Guild Charter

The Syndicate is the oldest, largest and most powerful online gaming community. Literally over 60,000,000 guilds have risen and fallen in our lifetime. A portion of our success derives itself from a set of core values and laws that govern the guild. We strive not only to continue to lead the online gaming world as its premier guild but also to be unified and have fun! As with any successful guild, member participation is key. Here are some of our core guild goals, rules, policies etc... that prospective members should know before joining:

Mission Statements

Overall Guild Mission Statement
The Syndicate is an virtual online gaming community. We do not exist for any one specific game. We are a community of adult, mature, veteran gamers. We seek to make The Syndicate community the strongest, most well known, and most successful gaming community in the history of online gaming. We are dedicated to a friendly, team focused, fun-loving gaming environment where every member is important and not just a number on a roster. We seek to foster long term friendships among members and enhance the online gaming experience by virtue of those friendships.



Beta Tester Mission Statement
The Syndicate has a very strong and active beta testing, focus testing/systems testing and stress testing team. Often obtaining personal invitations and blocks of accounts to alpha and beta test new games, we take that responsibility very seriously. We seek to better the whole online gaming community through our testing efforts by not only finding bugs and balance issues but also by suggesting new features or better implementation of key features. Our goal is to help create the best online games possible for all online gamers. To help avoid the pitfalls and issues of past games and to help the industry continue to innovate and offer new challenges and experiences to all gamers.



Ultima Online Mission Statement
The Syndicate's Ultima Online goals have evolved over the many years we have been a part of the game. Before UO came out there was much posturing by the online community to big the biggest and baddest in different areas. We once had a squad that was going to be our navy and rid the sea's of evil doers. That proved to be a concept that really didnt work in UO. After years of being in UO, achieving every in game goal that could be achieved (i.e. overcoming all big monsters, fighting and winning massive pvp wars, dominating in faction warfare for a time, creating and running a player run city, amassing great fortunes and powerful chars) we have set the bar that other guilds seek to emulate. Our UO presence continues and is very strong and very active. Our current goal is not to overcome some goal in the game, as we have already overcome all of those. Our current goal is, instead, to have fun and play UO as a team continuing to beat all new challenges implemented by the developers and to continue to lead the UO community as the premier guild. To run outstanding events for the public. To adventure together and have a great time doing it. And to continue to add value to the UO community at every opportunity.



World of Warcraft Mission Statement
The Syndicate maintains a large presence on Zul'jin server as part of the Horde faction. We have a large raiding presence but we also have a good sized pvp presence and a number of members that participate in other aspects of the game. Our goal in WoW is similar to our goal in UO and in online gaming in general: to have fun and play WoW as a team continuing to beat new challenges implemented by the developers. We dont enter into flame wars on public forums. We dont brag about content completed. We dont race other guilds to be the first to overcome a collection of pixels at the expense of our members. We maintain our belief in team first.. members first.. friends first.. while still advancing through end game content and having alot of fun while doing so.

Standards Of Conduct

Core Rules
The Syndicate only accepts members into its ranks that are of similar personalities, goals and values to its own. All of our members support and follow our core guild rules and anyone who cannot, is removed. Our core rules and values have served us well since early 1996 and continue to be the guiding principles behind moving the guild forward. Our core rules include, but are not limited to:

1. Guild First: We expect all members to ensure that all actions they take are done in the mindset of 'guild first'. Anything a member does reflects on the overall guild image and on all fellow members. We expect members to only take actions that reflect positively on the guild image that we have worked very hard to build and maintain over the years.
2. We recruit the PERSON not the TOON. We look for good PEOPLE not only a toon that meets a specific set of requirements. As such members of The Syndicate cannot be a member of any other guild that has a branch of their guild in any game we play. Membership in another guild, in games we do not play, is permitted with some caveats (ex: you could not be in a guild that was a cheater/exploiter guild in one game and in a game we play espouse to uphold our high values in that area.)
3. It is not permitted to relay any information outside the guild, for any reason, at any time. The Syndicate is a private gaming organization. We do not share information with the public except through official channels and officially sanctioned outlets. Therefore no member should reveal any information, no matter how minor they may think it is, outside the guild.
4. Participate In Guild Events. Hunts, Raids, Events and other in game activities occur all the time. You are expected to take place in as many of them as possible. We understand people have lives and cannot live within the online world and that is ok. But if you are online, and we are having a guild event of some sort, you need to be there and participating in it. Actively working against the guild on any mission will result in immediate and permanent removal.
5. Leadership roles in The Syndicate are decided based on demonstrated ability as well as the need for a leader in a particular spot. You can be assured that your leaders are working hard to make the game more fun for you. While the reason behind every decision may not always be apparent at the moment an order is issued, all orders from officers need to be immediately followed. If errors are made, they should be reported to Dragons where they will be dealt with and, if needed, changes made to the officer team. Absent those changes, all officers should be listened to as though it was Dragons issuing the order.
6. We are a TEAM of FRIENDS. Backing up your guildmates is expected because they will do the same for you. Syndicate members understand that sometimes personal character sacrifice is needed for the team to complete a mission. We dont view it as personal sacrifice, however, because we are helping out a friend and that is more important than loot or pixels on a screen. Games come and go. The Syndicate and the friendships within it, remain.
7. Deadweight is not needed in the guild. Failure to maintain an acceptable level of activity will result in your removal. We do have an "inactive" status for members who are retired from games we play and wish to join us in future games. For those active in games, we expect them to read our posting forum Daily for our updates. We expect at least 1 email per week to the Guildmaster and their squad leader to keep them informed of your progress and any issues, ideas, feedback etc.. that you have. Simply vanishing off the face of the earth without any email indicating you wish to go to inactive status is taken as a sign you have quit the guild and membership is removed.
8. Members who cannot follow core rules and standards, are removed from the guild.

Standards Of Conduct
These standards go hand in hand with our core guild rules but they bear repeating so all future members understand what we expect from members. Those standards of conduct include, but are not limited to:

1. Members may not use cheats or exploits
2. Members may not Pkill/murder other players. Consensual pvp is permitted, encouraged and a fun aspect of the guild.
3. Upholding of all guild values and rules is required of all members. There are no exceptions whether you are a member for 10 days or 10 years. All members must maintain the values of the guild.
4. Members need to behave in a mature, professional, team focused manner. Self focused, loot focused, immature people will not be tolerated
5. Make friends in the guild. At our core we are a Team Of Friends. So make friends. Those friendships make us strong.
6. Any issues with guild policies are brought directly to Dragons, 1 on 1, via email. Publically bashing or complaining about them is not tolerated.
7. Personal attacks on other members is not permitted. Handle issues with another player 1 on 1, in a mature professional way. Seek an officers help if needed but do not personally attack other members.
8. Backstabbing, looting, stealing from, scamming or otherwise harming other members is not permitted. It all goes back to our core value that we are a team of friends.
9. Profanity.. sexual content.. and obscene content are not needed or permitted in guild channels in game, in IRC or on the chatzone.
10. If a guild officer tells you to do something, do it immediately. Do not argue or complain to them and definitely do not get nasty with them or removal will occur and you can explain to Dragons why you had to behave that way and should be let back in.

Guild Structure

Guildmaster
The Syndicate's format for guild leadership is that of a dictatorship. There is one overall GM of the guild, Dragons. All decisions are ultimately made or ratified by him. The responsibility for incorrect decisions is also held by Dragons. With that said, decisions are not made in a vacuum. Instead Dragons applies past experiences of the guild, feedback from squad leaders and other officers and feedback from members as the situation warrants. The overall goal of all decisions is to make The Syndicate the best guild possible for all members. So we term the style of guild as a 'benevolent dictatorship.' Feedback from members is encouraged regularly and plays a large part in the decision making process. All members know Dragons and their squad leaders have an open door policy and that anything presented in a respectful manner is read, considered and weighs into final decisions.



Advisors
There are two guild advisors and they are Grif and Dargus. The advisors are second only to Dragons in the guild in terms of overall authority. The advisors are key people in global guild policy decisions and within the games they are actively playing. They are the people Dragons' trusts the most and who he relies most heavily on for feedback. If a new policy has to be made when Dragons is offline, they will make it and short of Dragons modifying it later, that will be Syndicate law going forward. While the need for new policies, after so many years as a guild and being so well established, is rare, the message here is the advisors are the big dogs, so members need to listen to them like they would listen to Dragons.



Squad Leaders
Squad leaders are promoted by Dragons. Each squad leader manages a group of members on a day to day basis. Squad Leaders are integral in the feedback process that sets new guild policy. Squad leaders speak with Dragons' voice when he is not online and are empowered to act within and enforce all guild rules. This means if a rule is broken, for example, that results in removal and a squad leader is online, the member will be removed. They can appeal to Dragons later but it is rare that Dragons reverses a decision since part of the squad leader role is ensuring that each SL is a trustworthy, well respected member that will act within the rules of the guild at all times. Squad leaders cannot set new policy or chose to ignore or not follow some rules, but do have full authority to enforce and act upon all rules and policy.



Other Leadership Roles
Other leadership roles do exist within the guild and are often game specific. For example, the role of Battle Captain is a pvp leadership role from the UO team. The role of Raid Commander was a role born in EQ and carried over into WoW and as the name implies, led our raids. Each role has a defined set of authority and limits to what it can and cannot do as well as its defined place in the chain of command.

Alliances With Other Guilds

Requesting An Alliance
Alliances within gaming are often not needed and more of a mental thing rather than having any tangible impact on the game itself. The Syndicate does not engage in such alliances. We do, however, form strategic alliances with guilds when there is a compelling, mutual interest or goal and there is clear benefit to both guilds to do so. We only ally with like-minded guilds and never form alliances with those who's values and practices are not ones we can support. If a guild would like to discuss an alliance an email can be sent here. with the information about your guild and why the alliance makes sense for both yourself and for The Syndicate. An officer will get back to you within 24hours.

Yearly Syndicate Conference

What Is It?
Every year since 2002, The Syndicate has held an annual Syndicate World Conference. A new city is picked each year and members from around the world meet there for several days of fun, seeing games in development and in discussing and planning the guild's future. These events are attended by a great many members and we often invite a developer or two to attend and tell us about their game (most often those are games we are seriously considering for future migrations and this is a chance to learn more about them and talk to the developers 1 on 1 about the game). Our conferences are the largest single guild gathering in the history of online gaming. And, from a guild perspective, these are the single greatest event we do. Members who attend the conferences leave with many new friends and a much stronger bond with the guild as a whole that enhances their gaming experience in a very tangible way. We highly encourage all members who can possibly attend, to plan to be there each year.

Contacting The Syndicate

How To Email Thanks/Compliments
The Syndicate is known around the gaming world for doing many great things. It is not uncommon for players to come up to Syndicate members and ask them to hold items for them while they login other chars to transfer them too. When asked why they feel they can trust the person, the typical response is "well you are Syndicate so I know I can trust you". We are also known for running many public events for players or in helping players get 'flagged' or 'keyed' to continue on into areas of a game they might not normally be able to do. If someone has helped you out and you wish to pass along some thanks to them or to the guild in general, please feel free to do so using the form off the menu bar above.




How To Report A Grievance If you have a grievance against The Syndicate, or against a specific member of The Syndicate, we have a method for reporting those so that they can be investigated and action taken as required. To report a grievance either against the guild as a whole or against a member please use the Contact Us form at the top of this page. Please be sure to include your name, all the details of the incident (date & time, location in game, all the details on what happened etc..) and what game the issue took place in. DO NOT send file attachments. Emails with file attachments are deleted before ever being read or downloaded. However, if you DO have screenshots or other information that would need to be attached, that can shed more light or show the facts of the issue, please mention that in your email. Those will likely be requested in order to clearly show the facts and eliminate interpretation of the facts from clouding the core issue. We take ALL issues that affect our guild image VERY seriously. We seek to only project a mature, professional, friendly image and to ensure we are adding value to the gaming communities we participate in.

Miscellaneous Information

Supporting The Community
The Syndicate believes strongly in being a positive influence in the community. We encourage members to become involved the community and to have a positive impact on it. We recognize those members that do become involved and go above and beyond simply "playing games" for entertainment. The Syndicate is more than a group of people who are playing online games. We are a virtual community and seek to have a positive influence on the world around us.