Here is the charter draft. Everyone has one week to comment, starting today.
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The Valar Guild
History/PurposeThe Valar Guild was founded on October 4th, 1997 for the purpose of bringing together lovers of Tolkien’s works. In the last seven years, the Valar Guild has grown a lot, as members come and go, many others staying for a long time to become dedicated members of our community.
The Valar Guild stands on the values of honor, loyalty, and camaraderie, which are central themes of Tolkien’s works. We are not just an aggregate of people. We are a community of friends, and in many cases family, with a common interest and an agreement on how some things should be. Our members have many different skills and talents, but it is what we have in common that unites us.
Now, the Valar Guild expands into World of Warcraft, seeking to place roots and promote these values as we always have.
MembershipWe have two major requirements for membership in the Valar Guild. The first is maturity. You are expected to act honorably at all times while bearing the emblems of the Valar Guild in any medium, whether it be a tag, a tabard, or simply your name in the Valar Guild. If you cannot conduct yourself in this manner, you will not even have a chance to fulfill the second requirement.
The second major requirement for entry into the Valar Guild is knowledge and love of Tolkien’s works. This shows most immediately in the 5-questions test we give over Lord of the Rings. This is not a hard test, as its primary objective is to ensure you have read the books. Questions are not asked about the movies. Answers coming from the movies may be in grave error when compared to the source material, and such answers will be wrong.
Membership in the World of Warcraft branch means full membership in the Valar Guild, so all requirements for membership in the Valar Guild must be met.
HonorsThere are three levels of full membership in the Valar Guild. These are regular member, Maia honor, and Vala honor. For more detail on Maia and Vala honor, including how to attain these, see here.
ServerThe World of Warcraft Branch resides on Lothar, a normal server located within the US Eastern time zone. A normal server was chosen because we have found other options to be too restrictive in other games. On a normal server, we are free to be the Valar Guild.
Player vs Player (PvP)Player versus player combat is not required for any Guild member. For those who wish to partake in it, however, it is allowed within the Alliance versus Horde setting in the defense of Alliance lands. Remember to conduct yourself honorably, however. Even if killing an Orc won’t get you in trouble, poor conduct will.
Battlegrounds are currently being considered as blizzard prepares their implementation.
ChatThe Valar Guild is a family guild. We have members with children, and even some with grandchildren. We do not allow the use of profanity or obscenity in any Valar Guild communication, including but not limited to Guild chat, Valar channel Chat, our AIM meeting channel, or our forum. It takes time to type words, and during that time you can be using your brain to recall non-profane synonyms for words you may use in frustration or anger. The English language has over 1 million words, so don’t say you can’t find some.
Rules and CoCThese are fairly simple, and for the most part can be gathered from this charter. For a full list of rules and the Code of Conduct, go here.
CommunicationAnything new or up for discussion will be announced at the weekly meeting, on the Forum, on the Valar Guild WoW page, or (most likely) on all three. Some important Gaming News may also be announced on the Valar Guild Games Page, which is the general web page for Valar Guild gaming. It is strongly encouraged that members attend meetings whenever possible, and keep an eye Guild News Page as well. Participation in the forum is also suggested and encouraged.
Members are required to make at least a monthly contact with the Valar Guild through either e-mail, meetings, or Forum activity. Members who may be out of touch for a while due to various real life issues should either contact Eonwë or Varda so we are aware of the situation and won’t drop you should a sweep occur while you are gone.
If any member has concerns or questions, they may contact Eonwë (WoW Branch Leader), Varda, or Ulmo via e-mail or private message (on the Forum), in WoW, or contact any other member of the Council via e-mail.
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