This is true for all chapters that retain our tag and operate within this community. All official chapters of TLP should have their structure set up similarly to this. For the detailed responsibility that comes along with each of the ranks mentioned below, please see their particular manuals.
FOUNDERS
The Founders of TLP have a silent role in all chapters. They decide what game gets sanctioned to be a presence for us, create a guild in that game, and assign guild leaders to that new chapter. We’re are administrators for the most part. Not all Founders are active players, but they have experience running guilds in various games and their suggestions, opinions, or advice is highly valued. Founders also collectively pay for all tools, services, and software licensing for members to use (websites, forum systems, voice communication systems, etc.)
LEADERSHIP
GUILDMASTERS
Any Senior Officer of a past or current chapter with a minimum of TWO YEARS of service as SO or above can request to form a new guild in a new game. They take on great responsibility to ensure that we run these guilds in accordance to our mission statement and with the established organization and structure that has been proved tried and true. They are responsible for coordinating with founders to set up tools for their leaders/officers and general membership. Guildmasters within any TLP chapter have the right to collaborate with each other for ideas, suggestions, advice, feedback etc. This position is not held to ONE CHAPTER. The GM’s of all chapters are to be treated and respects by all members, of all chapters, as GUILD LEADERS.
They cannot leave their post and retain their active titles, if they choose to break from gaming or form a new chapter elsewhere, they are responsible for ensuring that their current chapter has a GM in place to take over. They can request to re-take their old position should they return to the game and the current GM leaves a vacancy. They and only they appoint CGM’s or AGM’s and together with them make policies and adjustments thereof. Founders may be required to temporarily step into a GM’s position should the need arise.
There can only ever be ONE primary Guild Leader to any chapter.
ASSISTANT OR CO-GUILDMASTERS
CGM’s or AGM’s should be able to function as guildmasters in totality in the absence of a GM. Should the current GM leave a chapter, to either break from gaming or form a new chapter, they promote any of the CGM’s or AGM’s to GM. Everything that the GM does should be able to be done by the CGM’s or AGM’s. They assist in the appointment of the Senior Officers for the chapter, vote on policy adjustments or changes that suit the game played, and together with the GM, are the only ones that make official policy changes and a voting role.
A CGM or AGM can request to step down from their posts should their real life get too busy or they choose to break from gaming and they feel they cannot properly perform the CGM or AGM functions. This should be done in a post in writing in the chapter’s leader, privately. Also note that CGM’s or AGM’s can be demoted if a GM feels they are not performing their duties as stated above and we expect them to have thick skin if that happens, but it is the duty of the GM to give them three warnings (all documented with a Founder as well) before a demotion is considered.
It is recommended to have a minimum of TWO CGM’s or AGM’s in any chapter, and no more than FIVE the total of which should always be an odd number. Founders may be required to temporarily step into a AGM/CGM’s position should the need arise.
SENIOR OFFICERS
Senior Officers are the people that take charge of ensuring our processes and policies are executed by all members of the guild, including officers, raid leads, and class leads. They are the first line of response when issues arise and should be given complete autonomy in aligning other members with the GM’s vision, the guilds’ goals, and the organization’s reputation. They can present suggestions for changes to policy for review to the CGM’s or AGM’s and GM’s, but must accept the decisions of their seniors and help adoption of those decisions by other leaders and members. However, SO’s have considerable weight in decisions whenever they present them and often CGM’s or AGM’s and GM’s take their stance to heart.
A Senior Officer can request to step down from their posts should their real life get too busy or they choose to break from gaming and they feel they cannot properly perform the Senior Officer functions. This should be done in a post in writing in the chapter’s leader, privately. Also note that Senior Officers can demoted if a GM or AGM feels they are not performing their duties as stated above and we expect them to have thick skin if that happens, but it is the duty of the GM to give the SO three warnings (all documented with a Founder as well) before a demotion is considered.
It is recommended to have a minimum of TWO Senior Officers in any chapter, and no more than FIVE the total of which should always be an odd number.
OFFICERS
Officers are the people assigned to deliver on specific tasks for a guild. The larger the guild, the more officers might be needed. While they must operate within the policies of the guild structure and guidelines thereof, they only play an advisory role in policy making; not a voting role. They can present suggestions for changes to policy for review by the SO’s, AGM’s , and GM’s, but must accept the decisions of their seniors and help adoption of those decisions by other leaders and members.
An officer can request to step down from their posts should their real life get too busy or they choose to break from gaming and they feel they cannot properly perform the officer functions, specifically of their assigned tasks. This should be done in a post in writing in the chapter’s leader forums. Also note that officers can demoted if a GM or AGM feels they are not performing their duties as stated above and we expect them to have thick skin if that happens, but it is the duty of the GM to give the Officer three warnings (filed as incident reports) before a demotion is considered.
Depending on the size of the chapter, the amount of officers can be unlimited, however we suggest to have at least a RECRUITMENT OFFICER. A RAIDING OFFICER, a CLASS LEADER OFFICER, and/or WARRING OFFICER (depending on whether the chapter actively engages in PvP) can also be very helpful to have at the start. (See Leaders Tools for specifics on these roles.)
COUNCIL
RAID LEADERS
Raid leaders could be appointed for PvE or PvP purposes. They are strategy executors for various large collaborative efforts in PvE and PvP. They manage member signups and/or rosters for set teams. It is their responsibility to ensure members are getting through content by research, interviews with more progressive guilds, engaging in discussion with the general public about strategies, etc. etc. It is also their responsibility to accommodate all avenues of member progression, whether that be small groups, small raids, medium raids, or large scale raids. Raid leaders should also be flexible and allow changes to strategies based on member, officer, or GM suggestions, however in the end they are responsible for getting us, the guild as a whole, through content.
A raid leader can request to step down from their posts should their real life get too busy or they choose to break from gaming and they feel they cannot properly perform their raid leading functions. Also note that Raid Leaders can demoted if a GM or AGM feels they are not performing their duties as stated above and we expect them to have thick skin if that happens, but it is the duty of the GM to give the raid leader three warnings (filed as incident reports) before a demotion is considered.
It is recommended to have a minimum of TWO Raid Leaders in any chapter, but there is no maximum as larger chapters may require more raid leaders. It is further recommended that you have at least ONE Raid Leader and ONE Raid Assistant per raid team the chapter puts together.
Appointed by: Chapter GM’s, AGM’s, SO’s, or Raiding Officers.
RAID ASSISTANTS
Raid leaders could be appointed for PvE or PvP purposes. They are strategy executors for various large collaborative efforts in PvE and PvP. They manage member signups and/or rosters for set teams. It is their responsibility to ensure members are getting through content by research, interviews with more progressive guilds, engaging in discussion with the general public about strategies, etc. etc. It is also their responsibility to accommodate all avenues of member progression, whether that be small groups, small raids, medium raids, or large scale raids. Raid leaders should also be flexible and allow changes to strategies based on member, officer, or GM suggestions, however in the end they are responsible for getting us, the guild as a whole, through content.
A raid leader can request to step down from their posts should their real life get too busy or they choose to break from gaming and they feel they cannot properly perform their raid leading functions. This should be done in a post in writing in the chapter’s Raid & Class Leader forums. Also note that Raid Leaders can demoted if a GM or AGM feels they are not performing their duties as stated above and we expect them to have thick skin if that happens, but it is the duty of the GM to give the raid leader three warnings (filed as incident reports) before a demotion is considered.
It is recommended to have a minimum of TWO Raid Assistants in any chapter, but there is no maximum as larger chapters may require more raid leaders. It is further recommended that you have at least ONE Raid Leader and ONE Raid Assistant per raid team the chapter puts together.
Appointed by: Chapter GM’s, AGM’s, SO’s, or Raiding Officers.
CLASS LEADERS
The Class Leaders are members that exhibit a proficiency in their respective class, are able to set standards and guidelines for all members of their class, can service as models and examples for others, can manage loot distribution fairly and appropriately, and can consistently log improvements for the members of their class through class reports. They will consistently research on patch notes, effect of said patch notes on their class, research specs/talents as well as roles needed for raid progression, test out patch changes on “alpha” servers, elaborate on helpful macros and rotations for their class, and perform trial member benchmarks.
It is recommended to have a minimum of ONE Class Leader for every class in any chapter. Raiding-centric guilds may need to have a class leader for each class for EACH raid team… such as we had in both RIFT and WoW… so there is no maximum as larger chapters may require more class leaders.
Appointed by: Chapter GM’s, AGM’s, SO’s, or Class Leader Officers.
SQUAD LEADERS
The Squad Leaders are members that exhibit a proficiency in player vs. player combat, are able to set standards and guidelines for all members that participate in PvP, know the ins and outs of all PvP maps (be it world PvP or instanced PvP), and can consistently measure improvement through goals and ratings. They will consistently research on patch notes, effect of said patch notes on PvP combat, research specs/talents that best suit effective PvP strategies, test out patch changes on “alpha” servers, elaborate on helpful macros and rotations for PvP, and perform trial member benchmarks.
It is recommended to have a minimum of ONE Squad Leader for every 15 players in any chapter.
Appointed by: Chapter GM’s, AGM’s, SO’s, or Warring Officers.
TEAM LEADERS
The Team Leaders are members that exhibit a proficiency in “team based” player vs. player combat, are able to set standards and guidelines for all members that participate in PvP, know the ins and outs of all PvP maps (exclusively for instanced team based PvP), and can consistently measure improvement through goals and ratings. They will consistently research on patch notes, effect of said patch notes on PvP combat, research specs/talents that best suit effective PvP strategies, test out patch changes on “alpha” servers, elaborate on helpful macros and rotations for PvP, and perform trial member benchmarks.
It is recommended to have a minimum of ONE Team Leader for every small group PvP team in any chapter. The Team Leader then defers to the Squad Leader when they join the bigger PvP efforts.
Appointed by: Chapter GM’s, AGM’s, SO’s, or Warring Officers.
MEMBERSHIP
Content, context, and nature of our member is based on the ESRB ratings for MATURE CONTENT. Which means that all members agree with and could be subject to the following:
| Games with this rating contain content which the ESRB believes is suitable for those aged 17 years and older; they can contain content with an impact higher than the “Teen” rating can accommodate, including intense and/or realistic portrayals of violence (such as blood, gore, mutilation, and depictions of death), stronger sexual themes and content, partial nudity, and more frequent use of strong language. |
APPRENTICE MEMBERS
Apprentices are full members (or above) that wish to help the guild in very specific positions and/or wish to learn the guild’s structure, rules, ranks, etc. to eventually become part of the Leadership. Apprentices do not HAVE to become officers, they can choose to stay as apprentices to do just their assigned tasks. They will often shadow an existing officer or above to learn what they need to learn and/or what they will need to know as an officer themselves. They are invaluable members that help to support the council and leadership of a chapter.
ELDER or SENIOR MEMBERS
This is the bread and butter of our guilds — these are our cross-chapter members or long standing members of a period of 6 months or more. Meaning they have had a significant stay with us and have played with us for various years in various chapters of this guild. Their advice, suggestions, and concerns are of our utmost importance.
FULL MEMBERS
Any member of the guild that has passed their 30 day trial period. Guildmasters may put additional requirements around what else constitutes a full member. Please refer to that chapter’s Charter for more information.
ALTERNATE CHARACTERS
Any characters that are top-level for the game they are in, but are not actively used in top-tier PvE/PvP scenarios. To have an alternate in TLP, you must have an active max-level character in TLP.
TRIAL MEMBERS
Trial members are applicants that have newly joined the guild or are looking to join the guild. They are on trial for a period of 30 days, in which time they are not allowed to roll/bid against a full member (or alternate) for loot or participate in giveaways and prizes. Guildmasters may put additional requirements and restrictions for trial members. Please refer to that chapter’s Charter for more information.
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EXCLUSIVITY
TLP requires all its members to put all their active characters, regardless of level, into TLP chapter guilds. We understand in certain situations this may not be prudent and we leave that to the discretion of the guildmasters and co-guildmasters. All Council and above positions, however, require players to keep ALL their characters in the TLP chapter of reference in order to retain their ranks. If for any reason they cannot, they must be placed in the Elder/Senior Member rank.
This structure was created on 10/31/01 by Demonic, Danitsia, and Olorin; revised by Danitsia on 7/2/16.