Blades of Daring FAQ

[Kat Sheffield]

Below you will find out more about just who Blades of Daring is, what we're about, and what sort of players we're looking for to join rank with the guild. This is a great guide for not only prospective Blades to read, but current members as well.

Blades of Daring FAQ

What sort of guild is the Blades of Daring?
We’re comprised of mainly adults. Working parents, college students, professionals. Basically, all manner of people except for kids. Yes, we do have a very small handful of exceptions, but know that these people have proven themselves to be more than their age. We’re all Blades, and that’s that.

What is the average notoriety of the guild?
Given, this is going to change as the guild continues to grow. But as of now, the average notoriety of all of our members is a wonderful 28!

What exactly do we do together as a guild?
You mean beyond having a blast just bantering through guild chat with our twisted senses of humor? We plunder, well and often. We help one another level and complete quests, no matter how ‘simple’ or ‘easy’ the quest might be. For those of us who have already completed the Boss Battle, sometimes it’s nice to get back into the swing of running quests here and there. The guild as a whole is extremely helpful to one another.

Why should someone join Blades of Daring as opposed to another guild?
That’s up to you to decide, depending on what you’re looking for. We’re a comfortable balance between casual players and serious players. We don’t have a stringent set of rules for members to follow, we do not demand that you attend weekly meetings, or check in with us when you play. We just want active members who are dedicated to strengthening their pirates and also who actively participate with other members in the guild. After all, what’s the point of joining a guild if you do not interact with the other members? Also, if you’re looking for a guild with a twisted sense of humor that makes your belly hurt and your eyes water from laughing too much then that’s definitely us.

How does someone join the guild?
Our process is simple. We do not have a lengthy try out period. All it takes is making a few plundering runs with us. The purpose of this is to see if you like how we work as a guild and to see if we’re a fit for what you’re looking for. We use this time to watch potential recruits, see how they work in battle, watch how they take directions from the captain, and generally just see how they interact with other players in the guild. So basically, while we’re trying you out, you’re trying us out at the same time. Fair is fair. The officers take a vote on the recruit and the majority vote rules to make the decision.

What are the requirements for being in the guild?
Once the invite to join has been extended, all new members are on a probationary period. At this time, you’re observed by the officers of the guild to see how you’re working out with us. There is no set time limit for this, nor are there exact points that must be met and proven. Again, it’s all about being a cohesive fit for one another. And, at any time, if a new recruit finds that The Blades is not what they’re looking for, of course they’re free to go without any hard feelings. The process of choosing a guild that’s right for you is important, and we all understand and respect that.

We do not accept any free players into The Blades. Other than that, we do not have a specific notoriety or age requirement, or a quota of hours that you need to play per week, or weapon level requirements. We just ask that if you are joining as a lower level player that you make every effort to level up as quickly as you can – and remember, we’re all here to help. We are simply looking for mature and active players, willing to learn the game (no matter how low the level), and people who will mesh well with our entire guild. Bring a sense of humor and a willingness to excel quickly in the game and we're good to go.

What are the requirements for remaining in the guild?
Once you’ve been invited in, just know that you’ve done something that has impressed us. All that you need to do once in is remain an active player in the guild (barring any life interruptions which are bound to happen, so no worries there), make an effort to participate in at least one guild night per week. And also make sure that you interact with other players in the guild itself; be it helping them quest and level, basic chit chat, anything goes here. One thing that we do not like is members who ignore guildmates who are trying to talk to them. Quiet we can deal with, hey, one of our officers was a mute at one point and now we can’t get her to shut up! Everyone in the guild will make every effort to make you feel at home with us, from the guild masters right down to our lowly sea sponges.

What sort of players do we have in Blades of Daring?
I’m going to estimate that our average age is somewhere in the early twenties, give or take. Most of us do seem to be based on the east coast, so we are hoping to gain some more members from across the country so that at any time there will be people on to play with. As was mentioned above, our average notoriety is 28. We’re strong but growing fast. However, we are more about the quality of the player as opposed to the quantity of members in the guild. We grow at our own pace and we are all perfectly fine with that. If you’re looking for a large guild, that’s not us.

What is the guild stance on helping other members?
We all know that part of being in a guild involves helping other members out when they are in need. It’s perfectly fine to post in guild chat that you need help with a quest or just want someone to help you somewhere so that you can level. Ask away, please. But also keep in mind that we do not have any requirements that demand that our players stop what they are doing to run and help another. Yes, leveling is considered “doing something” and being “busy” to us, as that is a major part of the game, especially when you no longer have quests to do. But also, our numbers are healthy, so most of the time there is always someone who is available to help if you ask us.

Do we use TeamSpeak or Vent or any other voice over chat program while playing?
We are now set up with a TeamSpeak server. This is a great way for the guild to grow even closer, and this is going to help us tremendously when leveling, plundering, and just crewing in general. We ask that all members at least have TS installed on their computers. Everyone does not have to use it to chat, but for certain things, like guild meetings and plundering, we do ask that everyone at least listens in.

Pearls of wisdom to live by in Blades of Daring
Beyond these few points, we do have a set of guidelines that we ask our members all keep to…

I cannot stress this enough - Always ask before you TP to anyone. I’m recommending this for not only your guildmates, but friends in general. Always ask, you never know what the other person is doing at the time.

Never just board anyone’s ship without asking first. Simply be polite about it. Never place yourself in the position of being a stowaway.

Always represent the guild in a respectful manner. Yes, we get silly from time to time… ok, more often than that. But just remember that it is our name that you display above your head, so wear it proudly.

Be polite and respectful to all members of the guild. Blatant rudeness will not be tolerated and is grounds for immediate ejection from the guild. However, good natured bantering is always more than welcomed.

We are huge proponents against Rep Stealers. Those players who jump into fights without either being asked to or without asking first yourself. Do not become one. And if someone starts stealing rep from you, ask them to stop politely and do not risk being banned. If this doesn’t work, unfortunately just switch servers, it’s less of a headache than arguing with someone who simply doesn’t get it.

Promotions are made on the basis of your play as a whole; not by how long you’ve been playing for, how many hours a day you play, or even what your notoriety level is. In our officers, we are looking for the complete package here. Promotions will be offered, but they are never to be asked for. However, when you fill out your application there is a question regarding whether or not your would be interested in becoming an officer at some point. If this is something that you're interested in, be sure to answer this question.

Our guild site. Here you will find information on our lovely guild and also our own private forums for members. We ask that members check in on the site just to keep up to date with guild activities and things that we’ll be doing together. All members need to be registered for the forums, even if you’re not looking to actively post like some of us do, and that’s fine. But you at least want to know what’s going on with the guild, and the forums are a great way for all of us to keep in touch even when we’re not playing. The guild site can be found here:
Blades of Daring Homepage

Beyond all of this, just keep in mind that our guild is based on the idea of all of us having fun together. We have no dictators in the group. All of our decisions are conducted on majority votes between the officers and the majority rules. As guild master, I have been out voted myself on a few occasions, and that’s perfectly fine and as it should be. I hope that I’ve answered your questions here; if you require more information please contact me directly.

Happy Pirating!
Kat Sheffield
Guildmaster of Blades of Daring