Guild Charter

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. What is Tribute to Mortality?
  3. Guild Leadership
  4. General Conduct
  5. Member Obligations
  6. Guild Obligations
  7. Mumble Server
  8. Guild Events
  9. Guild Bank
  10. Recruitment Policy
  11. Disputes
  12. Disciplinary Action
  13. Privacy
  14. Inactivity
  15. Guild Quitting
  16. Revolving Door
  17. Caveat Lector
  18. Disclaimer
  19. Authors
  20. Revisions

Introduction 
The purpose of this guild charter is to give you an idea of what to expect of the guild and its members and what it's members can expect of the guild. After reading this document you should be able to say without hesitation one of two things:

"This guild is for me!" or "Maybe AAO would be better?"

Contained within are details on the guild history, its rules, and member conduct requirements. This document tries to cover every situation or scenario that may arise. In the event that a situation arises that is not covered here, the Officers will have the final say in the matter. Afterwards they will make the appropriate modifications to this document.

What is Tribute to Mortality? 
Tribute to Morality (hereinafter referred to as "TTM" or "Tribute") is a guild founded on Feathermoon Server on Febuary 7, 2009 by Smilingjack, Maedea, Lokaas, Irenke and Krilari.

When you see a TTM member, you will see a motivated player who will never be alone. Focusing on end game content and pvp is what we do, and we do it well. You can expect to be around experienced and dedicated players in TTM, who will prove to you that teamwork is essential. You get out what you put in.

Guild Leadership 

The Council
King:
Smilingjack

Queen:
Maedea (Grand Banker)

Bishop:
Irenke
Lokaas
Tanzy
Krilari

Knight:
Mighella
Samich

The Council deals with the day to day operations of running the guild as well as some of the raid leading.

The Queen deals with guild bank, guild funds (both in-game gold and donation money), Mumble server and website.

General Conduct 
When you wear the Tribute guild tag, you represent all members of the guild. We are an adult guild and we engage in adult humour, but we also expect a certain level of maturity and mutual respect from our members. We joke around, are sarcastic, troll the occasional n00b in 2. Trade and playfully insult each other. However, please know your audience. Racism, sexism, homophobia, and other blatantly intolerant behaviours are not acceptable, no matter how funny you think they are. Just as members have an obligation to limit their offensive content, they also have an obligation to quietly let the individual or the Officers know if they find something offensive so an attempt can be made to address the issue.

Tribute does not tolerate:

  • Griefing or harassment of any type, to anyone.
  • Drama. If you have a problem with someone/thing, take it up with the Officers or the individual via private channels.
  • Ninja-looting will not be tolerated, EVAR. This not only applies to raids but 5-man PUGs, etc. Before a group/raid you are in begins make sure you know the loot rules. Understand them. Obey them. If you don't like the loot rules, you do not have to stay. (Guild Loot Rules)
  • Kill stealing, node stealing or just general asshattery.
  • Parasites. Tribute is not a feeder guild. Our people are not here to help you progress and get gear just so you can immediately leave for a high-end raiding guild. We expect members to be dedicated to progressing TTM.
  • Hacking, bots, exploiting, illegal mods, or other forms of cheating.
  • Any other violations of the Blizzard Terms of Service.

Member Obligations 

  • You are expected to check the guild forums and website at least occasionally, since most guild issues will be discussed there. If you can't be bothered to check a URL once or twice a week, we can't be bothered to keep you informed of things that might concern you.
  • As a member of Tribute, you are a formal representative of the guild and your fellow guild mates. If you observe someone bashing the guild or its members step up and defend them; silence is the same as agreement.
  • Commit yourself to the cause. You are NOT required to raid; however the primary focus of the guild is Raiding. By raiding, you will be better acquainted with fellow members, you show your motivation to advance in the game, and increase your chances for going on future raids. Come prepared or don't come at all.
  • You are NOT required to go to every raid, only accept to raids when you can make the commitment.
  • Be respectful to your fellow guild mates. Whether it is in says, trade chat, guild chat, or a raid; treat others as you would have them treat you. Respect your guild mates time, only sign-up for something if know for 100% you can make. If you're pretty sure, just not 100%; that's what's tentative is for. Signing up for something and not showing up. Not only reflects badly on you, but on the guild (in the case of 25 mans joint runs) as well.
  • Serve Tribute, and Tribute will serve you. If a guildie ask for help, and you are able to, help them. They will return the favour. It can be as simple as getting an item out of the Guild Bank to helping them do the weekly raid.
  • You are to conduct yourself with at least a modicum of diplomacy and tact when interacting with other denizens of Feathermoon in game and on the Feathermoon forums. This includes the other faction.
  • Do the right thing, especially when no one is watching. Do what you say you'll do, and say what you truly think. Don't make the commitment if you don't intend on following through. Particularly when it comes to raiding.
  • Tribute is a progression raiding guild, and as such we wipe A LOT. We expect our members to be prepared for wipes, be prepared for those 100g+ repair bills. And have the ability to grin and bear it.
  • As a member of Tribute you are expected to follow the Raiding Code of Conduct.

Guild Obligations 

  • A friendly and fun environment where you can meet like-minded people who want to enjoy all the aspects of WoW.
  • Maintaining Guild Website, Forums and Mumble server.
  • Maintain/update various guild resources such as, World of Logs, Guildox, Wow-heroes, etc...
  • Role-play opportunities on the forums and in the game.
  • Scheduled PvE, PvP and RP events.
  • Set up raids (PVE) for the current level of content.
  • A guild bank and tabard.
  • Resources, advice, community, and whatever else we are able to offer.

You get out of Tribute what you put into it. If you want organized PvP, organize a PvP group. If you want to raid a dungeon, organize a raid. Don't expect everything to be done for you. The Officers do their best to provide event opportunities and leadership, but it is impossible for them to customize events for everyone. TTM is a resource and a source of companionship. TTM is not your mommy. Have a need? Speak up and organize it.

Generally speaking, Tribute will schedule raids for the current level of content, all previous levels of content will be run on a case-by-case basis, and as such are not weekly raids.

Ranks
Guild Ranks:

  • King
  • Queen
  • Bishop
  • Knight
  • Castling
  • Rook
  • En passant
  • Captured
  • Pawn

King - Pretty self-explanatory, has administrative control of the guild's operations, including giving ranks, privileges, adding/removing guild members, etc.

Queen - This person deals with the back-end of things like the website and Mumble; as well all things regarding loot and the guild bank.

Bishop - With the King and the Queen are the leaders of the guild.

Knight - Adjuntant to the Officers

Castling - PVE/PVP/RP Leaders

Rook - This is your main toon, which also happens to be raid ready

En passant - You are long standing or dedicated member of the guild, or someone's alt.

Captured - This is the status you get if you haven't been on in a while. And after a while with this rank, you will be removed from the guild. Also the time out rank

Pawn - You are a new member of the guild!

Mumble Server
Server information can be found in-game in the guild info. Lobby is muted so people don't login to people talking.

The Ground Rules:
Have fun, be social, and be friendly!
No SPAM, No SOUNDBOARDS and No ABUSE
Do NOT switch channels every 5 seconds, this is classed as SPAM and will grant you a one-way pass OFF the server.
Make sure you're in the right channel for your situation or you'll be moved by an Admin when you're unaware of it. Use the channel for your game and/or activity, if your game is not listed, please use the lobby of Other Games and Servers. You can also request new channels in the Member section of the forums.

Blue Lounge Vs. Red Lounge:
There is really no different between the guild lounges, they are just called that because you can't have two channels called the exact same thing.

Password Protected Channels
Hall of Legends is an Officer Channel

Other Channels
Dungeon Channels (only 10 man and 25 man) and PvP (arena) channels have a connection limit.

Maedea's Channel of Prefect Zen is an alert free zone, and has a transmit limit of one minute.

AFKs Channel is exactly like the lobby, a completely muted channel.

Guild Events 
Guild events will be posted on the in-game calendar and/or on the website calendar. If the event has limited openings for participation, you should sign up as soon as possible. The event coordinator(s) will be responsible for selecting from the people who signed up. In general, selection is made by "first come, first served" unless it would significantly interfere with the success of the event.

Guild Meetings
Periodic general meetings of the guild membership will be scheduled in advance and posted on the in-game calendar and the Guild MOTD. Meetings will, in most instances, be for the purpose of considering promotions of members, discussion of general guild policies or just general announcements. Participation in guild meetings, though not mandatory (unless otherwise posted) are strongly encouraged. If you are in game and free, your participation would be preferred. Meetings are the chance for your to voice your concerns. If you don't participate, don't complain if guild policies and/or raid times don't match your preferences.

The guild is only as good as the members who participate in it. The guild should be a reflection of everyone's participation. If you have a suggestion, let an Officer know. We will take all suggestions seriously. If you bring up an idea, Officers may place it on the agenda for consideration at the next general guild meeting. If not, the Officers will try and let you know why.

Note: Guild meetings are held on Mumble, unless otherwise noted.

Guild Bank 
Tribute's bank is a way for us to contribute to each other's success in the game. We ask that you don’t abuse your withdrawal privileges and please keep in mind that you are expected to make a small donation to the bank on any withdrawals you take.

A “like kind” deposit of an item of similar value is a fair trade out to cover your withdrawal. Higher level items such as rare drops, gems, potions, etc. are expected to be compensated by half the value of what that item would sell for on the auction house. Please do not clutter the bank tabs up by depositing gray or white items or foods with no buffs. When removing items from the guild bank, it is expected that you replace the item with an item(s) of similar value or money within a reasonable time frame after making the withdraw. 

Members should also read each information tab for each individual bank tab before depositing or withdrawing items. A general guide is listed below:

Flasks and Food
Cut gems, glyphs, cooked foods, enchants, greens for disenchanting.
Enchants and Gear
Flasks, Elixirs, glyphs, cooked foods, enchants.
Materials Tab
Enchanting mats, Cooking mats, alchemy mats, and eternals.
BS and ENG Mats
Blacksmithing mats, Engineering mats, recipes
Jewel LW Tailor
Jewel crafting mats, Leather working mats, tailoring mats, recipes
Treasure Chest
Epic items, epic recipes, orbs and cards. -Grand Banker access only

You are prohibited from removing items you cannot use due to level requirements or not having the profession (or skill level in a profession you do have).  Any exceptions to this policy must be approved by an Officer and is then reported to the Grand Banker for tracking purposes.
 
You are also prohibited from using the guild bank for personal financial gain. Guild members may not remove guild bank items and sell them to vendors, sell that at the auction house, or to trade to other players. Violation of guild bank policies and procedures shall be cause for disciplinary action.

Note: Once you deposit something it becomes the property of Tribute and may be disenchanted, sold, and or vendor at the discretion of the Grand Banker, within reason of course. Main reasons for the Guild Banker to do any of the above is to create room in full bank tabs or sell off low level items (BC Mats, Vanilla mats etc...) that there is just too many of.

Treasure Chest
People that require an item from this tab should post a request in the forum or ask the Grand Banker directly. If more than one person requests the same item, the decision will be made by the Grand Banker based on who most benefits from it (considering level, other gear, number of previous requests, main or alt, spec, etc). People who have deposited useful items/monies in the past will be given priority over those that haven't.

Items of equal value are also accepted, or a combination of both items and gold. Talk to an Officer or the Grand Banker for information regarding this.

Do to the limited nature of many items in the guild bank; it is safe to assume "First Come; First Serve".

Recruitment Policy

Recruit Status
New recruits to Tribute are under the "Pawn" status for period of time of no longer than 31 consecutive days.
During this time you have full rights as a member for signing up for raids and loot. The “recruit” rank is primarily to designate who is new to the guild.

This probationary period is necessary for us to determine if you are a fit within Tribute. The time it takes to be promoted from a recruit to a member depends on the recruit's availability to group with other members. This means a recruit should show a little initiative to group with Tribute so that we can collectively gauge their fit within Tribute and their ability to contribute effectively in instances and raids. The duration of Recruit status could be as short as a week or two, but will not be longer than 31 days.

If the recruit has been unavailable for an entire month than we have been unable to evaluate him or her, it is clear than they are not a fit for Tribute and will be removed from the guild.

Officers: New invites should have an Officer Note containing the date the new member was added, and who the sponsor is (if any).


Instancing
New invitees are encouraged to make themselves available on non-raiding nights for some instancing with the Tribute's officers. It will be during those instancing efforts that new players will be evaluated on class skill and how well they work with other members.

Website
Recruits must be registered on the website as soon as possible. As this allows for a more in-depth review when the period of probation is over. You will be judge based on performance, attitude, and attendance.

Website Applications
All website applications are reviewed by Tribute members. Discussion on a web application occurs for at least a week, but no longer than 14 days. During this time, your armoury is check, your application is reviewed for completeness. During this time, your application can be declined for any reason. Reason for being declined are always included, correcting these reasons will allow you to apply again.

Note: Those that apply through the guild website are still subject to the probationary period.

Disputes
No matter how much everyone gets along, arguments are bound to occur. These should not occur in Guild Chat or Raid Chat. Reserve your arguments for whispers and contact an officer if you need further resolution. If an argument erupts, you will be asked to take it to tells once. If it continues after you have been asked to take it to tells you will suffer disciplinary action, up to and including removal from the guild.

Also, from time to time, you may question a policy or procedure that we have in place and maybe have a thoughtful argument for a better policy. These are encouraged, but should be done on the forums. Guild Chat and Raid Chat are not the places for such discussions. If your comments are meant to attack or harass the post will be removed or edited. Keep your comments constructive, not destructive.

Finally, negative behaviour is frowned upon and may be punishable through disciplinary action. This includes voicing distaste for the guild as a whole and/or guild members, as well as complaining about guild activities/policies/general way of conducting itself. Civilized and mature discussion is fine; threats and the like are not.

Disciplinary Action
Tribute believes the punishment should fit the crime. Disciplinary action is done by the GM. If they are unavailable a temporary punishment is handed out by the Officers present. Action taken this way will always be reviewed by the GM.

This may take the form of:

  • Verbal warning
  • Written warning
  • Removal from Raids
  • Demotion
  • Removal from Guild

Members should report inappropriate actions of other members to the Officers. Reports from those outside the guild will be considered in disciplinary actions as well, though they will not be granted as much weight.

Whenever possible a member will be asked for their side of the story before disciplinary action is taken. If the infraction is minor they may simply be given a warning. If behaviour is chronic or severe they may be demoted. If behaviour does not improve they will be removed from the guild.

If you feel you have been treated unfairly, or punished unjustly. You can appeal the decision, by sending a PM (on the forums) to an Officer, and the matter will be reviewed by the GM and Officers.

Account sharing: If you share your account with a parent, sibling, friend or spouse and that parent, sibling, friend or spouse violates the rules and has your character banned from the guild (or other disciplinary action), you may not ask for reinstatement because "it wasn't you". The account is yours and anyone using it is responsible for abiding by the guild rules.

Note: Depending on the severity of the infraction, the GM may choose to remove that person's characters from the guild if a resolution to the problem cannot be found (i.e. refusal to apologize to the offended party).

Privacy 
Things discussed in guild chat, officer chat, on mumble and member/officer-only forums are private unless otherwise stated. You should not discuss, paraphrase, cross-post content, or make it available in any way to the seething masses of the internet. Punishment for breaking this will be quick and brutal.

Sharing personal information regarding any of your guild mates overheard in guild chat/mumble/forums through improper channels will be rewarded with swift and brutal punishment at the hands of the Officers.

Inactivity 
We want our players to be active. If you know you need a leave of absence, let an officer know, and/or post an AWOL in the forums, and we can add a note to your character to not be removed. Characters that are inactive for 3 months or longer may be removed at any time. Characters are demoted to Captured after a month of inactivity.

Guild Quitting
If you join this guild, it's because we want you here. We don't put time and effort into your characters for bigger and better things with another guild; we're working with you, levelling, and gearing you up so that we can do the bigger and better things.  If you have issues that are keeping you from enjoying your time gaming with us, we invite you to discuss these with the leadership to see if we can resolve them.  We realize that some issues cannot be resolved due to personality conflicts, guild policies or the fact that you just are not a good fit for this guild.

If you choose to leave this guild we ask that you talk to one of the guild leaders in game or via e-mail.  If we have talked to you about resolving your issue(s) to no avail, or if you just feel in your heart that this guild is not a good fit for you, we will wish you the best of luck and see you on your way.  We would expect you to de-guild during your normal play times and let the guild know you are moving on.  They have become your friends and they do like the opportunity to say goodbye.

Revolving Door 
If you take out your main or alt one time, that character may re-join only ONCE. If the character is taken out a second time that character will not be re-invited to the guild at any time for any reason.; this is to eliminate people constantly leaving and re-joining the guild.

The following are generally good ways to ensure you will not be invited back to the guild once you have /gquit:

Threatening to leave the guild if you do not get your way will result in you not having the option to /gquit as you will be removed from the guild on the spot.

Caveat Lector 
This charter is considered a "living document." Tribute reserves the right to modify it at any time. In areas not covered in the charter, decisions and rules will be addressed by the Officers on case-by-case bases.

Disclaimer
Tribute to Mortality does not cover misuse, accident, lightning, disconnect, flood, tornado, tsunami, volcanic eruption, power outage, earthquake, hurricanes and other Acts of God, trolling, sarcasm, singing or other Acts of Mig, ranting, raving, nerd rage, or other Acts of Jack. Or any Acts of Garothmuk. Neglect, damage from improper reading, incorrect line voltage, improper or unauthorized use, broken antenna or marred cabinet, missing or altered serial numbers, removal of tag, electromagnetic radiation from nuclear blasts, sonic boom, crash, ship sinking or taking on water, motor vehicle crashing, dropping the item, falling rocks, leaky roof, broken glass, mud slides, forest fire, or projectile (which can include, but not be limited to, arrows, bullets, shot, BB’s, paintball, shrapnel, lasers, napalm, torpedoes, or emissions of X-rays, computers, Alpha, Beta and Gamma rays, knives, stones, phonebooks, books, etc...). Please only use as directed. Avoid contact with skin. Contents may settle during shipment. Tribute to Mortality is not responsible for direct, indirect, incidental or consequential damages resulting from any defect, error or failure to perform. Not recommended for children. Reproduction strictly prohibited. No other warranty expressed or implied. This offer is void in Australia.

Common side effects may include: Blurred vision, carpel tunnel, dead leg, Tourette syndrome, dehydration, dizziness, glassy eyes, headache, loss of appetite, nervousness, ringing in ears.

Less common or rare side effects may include: Changes in heartbeat, chills, confusion, depression, divorce, dry eyes and mouth, emotional volatility, hearing loss, high or low blood pressure, inability to sleep, sleepiness.

Tribute to Mortality isn't for everyone; please consult your doctor before use.

Authors 
Primary author:
Maedea

Contributing authors did not necessarily write parts of the Charter, but their questions and concerns definitely help shape it.

Contributing authors:
Blackshae
Irenke
Krilari
Lokaas
Mighella 
Smilingjack
Tanzy

Revision

Last revised: July 8, 2011 - Spelling and Grammar

June 30, 2011 - Clarified some sections, fixed spelling, and removed Terakin from the Officer List.

February 28, 2011 - Added the Disclaimer

February 13, 2011 - Updated ranks, other minor edits, moved raid related information to the Raiding code.

January 12, 2011 - Updated ranks, other minor edits

December 8, 2010 - Added Mig and Samich to junior officer

November 19, 2010 - Updated for Cataclysm, changed the order of a few things, added Mumble rules, clarified Shadow Council section, added Tanzy to Officer List.

June 12, 2010 - Clarified some sections, fixed spelling, and added Terakin to Officer List.

December 26, 2009 - Updated for patch 3.3, clarified Guild Bank section

November 19, 2009 - clarification

November 14, 2009 - Formatting

November 6, 2009 - Added Guild leadership, expanded Revolving door

November 5, 2009 - Added a table of contents/links, introduction and what is, section. Added formatting.

October 28, 2009 - Creation of Guild Charter

We are an adult guild and we engage in adult humor, but we also expect a certain level of maturity and mutual respect from our members. Please do not use guild chat or ventrilo for rants, spam, begging, personal drama, and/or excessive profanity. We do joke around, be sarcastic, and playfully insult each other. However, please know your audience and do not behave in an intentionally derogatory or insulting manner towards other members.