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Talons of Justice: Guild Charter and Rules of Conduct
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Last Updated 3/31/08
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Preface: Why We Exist
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Talons of
Justice is a guild of friends united by their camaraderie, sense of honor,
respect for others, and a desire to have fun! Together these friends
seek adventure online by exploring wondrous new lands and
performing mighty deeds with the spoils of war divided amicably upon
victory. Talons can trust their guild mates implicitly and be confident
that anyone wearing the ToJ guild tag is of high caliber. Our guild is designed to be a
collection of the finest people across multiple virtual worlds, those that we can trust to
treat all other online gamers with courtesy and respect, thereby bringing honor upon
our name. These concepts are the focus of the Talons of Justice and
are reflected in our Guild Structure and Rules of Conduct.
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1.0 The Leadership |
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1.1 Guild Leader and
Officers |
| The leadership positions of the Talons of Justice
are as follows:
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ToJ Leadership Council |
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The number of overall guild
representatives in ToJ is based upon the number of virtual worlds in
which ToJ has a guild presence of 21 or more members. For each
virtual world, there will be one representative to the overall
leadership of ToJ. It is the responsibility of this team to ensure
consistency of ToJ policy across all virtual worlds.
Members of the Overall Leadership Council are expected to have all active characters
of designated levels and above tagged in the guild in all virtual worlds. The members of
this council are chosen from among the In Game leadership teams by the Overall Guild Leader. |
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Everquest: Saryrn
Server |
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Vanguard: Seradon
Server |
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The maximum number of guild
officers for any virtual world is based upon the number of active guild members
within that world. Within each virtual world, not
counting the Guild Leader, there must be ten guild members per officer before
another officer may be appointed at the discretion of the current
Game Leadership.
Members of the Game Leadership are expected to have all active characters
of designated levels and
above tagged in the guild in their virtual world. |
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1.2 Officer
Responsibilities |
Each Officer listed above has the following responsibilities:
- To lead by example. While every member of the Guild is required to follow the Rules of Conduct as outlined in
this Charter, the Officers are expected to lead by example. In any public forum (In
game channels or internet newsgroups, etc...) it is expected that
every Officer will always act with respect and courtesy - even to those who do not adhere to our Rules of Conduct. Personal attacks against anyone in any public forum
or channel will not be tolerated.
- To help educate guild members.
Knowledge should be
obtained through research on the web, discussion with other players, and actual
game play. Each Officer is responsible for passing on this knowledge to
other members of the guild so they may improve their game play in all online
worlds where we have a presence. The goal of each Officer is to maximize the effectiveness of
the players within the guild.
- To educate members on Guild policies. Each Officer shall
make sure that all members of the guild understand and adhere to the Guild
Charter, our Rules of Conduct,
and the Rules of Conduct put forth by each game provider: (Example: SoE's Play-Nice-Policy (PNP)). Should an Officer observe behavior that is in violation of
any of these rules, they should take immediate corrective action.
Corrective action may include suspension and/or removal of the offending person
from the guild.
- To invite new members into the Guild. When a recruit meets all of the criteria for joining the guild, and has been approved for membership,
an Officer should discuss the Charter and Rules of Conduct with that person.
Only after the candidate agrees to the Charter should the Officer add them to
the guild. Officers are responsible for reporting all characters added to
the guild so that the member page may be kept accurate.
- To be aware of current guild and game topics. Officers are expected to read the forums on the website at least every other day and participate as needed
in guild discussions. Officers are also required to approve Kudo
Nominations posted in the Guild Event Forum. No Officer should ever post
items of a controversial nature in any forum.
- To guarantee that our guild is a welcome place for a diverse player
base. It is impossible to cover all possible policies in this
Charter; however, ToJ is a guild intended to support many diverse people of
different cultures, races, ages, religions, nationalities, sexual orientation,
and play-styles among its membership. No member who follows our Charter and
Rules of Conduct should ever be made feel unwelcome, and it is each Officers
responsibility to make sure that the membership encourages diversity within
itself. We understand that real life comes before EQ, and no member should
ever expect otherwise from their guild mates.
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1.3 Leadership Positions
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| The Leadership positions within each world will be set up only after there are 21 or more
active members as part of the guild in a
particular world. That means 21 unique people, not characters. After initial set-up, those positions will be managed by the Management Process described below to ensure
continued effective leadership is in place. If at any time the number of members in a world falls below 21, the Leadership Council may choose to eliminate any official ToJ
presence in that world and disband the leadership team. Any guild members from that world would still remain overall ToJ members. |
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1.3.1 Leadership Position Creation
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The first step in establishing a leadership presence within a new world is to select the in game guild leader. This should
be someone who wants the responsibility and who is approved by the overall Leadership Council of ToJ. Any individual who would like to step up can feel free to contact the Council
and make their desires known, but in the end, the Council will select the person they feel is most appropriate. Strong
consideration should be given to past history with each candidate
within the guild, including, but not limited to, their length of time in ToJ, previous leadership positions held within ToJ, and general trust-worthiness and maturity exhibited
over time.
After the new leader is established then Officers should be selected by the new Guild Leader. The maximum number of guild officers for any virtual world is based upon the number of guild members
within that world. Within each virtual world, not counting the Guild Leader, there must be ten guild members per officer before another officer may be appointed at the discretion of the current
in game Leadership. For the initial selections, the minimum number of officers selected should be two. The in game Leader should propose the potential new Officers to the overall Leadership
Council and receive approval before making any firm decisions or announcements. These officers should be selected with similar criteria to the Leader as mentioned above with the thought in
mind that diversity amongst the leadership team is a good thing.
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1.3.2 Leadership Position Management Process
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Officer Positions:
Every four months
all current Officers in each virtual world where ToJ exists will either be re-appointed or replaced based upon the
needs of the guild and the
Officers. It is important for the health of the
guild that the Officers remain active in the online world of their position. Should
any Officer reach the point where they no longer play their game regularly they should
expect to be removed from their position and replaced by someone else.
There is no disgrace in this, as real life is understood to be more important
than gaming, but for the good of the guild, active Officers are needed.
On January 1, May 1, and
September 1 of each year the Guild Leader within each virtual world shall announce which of the current
Officers have been re-appointed based on the current guild size within that
virtual world. At that
point, the Guild Leader and the re-appointed Officers will consider filling any remaining
Officer positions from the current member base. The Overall Guild Leader
will do the same for each virtual world's Leader.
Appointments/Removals:
Between the above dates it may be required that new Officers be appointed, or existing ones be removed from their position for the good of the guild. A majority vote of the
current Game Leadership is required to remove an Officer from his/her position
for that game. A unanimous vote of the
Officers in a virtual world is required to remove the Guild Leader.
To appoint a new Officer within a virtual world, a majority vote of that
world's Game Leadership, which must include the
Guild Leader's approval, is required. To appoint a new Guild Leader for a
virtual world requires a unanimous vote of the existing Officers within that
world. To appoint a new
representative from one virtual world to the overall Leadership Council of the guild
requires a selection from the Overall Guild Leader.
To appoint a new Overall Guild Leader requires a unanimous vote of the
existing game representatives on the Overall Leadership Council.
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2.0 Rules of Conduct
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2.1 Behavior
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- All members are expected to follow the rules established by the publisher of
any game world where we have a presence, including SoE's Play-Nice-Policy. Members of the Talons of Justice should never
perform actions that would result in warnings/suspensions from the game in which
they play.
- All members will carry their guild name with honor and respect for the other players in the game. As a member of this guild you are expected to conduct yourself in a manner which will reflect well on your guild.
There will be no
swearing or lewd discussions in guild chat or on our forums. Tactics
designed to get around the game language filter are unacceptable. The
language used should reflect tolerance for people of different cultures, races,
ages, religions, nationalities, sexual orientation, and play-styles. If
what you say offends someone in the guild you should refrain from similar
remarks in the future.
There should be no personal attacks on other members in guild chat channels, our forums,
or any public channel. All personal disagreements should be handled privately and through the correct procedures
while still adhering to all of the above rules. Any open debates should be general in nature and not directed towards any single individual.
The Officers are in a leadership role and all members should follow their directions. Disrespecting or disobeying their
requests will not be tolerated. Disagreements with anyone in this position should be taken to the
in game Guild Leader to be resolved. All members must do the job requested of them
by Officers while on guild events.
All guild members are expected to read the web forums at least once a week.
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2.2 Discipline
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- All members are expected to follow this Charter and abide by all Rules of
Conduct as stated above, including the established conduct policy of the game
publisher.
- Any member of the Game Leadership can suspend a guild member from the guild for breaking any of these rules.
Suspensions are not virtual world specific and can carry more serious ramifications as detailed later.
- All suspensions should be reported to the Guild Leader so that the length of the suspension may be recommended by the Game Leadership to the overall
Leadership Council and reported back to the suspended individual. Suspension lengths are determined by the overall Leadership Council.
- Generally not fitting into the guild can result in suspension, even without an infraction of the rules above.
It is important to maintain an environment within the guild where all guild members respect each other. Any member who acts in a manner that causes
them to lose the respect of their guild mates will be removed.
- Suspended guild members may not participate in guild events or claim any guild items with their loot points in any virtual world.
- A member’s continuance in the guild, after being placed on suspension, will be discussed by all members of the
Game Leadership. A majority vote of the Game Leadership can result in permanent removal of the person from the guild.
- Any person removed from ToJ in one virtual world for misconduct will also
have their membership in all other worlds removed. A majority vote of
Overall Leadership Council is needed to allow any person to continue to be a member in
one world after being removed in another.
- In Game Leadership is expected to ensure that the overall ToJ Charter and policies are fully implemented within their virtual world. The overall
Leadership Council has the power to remove any in Game Leadership member from their position should they feel that the ToJ Charter is not being
strictly adhered to and enforced. Majority vote of the overall Leadership Council is required to effect such a change.
- Any member of any Game Leadership or Overall Leadership Council that breaks the Rules of Conduct should expect
to receive a greater penalty than general members. Abuse of power by a member of the
Leadership will not be tolerated.
- Any disagreement with an Officer in game should be taken to that game's Guild Leader.
- Any disagreement with the implementation of the Charter and policies within a virtual world should be taken directly to an Overall Leadership Council
member for review. The Overall Leadership Council will review the escalation and take action if appropriate.
- Removing your own guild tag in game is the equivalent of quitting the guild. Anyone who quits
the guild in a game must receive approval from the Game Leadership to be re-admitted. You may not be re-instated more than twice
overall. Upon being re-instated, the member is placed on probation for one month and may not receive the bank split during that time.
- You do not need to be a member of ToJ in all virtual worlds where the guild has a
presence to be a member of the guild, but as stated above, misconduct in one world will result in your removal across worlds.
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3.0 Loot Policies
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Game specific loot policies will need to be
determined within each virtual world by the Game Leadership based on what
is appropriate for the mechanics of that game. The policies
outlined in this charter should be followed as closely as possible within
each world. There is a fundamental philosophy of fairness and lack of
discrimination contained within our policies and this should manifest itself
within each world where we have a presence.
The Game Leadership is responsible for
defining the loot policies for their game, but they must receive approval
from the Overall Leadership Council to implement their policy or to make changes to
it. |
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3.1 Loot
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- We are not a raid focused guild; however, we are here to band together and
accomplish things that individuals cannot. Therefore, we will acquire
items that need to be assigned to the members which will be done using a public
point system maintained in the Guild Event Forum for each virtual world.
Loot Points are earned by attending events as well as helping your guild
mates.
- There will be no arguing over loot policy and decisions. If you
disagree with your Loot Points earned or how an item is assigned please
voice your opinion respectfully at a time when proper discussion can be
accommodated. Direct your feedback to your game specific Officers and Guild Leader via e-mail for private discussions or the
forums for public matters.
- Loot points will be accumulated within each game as follows for any event that uses our normal loot policies as defined in this charter:
- Event Attendance: 1 point for playing one character at an event for 1 or more hours.
- Event Duration Bonus: +1 point for playing 3 or more hours during an event.
- Event Hydra Bonus: .5 additional points for competently playing more than one character at the event (hydraing)
- Event Loot Bonus: +1 point for playing the entire event from scheduled start time to finish if 3 or more loot items are claimed by players during that event. (Note that not being at the gathering point at the scheduled start time, an extended AFK, LD(s), leaving early, or any other disruption to full participation in the event will disqualify a player from earning this bonus point at Raid Leader discretion.)
- Kudos: 1 point. Any time a guild member is nominated by a guildmate for a Kudo which gets approved by an Officer.
- Kudos: Kudos can be given from one guild member to another for any
act of honor and kindness that requires a reasonable effort. Examples:
Traveling a significant distance to resurrect a fallen comrade, helping a guild
member level, organizing a successful guild event, assisting on a quest, etc.
In order for a Kudo point to be awarded, a guild member must post a Kudo
Nomination in the appropriate virtual world Guild Event Forum with details on the act being recognized.
Kudos may not be given out for participation in a raid that does NOT adhere
to our official policies.
- Any guild task that contains 12 or more characters with a reasonable target
will be considered an event as long as the official loot policy is enforced. Attendance will be
publicly posted after the event in the game specific Guild Event Forum to show the points are assigned.
- For droppable/transferable items, anyone in attendance may claim the item if they choose
to. No-Drop, or non-transferable, items may only be claimed by eligible
classes and races in
attendance.
- EQ Specific Policies: EQ Spells and Runes
are considered No-Drop items for implementing this policy. There is
also a special Epic policy used to govern Epic raids posted on our
forums.
- Claiming an item: Any eligible member not on probation with 0 or greater Loot Points
may claim an item. Non-members and those on probation with 21 or greater loot
points may claim an item. The person with the most Loot Points who claims the item receives it.
If two people are tied for most points, then the tied individuals will random 100 for it, with the highest roll receiving
the item. Each person is limited to a single claim per event. Members
not on probation with zero or more points may claim even if that claim will
bring them to a negative point total.
- Claimed Items: Upon claiming an item, the person who receives the item
either loses all of their points, or a number of points equal to the number
of founding guild members (21), whichever is more. This means if a
member has less points than the founding number of guild members when claiming then they
will go negative in points. When a member has negative points they
will be unable to claim again until they accumulate enough points to no longer be negative. Non
members and members on probation may not go negative, they must have enough points
earned to claim an item (21+) if they desire it.
- Warning: For anyone who likes to save up points, you are allowed to do so, but you
will still lose them all the first time you successfully claim an item.
- Unclaimed droppable items: If nobody claims an item and it is
droppable, it will be offered for claim or purchase by any guild member via
the forums for 3 days after prices are determined. Claiming will be
done in the same manner as described above by those interested after 3 days.
If after the 3 days nobody claims an item then that item will be sold to
raise in game currency for the guild bank.
- Unclaimed No-Drop items: Anyone playing a character that is in
attendance and eligible to use an item may participate in a random
determination to decide who will loot it at a cost of no points. Each
person (not character) who wants it may participate, and the person who wins
is assigned the item. Once a person is assigned an item, they are out
of all other random rolls until everyone in attendance has been assigned an
item during that event (spells and progression drops may be handled as a
special case and counted independently from other rolls at Leadership
discretion). If nobody in attendance wants the item and it can be multi-quested
then it will go through the same process as an unclaimed droppable item.
If it can't be multi-quested and nobody in attendance wants it, then it will be
offered via guild chat to anyone who can get there before it rots.
- Guild Bank: It is our intention to accumulate in game currency to
cover event costs. Any money accumulated beyond the game specific bank
minimum amount will be split amongst the guild on the first of every month.
The current guild bank amount will be publicly posted in each game specific Guild Event Forum. All members who
have all of their required characters they control tagged as members of the Talons of Justice are eligible for this
split as long as they are not on probation and are actively supporting the
guild. In summary: On the first of each month, all in game currency over
the Guild Bank Minimum will be divided
evenly between all active members not on probation who have all their characters
tagged ToJ. The split is calculated per
person, not per character and must be collected within the month or is forfeit.
A member is considered active for the purposes of this split if they have
accumulated Loot Points equal to one half the number of events during the
month.
- New Members: New members are given 10 bonus loot points in every
virtual world they are a part of ToJ in after they successfully complete
their probation period if all their required characters are tagged as members of ToJ. New
members start on probation for one month and are not eligible for the Guild Bank Split
in any virtual world until they
come off probation. Basically this means that each new member will NOT be eligible for the first
bank split that occurs after they join.
- Loot Points and Guild Banks are game specific and never transfer across game worlds.
- Game specific Event policies will be posted on the forums and each member who attends events is required to read them
and comply with them. Non compliance with these policies is grounds for dismissal from the event.
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3.2 Events |
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- Why not just call them Raids? While we expect the majority of our
events to be raids, we will still plan "fun" events from time to time and
attendance in those events will still gain loot points as described above.
ToJ will hold an anniversary event every year and that event should be fun in
nature.
- Any guild task that contains 12 or more characters with a reasonable target will
be considered an event as long as our loot policy is enforced. Attendance will be
publicly posted after the event in the game specific Guild Event Forum before the points are assigned.
- Raid Leader Duties:
- Track attendance: Record event length (in hours) and provide a list of all
characters in attendance and points earned. The raid leader also decides
if someone who attended only part of the event made a significant enough
contribution to be counted.
- Track Loot: Assign loot based on our point system and record every item
dropped and it's resulting status: Assigned, Banked, Claimed, or Rotted.
Also record the character who received each item. If the default ToJ loot system is
not going to be used it must be explained up front to all participants. It should also
be explained to any that join late. Whatever loot policy is going to be used should
be outlined clearly to everyone. Such non-standard events will not be recorded in
the database and no loot points will be earned by the participants.
- Make Groups: The raid leader is responsible for making the groups or
assigning this task to someone else. Groups are to be defined to best
achieve the goals of the event and should never be designed to get only certain
people XP.
- Inform all attendees of our policies: it is the responsibility of the
raid leader to make sure that any Non-Members that attend are aware of our Loot
Point policy. Negotiations may be performed and concessions made to
acquire needed classes for an event. Any concessions made should be
reported to the guild members immediately.
- Pre-defined Loot Assignments: Sometimes an event will target a mob to help a
specific guild member with a quest they are working on. Since the quest item
is going to be awarded to that individual this must be made known ahead of time
to each participant by the event leader.
- Policy Decisions: The raid leader will be required to make policy decisions
regarding other guilds, recruiting needed classes from outside the guild for
the event, and any PnP issues in the absence of guild leadership.
- Reporting Info: The above info must be reported within 24 hours to
the in game Guild Leader
for entry into the guild database. Please include appropriate game
specific information for non members.
- Joint Raids: From time to time we may choose to join with another
guild for an event. In these cases the Raid Leader will negotiate terms
with the other guild and roll on behalf of ToJ for any drops that require
rolling. Upon winning any item for ToJ it will be assigned using our
normal policies.
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4.0
Membership
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- Our Guild is designed to be a collection of the finest online gamers,
those that can be implicitly trusted to bring honor to our name and treat all
other online gamers with
courtesy and respect. We desire to fill our ranks with other players who
play online games with a high standard of ethics and morals.
- We have 4 categories of members: Leader, Officer, Member, and Recruit.
Throughout the charter, whenever the term "member" is used it means all of the
types of members unless otherwise noted.
- Any guild member may
recruit new members to the guild. They need only ask an Officer or Leader
to extend a guild invite to anyone interested in joining us.
- Newly tagged members are put in to Recruit status and given Recruit access
to our forums. The person who tags the new member should also start a post
in the New Member Discussion forum so that existing members may comment on their
experiences with the new Recruit.
- Members of ToJ are expected to have all qualifying characters guild tagged
in any game world where they join our guild. Members may join ToJ in one
game and choose not to in another. We currently have a formal
presence in:
- Everquest: Saryrn Server, Level 60 plus
- Vanguard: Seradon Server, Level 30 plus
- All guild members can post their support or objections to new recruits.
This includes guild members active in any virtual world where we have a
presence. Guild members that are in "retired" state may voice opinions, but may
not formally object. Details are required for any objection posted. Any
Recruit that receives 3 detailed member objections or one detailed objection
from any Officer will be removed from the guild and private forums immediately. It is very important that we only allow
individuals of appropriate caliber within our guild. The overall Guild Leader
can refuse admittance to or remove any individual from the guild.
- Any objection may be deemed inappropriate by the overall Leadership Council
if it lacks sufficient evidence or violates any rule of the Charter. In such
cases the objection will not be counted. The overall Leadership Council has the
final say on any matters of membership across all game worlds.
- Once tagged each Recruit must post a list of characters of required level that they own on
the appropriate world discussion forum. This is NOT
a list of just characters they play, but all characters of required level on active accounts they own within the appropriate virtual world.
- If the Recruit has made their character status post on the forums,
received tags for all appropriate characters, and if there are no objections in the
New Member Discussion thread after 10 days then the thread will be closed and a
determination will be made by guild leadership in that world as to the final
status of the Recruit.
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Any Recruit that is not rejected and removed by the above process will start on probation for one month
(from date of initial tag).
They may vote for/against
other Recruits during that time. They are also not eligible for the Guild Bank
Split and may not go negative in loot points while on probation.
- After becoming a full member of ToJ, anyone who de-guilds a qualifying character,
applies to another guild, or joins another guild with a qualifying character is
considered to have left our guild. They will immediately lose forum access
and have any remaining character(s) within that virtual world de-guilded.
- Any existing ToJ member who moves to a new virtual world where ToJ has a presence should be granted instant guild membership within that world. They
do not go on probation.
- Forum access is a privilege for members only. Forum access will be
removed from any person that leaves the overall guild or applies for entry in to
another guild within any virtual world where we have a presence.
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5.0 Multi-World Policy Summary
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To help clarify the many concepts and
policies expressed within the Charter above this summary is provided:
Overall ToJ Items (Span All Worlds):
- Guild Status (Member, Probation, Suspended, Ex-Member, Retired)
- Leadership Council Positions
- Charter Rules
- Detags/Suspensions
- Character Status
- Forum Name
In Game Items (Virtual World Specific):
- Guild Membership
- Forum Access
- Character Information
- Guild Bank
- Loot Points Received and Spent
- Items Received
- Loot Points Needed per Month for Split
- Event Tracking and Attendance
- Event Targets
- In Game Leadership Positions
- Split Eligibility
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