We expect a certain demeanor and adult behavior from all of our guild members. We expect you to treat others as you would wish to be treated. We do NOT expect political correctness. You want to be silly, be silly. You want to be sarcastic, be sarcastic. You want to be stupid, be stupid. BUT there are limits. While we expect you to know what they are, we the officers present to you the following Guidelines, but remind you it is ultimately in the discretion of the officers to decide where the lines are drawn or for you to convince us otherwise.

Below are basic guidelines we expect our members to follow. Violation of any can lead to disciplinary action up to and including immediate removal from the guild.

1. All members should remember that Ashen Guarde is about fun and friendship first, loot and experience second. We are a family NOT a gang.

2. Engagement in any activity that is in violation of the World of Warcraft End User License Agreement (EULA) which would reflect on the status of or lead to the disbanding of Ashen Guarde as a recognized Guild is grounds for immediate removal.

3. No guild member shall harass another member/player, sexually, verbally, physically or through game play. This does not mean that banter is unacceptable; we are talking about harassment that is done with absolute, mean, cold and cruel intentions. Harassment will be treated extremely seriously and is grounds for immediate removal.

4. Members should try and keep any obscene and or offensive comments out of any form of chat. Try and keep it PG rated or at least just R. The use of profanity while generally tolerable should be saved for the times that really, really call for it. You should try to use Damn, Grr, Aigh, Frig or something else, but we do recognize that there are times you just need to let loose. Try and keep these occasions as the exception, not the norm.

5. Members will respect each other. Personal attacks won't be tolerated in game or on the message boards. Swearing at or insulting a person are examples of unacceptable behavior. If there is a dispute between members, it should be taken out of /guild to /tells and if necessary taken to an officer in game or in a chat room. You should try and resolve these calmly, coolly and as adults.

6. Members will respect others. Ashen Guarde wishes to be a well respected member of the Aman'Thul Guild community, as a member you are a representative of Ashen Guarde. Always remember this whether you are in /tells, /yells, /general or just speaking to another player be it member, newbie, or a combatant. Always behave courteously, calmly and respectfully, treating them as you would a fellow guildie. Should they be rude, obnoxious or otherwise offensive, simply ignore them if you can and remember their name so as not to have anything to do with them in the future. We don't stoop to someone else's level as it just demeans us, and gives them the attention that they want. The best revenge for a person like that is to deny them the attention.

7. Members will be helpful if they can. Ashen Guarde wishes to be respected for its competence, knowledge and honor. Be aware of your surroundings and be aware of others around you. Be willing to lend aid to those in need whether it's throwing a heal, breaking a train, answering questions or offering directions. This can also include being helpful simply in /shout or /ooc. It isn't required that you endow the college fund of their first born or hold their hand for the next hour, but remember the person you help today might be the person helping you tomorrow.

8. Members are NOT Bullies. If you wish to engage in /duels do so for fun NOT to beat people up. Try to engage in fair fights only to test your skill. By the same token we do NOT take over a camp just because we have the power to do so nor do we use our power just to puff up our own egos at someone else's expense. Bullying is grounds for immediate removal.

9. No guild member shall engage in Ninja Looting. Guild members will be fair and honest in their splits. On items, members will be honest whether it's Need or Greed.

10. No guild member shall engage in Kill Stealing.

11. No guild member shall intentionally train a player. Intentionally training someone is grounds for immediate removal. If you are pulling a train to the zone/guards you should try and shout an appropriate warning, if possible. If you accidentally train someone, you should make necessary amends, the least of which are apologies, up to and including making arrangements for a rezz or monetary compensation.

12. No member will invoke the Play Nice Policy in regards to a camp. If the issue cannot be resolved amicably between the 2 parties, then it’s sometimes best to just walk away. This does not mean you should permit yourself to be bullied off a camp, or that you should not call for GM or Guild intervention, it does mean that we recognize that if the camp is taken there are a ton of other places we can go. If you have a problem or aren't sure what to do feel free to ask in /guild or ask an officer.

13. Members are expected to try and set a fair market price if selling in guild. We recognize that there are times you need cash and times you just need to get rid of an item. If you need the cash then the fellow guildie should respect that you need to sell it in the Auction Houses at full price vs selling to them at a discount, regardless of how badly they want it, but we'd like to see equipment and items always sold in-guild at a discount whenever possible. When selling an item, any guild member that knowingly or willingly is involved as part of a scam to defraud, dupe or otherwise deceive another player, regardless of reason, shall be immediately removed from the guild.

14. All guild members are expected to help out other guild members in need. Whether its item transfers, ports, etc. This does not mean abandoning a group in the bottom of a dungeon to run halfway across Azeroth. It does mean if you are soloing and nearby and able to you should offer to help if you can. It does mean that if you can leave your group, pop over to another character and safely help and then get back to your group in minimal time you should consider offering to help. This is after all one of the reasons we are in a guild. By the same token members should not ask for help unless they really need it. Do not guilt another member into dropping something important that they are doing to run halfway across Azeroth just to rezz you.

15. The Officers will handle each case of conduct violation as it warrants, but like in real life 3 strikes and you're out.

Should you have any questions concerning these guidelines please feel free to ask in /guildchat or on the message boards.


Guild Chat Guidelines

One of the most important uses of guild chat is as a means that we as individuals can reach out to us as a group. It is for questions like, "Does anyone know what X is for?" or "about quest Y?" or "The going price for a Z?" or "What's camped in Dungeon P?" or "Anyone wanna go kill Q?" or "Could I get some help with R?" Once the initial question is answered by someone, you should consider whether you need more information from the guild as a whole or whether you can get that from /tells.

/Guildchat is also our lifeline that keeps us all connected and lets us know we aren't just a whole bunch of people stuck behind a glowing box, punching keys like chimpanzees in various locations of the world.

It's important to remember that words are the only thing we see on a screen when using /guild. We do not hear the tone of voice of the person typing them, nor do we not know the intent of person typing them. We can only try and interpret from what we see, so it is very important that when we type something we consider how it will be viewed by others. Sometimes we will miss half a conversation thru zoning or LD so it is becomes even more important we consider how we are saying something and how it will be heard. Try and use common sense when in /Guildchat (and even in /tells). Think about what you are saying and if it might be offensive think about maybe not saying it. Do not defame. Do not denigrate. Do not behave in any way that shows a lack of courtesy or respect. Words can hurt and we come into WoW to get away from the hurt NOT to get more of it.

/Guildchat is the major in-game forum that allows us to keep in touch and communicate with each other. In respect to the diverse group of folks that we have in our guild, there are some subjects that we feel are best left out of this forum. Some folks have some very strong personal views, and we play WoW to have fun and not to make others angry or uncomfortable. There should be no discussions concerning Race, Sex, Religion, Politics or Money.

This brings us to banter. Pushing boundaries, riding the edge, seeing just how far we can take it is only natural. We like to tease and twist and generally tweak folks all in the name of humor. It shows that we are comfortable enough with them that they won't see it as an attack, but just as it was meant in fun. Again consider your words carefully and consider the timing of them. Also consider that the tone, intent, phrasing can't be heard through the screen. Then consider, 8P, 8/, or (j/k). These things when added at the end of or in the middle of the sentence do send out the message that you are kidding where as their lack leaves us in the dark. But while these emoticons do add that face and voice we can't see, still consider your listening audience and what mood they are in. If it isn’t gonna cheer them up, if it was said in any anger with malice in mind, if you wouldn't want it said to you in a like situation then its best not to say anything at all.

One final note about /guildchat: Please be easy with the CAPLOCKS. Sometimes a slip of a finger can throw an entire sentence into caplocks. If that happens and you have time to fix it, then please do so. If its something typed in haste, i.e. during a raid or instance run, then make the necessary apologies when you can.

Violations of the guild rules will result in warnings from the Officers. Going along with the 3 strikes rule, if your warned 3 times then you will be demoted to Scurvy Dog which takes away your /guildchat privileges. At that time maybe a lack of /guildchat will help you cool off and remember that we're all a family here. Once we as officers think enough time has passed then you will resume the rank you attained and be able to chat again. In extreme cases you will lose your /guildchat privileges and lose a rank, as maybe your membership in Ashen Guarde needs to be re-evaluated.

Once again folks, we're all a family here, and it’s just a game so have fun! And Welcome to Ashen Guarde!





*This code of honor was taken and modified from the Shield of Azeroth Guild on server Alleria. Thank you for having good values for all of WoW.