Have you heard of guilds that have a Pledge of Allegiance?

[Deleted]

I probably watch too much Game of Thrones and the Nightwatch inspired me, but I wonder if there are guilds out there that require their members to recite or at least sign a Pledge.

For example:

"I will put my guild before myself
I will not loot for me but for my raid's progress
I will put gold in guild to advance its purpose"

Then it dawned on me, selfishness is sometimes a good thing. There's something about pledges that irritates me. Too much giving up of self. It can't be good.

[MerinPally]

I ask that you share what you are smoking, brethren.

OT: Doubt it <.>

[godofslack]

I've never heard of it. Pledges of Allegiances mean nothing anyways.

[stomination]

There are guilds that have a FAQ page which shows its policies in all matters. Most guilds do wish that you will not be selfish and put the guilds needs before yours.

[jackofwind]

Most top end guilds will expect you to do those things without requiring you to recite a mantra.

[Deleted]

Most top end guilds will expect you to do those things without requiring you to recite a mantra.

I think all guilds do...point of the game is to progress as a group, not as a person.

[salamala]

I had to take an 85 out of another guild because my main's raiding guild said that their rules were I couldn't have any 85s in any other guilds on the same realm. I didn't have to recite anything but it seemed somewhere somehow I agreed to something I didn't know i had.

[Deleted]

The whole point of being in a guild is to work as a team to progress. If you're just looking to progress for yourself and don't care how far others go, or if they get any loot, then you're probably doing it wrong. It's not a solo play game.

[Machriren]

NEVER heard of it. But its kinda expected. If you raid in a hardcore guild, you gotta put a little more into the guild then just 4 hours 3 nights a week. Even just farming fish or mats a bit is good enough IMO

[Herecius]

Most top end guilds will expect you to do those things without requiring you to recite a mantra.

Pretty much. There's no need to make a saying to go with the mentality one should simply be expected to have in a high end guild.

[autopsy]

To quote a great movie: "The best results come from everyone in the group doing whats best for themselves, and the group."

[Deathgoose]

My GM would usually ask something silly and tongue in cheek, like, "Are you willing to jump on a grenade for the guild?" but not so much to invite, but to promote from the newbie rank to whatever the next basic rank.

But an actual, super cereal, for really reals oath or pledge?

lol

[Fitzbert]

Would think it's more common in roleplaying guilds, but certainly nothing that's like.. binding or in any way resembling a contract or legitimate oath/vow/pledge.

[DeniedNZ]

i can see this happening ina role playing guild, def not a hardcore raiding guild.

[stariian]

http://wiki.aie-guild.org/index.php?...Centurion_Code

[Hanto]

I can't see this happening in anything but a serious RP guild. It seems almost outrageous to expect members to openly recite something that would otherwise be a code that other players would follow by default.

[IronJohn]

The guild is informing you about what it deems to be acceptable social behaviour. But I have to ask, if you are the type of person that is reluctant to give up a small bit of individualism for the good of the guild why are you trying to join this guild?

In my guild new drops always go to the main spec first and to the one that can get the best use out of the upgrade, this way everyone benefits in the long run. This rule only holds true in guild sanctioned runs, PUGS have their own rules.

[Deleted]

I strongly disagree with those saying the needs of oneself must be put after the guild.

The reason for this is that it is hypocritical. All people are inherently selfish and it's nothing "evil" about it. All animals are instinctively pushed to survive first and second to help those around them.

I know we're going deep into sociology here but I think it's the only way to express what I feel about this for guilds. Guilds should expect good teamwork, but they should not fool themselves people aren't inherently selfish.

We don't help a team to help a team. We help a team to help ourselves because we are in that team. That's not "evil" or anything, it's how people operate.

[Deleted]

I strongly disagree with those saying the needs of oneself must be put after the guild.

The reason for this is that it is hypocritical. All people are inherently selfish and it's nothing "evil" about it. All animals are instinctively pushed to survive first and second to help those around them.

I know we're going deep into sociology here but I think it's the only way to express what I feel about this for guilds. Guilds should expect good teamwork, but they should not fool themselves people aren't inherently selfish.

We don't help a team to help a team. We help a team to help ourselves because we are in that team. That's not "evil" or anything, it's how people operate.

It's also reflexive, in that the team only helps you because that helps the team. It's a mutually beneficial relationship, I never really put more into a guild than I get out. I'd assume in high end guilds the 'what you put in' is your above excellent playstyle, not how much fish you can stomache gathering.

[rhoark]

Things like this were pretty common in UO, but that was the Wild West stage of MMOs where the kinds of relationships that formed between players were much more varied so the netiquette that evolved was more complex. Even people that didn't RP in terms of the game lore had a role in the social ecosystem and a reputation to stand on. In WoW and its myriad clones, you can only relate to other players in a few defined ways - groupmate, bg/arena opponent, trade chat bystander. It's pretty unlikely for someone in WoW to identify another player as their protector, benefactor, employer, customer, supplier, oppressor, nemesis, advisor, conspirator, etc. The spectrum of interactions is quite impoverished. In a sandbox game these kinds of things are not only roleplayed but emergent from the mechanics without narrative dressing. In that kind of context, loyalty to a group or to a code of conduct takes on a lot more significance.