EXPECTATIONS OF AN OFFICER IN THE TITANFALL COMMUNITY

We, the Officers of TItanfall Accord hold ourselves to these standards

Holding the community - Our key role as an Officer is to make members feel that Titanfall Accord is a safe community, both in and out of character. There will be occasions where we have to set our own personal or in-character reactions to one side, so that we can defuse a situation. We will also always ensure that while a storyline can be negative, the players should always feel personally valued and secure within Titanfall Accord. To create a safe community, Officers always need to ask themselves "Does this situation need me to be an Officer or a player, to resolve this situation well?"

United - As Officers we should actively share knowledge, experiences and information, so that we are all acting from a common basis of knowledge. As Officers we need to be frank and upfront in arguing our views among ourselves (eg in Officer chat), but once a decision has been made we will all publicly support this as a member of the management team. We will always build our fellow Officers and never undermine their authority or decisions by public dissent. We seek support within the Officer group rather than take annoyances outside and involving guild members.

Role - Modelling the values of Titanfall Accord RP - for example, one of the core beliefs, is that we seek roleplayers who are committed to character development and to grow their characters. Our characters should model this behaviour. We seek roleplayers that are experienced and that can take care of themselves. Refrain from trolling and going ooc while in the middle of RP.

Participating - when online on the Officer character, s/he should always be approachable IC and OOC. This does not mean that an Officer should always be in character, in a public place, but rather that s/he can be reached.
It is expected that an Officer regularly takes part in the role-play within Titanfall Accord on the character s/he is an Officer with. Officers will also spend time on the ooc work needed for the guild to thrive - for example, in offline discussions on recruitment strategy, disciplinary action, setting direction and making choices. Every Officer needs to express their view and vote when needed.

Seeing the best in people - as Officers we must never lose sight of each person's great qualities. We give recognition and appreciation generously, and raise issues in a respectful way that is easy for the guild member to take.

Willing to hear constructive criticism and learn - we make it easy for people to express any constructive criticism and summarise to show we've heard what they have to say - and take this away to reflect upon. As leaders we will work hard to adapt our communication, approach and attitude - both IC and OOC to promote positive growth for players.
Know when not to act - trust those within Titanfall Accord. This is often the hardest skill to learn; it's important for Officers to have a light touch and to understand how to time our actions, what we do publicly and privately, and where we trust the guild to work out good solutions.
This is intended to list some of the specific actions we do in Titanfall Accord, to build the guild - and the thinking behind it.

FAQ

1. Why do we ask a participating member to describe how an event was, not the arranger?
This is to highlight that TItanfall Accord requires active participation by all members, and to encourage member feedback.

2. Why do we encourage members to make their own event within the first months?
Titanfall Accord is different from many guilds, in that when we function at our best, the members are the driving forces of RP creation, and of building on and widening the events. It is not the officers' job to 'bake people an rp cake'. So to build both of these up, we make "doing your event" something everybody has done. But we also do it in the stage of membership where it should be natural to ask for help if needed and it's ok to try something uncomfortable. When people have done something, not just talked about it, or learned it, it is often easier to continue doing it.

Council comment
Typically guilds take new people in on probation to evaluate them and see if they fit in, with the threat of being kicked if not good enough. This is a very authoritarian approach, which is exacerbated by 'having to do tasks' or 'having to do an event' (=having to do an exam in order to be judged good enough). Titanfall Accord instead always says (when explaining the trial period to someone about to join) that it is about the person deciding if the guild is right for them, and about having people to support them to understand and make links with the guild in order to do that. That's Equal-Equal. Doing the event is not about being assessed; it's about stepping up and showing you want to actively contribute to the guild - and that you trust the guild to help you make things work.
So when it comes to the promotion, having done all this - the ritual of asking the mentor "Are they ready?" and then asking the trial member "Are you ready to become a full Member of Titanfall Accord?" is really meaningful. It underlines the Equal-Equal relationship.
At the point where you are asked if you want to become a full Member, you know the guild. You know who you are being invited to join. And when you say you want to join, it is a rite of passage, a commitment to all those people you have met, and who are there waiting for your answer.

3. Why do we ask a trial member if they wish to become a full member, instead of just awarding them the promotion?
It is a way to ask for commitment, to say that not only is your trial period over, but that you need to make the choice to become a full member - yourself. Ideally this help builds a bit of "ownership" around the role of Member. Coincidentally we apply variations of this thinking to other roles too: Officer and members alike. People have to actively step up to the responsibility.

4. Why do we say that we will kill our own members - e.g "Titanfall Accord takes care of its own"?
This is sometimes said to any person that is in danger of "going bad". Essentially Titanfall Accord promises that if you need to be killed, We will do it personally - we will "shoot our own dog". Role-players are often driven by adrenaline or an increasingly more dramatic storyline. Not all of these are developments are good for Titanfall Accord as a guild. So we need to have a way out. However, it is very rare that a player is "Ok" with losing a developed character, so if somebody betrays the guild for example, it would likely lead to a long complicated conflict in trying to live up to that promise. But as all players get reminded of this promise fairly frequently, and know it is a possibility, being exiled/kicked out of Titanfall Accord feels like getting away cheaply. "We respect who you were, so we will not kill you".