United Kingdoms

United Kingdoms Guild Charter

United Kingdoms was originally formed close to the time when the Antonius Bayle EQ 1 server was opened. The guild consisted mainly of mid-level characters and was formed for the purposes of like-minded people grouping together and having fun together.

Together with new members we continue as United Kingdoms in Everquest 2.

The guild has always held friendship and good sportsmanship as its primary basis for existence, and thrives on unselfish, humorous and helpful interaction amongst its members. This “play nice, play fair” approach is by far the most important aspect of being a UK member. By cultivating an environment in which people are encouraged to focus on fun and teamwork, UK aims to get the most out of the game for all its members at all levels.

United Kingdoms is not, and will never be, a hardcore raiding guild in the sense of "if you are online you will raid" but in truth we do raid a great deal. With a number of nights each week fixed for purely this purpose of pre-planned guild raiding there is a definite mentality of guild progression. However, anyone who doesn’t play to raid is just as welcome in the guild as those who do.

At the core of UK is a very solid player base of extremely good players with a very positive approach to their gameplay. It is the quality and outlook of each of our many members that makes UK an excellent guild to be in and a typical UK member will always wear their guild tag with pride.

Language
Whilst UK respects all nationalities that play EQ2 we are an English speaking guild. As such it is an entry requirement that our members must have a good level of communication in the English language.

Main Characters
Each member is allowed one main character. The main character is the one which you will attend raids with and the one who will accrue DKP through raiding. If a member wishes to change their main they should ask the recruitment officer who will post the request on the officers forum for approval. Note that a member may only change their mains a maximum of once every 6 months.

Recruitment
Recruitment information, including specifics around level requirements and specific "sought after" classes are kept up to date on the main website here. All prospective new recruits must make an application following the guidance posted, after which they will be contacted in game by our recruitment officer.

Details of the probationary period are also shown there.

If their application is successful then the recruit will be invited to the guild and flagged as member (probation).

Probationary period
All new members shall serve a probationary period of no less than two weeks up to a maximum of four. This allows the new member time to demonstrate that their attitude and ability is of value to the guild. Probationary members will be tagged as a 'member (probation)'. This also gives new members the opportunity to meet, group and raid with UK members and decide whether they like being a part of UK.

Probationers applying as raid members will also need to pass a separate raid trial which is judged entirely by the officer and raid leader team based on your performance and raiding ability. It is entirely possible (and not uncommon) to pass the public guild vote (and therefore become a full member of the guild) but have an extended raid trial to ensure that you meet the appropriate raiding standards. Poor attendance and playing ability will almost certainly mean you will fail probation as a raid member, although you may still be offered social membership at the discretion of the officers (this is the most likely outcome for those that fail the raid trial but pass for guild membership).

Probationers attending raids will accrue AP and DKP at the normal rates and may bid on items if no full member requires them. Probationers who pass for guild membership but continue to be on raid trial can bid with equal rights as any other full member of the guild

Alternate Characters
Members and probationers are allowed to have as many alts in the guild as they require. There is no minimum level requirement for alts but if they have not been logged on for 30 days they will be detagged in a monthly clear out.

Social Members
A Social Member of the guild is a full member who does not participate in raiding to any great extent.

They are full members of the guild in every sense, with all the same bank and forum access, DKP, loot rights etc. The only difference is that they will only be able to participate in a raid if there is an opening available after considering raid members. This allows socials to get on any undersubscribed raids as well as any update raids they need to finish their quests. They will of course also be able to go on any unofficial raids that are run.

A social member can at any time ask to switch to be a raiding member, subject to the guild currently recruiting that class for raiding.

To be classed as a social member any of the following may happen:

a) a member may be asked to be classed as such, e.g if they are not interested in raiding or are planning on being absent from the guild for a considerable period

b) anybody with less than 66% attendance over the last 30 days would be placed in this category automatically

c) returning ex-members or friends and family of current members where their class is not currently being recruited

d) a member wanting to change mains to a class not currently being recruited

Split guilding
All members of United Kingdoms are expected to be 100% devoted to the guild and their friends within it. Split guilding represents a conflict of interest and thus all alts should either be unguilded or guilded to United Kingdoms.

Shared accounts
UK does not welcome the sharing of characters where a character is regularly played by more than one person.

Any guilded character repeatedly played by two or more people will be subject to an investigation that may result in disciplinary action.

Raiding
UK has a separate "Raid rules" document that can be found within the raids section of the UK forums. Players looking to apply to join UK are advised to speak to an officer in game for further details.

UK will generally hold 4 official raids per week. Members are free to run their own raids on non-official raid nights but must check first that any targets with a lockout timer do not clash with scheduled official raids.

All raids will be posted in the guild forums specifying any minimum entry requirements. Members can sign up for raids on the forums.

Voice comms
UK members have access to a private Ventrilo server for Voice communication in game. Details of how to configure your PC to access the server are available on the guild forums. Ventrilo is mandatory for raids.

Master Spell bank
Lenvaren runs a master spell bank for the guild and donations by members are encouraged and gratefully received. It's considered etiquette within UK that any masters that drop for a guild-only group remain within the guild either by a gift to a guildie that needs it, or by donation to the bank. Further details are posted on the forums.

Guild Bank
The guild bank is divided into four sections.

Bank 1 and 2 – general guild access
Bank 3 – raid leaders and officers only
Bank 4 – officers only

Guild members are permitted to deposit and withdraw items freely from bank 1 and 2. Members are encouraged to deposit items such as potions, poisons, spells etc. which they believe will help other guildmembers.

Please help us to keep the guild banks reasonably clear by using the bank facility sensibly. For instance tradeskill components should not be stored in the guild bank unless they have been placed there for another specific player to pick up.

Items placed in Guild Banks 1 or 2 that have been there for some time will either be returned to the owner where possible or failing that will be sold for guild funds.

Any queries about the guild bank should be directed to Anung.

Tradeskilling
Whilst guild tradeskillers are encouraged to use their abilities for the benefit of the guild, this is not mandatory. Any tradeskiller who chooses to manufacture items or produce for their guildmates at preferential rates is doing so out of goodwill rather than necessity. Members should always be appreciative of this and must not pester any tradeskiller who chooses not to make items.

Anyone found to be using bots to artificially level up their tradeskiller will face disciplinary action.

Forums
The guild forums can be found at
http://unitedkingdoms.org.uk/forums/
The forums are an ideal place to get to organise groups, sign up for raids and discuss anything about the guild or game. Members are encouraged to log in regularly to keep up to date with guild news and events and to generally take part in discussions. Any key decisions on guild direction are normally opened up to a guild-wide poll in the forums before being finalised, giving our members the opportunity to have their say in how the guild works. Note that whilst the forums are not an in-game facility and are not covered by the SOE EULA, members must nevertheless use them responsibly and respectfully.

Code of Conduct
United Kingdoms is a long-standing, proud and respected guild. You should always uphold its good name and that of its members, including yourself. You are an ambassador to the guild - your behaviour may affect others perception of the guild. Bear this in mind when grouped, or interacting, with others.

The following code of conduct should be strictly followed:

- Adhere to all rules laid down in this charter.
- Play within the Sony EULA (End User Licence Agreement). UK is an honest guild that cares about its reputation and integrity and does not endorse cheating. Any players who deliberately and habitually use exploits or bots will be subject to disciplinary procedures.
- Treat all players in the game, whether UK or not, in a manner you would expect to be treated yourself. You are an ambassador of the guild and should therefore behave in the appropriate manner at all times. Any complaints about our members will be taken seriously and investigated.
- Grouping is the lifeblood of the guild and when LFG you should endeavour to group with guild mates as much as possible.
- Do not beg for items, money etc in guild channel or any other channel for that matter. Maintain your and the guild's integrity at all times.
- Do not conduct yourself in a way that would negatively reflect on UK, such as attempting to camp steal or ninja mine nodes when someone is at them already. Such behaviour is extremely antisocial and will not be tolerated.
- If a guild member requires help and you are not busy, please consider whether you are in a position to assist them.
- Conversely, if you require help, do not expect people that are busy to drop their current activity to help you. Do not repeatedly pester players directly into helping you. Ask politely and if they say no respect their decision without trying to pressure them unduly. If you receive no offers for help in guildchat then try again later or try organising the help you need on the guild forums.
- (Limited) Swearing is tolerated within guild chat but try to keep it to a minimum. Repeated use of foul language in an offensive manner may result in disciplinary action.
- Offensive comments including rude, sexist, racist, homophobic or any otherwise inappropriate or prejudicial language will not be tolerated. Such behaviour will result in the guilty person being subject to officer scrutiny and possible disciplinary procedure.
- We do not tolerate any kind of excessive or habitual drama in this guild. Drama includes (but certainly isn't limited to): whining, attention-seeking, temper tantrums, annoying spam, begging, sulking, hate tells etc. What constitutes a drama and what doesn't will be decided on a case by case basis by the officer team.
- Do NOT apply for membership to other guilds while you are still a member of UK. Any evidence of this shall result in immediate dismissal from UK.
- Do not use the guild channel as a means to publicly make complaints about any fellow guild members. Contact an officer instead.

Disciplinary Procedures
In the event of a member of the guild breaching the rules of the Sony Online Entertainment EULA or any of the guild charter, upon discretion of the officers, procedures to punish/discipline the guilty offended could be commenced as follows:

A decision on whether action is to be taken will be made by the leaders and officers.

If the event happens on a raid, the person will be required to leave the raid immediately, so that the raid can continue in the appropriate manner.

If the person is found at fault they will be contacted by the Guild Leader or a designated officer stating that a final warning has been given and the reasons for it. If a member commits a further transgression then the offender will be removed from the guild permanently.

Where the urgency or seriousness of a given situation requires it instant guild removal may be necessary. For instance if an active guild member was caught attempting to sell their character for RL cash, this would warrant instant removal. Evidence would be recorded of the inappropriate action and the culprit removed without warning.

Leaving UK
People hopping in and out of the guild is intolerable as is de-guilding over loot or arguments. Therefore leaving the guild is not something members can choose to do without consequence.

When someone leaves the guild under such circumstances they will have their forum access and ventrilo access disabled. Any DKP they have earned will be frozen in case of their return for a maximum of 30 days. After 30 days as a non-member their entry will be deleted from the DKP database and any points they have earned will be permanently lost.

Should someone de-guild then wish to rejoin UK they should approach an officer to discuss this. The officers will then discuss this and return a decision to the former member once a consensus is reached.

Any member deliberately de-guilding who wishes to return will not be retagged for a minimum of one week. If at the end of this cooling-off period they still wish to be re-tagged, with the officers' agreement, they must serve their probation again. During that probation they will be treated as a probationary member in all respects and successful passing of probation is not guaranteed.

Applications for a third membership are unlikely to be approved.

Inactivity

60 day rule
After 60 days of inactivity mains will be kicked. A warning will be sent via PM on the forums at least 1 week before this happens to give people a chance to log in and avoid being kicked. If your main is kicked then all alts will also be kicked regardless of their inactivity.

Also after 60 days of inactivity alts will be kicked. No warning or notice will be given of this. Alts can be re-invited at any time by asking an officer to invite them.

120 day rule
Unlike the 30 and 60 day rules, the 120 day rule only applies if you have specifically informed the officers that you will be inactive for a long period of time and requested to be set as inactive. The general process is as follows -

• You inform the officer team that for whatever reason (a break, RL issues, whatever...) you are going to be long-term inactive within the game and request that the 120 day rule is activated for you.
• The 120 day rule protects your guild membership and dkp total for almost 4 months. It does not hoever protect your membership level and any member wishing to use this rule will automatcially be set to social member. Obviously we could not maintain a raid spot for that period of time.
• Forum access is also more restricted for people on the 120 day rule as access to the raid and general eq2 discussion is removed and members are added to the "Inactive and ex-members" usergroup which allows them access to the funnies and non-eq2 discussion forums. This way they can stay in touch and let us know how things are without the noise from the day to day guild activites.
• Members should let us know when they return from inactivity within the 120 days so their access can be restored. All returning members will be full members at social level as mentioned above.
• A warning PM will be sent via the forums at least 1 week before the member will be kicked for exceeding the 120 day limit. If the member is still inactive after this time they will be removed from the guild.
• Very rarely the officers may choose to extend the maximum inactivity period beyond 120 days for someone where they have demonstrated that it is justified. For example, if you are going on a 5 month trip of a lifetime around the world then generally speaking we'd understand why you'd be inactive for a while! Unfortunately, things like "being busy at work" or "playing another game" wouldnt be considered exceptional as these situations wouldnt prevent you from logging into the game for 30 secs within the normal 120 day inactivity period.

General Inactivity Notes

- The 120 day rule does not apply if you decide to leave the game completely and notify the officers that this is your intention. In this situation you can either de-guild yourself or ask the officers to de-guild you (immediately or within a few days of your leaving). Obviously leaving completely is not a decision to be made hastily so we recommend that people make sure that leaving is the right move for them.

- The 120 day rule also cannot be applied to prevent you from being kicked due to the 60 day rule. The 120 day rule is only there for known long term absence that you have specifically informed the officer team about.

- Being de-guilded as a result of inactivity (for 60 or 120 day rules) does not stop you from re-applying to UK at a later date should you wish to (normal probation rules would apply). The only thing we'd ask is that we dont end up in an inactivity cycle where you get de-guilded for being inactive, re-apply, go inactive again, re-apply, etc....

- Logging in at any point during the 120 day period ends the 120 day protection so you should be sure that when you choose to activate this that you are certain you need/want to take a break from the game and will not be logging in.

- Please notify us if you do login during the 120 days so that forum access can be restored and we can update our records. Remember though that by logging in you end your 120 day protection.

- The 120 day rule can only be used to protect mains. Alts will always be kicked as part of the 60 day rule.

- Being kicked due to inactivity means your dkp total is reset to zero.


Guild management team
All officers are approachable for general issues but their specific responsibilities are listed below

The current guild management line up is (in alphabetical order):

Actoba - Recruitment Officer, Forum Admin
Arynai - Officer, Raid Strats
Anduri - Guild Leader, Forum Admin
Anung - Officer, Loot
Azlea - Guild Leader, Forum Admin
Bryghteyes - Officer, AP/DKP maintenance
Lenvaren – Officer, Master spells


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Revised 12 June 2010 - Minor updates