Name: Varangian Guard
Play Orientation: PvP/PvE
Role Playing: No
Guild Size: Very large (>300 members)
Time Zone: US and EU – we have many people at all time zones
Communication: Our Forums and Ventrilo
Guild Hall Thread: http://forums.ageofconan.com/showthread.php?t=12793
Web Site: http://www.varangianguard.com/
Diocletian of the Varangian Guard answered my questions and was all nice and stuff regarding forum privileges (never mind…it’s my joke ;))
Here we go:
Who are the people in your guild?
The core of the guild comes from two SWG:Flurry Imperial guilds; DC and IO. A bitter falling out with our guild-leader in DC led us to form IO, and we pulled 95% of the active members from DC in Jan-Feb of ’05. For the first year and a half of SWG, our guild(s) were the most dominant on Flurry. The legacy and reputations we made enabled us to keep over a hundred of ‘our own’ together, despite not having a unifying game for 2 years. It also enabled us to get together with our greatest Rebel rival from SWG (a guild called MeS), as well a dozen or so allied guilds of varying sizes, in Varangian Guard. We have been called ‘the Flurry All-Star Team’ by many who have seen the names on our memberlist who remember what SWG was before the ill-fated changes made by SOE practically killed off the game.
What is unique about your guild?
For one, we have managed to gather with those we once bitterly contested. The mutual respect, admiration and understanding of what it took to be on top of the Flurry foodchain made for a natural assimilation. We were the strongest Imperial guild; they were the strongest Rebel guild.
Despite our previous successes, we don’t fear change. We are very confident in our ability to add in players from across the spectrum. We learned many lessons and are applying them to VG and AoC. We will permit every member an opportunity to be involved in our Clan Government and Military, based upon their interest and motivation. We aren’t simply sitting on our laurels; we want EVERY member to feel VG is THEIR guild, and not to think or feel they are joining ‘our’ guild.
What is your current guild size?
We are presently 300+ strong. We currently have 150+ registered members guilded on our site/forums, but still have 100+ to move over from the old ones and have also received many, many confirmations from a wide array of our former members (previous games) and their friends/guildies that will be with us when the time comes. We could easily number over 500 active members at launch if even half of whom we expect make the jump from the games they are playing at the moment. As much as we would like to have everyone registered now, its unrealistic to expect everyone to be excited enough to start preparing for a game that we started the VG project for over a year before its release.
What is your main time zone?
We have hundreds of North American players of all ages (15-50). We also have 100+ Europeans that are/will be with us, and quite a few across Asia/Oceania. We will be recruiting specifically in the last time zone to have as close to a 24hour presence as any other guild, and a great deal more than most. With the vast number of players in NA and Europe, of all ages and responsibilities, we overlap across many timezones. When we get a little richer in Oceania, there will never be a time when we aren’t represented. We intend and expect a global presence.
What is your take on Roleplaying?
While we aren’t ‘big’ on roleplaying, we wont discourage it. We prefer to have our actions speak for themselves, and we intend to speak loudly 😉
The main objective of the Clan will be Massive Siege Warfare. We will go to a server where we will be able to compete against other large guilds, where we will not want for competition. We will be a major presence on any server we wind up on, and don’t want to be a shark in a swimming pool.
What servers are you gunning at?
We haven’t seen enough to make a decision as of yet. What we will be doing is going to a server that best suits a huge, diverse guild. We will have large groups of every gameplay style, and we need to know specific mechanics before making a choice. The main objective of the Clan will be Massive Siege Warfare. We will go to a server where we will be able to compete against other large guilds, where we will not want for competition. We will be a major presence on any server we wind up on, and don’t want to be a shark in a swimming pool.
How do you look at interacting with other guilds?
One of the most interesting features of AoC is its ‘factionless’ nature. We will deal with guilds in the manner that best suits us. Larger guilds we will contest. Smaller guilds can either be overwhelmed or make arrangements with us. The nature of such arrangements will be determined on a case by case basis, depending on the benefits and liabilities of each circumstance.
How are you structured socially?
We will have two major sections within the Clan; Government and Military. The Government will administer the Clan’s operations and the Military will be responsible for all things PvP. We will have a wide variety of Offices in the Government to handle every aspect of the game and our membership. Some of these are City, Commerce, Recruiting, Human Resources, Event Coordinator, PvE Coordinator, Guild Court (Advocate and Investigations), Ambassadors, in addition to ‘guilds’ within the Clan for the four prestige classes and a Thieves Guild, Temple and Academy.
Our military will be divided into a Militia, Army and an Elite service. The Militia will contain all guild members and will only be called up to defend Clan property. The Army (Soldiers) will be a volunteer service that will coordinate major battles, and our Elites (Warriors) will be fighting all day, everyday. Within the Military will be Offices for Intelligence, Propaganda and Quartermaster.
What is your take on player cities?
This is one of the features that sold ‘us’ on the game when we were discussing it last summer. From our experience in SWG, guild property conveys pride to the membership. Other games that lack guild property don’t unify the players with the same conviction. Having something tangible to call your own is vital for the VG experience.
What is your take on taxes/loot distribution?
We doubt we will need to force anyone to pay tax. We have never had trouble with members giving freely of their time and money. Status in the guild will be a by-product of players commitment to the Clan, and those that do for the Clan will get back what they put in. In a logistical sense, we will have an Exchequer to make sure the City is funded, a Crafting Committee to make sure our crafters are provided, a PvE Coordinator to assist members that are gathering items and materials and a Quartermaster to ensure our Military has all it needs to advance our agenda.
What excites you most about AoC?
So many things, I can only list a few; player cities and forts, the spellweaving system, massive lag-free battles, the FPS Full Collision combat system, diverse templates, etc. The most exciting part is having ‘our’ ppl back together for years of fun, camaraderie and competition in a game made for adults.
How are you planning on communicating in game?
We will be using Ventrilo
What are you looking for in a potential member?
A mature individual that wants to immerse himself in an achievement oriented Clan. We don’t have an age policy, but rather determine suitability based upon how each person interacts with the Clan. We ask only two things; treat your guildies with respect, and shine a positive light on the tag they wear. Each persons words and deeds are a reflection on all of us, and all are responsible for the good name of the Clan.
How to apply?
We have a Recruitment subforum at www.varangianguard.com Prospective members need only submit an application and they will be added. We believe in an Open Door policy for now, so new people can decide whether they like the Clan, and for the Clan to decide whether they like the new player. Once the game launches, we will run applicants through our Recruiting Office, since we will then be able to make determinations based on observation in-game.
Final Words…
If someone is interested in being part of a massive online community that provides for a fun experience, but also is highly ambitious in its pursuits, then seek us out. We don’t consider camaraderie and competition to be mutually exclusive.
If you have any questions, or you want to have your guild spotlighted, contact Mr.Ixolite at his very own E-MAIL! INDEED! an E-MAIL address.
Found here: [email protected] (BRILLIANT!) 😀
Also, regarding spotlighting your guild, look
