Scout Archive

All,

I'm posting this here, and not on the Bloodfin server, because I just need a moment to rant about a non-Scout related issue without attracting 2.84 bazillion flamers. Plus I figure some of you (Squid) may either be in or have been in a similiar situation.

As you all can tell by reading my signature file, I'm the Brigade XO of the Tarkin Memorial Brigade. My real life friend Havelock Vetinari (ingame name) and I made the plans for our PAafew months before SWG came out, while sitting in the Brickskellar in DC. We decided we wanted to be Imperial, we wanted a very closeknit group of friends- all mature players, with a good mix of skills and playing styles. We wanted it to stay small, 20-30 members at the most, and to be extremely selective about whom we chose, as he has had bad experiences as aGuild player inEQ and I've had them as one in DAoC.

So no problem right? Well, that's what we thought.

We've currently got 16 members - all close friends whom we've been playing with more or less since the game started. We're all older players, for the most part, generally between 25-35, although we do have two members under 20. We've got a strict recruitment process, which is invite only. We also require consensus from the other members to allow new ones to join.

So the other night, one of our members who is a Master Musician gets a request from a player to join. She immediately bumps it up to me, as is our procedure. I tell the guy what we're about, and that we require all new players to go through a mandatory Fambaa hunt with at least two of our members. So I take him out, and we find some Fambaas. The entire time he is whiny - complaining about how long its taking to get the group together, then complaining because we had a very new player with us who didn't know much about the game but was a RL friend of another member who we offered a try out to. This doesn't go well with us, because the point of our Fambaa hunt is not to see if you're powerful, but to see if you've got the social interaction skills that god gave gravel. He didn't. So he didn't get in. During the discussion, we found out that he was 11 years old - which right away is against our current rules where no one under 17 is allowed in unless we have a full waiver from the entire membership.

So I send him a polite email, explaining that we're an older crowd, we don't think he'll fit in well with us because of the age difference, but that he'll have friends and helpers here if he needs them and we'll try and scout out other PAs for him too.

Ain't I a nice guy?

Well, he didn't seem to think so.

Last night, the member whom he originally approached (and who HATES guild drama) told me that he was harrassing her, telling her that he was going to recruit 2 guilds worth of Rebels to crash my wedding (Like I'm not expecting that anyway - duh) and the saying he was going to get every bounty hunter on the galaxy after us, yada yada yada. I confront him and explain this is exactly the reason why he didn't get in, and that we had no beef with him, we just wanted to be left alone. He got all uppity, and I was forced to /report him, which I didn't want to do- I'm not a tattletale, and I can handle my own problems. But I wasn't about to lose a guildmate because of some 11 year old griefer either - she doesn't want to be in the TMB if it means being insulted and attacked (well, by non-Rebels).

I guess the point of this is that it saddens me that PAs can't afford to turn people down because it turns into some stupid personal grudge. I've got no grudge against the kid, but at the same time I feel as though the ability to choose the members of the guild I've helped to plan and build for 6 months is my prerogative, and I shouldn't have to let in people I don't want to, for fear of pissing them off and having them try to ruin my friends gameplay. There are hundreds of PAs - why do you desperately need to join mine? (Besides the fact that we rock. )

Anyway, the rants over. I think I need to write up a guide to finding and joining a PA. Maybe with a little guidance, people can learn how to be mature.

Thanks for letting me vent, guys.

B

Amen, brother!

You should not be subject to harassment in any part of this game. If you can't interact like an adult, then go play Pokemon.

Brisc,

Sounds like you did all you had to plus more with this kid. You are paying to enjoy this game though... so, you certainly should not feel guilty or upset or any other such emotion at what this kid forced you to do. Perhaps, if he were dealt with maturely like you dealt with him more often, he'd have had a shot to be in your PA.

Sven

Delta, I feel for you. We had something like this happen all the time in my guild when I played EQ. Like others said here, thank goodness for /ingnore. You're guildmate should do so if they haven't already.

I completely agree that you should not have to feel pressured into letting people join that you don't want, especially for those reasons. It's your PA, your rules, end of story. Maybe let people know up front when they go on the hunt, that doing so does not mean automatic entry. That this is a trial, not an initiation. At least that way, you can say "I told you so" if you decide not to let them in.

Oh, and you blasted Imperials are turning Coronet into a second Nar Shadda. We just had a big full PvP in Coronet when some Imps started blasting up the city. Fun stuff.

Delta,

Two things.

1) I never saw the point in trying to deal with people online who annoy me. I just set them to ignore and then never bother to think of them again. Kind of harsh, but at least in games I'm trying to have "fun" so I feel it is justified.

2) This wouldn't bother you if you spent more time at "Brickskellar in DC". I was there a little over a year ago while visiting a friend in DC (bit of a drive from Michigan) and I am really looking forward to returning this fall on my next trip. I think I had better begin the process of deciding what to order pretty soon.

Blur,

That's a good point. I need a few more beers.

Might I recommend the "Royal Stout" from Trinidad. It's great - makes Guinness look like Bud Light.

B