ChaoticUnion Linkshell

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	ChaoticUnion LS - Rules Welcome To ChaoticUnion Joining This Linkshell RMT & Cheating Behavior Burning Circles Setting up an Event History: If you are here you are likely here to read about us either because you have just joined, or you are considering Joining . My name is Ramiken, and I'm the "Leader" for CU. Why am I leader you might ask . . . well I ask myself that most days too. Personally I think it's because I have some natural affinity for mediating between people, but more than likely it just because when they asker for a Volunteer I didn't step back fast enough Lol. ChaoticUnion has been in place in one form or another since late 2003, only a few weeks after the NA release of FFXI. My friends Alazne, Midknight, and I originally purchased a Bright Green Linkshell by the name of MyPrecious. We ended up with about a dozen full time, and 6 or so part time members. About 3 months after we started playing we had met members from another Linkshell called DragonX lead by Naithik, and his lovely friend Sylvery. We ended up with about 1/2 of each LS belonging to both Linkshells, and so Naithik, and I decided a merge was in order. We announced this to much rejoicing. We easily decided on a color, and then the question was proposed "What should we call ourselves?". To be honest the LS almost dissolved over the next 4 hours. So many suggestions, and so many disagreements. Painfully we ground to a halt, and the LS members took a break for the night. A day or so later we all signed on, and found that the decision had been made for us. Galron one of the more successful players in the LS had taken one of Naithiks suggestions, one of mine, and combined them. My suggestion of ChaoticDemocracy, and Naithiks of Indecision became ChaoticIndecision. We weren't thrilled having the decision taken away, but no one wanted to take up the fight. We all agreed that based on the previous day the name fit to a tee, so we all shrugged, and moved forward with the new shell. Then 6 months later Galron announced he was quitting. I spoke with Naithik, and he said he might not be around much longer himself. I made the new shell after asking the LS if they would like to migrate, and they were all for it. I came as close as I could to CI's color, and named us ChaoticUnion to honor our origins, but also the fact that we were now one LS, and not members from 2 separate ones. Now that's out of the way we get to the meat of the matter. As a Social LS there is very little in the way of "structure". We try to model this LS on democratic principles. We evidently have a lot more events than other established Social LSs out there, and these are only successful because of the many members who make them possible. Our strength lies in the people who are with us. We have no greater goal than friendship, respect, and enjoying each others company. "If you're Democratic what does the leader do?" I find that a lot of what I do is nothing Lol. On very rare occasions I mediate disputes, or conflicts between different members. I also occasionally make a decision based on discussion in the LS to nip a hotly debated topic in the bud if the debate is unproductive beyond people venting their frustrations, or stating the same opinion over, and over. Joining This Linkshell Joining this Linkshell is very simple, just make an account on our forums and then post in the Join CU section! A sackholder will try to get you a pearl promptly and then we can give you member status on the forums so that you may see the Linkshell only topics. Re-Joining the Linkshell In a situation where a person who once was a member of the Linkshell wants to return to the Linkshell we have the following scenarios. *If the pearl was dropped because they “Left” (i.e. they joined another LS)* Some LS’s require that they be your only LS. CU does not have this policy we do understand when you join another LS and have to drop your pearl. Nevertheless when you make that choice it is still just that; a choice . You chose them over us. Therefore when you drop that pearl you are taking yourself out of the Linkshell. Member level access to our forums will be removed. Access to the News, General, Crafting, Jobs, Feedback, and Events forums will continue, and you are encouraged to keep in touch with us all through those, as well as In game. If a person in this circumstance would like to re-enter the CU Linkshell then that person may request membership from any LS member through the normal channels. It will be decided by the sackholders present in the LS at that time by judgment call if that person should be allowed back immediately, or if they feel the Sackholders need to discuss this person more deeply before granting re-admittance. A Former Member who quit the Game, and threw out their pearl (as requested) We ask that any member quitting the game throw out their Link pearl. This is just in case those people decide later to Sell, Loan, or give their character to another person. If a former member in good standing returns under these circumstances then membership will be offered without condition. They dropped their pearl due to Inventory issues, or on accident We’ve probably all done it; dropped the absolute WRONG thing out of our inventory. (My former BST Duo partner Xiiera dropped her Dark Staff instead of a piece of Rotten Meat in Quicksand Caves once XD) . Had a really nice drop unexpectedly come to us, but “OH NO my INV is full of valuable stuff”. In these cases the person who dropped their pearl usually seeks to get another within a few days. In these cases it’s not an often repeated offense. Membership was never really rescinded, and the person should be given a new pearl at the Sackholders convenience. (i.e. do not ask the Sackholder to come give you one … you go to them, or you wait.) If these sorts of offenses become common for the individual then refusal of a replacement pearl may be considered. If the Individual has been gone from the Linkshell for several weeks or more, but have definitely been seen playing through that time then they will be considered as having “Left” the Linkshell. Other circumstances There are many other possible scenarios that we can, and cannot foresee, and I cannot put together a write-up for each one. I think in these cases a Judgment Call on the part of the Sackholder(s) is sufficient. As far as how a judgment call is made, and who should be involved I think Artemiss said it best; Artemiss Said These "Judgment Calls" do not necessarily have to be made by one person alone, especially if you are not entirely familiar or comfortable with the circumstances; However, I would hope that a quick /tell to other sackholders present in the LS at that time should be sufficient enough to resolve these types of situations. If there are no other sackholders present at that time, then the matter should be deferred until some consultation can be made. RMT & Cheating Buying Gil / Characters Purchasing In Game currency or characters with real world cash from online organizations (such as IGE) is discouraged in this LS. If you do it, we don't want to hear about it. If your friend is quitting and asked you for $50 for all his stuff, it's another story, but I still don't want to hear about it! Selling Gil / Characters Selling In Game currency for real world cash to organizations as IGE is also discouraged in this LS. If you're leaving the game, be kind. At least delete your character with all their items on them. If you want to go out in style (AKA Naithik, HiddenDragon, and many others), then send all your cool items and Gil to your In Game friends (In the LS or not). If you are going to sell your character (even to a personal friend), please notify the LS and drop your pearl. It's also recommended that you clear your friends list. 3rd Party Programs Primarily this is a "don't ask don't tell" policy. Some 3rd party applications are frowned upon by the general LS, and some aren't. Plainly anything that gives you a direct advantage in a PvP competitive aspect of the game (Ballista, NM hunting, etc) is highly discouraged. Botting: Using 3rd party applications to control your character as a general rule is frowned upon in all its forms. Please refrain from doing so, but it's your game so if you decide to bot please unequip your Linkpearl while engaged in botting activity. Cheating: We all know there are exploits in any game. Memory editors allow you to move your character to locations they should not be. Don't do it. Windowers: Windowers allow you to use your PC for other things besides the game while the game is running. These sorts of applications are fine in the view of the LS. As a note on Windowers, you should NEVER talk about the windower in game. SE does view it as a violation of their ToS, and they have been known to ban people for blatantly admitting they use them. NOTE: POL and FFXI for Windows now has the option to use "windowed" mode. Please use this instead of a 3rd party windower! No Scamming This linkshell does not condone scamming of any sort. Deliberately scamming someone may result in immediate pearl crushage. Behavior General Behaviors refer to your behavior both inside, and outside the LS chat. There are some simple guidelines to follow when playing the game that will keep you from being labeled a n00b. Please limit spam in the LS. Chatting is fine, but repeatedly saying the same thing over and over is annoying. Avoid using your PT macros in the LS. Preface all the chat portions of your macros with "/p". This will allow your macros to only be in the party chat, (or using /echo is also nice). Begging for Gil or Items will not be tolerated. We all have those moments where we need "Just a few K", and it's understood that we're here to help each other. If you need that last 5K for your Aspir scroll for an XP party you just picked up, so no time to farm the money, it's OK to say "Can anyone loan me 5K?" What's not OK is just asking in the LS "Does anyone have some Gil I could have?" Please don't use our LS to recruit members for other LS's. Before asking "would anyone like to join my LS?" clear it with a Sackholder. Usually exceptions are made for LS that do not hold the same place as CU. A Dynamis, HNMLS, Crafting, Garrison, or other special purpose LS is usually perfectly OK. Recruiting for an LS that would force that member to leave ChaoticUnion is inappropriate. Limit the amount of /shouts if you have your LS equipped, just use some common sense. Harassment is NOT ALLOWED Harassment of ANY form (sexual, griefing, or otherwise) will result in 1 warning. Upon a second offence, immediate pearl Crushage by any, and all Sackholders online is encouraged. Note that this is not limited to LS chat. If I get repeated reports of you harassing someone, expect to get a chat from me. Also, remember that Harassment is one thing that GM's can, and do take action on. Respect for everyone's personal choices is required There will be NONE of the following on the LS: Gay Bashing Religion Bashing Racial Slurs Intolerance of any sort Deliberate violation of this rule will result in 1 warning. Upon a second offense, immediate pearl Crushage by any, and all Sackholders online is encouraged. Note: It is understandable that occasionally jokes will slip out that fall under these categories over the LS Chat. It is also encouraged that people try not to be oversensitive, and immediately flame in response. Either ignore it, or if it really bothers you, just politely ask them to quit. A simple "Hey everyone ... could we please stop with the [insert topic]? It's bothering me." Everyone on the LS should then make a conscious effort to refrain from further comments. Also no responses making fun of, or taunting the person who makes such a request will be tolerated! Repeated abuses of off color remarks, or jokes can result in a 1 week notice, and possible pearl crushage. The key to this rule is RESPECT OTHER PEOPLE Personal Information and you We're all people behind a Keyboard/PS2/Xbox 360 Controller. Some people don't like to give out their personal information, and this is fine. This is an MMORPG. RPG stands for Role Playing Game. Some people take the RP portion of these games seriously in that when they are in the game, they are their character. This is not a RP LS, although it is certainly not discouraged, so this is fine. Probing people for their personal information can be considered harassment. If you ask, and they tell you fine. If they avoid the question, leave them alone! I don't care if you are a 12-toed Bisexual hermaphrodite with a skin condition. People are people, and this game is an equalizer. We're all here to have fun, and enjoy each other's company. That being said saying "Yeah I'm a girl IRL!" when you are really a guy is dishonest. Just state that you prefer not to talk about your RL details. As one of our long term members says on occasion "I can't tell you that . . . it would destroy my online mystery" ;). If a person wants to be referred to as She because their avatar is a she then try to respect their wishes. Drama (No Thanks!) Some people thrive on drama. Some people treat the game as a Role-play outlet, and don't expect people to take it personally. Frankly, the LS does not need drama. If you want to discuss things like politics, religion, or other topics which people feel strongly about, then that's ok. However, do so making sure you RESPECT OTHER PEOPLE (there's that phrase AGAIN) even if you don't agree with their opinion! Sexual Discussions Sexually explicit conversations is prohibited in LS chat. There are younger people in this LS, and many of them are not of an age where this sort of discussion is appropriate. That said, a certain level of maturity is required by the ToS, and it is understood that we are mostly adults. So keep it Showtime not Hustler. (If this goes over your head, don't worry about it ;]) Want to be a sackholder? Pearlsack Holders are not required to perform any duties per-se. Primary Sackholders are seen as some of the veteran and responsible players in the LS. It is also asked that Sackholders assist in the following ways: Keeping the peace: A Sackholder needs to be able to keep his head as much as possible. If you see something in the LS that is inappropriate, or offensive, then be diplomatic, and don't just chew someone out. Pearl Distribution: Assist in getting pearls to new members of the LS. Offensive player removal: When a player is a repeat offender in the LS of some of our major rules, you may need to make a difficult Judgment call. New player/member assistance: In the case of a newer player, or LS member, Sackholders should make an effort to help that person fit in and be the best player they can be. Event Organization: An event does NOT need to be a huge deal. It can be an RSE key hunt, Artifact Armor Raids, NM hunts, BCNM's, etc. Sackholders should encourage people to organize their own events, and guide them into self sufficiency. A word on punishment In the entire history of the Linkshell, there have been only a few people that I am aware of that required removal from the Linkshell. Sackholders are encouraged to show diplomacy and compassion when dealing with a situation. Any Sackholder that abuses their power will be demoted to a regular pearl at the earliest opportunity. Burning Circles NM's, BCNM's, ENM's, ETC. On occasion there is a particular BCNM drop that a person will want. It is acceptable to ask for assistance on these BCNM's, but there are some guidelines that I want to set down as a kind of "Linkshell Standard". These are merely guidelines to prevent people new to BCNMs from being taken advantage of. You are welcome to set up the rules however you want, but these are what I want to see as the Linkshell Standards for events. BCNM for money (Multiple Orb) This is the standard BCNM setup. Everyone brings an orb. Loot rules should be set beforehand, but Sell&Split is the LS Standard. Sell&Split: Everyone lots their own (and only their own) drops. They then sell everything and on any single item that brings in over 10K, they split between all members of the BC. Orb Holder Takes All: Your Orb, Your loot. You can do whatever you like with your loot, but no one should expect money from anyone else. Custom: Set it up however you like, but in advance ... just be sure everyone is 100% clear on the rules. BCNM for money (single Orb) If you are BCNMing for an item you plan to sell then asking LS members to just help without expecting compensation is not cool. For example if you sponsor a BC that drops the Venomous claw, and you just plan on selling it, then compensation in the form of a reduced share is going to be the standard. Offering the same reduced share to everyone involved is encouraged. Meaning that if Bob dies right in the beginning (and so did not contribute a lot), that does not mean that he should forfeit part of his share. Single Orb Need Before Greed BCNM's Usually sponsored by someone who needs an Item Drop from a specific BC. If you need Erase, and you want to sponsor a BCNM40 to get it, then the rule is simple. The individual that needs the item brings 1 Orb. Multiple people can bring need before greed orbs, but it is understood that they are not interested in selling whatever drops, but are going because they need an item that is dropped from that BC. This BC should NOT be treated by people as a way to get a BC drop that they intend to sell. If you want to sell items, then sponsor a regular BCNM run. As a general LS Guideline, if your orb drops an item worth more than the item you need, it is permissible to sell that item to buy the item you need. Setting up an Event Asking for help Asking for help over LS Chat is perfectly acceptable, and in fact encouraged. Keep in mind that certain guidelines will assist you in getting the help you would like. Requests for Raises, Teleports, Warps, and other individual things. Repeatedly spamming the LS for something is discouraged. If no one is in your area or headed your way, accept it and move on. That being said it's understandable that some people may be zoning, and so asking a few times is understandable. Requests for Power Leveling over the LS is discouraged If you want to send tells to certain people on the LS that is fine. But please, be aware that the Harassment rule applies. If they say, "I'm sorry" then that's their final answer. Linkshell Sponsored events Linkshell sponsored Events are events sponsored by someone in the LS. I’d like to lay down a few ground rules for these at this point for 2 of the most common event types. These rules will center around adding people to the event from outside the LS. Mission/Quest Events with no drop These sorts of events are missions, or quests, which merely require a lot of people to complete. Things like BC / NM fights, and so forth. Please note that Events that have a BC / NM fight that is only enterable by a limited number of people, and imposes significant inconvenience on people to "Do it again" can fall into the second category of LS events. o Bringing a friend along is fine as long as they have the necessary pieces completed. o Be sure to Ask the event organizer if it is OK for your friend to come along. Mission / Quest events requiring a Rare drop. Some missions or quests require a hard to get item to complete said mission or quest. AF Key runs are a prime example of these sorts of events. These sorts of LS events can break down into 2 further types. Item Drop where LS has enough people to get said drop In these cases we have more than enough people to kill the mobs who drop the Papyrus, and all these people have committed to staying a reasonable period of time to complete said task (2-3 hours). o Be SURE to ask the event organizer to ask the group if it is OK to bring a friend that needs the drop. o Be SURE that your friend understands that LS Members get the priority on the drop. o Be SURE that your friend remembers that many people may only be available for a limited timeframe (2-3 hours) and may have to leave before completing the drop. Item Drop where LS NEEDS people from outside the Linkshell These runs happen when we invite other people to join an event because we need them to be successful. oThe Item drop is OPEN LOT. Since that person is necessary to complete the task then that person has equal rights. NOTES: It has never happened in the LS to my knowledge, but there have been instances where people from outside the LS "D&D" (Drop and Dash). They come to the event ... get the drop, and win the first lot, and then bail on the party. This can leave the party crippled. o People who D&D on an item drop party are not welcome on further raids with this LS. o That being said it is understood that people have emergencies. If a person has to bail, and then they return and assist later, or with a different event then it is not considered a D&D situation. It has also been reported that certain LS members have taken advantage of the LS. Showing up only for events they need, and not around to help out with things afterwards. o This is stopping. Sackholders will be observing for this type of behavior, and will discuss any members that we feel are taking advantage of the LS without giving back. This does NOT translate into "Be at every LS event/mission/raid or you get booted". We will discuss as a group the different things we notice, and will certainly talk to anyone we have questions about before we consider taking any actions. For something structured like a Quest, Mission, or similar, it is requested that you ask in advance. I'm not saying Don't Ask, but I am saying you'll get better responses if you're flexible and give advanced warning to what you need. Bad: "Can anyone come help me with my AF pants NM fight in Eldieme Nec, but I only have 20 minutes?" OK: "Can I get some help for my AF pants sometime today please?" Good: "I want to do the Eldieme Nec. NM fight for my AF Pants. Can people help me tonight/tomorrow at XYZ time, or tell me when they can help?" Perfect: "Hey all . . . I just posted an event for my AF Pants fight in Temple of Jigglypie on the forums. Can a Sackholder put it in the LSMessage, and everyone check it out?" If you arrange a Quest or Mission run Many people are willing to help you. The keywords here are help you, not baby step you through a mission/quest. There is nothing more disappointed than joining what is expected to be an enjoyable event only to have it flop because you're lost, or worse yet, you join a quest to 'help' and ending up leading everyone by the nose. There are several websites devoted to assisting in quests. http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/ http://ffxi.allakhazam.com http://ffvault.ign.com http://www.google.com (also a VERY powerful tool for finding information). It is understandable that if you do research and your write-up is not entirely clear, or you could find very little in the way of information that you may ask anyone who has been on the mission to help as best they remember, but don't expect other people who come along to be the knowledgeable ones. This is your event. That being said, some of us don't have the resources to do a lot of research. Many of us have busy schedules, or play on PS2, and don't have Internet 100% of the time. In these cases, asking one of the senior LS members to help you organize is perfectly acceptable . We're always glad to help, but we like to feel like you know what you're asking for ^^. Questions about Quests Asking simple questions such as "Hey, where is Brigyd in Bastok Markets?" is great as long as it's not followed with "Ok, I got that quest thingamagumb, now where do I go?", and then "Where in Phomiuna Aquaducts does a solo Fomor Bard hang out?". If this is going to be an involved quest, perhaps you should take some time to do some research as outlined above.

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