Serenity (Doomhammer)

[Dejia]

Information

In this topic you will find everything you need to know about Serenity and its ways. Be sure to become familiar with all that is explained here, many questions you may have will be answered in this topic. So read on!

Policies

Policies? Yes policies! To have a guild function properly, without any hassle, policies are required. They make sure that everyone knows what to expect, they make sure the guild will remain healthy. Having these policies will give us grounds for removal from the guild if people repeatedly violate these policies. Don't let it come that far; abide by the policies and enjoy the raiding with your fellow team mates and all will be just fine.

Index

Information, policies and rules are divided over a couple of categories. Click the link to go straight to the post describing the category:

1. About Serenity
2. Social behaviour
3. Alternate Characters
4. Trial Members
5. Guild Ranks
6. Raiding
7. Absence
8. Loot & DKP (Dragon Kill Points)
9. Guild Bank policy
10. Penalty system
11. Serenity Forums

[Dejia]

1. About Serenity

Serenity is a guild that is all about raiding end-game content. But, this is not the only thing that makes up Serenity. Serenity is much more. Serenity is about teamwork, unity and generally having a good time! All of these elements are what make up Serenity. Serenity aims at a mature guild setting with people who have a true sense of team-spirit. Only team spirit can make a guild work. As a result, Serenity is a guild that is progressing through content at an above average rate.

History, Chapter I

Serenity was founded shortly after another alliance raid guild called Balance was disbanded. Many of the today's members (and all of the officers) are a former Balance member. After Balance got disbanded, I, Dejia got the rigid idea to create a new guild to give home to all of those ex-balance that were out there in the dark. The team Balance once had needed to be brought back together again. And so, Serenity was born. A serene new start for all those raiders that had shared tears and victories with each other.

History, Chapter II

Late 2006. The Burning Crusade was about to be released. The remarkable team of raiders made it all the way up to Chromaggus in Blackwing Lair. Unfortunately, Blackwing Lair was never completed. Christmas breaks, server transfers and more brought Serenity to a halt. After rolling into 2007, The Burning Crusade was released and Serenity never continued raiding. Members leveled up to get ready for the TBC content. During that time, I had bought an appartment and was occupied with moving to and setting up my new home. More changes stopped me from leading Serenity completely. During my absence, people moved other ways, carrying with them fond memories of this guild. Serenity was hybernated for an undetermined time untill I somehow would find time again for WoW.

Early 2008. I have returned to the game after a year's break, which I really needed. Together with old members, the time was there to thaw Serenity and rebuild it to its former glory! My friends, that is where we stand today. A new chapter in the life of a raiding guild. I'd say... enjoy the good times to come..!

[Dejia]

2. Social behaviour

Serenity is a guild that focusses on a mature environment. This means that every member needs to have at least some common decency with anything you do. Never forget that there are real people behind the characters you meet in game, and just as in reallife, if you make an ass out of yourself, you're granted the same attitude. So please, with anything you do, make sure you show a nice, socially acceptable attitude. Don't call names unnecessarily, don't bash fellow guildies, don't personally attack them. Treat your fellow members with a level of respect and receive respect in turn.

Ofcourse disagreements may occur once in a while; nobody is perfect. When that happens, try to show your better self and try to solve the dispute in a mature manner. Try to fix it rather than to break it more. If, in a rare case, you are unable to settle a dispute, talk with the officers. They are there to help you settle disputes. Don't cry to officers if someone calls you a noob in good fun. We're talking about serious issues here. A lot is allowed under the label of "friendly banter". Just don't cross the line.

As a member of Serenity, you wear the guild-tag of Serenity. Serenity intends to be a reputable, respected guild on the Doomhammer server. Keeping this in mind, be kind to strangers. If they ask for help, don't ignore them. Just politely decline their requests. Or help them if you want. Show a respectful attitude to the citizens of Doomhammer. Ignore those crooks that are a part of our server too. Don't stoop down to their level and get into useless arguements. Again, show your better self and turn your back.

For most people this all shouldn't be difficult. Help build Serenity's reputation and show maturity.

[Dejia]

3. Alternate Characters

Every guild member may have one maximum level alternate character in the guild. Alternate characters receive their own special rank: Alt. In the player notes in-game, the name of the main character will be listed so you can always see to whom the alternate character belongs.

Why are alts allowed? Well, if you do the same thing over and over a lot of times, there's a big chance you can get bored or burnt out. How nice would it be if you could continue to raid with your fellow raiders while playing a different class..! Hence, we allow one alt per main character.

Rules regarding alts:

• Alts must be maximum level and attuned.
  This is obvious. Alts must be the maximum level. Attunements can be done in-guild, but do them asap.
  
  
• Alt characters will be added to the DKP registration just like main characters.
  There will be two ranks on the DKP administration site: Main, and you guessed it: Alt.
  
  
• Alternate characters can accumulate DKP like any other character.
  Alternate characters can buy equipment only if no main characters need the equipment for their main spec. When main characters would need the item for their off-spec while the alternate character needs it for its main spec, the alternate character will have priority.
  
  
• DKP can not be transfered.
  When you decide to play your alt, you can not transfer the earned DKP to your main character. Each character will have to accumulate its own share of DKP.
  
  
• You can toggle your alt / main character once each two weeks.
  You don't lose DKP on either character.

This way, you can still have fun raiding with the team while playing a different character, and your efforts are not wasted. Since you won't be playing alts as much as your main anyways, the DKP accumulation will not be very impressive. And when you do toggle, you have deserved the DKPs on that character anyways since you have contributed. Another benefit is that if at a given time there's a lack of a certain class, people can take out their alts instead as needed, and still earn DKP like normal.

[Dejia]

4. Trial Members

When new members join Serenity, they will be subject to a trial time. Below you'll find the policy regarding the trial time.

• Trial members receive the "initiate" rank.
  
  
• The trial time is two weeks from the moment the trial member has been recruited into the guild.
  The trial time will be extended by the number of days of absences during the trial, up to a maximum of four weeks. Your attendance to our raids, social behaviour, attitude and more are being evaluated during this trial time.
  
  
• A trial member can not buy loot with DKP.
  However, the member does accumulate DKP just like any full member. This is two-fold: First, this avoids mallicious members to run off with loot without having contributed. Secondly, trial members will have a nice stock of DKP once they become a full member, after which they can buy items like anyone else. There is one exception though: If main characters of full members are not interested in a piece of loot, trial members may buy it if they need it over "Alt" and "Social" ranks.

[Dejia]

5. Guild Ranks

The guild ranks we use in Serenity have the following meaning:

• Guild Master
  Bow to me! The guild master rank, nothing special. See the Guild Watch description below for more info.
  
  
• Guild Watch
  Officer rank. These are the men and women that form the Guild Watch. They perform various tasks ranging from DKP management to settling conflicts that may arrise in the guild. They also determine the course of the guild. Our officers are there to listen to our members as well.
  
  
• Raid Master
  Officer rank that indicates the raid leaders. These guys will lead us through instances with closed eyes.
  
  
• Raider
  The fully qualified members of Serenity. These are our trustworthy raidmembers who will form our raid force along with the officers.
  
  
• Initiate
  Members which are on a trial time with Serenity.
  
  
• Alt
  Alternate characters of qualified members. The character's in-game info panel includes the name of the corresponding main character.
  
  
• Social
  Members who are on semi breaks, members who are not able to raid a lot and yet are part of the Serenity family.

[Dejia]

6. Raiding

Raiding the end-game instances is the core past time of Serenity. To make our raids go smooth in terms of teamwork and dicipline, there is a whole rule set of its own regarding raiding. All of the raiding information and policies therefore have their own topic.

Click to continue to the Raiding Information and Policies topic

[Dejia]

7. Attendance

Serenity is a raid guild. Our goal is to make progress through the end-game content Blizzard has provided us with. This is a huge team effort, and to make this work, raiders will need to show up during the raid hours as often as they can. The minimum attendance is three evenings a week. We are all working ( or nursing ) people and have limited time. This is respected by the guild, hence this relatively low attendance requirement. However, the majority of the members will be able to attend many more raids a week. Raiding should be fun, not a drudge. We have a few rules regarding attendance:

• When you can not attend the minimum required evenings, let us know about it!
  Nothing is as annoying as counting on people who do not show up. Avoid this at all times. Therefore, you are required to leave us an absence notice in the forum dedicated to these notices. Post a message in the Absence Forum and let us know. If you fail to do so, and are gone for longer than one week without a notice, you will be removed from the guild. More than 30 people are counting on you. If you let them down, you let down the team. And people letting down the team is not what we need.
  
  
• Do not whisper an officer about an absence. Post in the Absence Forum instead!
  Officers can forget. People can forget. So use the Absence Forum. Any verbal absence notices are disregarded by the Guild Watch.

[Dejia]

8. Loot & DKP (Dragon Kill Points)

Our guild uses DKP to keep track of who is eligible to receive loot when it drops. The amount of DKP people have are a reflection of how often they attend raids. It works very much like clocking your hours at your job. If you work more hours, you get more salary. The same goes for DKP. The more you attend, the more DKP you will accumulate, thus you can buy more items when they drop. This system allows us to easily determine who is next in line for a piece of loot.

The system we use is a zero-sum system, which means that DKPs are given to members who are in the raid when a piece of equipment drops. The DKP worth of the item is equally divided over the members that contributed to the raid. When you are in-line for an item, you can buy the item for the amount the item is worth. These points will be subtracted from your DKP tally. Thus, in the end, you receive proportionally to what you deserve. In an ideal situation, everyone should linger around 0 DKP. But since drops are random, deviation may occur. In the long run however, it all should zero out.

Each major instance will have its own DKP administration. You can not use T4 DKPs to buy T5 drops and vice versa. The simple reason for this is that it keeps administration easy, as well as that people can not buy higher level instance loot with points gained in an easier instance. It also makes sure that if you want to buy better stuff, you'll have to contribute to the raids in those better instances as well. This makes everyone happy and get what they deserve.

• Earning DKP
  People receive DKP only by items that drop (apart from bonusses). Only those present at the time of the drop will be rewarded DKP. Every member will earn DKP, regardless of rank. A Social ranked member will earn DKP like any Raider ranked member. The same goes for Alt ranks. If an item is disenchanted no DKP is rewarded. When a BoE is not taken no DKP is rewarded either. Instead it will be sold and the gold goes towards the guild repairs fund.
  
  
• DKP bonusses
  At times, bonusses are given out. Currently we only have the "First Time Kill" bonus, which is 8DKP per attendee for 25-man raids. This bonus is given out when the guild has made a first time kill on a new boss. Further more, additinal bonusses may be given out to stimulate attendance.
  
  
• Loot Distribution Order
  Loot will be distributed according to the following list. There are 3 priority levels. Within each level, the members' current DKP standings determine who will receive the item:
  
  
  • Level 1: Raider and Initiate
    When one or more Raiders need the item, it's on between them. DKP determines who gets it. If no raider needs it, it's on between initiates as per basic Initiate rules. If no Raider or Initiate need the item, then the next level determines who gets something.
    
    Exception: When an Alt is requested to enforce the raid by the raidleader, the Alt gains "Raider" status for that raid. If an Alt is asked to come, it's generally a raid capable Alt that would bring required features to the raid. The Alt helps the raid, he gets Raider level loot rights in return.
    
    
  • Level 2: Alt and Social
    If no Raider or Initiate wants it, it's on between Alt and Social ranks. They're on equal footing. DKP determines who gets it.
    
    
  • Level 3: Unwanted Items
    These are going to be dissed if they are BoP. They will be sold if they happen to be BoE items. In either case, no DKP is rewarded as nobody takes the item. Gold goes towards the guild repair funds. Enchanting materials are available for Raiders to get enchants.
  
  
• Armor Types
  Classes needing their native armor type always have priority over those to whom the armor piece isn't their native armor type. Example: A cloth wearer has priority over a leather wearer wanting cloth.
  
  
• Common Sense
  The Raider (or Initiate) may make the call to pass to a Social or Alt. This would apply where the item is only a minor upgrade to a Raider but a huge upgrade to the Social. The Social may raid less, but when he raids he'll be a better raider for it. Likewise, one Raider may pass to another because the item happens to be a bigger upgrade to the other Raider. Use common sense always, we'll only get better because of it.

[Dejia]

9. Guild Bank Policy

The guild bank is used to store various items that can be found in the world of Azeroth. It is a good show of teamspirit to send items you find to the propriate guild bank. The stock in the guild bank is used to make the guild stronger. Examples are materials for the different kind of potions the raiders will need during raid encounters. In short, any materials that are used to craft items to improve members gear wise or stat wise should be sent to the bank. In the end every raider will benefit from the guild bank. Be it through consumables, equipment or any other stat or skill improving items.

There is only one rule regarding the guild bank:

• Only Raiders and up can make item requests.
  This really doesn't need any explanation.
  
  
• Consumables are handed out from the bank as deemed appropriate for certain encounters.
  
  
• Members may file 'repair bills' after a raid to have repair costs reimbursed.

Serenity now uses the in-game Guild Vault to store all of the guild's posessions. Members can drop items into the bank. Item / gear requests have to be made through a forum post in the appropriate Guild Bank forum.

[Dejia]

10. Penalty System

Serenity uses a penalty system. This system allows the officers to keep track of people that violate guild and raid policies. It works very simple. If you, as a guild member violate any of the policies described in this topic, you will get a mark. When you have collected 3 marks, then you will be removed from the guild.

For light offenses you usually get a warning first. For medium offenses you get a mark. For severe offenses, instant guild removal is the only option. Repeated light offenses become a medium offense. Repeated medium offenses become a severe offense.

In addition, a guildmember may be punished with a -DKP penality. This is up for the officers to decide, depending on the kind of offense that has been committed.

Serenity expects a certain level of dicipline from its members and with this policy, we urge guild members to live up to that expectation.

[Dejia]

11. Serenity Forums

Every Guild member must register for the forums! Our forums are an integral part of our community. All of the major information is announced through the forums. All of the major discussions are done through the forums.

If you fail to register for the forums, even this will be a ground for removal from the guild. So don't hesitate, get registered for our guild forums. If you don't do so, we regard this as a lack of interest for the guild and the community.

People who wish to apply for Serenity can already create a forum account as well. It will not be enabled until you have been accepted into Serenity. Creating an account is also needed for you to make an application.

[Dejia]

*** The End ***