please respect whatever the group wishes to do, especially if you join the group late.
Kinship: This channel is generally considered to be out-of-character ("OOC"). There is no need to surround your text with (( text )) to indicate OOC chat.
NOTE: There are no penalties for speaking IC or OOC in the above channels, just the preferred locations to do so.
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Enlistment
- Players with the following characteristics are considered for Kinship membership:
- Conduct themselves in a way that displays maturity. This includes conduct in-game, chat programs, e-mail messages, etc.
- Good sportsmanship, and show respect for fellow gamers.
- A desire to have fun.
- We prefer players to have all of their characters enlist with the Guardsmen, however it is not a requirement. This not only encourages friendships to form (from being logged into the same Kinship Chat channel most of the time), but demonstrates commitment to this kinship. It also helps players avoid any situation of being tempted of depleting and/or sharing the Kinship's resources with non-approved characters (NOTE: if a player is ever found guilty of this action, it could result in a demotion and/or expulsion from the Kinship).
- A player enters the Kinship as a Recruit, and will remain at that rank for a minimum of two (2) weeks while on probation. There is no obligation for either party to fulfill this probation period, and both are free to discontinue the probation as they see fit. At the end of the probation period, the Kinship leadership will then decide to either promote the player to the rank of Member, extend the probation by another week, or remove the Recruit from the Kinship enlistment process. Once a player is a full Member of the Kinship, they will then have access to rights based on the rank.
NOTE: Alternate characters of Members in good standing, are exempt from the probation period (see the "Alternate Characters" section for details).
- If a Recruit is inactive for 30 days, we reserve the right to remove them from the Kinship.
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Alternate Characters
- We prefer players to have all of their characters enlist with the Guardsmen, but it is not a requirement (as noted in the "Enlistment" section). For any Member of good standing, alternate characters are exempt from the enlistment process; just inform an Officer you want your alt to join the Kinship and they will automatically receive the rank of Member.
- Playing an alternate character (aka "alt") can be beneficial for both the player and for the Kinship. We understand the desire to take time off from playing one style of character. It gives the player an opportunity to experience the game differently, as well as another way for a player to support the Kinship through different crafting vocations, classes, etc.
- It is encouraged that a player make use of the "Kinship Player Note" feature under the Social panel, Kinship tab to help everyone keep track of who is who. Listing your main character name in the alternate character's player note helps with that.
EXAMPLE: If the player's main character is named, "Sam", his alt character's player note might say something like, "Sam's Alt" or "Ally of Sam".
- Alternate characters part of the Kinship are requested to be logged in once every 60 days. We reserve the right to remove any "alt" character from the Kinship roster if they are not currently active within the specified time period. If a Member (in good standing) decides to start playing that character again, they are welcome to rejoin the Kinship.
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Member Activity
- There is no obligation for a player to feel they must play the game everyday or even once a week, but it is preferred they login once in a while to show good faith they remain part of the Kinship. Further details are listed below.
- If you plan to be inactive for 30 days or more, please be considerate and do one (or more) of the suggested actions:
- Notify an Officer.
- Update your main character's Player Note of when you expect to return.
- We reserve the right to remove Members from the Kinship roster if they are inactive for 90 days or more. If you were in good standing prior to becoming inactive, you are eligible to rejoin the Kinship when you start playing again without going through the "Enlistment" process.
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Fellowship & Raid Groups
- Agree to a fellowship or raid leader; for official Kinship events, the leader will be determined by the Officers. Please remember you are working together as a team to complete the task at hand.
- Determine the "loot rules" prior to starting a quest or task, and make sure everyone in the group understands them; "loot rules" for official Kinship events will be determined by the Officers. Suggested guideline for the Guardsmen: "Need before greed" ("NBG").
NEED is rolled when the character rolling can directly use the item.
GREED is rolled when the character rolling cannot directly use the item (i.e. selling for profit, giving item to another character even if it is only to process then give back).
- Preferred attendance order to events that are limited to a set number of people*:
1 - Members & Recruits
2 - Allies
3 - Friends
4 - Everyone else
* When there are more players than openings in a group, the following is a guideline to determine who is selected for the group:
1 - Characters that have/need the quest AND are level appropriate (quest level +8/-5 levels)
2 - Characters who are level appropriate
3 - Higher-level characters (quest level +9 levels or more) that still need to complete the quest
4 - Higher-level characters
- Be considerate when organizing and signing up for scheduled events. The organizer should list desired roles to be filled when setting up the event. Removing a player (who had already signed up for the event and was selected to fill a role in the group) at the last moment to make room for someone is consider very rude and in "poor taste". If someone signed up is unable to participate, it is best to have pre-determined who can fill in as a backup.
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Kinship House
- The Kinship house is open to all characters to visit, with decorations being usable by anyone.
ADDRESS:
- Bree-land Homesteads
- Rocknor Neighborhood
- 1 High Road
- Kinship house chests are accessible only by Guardsmen with the rank of "Officer" or higher. Items stored are "free-for-all" for Guardsmen to use; take what you need, leave what you don't. It is acceptable for an Officer to access the Kinship house chests on behalf of a Member or Recruit (e.g. to either give an item or craft an item using stored materials).
NOTE: As mentioned in the "Enlistment" section, sharing of Kinship resources (including items in the Kinship House chests) with non-approved characters is prohibited. If a player is ever found guilty of this action, it may result in an expulsion from the Kinship.
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Disagreements & Disputes
- All disagreements should be handled privately and discreetly. If a problem cannot be resolved, please bring it to the attention of an Officer or the Leader.
- The Officers and Leader have the final word in any dispute between members.
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Disciplinary Actions
- Officers have the authority to warn, demote and/or remove Members and Recruits. Officers are responsible for deciding on how to deal with members that act in contrary to the Kinship's guidelines.
NOTE: Recruits will face a lower level of tolerance than full Members; they may be removed without consultation if their actions make it clear they don't share the general Kinship spirit.
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Disclaimer
Rulings on any questions or situations not defined or described by this document are made by the Kinship leadership, and are considered final. The Kinship leadership reserves the right to update and modify this document as necessary with little or no warning.
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Addendums
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