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Post by Sir Smeg on Dec 30, 2006 12:53:08 GMT
My dearest bunnies, those of you who have not been living under a rock (Or another videogame!) these past few months will hardly fail to have noticed that our once joyful family has fallen foul of bad times. A family which has noticeably shrunk over disagreements about these times.
I, as leader, have never claimed to be anything more or less than a good-timer, a casual layabout who was happy to be the glue that kept our group together. It has become apparent to me, and probably should have much sooner, that a guild of this size, and of such an eclectic mix of strong, intelligent personalities requires more than just this to thrive. I shall refrain from personal statements upon these pages, and keep things strictly functional. I am aware that I am no longer suitable to lead you all, not, that is, if we have aspirations to acheive. The amount of time I dedicate to the game is not adequate to orchestrate the kind of changes which are necessary to turn things around - my main aim is to have a wonderfully good time when I log on. It requires a man of greater steele to ensure that a good time is guaranteed for all whenever they decide to play. It is mainly for these reasons that I have decided to stand down as guild leader in the coming future, there are others better than I at acheiving greater goals. I also tire of being a focal point for people's dissatisfactions - I am allergic to conflict. And that was a personal statement right there. Arse.
Anyhoo, come early January and the return of the founding fathers of the bunnies to London, we shall meet and discuss the future of the Psychobunnies (who, after all, were our initial joint endeavour), and the position I will play in this future. At this point I can only make predictions, but as I see it -if we do not reach an agreement on which of us is to lead the guild, the bunnies may disband and reconvene under a new name. I predict this, based on what I believe to be an understanding of the original principals of our guild. Change the core dynamic enough, and we cease to be PB, for better or worse.
A word I have used a lot in this post has been 'change'. I know that most of you are in agreement that with certain careful changes, this situation can be improved. The rest of this thread is therefore dedicated to the discussion of problems, suggestions for change, or simple abuse of my abuse of office over the year. While I still hold the position of leader, I will attempt to ease the transition to new leadership by implementing some of the changes, though I do admit that my successor will likely be more able and willing than I to tackle the brunt of the work.
Scribble away, bunnies!
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Post by Nate Alluran on Dec 30, 2006 15:00:18 GMT
I'm not very keen on long posts, so I'll keep mine short and to the point.
Out guild has had a sad decline in member activity during the last half a year, maybe more. During this time, the atmosphere in the guild shifted to a point where people logged on and preferred to play alone or with one good friend, rather then ask guildies to join them (not to mention there are times when you'd be lucky to see more then one or two members online), at least that's how it felt to me.
I have to say do not agree with those who lay the blame for this situation at Reg's feet, but I do feel we need to change our course. I am not rooting for a change of leadership, it's unnecessary and wouldn't solve much on it's own. What's called for IMO is a couple of key changes in the way the guild is run, along with an effort on our part to improve the playing atmosphere. (If the majority of the bunnies agree with me, we can turn this thread into a discussion on those point)
That's where I stand, flame away
One question: seeing I haven't been around during these past couple of weeks, was there any particular incident that caused this rift and the leaving of some of the bunnies?
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Post by Sir Smeg on Dec 30, 2006 16:55:27 GMT
I'd just like nip in just in case this does deteriorate into a flame war - As far as I can tell, nobody 'laid the blame at Reg's feet', more 'expressed dissatisfaction at Reg's apparent lack of action.'
Just in case we are in need of clarity ^_^
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Post by jamnog on Dec 30, 2006 19:44:49 GMT
Hi guys i'm new first post and everything. anyway i do have something to add to this. I think the group dynamic in guild wars causes melodrama ive seen this happen in every guild ive joined ... normally just after i join... and i just wanted to pre empt any possible me blaming that might occur by saying its categorically not my fault, what ever is happening. esp if this does start a fireworks display when i joined i had to say i felt like id finally found my home laid back slightly unbalanced guild with cool people bursting out of the seems. reg if you made this guild my hat is off to you that's quite an accolade cause ive been in allot of guilds. id ask you to stay ... in fact sod it, reg stay! there i said it. i know it wont change anything and yeah my thoughts on this probably wont mean much having just joined the one thing that would turn this guild around would be a small recruitment drive perhaps. my Siamese fighting fish has build a bubble nest and im kinda writing this on the hoof so it wont make much sence. in fact i kinda say what's on my mind in forums knowing full well that once people read one of my posts they kinda skip all future ones and move onto the next. note to self find picture of grandpa Simpson for avatar. im not one to mince my words and im often wrong which is a bad combination.
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Post by advocate on Dec 31, 2006 20:28:44 GMT
Well met,
I have watched many of our number fall from our ranks over the last few weeks and have read through lots of posts on this forum that identify the problem as being how do we get people to stick around and take part? I would like to offer my opinion and a possible solution.
Firstly we need to address the attitude and stance of the guild, we are fun loving, happy-go-lucky fur balls who want nothing more than to kick back and enjoy life. A noble and brilliant aspiration. However it is incredibly flexible to the point of being uncontrollable since it relies upon everyone involved pulling their weight. Each and every member of the guild is required to share a love for its fellow members (not that unreasonable is it?) and a willingness to put yourselves out to help each other. Reasonable but not really happy-go-lucky? If you hold no expectations to the players then nothing can be said or done when things don’t work out like they should. If the only expectation is that members are friendly fun and crazy then they will be that as and when they want which is great in principle but not suitable for a functional guild that relies upon everyone to provide the atmosphere.
If a person need help to complete a quest or whatever, they have to hope someone is online when they are and that that person is not busy doing something of their own. Some guilds over come this by introducing a ‘if someone calls for aid, drop what selfish act your doing and come help’ AMP has a similar rule regarding people who are farming and such. A noble sentiment but if everyone stops what they are doing to help everyone else, nothing gets achieved very quickly often leading to lots of whispered grumbles such as ‘that’s the eighth time this week I have done -insert most hated mission here- and I still haven’t got enough -insert favourite material here- for my new armour’. I think the notion of ‘help if you can’ is brilliant but once again blindly asking for help can as often lead to deathly silence rather than people rushing to your aid since you have to rely upon people in a position to help being online when you request. Now a simple solution that doesn’t limit peoples enjoyment or freedom is to introduce onto the forum a section ‘request for help’ section where people who are having difficulty with a particular aspect of play can say what they need and other people can leave advice or offer help and arrangements can be made. Of course, this relies upon people (under no obligation) to visit the forum in the first place.
Small incentives can be introduced (such as our BotM) and the competitions but as we have seen with those floundering endeavours not much inner guild activity is taking place. Without seeking out the current miscreants and finding out why they are not taking part I do not see anyway of bringing them back into the fold. If they were active enough to notice things are rocky here then they would have said something by now. My suggestion with regards to inactivity within the guild is limited to the only course of action I can see as having any effect. It requires determination and balls of steel to do. A post on the forum backed up by a guild announcement of a ‘harvest of lost souls’ set a reasonable date and time so that the more casual player has a chance to read it and state that all those who wish to remain part of the guild and are active/have a reason for inactivity post on that thread to say so, all those who fail to do so should be removed from the guild. It is harsh action I agree but before it is instantly dismissed as ‘not a very bunny thing to do’ I would like to point out that those who are taking no interest in the guild or its activities aren’t being very bunny minded.
By eliminating those who are dragging their feet in the guild we can see where exactly we are at in terms of membership and the level of help available. From there we can begin looking to recruit other like minded people into our ranks and find new and interesting ways to keep them (like duck tape).
I have a number of ideas that require very little in the way of implementation that can work wonders for us in the long run and will be happy to unleash a few of them if you want to hear them.
There should not be harsh rules and regulations for the masses because that bogs us down and no fun will be had, but on the flip side, a simple agreement between friends can‘t hold up under the weight of a whole guild.
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Post by Edem on Jan 1, 2007 22:12:53 GMT
I would like to offer my opinion and a possible solution. Though shortly after I left the guild and decided it's final, I stopped reading these forums, two people suggested me to do so. All you wrote is good, and I do hope you make it come through. This might be a cure. Maybe a drastic, but what's some cut knuckles if you can save the leg? *walks away again*
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Post by Sir Smeg on Jan 3, 2007 21:22:21 GMT
Cobber just can't keep his nose out, can he? Reg would also like to add that he is in reluctant agreement with most of what has been said. Naturally any kind of decision this colossal will be raised with the forefathers, but it's certainly an upgrade on my last idea. Remember the 'Wait for Nightfall to release and hope people start playing Guildwars again' policy? Man, that one failed. I believe that whichever leader follows me would do best if presented with a relatively clean slate, so I will be receptive to 'culling' negotiations once I stand down to become plain ol' Reg the Righteous, omniscient officer. *Additionally* I believe that Bunny of the Month can safely be suspended until we gain our new playerbase. I recieved not ONE nomination from any bunny, not even those who supported the idea. Thus my one and only vote in favour of awarding Madraykin Nin the award is carried by a 100% majority. ;D
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Post by kevx3 on Jan 4, 2007 19:48:44 GMT
'Wait for Nightfall to release and hope people start playing Guildwars again' policy? Man, that one failed. well you probably dont know but the forefathers have had a bit of... well problems with our nightfall campaign (only started about a week before the christmas break) 1. one of us doesn't have a working computer 2. the other has no viable internet line 3. the last one has to stand guard over stupid china men to make sure they dont crush themselves with PCs. anyways excuse number 1 out of the way... now on to the real deal -------------------------------------- ive played many mmos in my .... somewhat sort lifetime. The only times ive experienced Guild leadership was at the hands of Lineage two and that did not work out great (hate the PR ). well anyways the point im getting at is that the majority of the blame is not on the leader. you see in GW what does a Guild master have over a lowly officer like... ermmm let say Zapie (sorry moo). not much.... okay bad example lets start over. if you impose rules into a game that works like GW then whats the fun in that? i never did like the iron maiden (shut up moo and you too brass) rule of "if you dont log on in X days then your out". im not that active so it maybe a bit biased for me to be saying this but sometimes when i log on an mmo i just wanna mess around, die a few times and laugh at some of the hilarious clipping errors i see... and if im part of a guild/clan/corp/group/squad etc theres someone on the other end that feels the same way. ------------------------- and this is why i hate PR. final word : Tis all okay. now
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Post by Sir Smeg on Jan 5, 2007 0:02:09 GMT
.... and if im part of a guild/clan/corp/group/squad etc theres someone on the other end that feels the same way.
Thanks for your support Kev, it means much to me, but I must put this quote of yours into context. Remember ye well that this is exactly what we're up against. Providing that person, or preferably those people, on the other end.
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Post by Hatter on Jan 5, 2007 17:38:02 GMT
I'm not coming back. Please don't call me back. I have various reasons for this, none of them are public on this forum. We more or less made up with Reg, but it's still... in a very delicate stage. I will stay in touch, I'm still the old Fonz, but now I have a prettier cape.
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Post by Edem on Jan 6, 2007 0:31:52 GMT
The other reason why I would feel uncomfortable, is that there was that little issue of slander, and I did not hear about it being cleared. I did show Reg evidence, but it seems like he asked me to leave, so that he won't have to talk about it with Amp. Uncomfy subject buried dead, so to speak. Either tell the whole story or don't say anything. This is just throwing poop into the fan and that's nothing the bunnies need now. You leave, fine, say goodbye, but don't kick up the barrel of gunpowder on the way out.
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Post by Sir Smeg on Jan 6, 2007 10:18:49 GMT
Many thanks.
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Post by Edem on Jan 6, 2007 13:48:25 GMT
Well, seeing as there was a meeting held about this (not only about this, but it was a main point) I do believe that people do know about this. I did see a lot of bunnies that time around. But "a lot of" doesn't mean "every", and there are nonbunnies reading this forum (I was pointed here by one of them). Also, if you don't write the facts but leave suggestive hints, that's worse than telling everything. But you didn't want to so you kicked it only this measure? It's still kicked. No, I quoted the sentences you never should have told.
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frak
Newborn
Posts: 8
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Post by frak on Jan 6, 2007 22:23:19 GMT
First things first, I have left the guild. Nothing to do with the guild per se, more to do with personal affiliations. I enjoyed my time with the Bunnies and wish them nothing but the best in the future.
I feel that I, and those others who have left the guild, should not be airing our dirty laundry here. We have made our decisions, we have walked away from the Bunnies, for whatever reasons.
We should now let the Bunnies put their house back in order as they see fit, without our interference - we have made our beds, let us lie in them. Should we have personal differences that led to our leaving that is now over. We are ex-bunnies. There is no need for us to deepen whatever current problem the Bunnies now have with issues that are now resolved (leaving the guild was our final resolution).
So I appeal to all other former Bunnies to let bygones be bygones and let what was, and hopefully will be again, a wonderful guild rebuild in our absence. We have gone our separate ways for reasons that we all felt were right at the time, but let us let it rest there.
Finally, I would like once again to thank all the Bunnies for the great times I had whilst a member and to leave an open door - should you ever want a party member, chat or just a bit of a laugh, feel free to give Flossie The Sheep a shout.
This is my parting shot, but I wish you all all the best in the future.
Thanks for everything
Flossie
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Post by advocate on Jan 7, 2007 2:16:06 GMT
Well, as epiphanies go it was not much of one to shout about, there I was, trying to find a way to bring The Future thread back on topic. Digging through all that had been said and not said, trying to find a more suitable solution to our inactivity when it hit me. Our motto at the moment is less Cute but Psycho, more abandon hope all ye who enter here.
We can find no suitable resolution that can be implemented with the laissez faire attitude so prevalent among those who have the power to do something about our spiralling decay. Things even out, I’m sure they will, I hope they will. And we wish you all the best in the time being. Now, we can not be part of a guild that is not benefiting from our input nor us from the guild. I am sorry things have to be this way but times change and well, since neither of us nor the guild itself is achieving much we find ourselves looking elsewhere. We would love to stay but we have nothing more to offer and nothing we want from the guild as it stands.
Feel free to give us a shout if you have need of us, we do not hold any grudges or whatever, we don’t blame anyone for what has happened, after all, though control lies in the hands of the founding members this was ‘our’ guild, all of us together. Anyway, just enough time to say good bye before we saddle up and ride for unknown lands and new adventures.
Fare well friends, I hope the new year brings you all new life and prosperity. (I want to see PB on guild of the week!) Best of luck.
See you ever and anon.
Calin Vasarious Darke Alice
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