Recruitment

Thenid Gwenyr is openly recruiting new kinsmen. Anyone interested in becoming one of us, should read the information below and act accordingly. Ordinarily we recruit our kinsmen through means of invites, but adventurers can indeed opt to apply themselves and have a shot at joining up.



Basic Overview

Recruitment zone: Europe
Kinsmen limit: 45
Officer limit: 8
Current Kinsmen: 5
Current Officers: 1



Initiation

Anyone who passes the first screening checks of his/her application or is invited to join Thenid Gwenyr will undergo an initiation period. These initiates will be introduced to the kinship by the Recruiter and are expected to try to interact with kinsmen as much as possible during their initiation period. These initiates are free to participate in kinship events, provided there are still spots open, but do not benefit from kinship discounts and/or crafting assitance.
    The Recruiter decides when the time is right to pass judgement, upon which the initiate in question will either be denied entry or accepted as a true kinsman. The initiation period will last one week on average, but this could be much shorter or longer depending on the decision of the Recruiter and how easily we expect to pass judgement at the end of the initiation period.
    An initiation ceremony is held on the day that an iniate is accepted as a true kinsmen. This will likely employ form of role-playing, in which participation is entirely optional. Afterwards there should be plenty of partying and perhaps some fellowship hunting.



Applying

Anyone who wishes to become one of our kinsmen has to read, accept and abide by our Code of Conduct. After doing so, one can either opt to start a topic on our designated forum area, or send a mail to Aeroth in-game with the following information. (any starred (*) information is required! The rest is optional, filling everything in will weigh in your favour)

Basic Info

• Name: (* - at least your first name!)
• Gender: (*)
• Age: (*)
• Country: (*)
• Email: (*)
• Availability/Activity: (*)
• Voice-communication capable: Yes/No (*)
• Codemasters forum name:
• Xfire name:
• Skype name:
• MSN contact:

Detailed Info

• Character Name: (*)
• Character Class: (*)
• Character Race: (*)
• Character Gender: (*)
• Character History: (as in: the lore behind your character! - certainly not required)
• Level: (*)
• Vocation: (*)
• Previous Kinship(s): (*)
• Reason for Applying: (*)
• Gaming Experience:
• MMO Experience:
• Favourite Games:
• Bartle Test Result: (e.g.: SEKA, 100% Social, 70% Explorer, 55% Killer, 20% Achiever)
• Preferred Play-style: (e.g.: powergaming, role-playing, PvE, PvP, social, exploring, etc.)
• Your Expectations:

Code of Conduct

Any Thenid Gwenyr kinsman has to accept and abide by our Code of Conduct. This is a set of simple, usually even obvious, rules that aim to make gameplay more enjoyable for the whole of our kinship - and the realm we'll be participating in. The Code of Conduct is seperated into two entities: the actual code and the overall kinship guidelines, one is a code of how to behave, whereas the other is more of a set of actual rules.



Code of Conduct

• Kinsmen will maintain respect for any individual they meet within the world of Middle Earth and any affiliated areas (LotRO forums, chat channels, etc.).
• Kinsmen will attempt to always construct proper and meaningful sentences and do not regress into 1337-speak or the likes. This does not mean every sentence has to be written in impeccable English, but rather that chat should not turn into 1337-speaker's-heaven.
• Kinsmen will always strife to keep chat amongst themselves friendly, rather than instigating hostile arguments.
• Kinsmen will assist any kinsmen or ally in need, whenever feasable. This includes assisting in quests, answering questions and providing monetary or equipment assistance.
• Kinsmen can opt to sell their items to fellow kinsmen, but this should always be at a minimum of a 30% discount compared to when one were to sell said item to any non-affiliated adventurer. We understand that kinsmen have to make a living as well - and as such we do not obligate kinsmen to provide these items for free, the 30% discount is a minimum courtesy however and should not deterr one from sharing their items within fellow kinsmen.
• Kinsmen will respect and adhere to the command structure as it is established within Thenid Gwenyr.
• Kinsmen will never resort to utilizing any form of racial, sexual or verbal abuse under any circumstance towards another player. Note that references towards hatred between in-game races and/or sarcastic commens in regards to in-game racial traits are not considered racial or verbal abuse, provided this is done in limited manner!
• Kinsmen will never break the EULA or any form of agreement with Turbine and/or CodeMasters. Therefore kinsmen will never utilize any third-party-tools that will give them an unfair advantage to others either (this would be any form of exploiting, gold-farming (with intent to sell), hacking or cheating).

Kinship Guidelines

• Kinsmen are to be named properly in-game and on our forums. Offensive, racist, abusive, lore-breaking, wellknown people's names or 1337 nicknames will not be allowed. Therefore a name such as Fatal1ty, Legolis, James Bond or B000 are not allowed - whereas names such as: Aerinth, Bluesummer, Jessica & Zaerus are. (we are actually rather lenient in this and we'll notify you if your name is inappropriate for joining our kinship, which is ordinarily not the case)
• Kinsmen can have up to three different characters enter in Thenid Gwenyr. These characters can be of any gender or race.
• Kinsmen are European and possess a decent understanding of the English language. There are no age or gender restrictions in place, although we do prefer adventurers of ages 16 and up.
• Kinsmen will abide by our Code of Conduct and Kinship Guidelines.
• Kinsmen may not be part of another kinship in the same realm of LotRO.
• Kinsmen will actively participate in the kinship forums and gameplay. A failure to report in either way for a full a month will result in banning, unless Thenid Gwenyr was properly notified in advance.

The Command Structure

A kinship requires a proper command structure if it is to function, as such Thenid Gwenyr has devised it's own unique means of organisation. Due to Thenid Gwenyr's rather unconvential nature, not opting for a massive memberbase and gearing itself towards enjoying all aspects of LotRO gameplay in our very own manner, we'll be utilizing a rather unusual command structure.



Overall Operations

Thenid Gwenyr knows a single overall leader who is responsible for overall operations of the kinship. This leader is followed by a second-in-command who can take over in his absence. These two will function as the guiding entity in the decision making process and will assist all officers in their tasks. Essentially they'll be the forefront of our kinship, attempting to keep everything together as the kinsmen enjoy their time playing together and the other officers each do their thing. Note that both the leader and second-in-command are frequently reffered to as officers within Thenid Gwenyr.
A number of officer positions are open for dedicated members. These officers are more involved in the decision making process, frequently being included in even the minor details if they so choose. Additionally, each of these officers will assume responsibility for a specific set of tasks, as described further along in this document. In absence of sufficient officers to fullfill all roles, the current kinship leader and his second in command will assume responsibility for the tasks of any open officer roles.
The lifeblood of Thenid Gwenyr, the kinsmen themselves, are ordinarily left to play as they please, within the bounds of our code of conduct. This means that you will not be forced into the decision making process within Thenid Gwenyr if you do not want to, a kinsman can opt to merely play with his fellow kinsmen (and kinswomen) without being bothered with any of the organisational details. Any kinsmen who wish to be more involved in the decision making process can make this known to the current officers and they'll be placed in a semi-officer status of sorts.

Decision-making

As it stands we know several types of decisions - and each is handled differently:

• Long-term - these are generally issues such as what kind of colour our cape (if there is such a thing in LotRO) should be, what kind of event should be organised next week & which raid encounter to do next. These decisions are made by the whole of the kinship and any kinsmen has a say in them through means of a poll upon our forum. Note that this will not be available during beta, if any of us make it in, due to a binding NDA.
• Mid-term - a decision that aught to be made relatively efficiently, but isn't immediately urgent. This would include whether or not an iniate should be allowed to enter the kinship - and would also include changes to code of conduct or kinship operations. These decisions are mostly handled by the officers by means of majority votes. Semi-officers can opt to participate, but all votes will have a relatively short timespan.
• Short-term - a near split-second decision, or anything that is an urgent issue. This would include the means of punishment for violating our code of conduct or providing instructions prior to a difficult fight. These are ordinarily left to specific officers to handle themselves, although some might be handled by any present officers and semi-officers by means of a voting round.

The current kinship leader has the right to overrule any decisions made in this manner if it is to maintain the kinship as it was intended to be, but will ordinarily never do so. As it stands we're a largely democratic kinship, which allows it's kinsmen to decide it's future in many ways, but only if they choose to be involved. We're a very open kinship that remains true to it's prime directive and this reflects in our means if decision making.

Officer Positions

• Diplomatic Ambassador - our Diplomatic Ambassador maintains our relationships with other kinships. He/She will work together with the Event Manager to organize inter-kinship events, as well as take charge of trade negotiations between our kinships. Similarly, said Diplomatic Ambassador will strive to resolve any potential issues between Thenid Gwenyr and any other kinship in order to maintain our good public image.
• Event Manager - will be in charge of inventing and organising new events. He/she will take charge during most events - in his/her absence another officer will take over. The Event Manager will ensure that kinsmen can evaluate previous events, as well as assist in the planning of future events.
• Internal Matters - this officer will be in charge of resolving internal issues between kinsmen. If there is the need for any kinsmen to speak anonymously about the kinship or fellow kinsmen, then the Internal Matters officer is available as someone who will strictly keep ones anonimity.
• Master Crafter - the Master Crafter ensures that crafting is well-regulated within our kinship and any less experienced crafters are properly assisted. He/she will take charge of regulating crafting assets within the kinship and attempting to provide kinship crafters with their required materials. Additionally, this officer will organize hunting parties, should the need to acquire very specific items ever arise and he/she will regulate crafting utility storage and provision.
• Master of Assets - is tasked with managing all kinship assets, such as any voice communication tools, online forums, chat channels, etc. He/she will also regulate any on-going trade within the kinship, such as equipment provision (crafting materials excluded).
• Recruiter - an officer who attempts to recruit new adventurers and introduce any initiates to the kinship. He/she will determine when an initiate should be examined, upon which said initiate will be accepted or rejected through a means of voting amongst officers or the entire kinship.
• Second in Command - an officer who holds much sway within Thenid Gwenyr is the Second in Command. This kinsmen has taken up the responsibility of assuming command whenever the leader is indisposed and will be his most trusted advisor.

Officer Duties

These are the duties of all current officers, regardless of their position:

• Attempt to rally any online kinsmen towards playing together. This can be through questing, acquiring craft resources, or simply gathering and having a good time.
• Will assume leadership positions in fellowships or raids, unless he/she finds a kinsmen who would prefer to assume this role.
• Actively participate in any on-going discussions regarding kinship operations on the forums and always attempt to vote for within any open polls on said forums.
• Will refer anyone who wishes to join to the currently active Recruiter.
• Strife towards keeping the peace within our kinship, should problems ever arise, in absence of the Internal Matters officer.
• Will strife to assist any kinsmen with their problems or quests. Officers are expected to be fairly knowledgeable about the world of Middle Earth and share this knowledge with their fellow kinsmen.
• Do not consider themselves above any other kinsmen, for they are not. An officer is a kinsman who has taken responsibility for a certain role vital to Thenid Gwenyr's functioning.
• Will assist fellow officers in their duties if necessary.

Basic Overview

As you'll find out from reading through the pages on this website, Thenid Gwenyr is a rather unique kinship. In order to give you a good idea as to what we're about, it's advised to read through the short overview of our kinship below as well as our Prime Directive. Enjoy!



Overview

Name: Thenid Gwenyr
Meaning: True Kinsmen (Sindarin language)
Games: The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar
Region: Europe
Website: http://thenid-gwenyr.blogspot.com
Forum: none yet
IRC channel: none yet
Voice over Net: none yet



Further Details

Kinship Size: Small - Medium.
Gameplay: Will participate in all aspects of LotRO gameplay: PvE, PvP, raiding, socializing, exploring, role-playing, mini-games, etc.
Role-playing: Takes up a minor role in Thenid Gwenyr and is fully optional. Kinship chat and voice-communication will largely be OOC.
Recruitment: Largely invite based, but will accept applications for joining as well.
Raiding: Will not be taken as seriously as it is in most kinships in other games. We're out there to have fun - and as such kinsmen will not be expected to log in every other day to participate in raids for rare items, when we could actually be having a good time..
Style of play: Thenid Gwenyr is likely most suitable to players who are interested in a Social experience, rather than any form of Achievement. This does not mean we will not do our best in any endeavour, but rather that we will not go out of our way to win at any cost, especially not at the cost of fun gameplay with good friends from all over Europe.

Prime Directive

Thenid Gwenyr cares greatly for the playing experience of it's kinsmen - and as such as devised a prime directive, which is the main goal this kinship will keep in mind during any decision. We shall strife to play according to our prime directive and as such create a more enjoyable experience for not only ourselves, but any adventurer within our realm.



The Prime Directive

Thenid Gwenyr's prime directive is to enjoy LotRO in the fashion that beta tester kinships do. One could call it the 'Beta-style' of playing, which can be considered a more open, less serious and more varieing playing experience. Here are a couple of pointers that should indicate what this entails:

• Rather than attempting to become the most succesful kinship, or to strife to overcome all struggles at any cost, Thenid Gwenyr will aim for an enjoyable playing experience above all.
• Kinsmen will not be forced into playing a particular race, class or role to benefit the kinship. Instead any kinsman can play however they wish and Thenid Gwenyr will adapt around that.
• Instead of spending countless hours discussing battle plans and tactics, Thenid Gwenyr will have a 'let's go and do it' mentality. From our viewpoint it's better to try, fail and have fun, then to plan, win and be bored.
• As a kinship we will enjoy all facets of LotRO gameplay. We'll attempt to experience everything LotRO has to offer, be it PvE, PvP, role-playing, crafting, socializing, minigames, exploring, whatever. Although role-playing will play a more minor role within our kinship and is additionally entirely optional.
• We'll attempt to stick together in fellowships and raids as much as possible throughout our playing time. This doesn't mean you always have to be out with kinsmen, but rather that we'll strife to play together more than most kinships do.
• In contrast to kinships in other games, we'll attempt to be a very public kinship. We won't keep ourselves away from the world in some secluded area of our own, but rather invite random players along in fellowships or raids and try to meet new interesting people, even if they aren't kinsmen or allies.
• There will be none of the overly democratic hassle in Thenid Gwenyr. If a quick decision has to be made, there's a leader and/or an officer to make that decision. On the other hand, kinsmen do have a great deal of influence on less immediate decisions, but only if they so choose!
• None of the grinding or leveling pressure of hardcore raiding or PvP kinships. We prefer more active kinsmen, but there are no hardcore activity requirements such as 6 logins every week or 2 raid participations every week. Similarly, participating in raids will not give you a significant advantage towards earning any special item - mere overall activity and proper kinship-participation will.
• No two-hundred member behemoth - and no severe restriction preventing you from bringing in your favourite alternative character! We'll be sticking true to the smaller scale model of kinships - allowing for better bonding between kinsmen and less gaming pressure, while allowing members to have up to three seperate characters in the kinship.
• Initiates will be evaluated on how they fit into the kinship first and foremost. We won't enter someone into Thenid Gwenyr simply because he/she is a good player, but rather because he/she is great to play with!
• Plenty of fun weird activities: rather than being out hunting or mining all the time, we'll be certain to spend a lot of time coming up with other inventive means of staying entertained. Expect plenty of parties as we'll celebrate kinsmen's birthdays - and if so desired: their character's birthdays too! Yarr, that's up to 4 birthday parties a year!
• No hardcore limits on ages or gender. It's impossible to determine who someone is and how enjoyable it is to play with them by looking at their age or gender. As such we'll evaluate each case seperately - and will value maturity and good character. Therefore we could very well accept a 14 year old girl and deny a 37 year old man.