Mission Statement
Cabal of the Dark Lady The primary goal of COTDL is PVE raiding. If you have no interest in seeing as much PVE content as possible then this is not the guild for you. PvP is not a major focus of this guild, but you will always find people ready to squash the Alliance when they are not raiding. We are a group of adults that wish to play with others of like maturity and goals. To this end and as a filter for admission to the guild: If you can't get by without using "u" and "plz" and "ne1" type stuff, and you don't understand why this annoys a lot of people, please do not bother applying. We don't really care how many level 70 characters you have on some other server. It's great that you have previous experience, but if you've come here to brag about it or "show us how it's done" then you've come to the wrong place. Profanity is tolerated in guild chat, and you will see humor not fit for the Disney channel in chat as well as Vent. If you're easily offended, you may want to reconsider joining COTDL. As with virtually ANY group this size, having a thick skin is a plus.
Guiding Principles
We have been around forever and have a reputation; we are mostly well liked and respected. Bearing the COTDL tag actually means something to a lot of people, both in and out of the guild. All members represent us; keep that in mind as you deal with others. If you sign up for a raid stay for the whole raid--Start to end. If something comes up and you cannot make it, Let Us Know. Real life happens, emergencies and things beyond our control happen. However, these should be rare and occasional. It should not be that you can make half of the raids you sign up for and you have to leave two hours early every raid. Be an adult. Take responsibility for your actions, your time and your commitments. Realize that this game is a team sport, and this team is only as good as its weakest members. Bring your best to each encounter and assume your teammates will do the same. If you expect to be in on the first Kills by COTDL as we move through content, then the above needs to apply to you. All that being said we play this game for fun and we welcome you to be apart of this group even if you are not into raiding. You will find members doing 5 man instances, pvp, leveling alts, chatting, or even fishing in the middle of nowhere. But the Raiders will be raiding, and if your toon is not up to par you likely will not get invited to raid until the content is on farm. We will continue to recruit who and what we need to make a good solid group of raiders. Do not expect to be in on every raid, the raid leaders are only interested in putting together the best group possible to down content.
General Rules
No "leet speek". As a general rule of thumb, if you're using a single letter or number to replace entire words or parts of words that sound like that letter, that's "leet speek". Examples: "u" instead of "you" "plz" instead of "please" "ne1" instead of "anyone" "b4" instead of "before" "ic" instead of "I see" "str8" instead of "straight" "l8r" instead of "later" This type of "shorthand" does not save time. It might save you a tenth of a second to type it, but the other 39 people reading it now have to take an extra ten seconds to figure out what the hell you just said. Clear communication is important. We shouldn't have to "figure out" what you are saying. Every little detail, every run-on sentence, every misspelled word reflects poorly on you - which in turn reflects poorly on all of us. Other people can't see you face-to-face, so whether you are aware of it or not, how you type is how people will judge you. This is our maturity filter: We don not check your age, so if you cannot communicate like an adult we assume you are not one, and do not wish to spend our playtime with you.
No public drama.
I would like to think that our members are above the Jerry Springer style squabbles you might find on the Rexxar forum. Again, stooping to that level just reflects poorly on all of us. By wearing the COTDL tag, you represent all of us. Your actions reflect on all of us. Don't grief, don't ninja loot, etc.
Raid Conduct
If you are not the raid leader, do not start giving orders. Only the Raid Leader calls a wipe, also be careful of what and how you say things over Vent. This is a big one. It leads to confusion, wipes, stress, and ultimately, lack of fun. Raid leaders will have player notes designating this role and you will know who they are before any raid begins. If you really have reason to believe that the leader is about to make a mistake, i.e. not adequately preparing for a boss's special abilities, going the wrong direction, etc. please send a tell to the raid leader to address your concerns. Do not just start telling people what to do in the raid channel. When people start making conflicting statements in the raid channel or on Vent, it just confuses everyone, and that's not fun for anybody. Do not start pulling if you are not the designated puller! This, more than anything else, leads to wipes and lost time. We REQUIRE everyone to download, install, and use our select raid Mods. We REQUIRE everyone to download, install, and at least listen in on Vent. Raiding is a social thing. This is a game we all play for fun. None of us get paid to play the game. Keep that in mind when interacting with others. Hostile tones, loud words, statements spoken with venom are all things that should be avoided. Think before you speak or even type for that matter.
Admission and Recruitment
Certain officers will have the designation in their player note as Admission Officer. These officers will have the responsibility of researching and interviewing potential candidates for admission to COTDL. If you have a 'bro' who wants an invite do not broadcast this in gchat or on Vent. Direct the player to our forums to apply and the process will begin from there. All questions and appeals regarding admission should be directed to an Admission Officer.
The Fine Print
This is a game all play for fun. I think of COTDL as a family. Like a family you don't have to be great friends with everyone here, but you do need to be respectful. If anyone has issues with fellow guild mates, attempt to work it like adults. Officers are here to arbitrate issues, but they do not play the game to babysit, so do your part to keep the peace. We expect adults who can calmly and rationally discuss things. People who are mature enough to work through miscommunications and misunderstandings. People who know that loot that dropped once, will drop again.
A few things will get you in the position where the GM may need to speak with you or even ask you to leave the guild:
Rude behavior and/or drama will involve the door. People will get mad or upset, it happens. Those people will be asked to calm down, walk away, cool off, ect. Individuals who are unable to do so or repeatedly have outbursts will be asked to leave the guild.
Included in this is constant bitching. If you hate your class so much, or find it so difficult to do what is asked of you every other phrase is a complaint, excuse or whine this will be pointed out to you. If you cannot accept that we don't want to hear you, you will be asked to leave the guild.
People who visibly get upset/mad and make it well known to others that they did not get in on a raid they wanted in on or that they did not get the piece of loot they wanted will be asked to leave the guild.
Reality says that with there being only so many spots on a raid and class balance being an issue not everyone will get to go on every raid. Additionally if the loot dropped once, it will drop again. Pissing people off, upsetting them before a raid starts, or in the middle of a raid, is unacceptable. This is really just an extension of the above to make it very clear about what is not supposed to happen and the results if it should.