Name: The SnowHawk Clan (SHC)
Play Orientation: RP-PvP
Role Playing: Yes (RP-lite)
Guild Size: Large (>100 members) and growing
Time Zone: US servers, but we have around 30% EU members
Communication: Our forums, Teamspeak and IRC currently, TeamSpeak and likely Ventrilo in-game
Guild Hall Thread: http://forums.ageofconan.com/showthread.php?t=4547
Web Site: http://www.snowhawkclan.org/
Falconer, on of the four elders of the Snowhawk Clan gave up some of his time to answer my questions. Thank you Falconer. Angrakhan, War-Chief of the Snowhawk Clan gave me all of the loot distribution info I needed, and than some 😀 thank you too.
here we go:
Who are the Snowhawk Clan?
The Snowhawk Clan is one of the fastest growing pre-launch guilds for Age of Conan and already quite well-known in the gaming community. We are a Cimmerian-only, PvP-oriented collective dedicated to role-playing the Conan lore of Robert E. Howard. As part of simulating a barbaric tribe, we utilize proto-Celtic motifs and a close-knit tribal structure governed by an egalitarian council of Clan Elders. With over a hundred members in our tribe, the wicket doors of our thatched huts are always open to newcomers.
What is unique about Snowhawk Clan?
Perhaps the most distinctive feature of our guild is our enthusiasm for the Conan lore as originally written by Robert E. Howard in the 1930s. We are striving to simulate a Cimmerian society that is true to Howard’s vision. As there are gaps in the latter vision, we fill in the blanks with the sub-cultural aspects of a barbaric tribe of the Early Bronze Age in structure and mindset.
What servers are you gunning on?
Until Funcom releases a server name listing, we cannot give a specific answer. However, the Snowhawk Clan voted by an overwhelming majority to join a RP-PVP (Role Play and Person versus Person) server type; thus, our battles and deaths will occur with proper in-game reasons, not simply mindless chaos. Of course what does this matter!? We are Cimmerians: We kill so others won’t have too!
We are Cimmerians: We kill so others won’t have too!
How do you look on interaction with other guilds?
We look forward to interacting with other guilds; in particular, role-playing guilds such as the Hand of Set. We look forward to promoting a healthy Cimmerian versus Stygian relationship in an RP-PvP sense.
How is the SHC structured socially (ranks, groups…)?
Our guild currently has four hierarchal groups: Clan Elders, War Chiefs, Scar Bearers and warriors.
The Snowhawk Clan is governed by a Council of Elders. The Elders contribute to the development and management of the guild. They also provide supervisory capacities over all guild affairs; in particular, the recruitment, evaluation and acceptance of new members. The Clan Elders are also responsible for keeping an eye on the War Chiefs and their activities.
Beneath the Council of Elders are the War Chiefs. The War Chiefs are trustworthy guild members chosen with care and appointed by the Clan Elders. Although their in-game responsibilities are currently tentative, they may possibly lead player-vs.-player battles in Age of Conan, perhaps oversee the defense of PvP keeps, command war bands, supervise a town watch, preside over resource gathering, coordinate various events, undertake special tasks or projects assigned by the Clan Elders, etc.
Beneath the War Chiefs are guild veterans known as Scar Bearers. A Scar Bearer is typically a grizzled veteran of the Snowhawk Clan and part of the backbone of the guild. In essence, the Scar Bearer is the classical “sergeant” or centurion of military antiquity: He or she is down there in the mud with the grunts and he or she leads them, solves minor quarrels, informs them of decisions made by the guild leadership, reminds them to show up for guild meetings and, in general, keeps them in order.
And, finally, there are the warriors, or nominal clan members, who compose the majority of the guild and keep the guild alive on a day-to-day basis. Although lowest in hierarchy, their role is the most important to the survival and success of the Snowhawk Clan.
What is your take on player cities?
Our guild believes Player Cities will be one of the most important and most interactive features in Age of Conan. We plan on having both a city and a battle keep for the Snowhawk Clan and, also, competing against rival guild cities in the Border Kingdoms (PvP area) to the fullest of our abilities.
As a Cimmerian only Guild, How do you plan on managing without the Mage class?
We will likely be hindered in PvP battles by the lack of mages in our guild, but we hope our ingenuity and tactics will compensate for this oddity. However, if we find ourselves too greatly outmatched, we may request our sister-guild, The Browncloaks, support us in certain PvP endeavors. Overall, we shall wait and see just how our lack of mages will impact the Snowhawk Clan in the game, and adapt accordingly.
What is your take on in-game taxes or “membership dues”
Our guild plans to explore our options before making any definite rules on the subject. If we have a mandatory tax, there will be total transparency in how much is collected, how it is spent, what it is spent on, and the amount held in reserve. It won’t be some black box where you dump your hard-earned gold so the guild officers can go buy epic crafted items for themselves.
Do you have any loot distribution system?
Loot in Clan Snowhawk will be distributed by the Loot Wheel system (aka The Wheel of Pain ;)). For those familiar with various types of DKP systems (Dragon Kill Points), the Loot Wheel is most similar to a Spend All DKP system which mandates a player spend all of their DKP any time an end-game item is received. The primary difference between Loot Wheel and Spend All is that Loot Wheel allows a player to hold their position in the queue even if they don’t participate in a raid. Thus, if a member needs to go out of town for a weekend or just needs a break from the game, Loot Wheel will save their spot whereas in Spend All DKP anyone that continues to participate in raids while they’re away will pass them up in the queue.
Another important feature of Loot Wheel is that it allows the Clan Elders to identify non-raid activities that allow members to advance their position in the queue without physically participating in a raid. This feature combined with the position-holding attribute of Loot Wheel allows the Snowhawk Clan to reward its valuable non-raiding members who contribute in important ways to the guild with end-game equipment they would otherwise never see in a guild that uses a traditional DKP system.
we are excited to role-play and socialize in the latter virtual environment with other like-minded individuals and Conan fans.
What excites you most about Age of Conan?
To experience the low-fantasy world of Robert E. Howard’s classic Hyborian Age in all its phantasmagoric splendor and uniqueness. Furthermore, we are excited to role-play and socialize in the latter virtual environment with other like-minded individuals and Conan fans.
How are you planning on communicating in-game (raids, sieges etc…)?
Currently, our guild primarily uses TeamSpeak to communicate and socialize with each other, but we have plans to also support Ventrilo closer to the launch of the game. We also use IRC channels to conduct guild meetings, private discussions, pre-launch events, etc.
What are you looking for in a potential member?
One of the key things we look for in potential members is knowledge of Conan lore or, at the very least, a willingness to learn Conan lore in order to enhance the collective role-playing of our guild. We also scrutinize our new recruits for maturity, etiquette and self-discipline.
In terms of our current membership, we expect them to continue familiarizing themselves with the exotic world of Conan, and also to help in shaping the future of our guild. We pride ourselves on the ancient Gallic custom of every villager having a voice in the future of the village.
And finally, How to apply?
You may apply to join the Snowhawk Clan via our Guild Portal website: http://www.snowhawkclan.org
Upon viewing our website introduction, you may post an application on our message board. There are two key things needed to be accepted as “a Shorthair,” a.k.a. a recruit, for the Snowhawk Clan…
The first item is participating on these forums frequently for the next several weeks. By posting often, our guild membership is able to evaluate your personality and your dedication. We are looking for active individuals with pleasant temperaments who will add to, or improve, our collective atmosphere. Applicants who do not post often or inexplicably “disappear” for weeks are usually rejected by our guild.
The second item is reading the Conan stories by Robert E. Howard written in the 1930s. Howard’s Conan tales are deemed the basis of our guild mindset and social rules. As such, the more Conan stories you read by Howard, the better. Keep us apprised of your reading status. Personally, we prefer each candidate read the following stories at minimum: “The Tower of the Elephant,” “The Frost-Giant’s Daughter,” “The Scarlet Citadel” and “Queen of the Black Coast.”
After you have read at least four Conan stories by Howard, a Clan Elder will ask you a series of lore questions to assess your knowledge.
A few final words from Falconer:
We hope that Age of Conan successfully evokes Robert E. Howard’s immortal vision of the Hyborian Age while still being a fun game to play. We also hope that certain key guilds in the pre-launch community (such as The Hand of Set, The Free City of Lochlainn, The Acolytes, The Skullsplitters, Black Lotus, The Legion of Steel, The Darkest Hour, etc.) will play on the same server as our guild.
In closing, we thank the WarCry website and its readers for this interview. May the blessings of the Cimmerian war-goddess Nemain be upon you, and may the severed heads of many Pictish warriors decorate the mud walls of your village.
If you want to bug me with suggestions, questions or you want your Guild to be featured.. Tough tootsy! 😀
Just kidding! I’m always happy to hear from you. I’m at: [email protected]
