IX. Applicant's Recruiting Process and Information
Most Importantly: We are hiring Soldiers. We are hiring those born with the instincts of a Killer. We're hiring those who seek to kill and get paid for it, in that order. If you want to spend your time running around solo all day, do not apply. If your main goal is to harvest, trade, and craft, do not apply. This isn't to say we don't do these things in TBC, simply that they are tertiary aspects of our guild experience.
If you want to learn how to become a skilled combatant and put those skills to use on a daily basis to kill for money, to murder the crap out of those our employers wish to send back to the mud, TBC just may be the place for you. You have to have it in you from birth. We cannot teach you to have the need for combat, to be ruthless, cunning, and bloodthirsty. We'll teach you the skill if you bring the desire. We'll demand your best while we give you ours, all in service Of By and For the Company.
You may be brought into the guild as a Prospect during the course of being introduced to the Company. You have been invited to join the in-game guild on a temporary basis, but you have not officially joined the Company. You are expected to complete your path to Recruit status within two weeks of being accepted. Until you officially start your Application process as described below, you will have no access to Company forums or materials.
In order to qualify:1. You must be at least twenty-one (21) years of age. While we realize there are mature teenagers and early twenty-something year olds, we have to draw a clear line in the sand, providing a greater range of social compatibility for our established community of adult gamers.
As serious as we are about our Company and our gaming, the real world comes first in all matters of Family, Jobs, or any other aspect of Real Life which adults accept and understand as the meaning of maturity and adulthood. While there are always exceptions, we have found that those beyond their teenage years are statistically more ready to accept this as a Fact of Life. If you cannot accept that, if you need that explained any further, stop reading now as this is not the guild for which you are seeking.
Be Advised:
In very rare cases, the age requirement has been overlooked. Those who have accomplished this have proven themselves in the field to demonstrate maturity beyond their years as well as the ability to adapt and thrive in an environment of adults that are often nearly twice their age. Again, this is an extremely rare occurrence. Do not expect to bypass this rule because you "think" you are mature. The only way this is going to happen is if you are invited to check out the Company by way of reading the Charter. If you find yourself here without being invited, you will be held to the age requirement rule without exception.
2. You must
Read the Charter in Full. Take your time to give it a thorough, honest reading. It defines the Company in both spirit and operational methodology. What you are reading within this document is precisely who and what we are, what we have to be in order to honor the legacy of The Black Company. If after reading it you should then decide that you subscribe to its philosophies, believe you can and are willing to adhere to our Way, you are clear to proceed in the application process. Failure to read the Charter, to understand the Charter, to agree to the Charter, will become apparent very early on, resulting in non-compatibility between the applicant and the Company. Ultimately, this will result your dismissal.
3. Once you are ready to begin the process, register here on the forums using your in-game main character name and an active email address which you use on a regular (
preferably daily) basis. Your email address will not be posted publicly nor used for any other purpose other than communication with the Company.
Be Advised: Any Applicant Account registered which violates the naming conventions will be deleted.
We do not accept any Applicant with the following name types:
* Names which include numbers: (Examples: Slick69, Hung1)
* Names of popular fictional characters: (Examples: Gandalf, Drizzt, JamesBond)
* Names of any known Black Company character: (Examples: Croaker, Raven, Dominator)
* Names which are not names: (Examples: xxxBadToTheBonexxx, TehKillz, Poopydiapers)
* Names with alternating capitals: (Examples: cLeVeRnAmEGuY, MyNaMeIsCoOl)
Be Advised: We do not have a minimum level requirement nor do we require you to be of a certain class. You come to TBC as you are, we mold you into a TBC Soldier and find the best way to put your skills to use in the ways that best serve the Company as a whole.
"Gentlemen, this is.. Raven. He wants to join us. Raven isn’t his birthname. Doesn’t matter. The rest of you lied too. Introduce yourselves and ask questions." -
The Captain, The Book of Croaker (TBC, Book 1)
While we will not dictate what your name
should be, we can dictate what it
cannot be for consideration for membership. We encourage everyone to create a name for yourself that means something to you personally. While this is not "Role Playing" in the commonly referred to fashion, remember that we are playing mmo
RPG's, so make a name you want to go down in the Annals as somebody worth remembering. If you absolutely feel the need to name yourself G@nD@doEsItryt369 or IkeelJoo, you probably won't fit in.
Once completed, you must begin your journey with the Company by becoming an active member of our forum community through participation in
the Commons. There will you find any number of posts which reflect the common interests of the Company, ranging from video games, to politics, to social observations, Boobs, etc. While responding to the existing threads is a good start, it does not give adequate insight as to who you are as a person. In order to further our understanding of each other, you will need to create your own posts, sharing your own interests.
Establishing your presence in the
The Commons is the first necessary step to demonstrate your ability and willingness to proceed. Each potential applicant is required to spend an undetermined period of time reading and posting throughout
The Commons. This may be a week or several weeks, depending on your level of activity and commitment to entrenching yourself within our community. This will allow you the time required to make an informed decision about your gaming future by allowing yourself and the Company the opportunity to interact with one another.
As your real life, private information is yours and yours alone, you may wish to divulge whatever else you choose, at Your discretion. We strongly advise that you do not share any personal information about yourself or your family that can be used by data miners and/or anyone whom you may know in the real world which may seek to do you any harm.
Be Advised:
All Active Duty Military should adhere to military regulations and common sense not to divulge your whereabouts as well as any information, regardless of how seemingly insignificant, detailing any aspect of present and future deployments. Any information posted by AD personnel which appears in our public forum which violates this rule will be removed immediately and you will be notified via private message.
4. If/When we deem that you are ready to proceed, your membergroup on the forums will be elevated to "Applicant 1". Once this occurs, you will be able to complete the formal TBC application.
Read the entire form before filling it out and hitting the save button. As a general rule anywhere in life, never sign Anything until you have read it in full. It is imperative you understand that to which you are agreeing.
Be Advised: Read every line of the Application carefully, with purpose, so that you fill out each section properly. If you sign your name where initials are called for, we will deny your application. If you place your initials where your name is called for, we will deny your application. We understand that many people will find this silly and nitpicky. Understand that should you be accepted into the Company, we will be spending hundreds of collective man hours training you as well as providing you with an untold amount of in game items at the Company's expense, all of which is procured Of, By, and For the Company. If you cannot, will not give the Company a few minutes of your time and attention in order to fill out the application correctly, we will not invest our time and assets in you.
Understand first and foremost that Denial of Recruitment at any stage in the process should not be taken personally. There have been many people whom have applied which we found to be quite affable. Even so, through the course of our recruiting process, they have either admitted to or found to be willing participants in activities which equate to unacceptable gaming practices for our Company and our methodology. Sometimes these are simple differences in social behavior while other times they were blatantly exploiting game mechanics, placing the hard work of every single member of the Company at risk for loss of time and money.
Each and Every single Recruit and Brother has been through this process in one form or another. We pride ourselves for our long standing traditions of excellence which far exceed that found within the average gaming guild, such as many of you may have come to know them. We are a Gaming Organization comprised of Dedicated Gamers, as tight knit as your local organized sports team, bowling/pool/dart league, etc. It takes work and dedication from every single member on deck to make it work. We get there, one way or the other.
We make no secret nor qualms that ours is a time consuming process. It begins with your willing participation on the forums, but it does not end there. To endure this process is to show that you are serious about your gaming and desire to have fun in a way that rewards your hard work with equal dedication from your fellow members.
Be Advised: If you cannot dedicate your first two weeks of time to complete Recruit Training, do not apply. Be honest with yourself and with the Company. TBC is a lifestyle choice. If at any time you feel as though this is a burden or a hindrance to your sense of fun, this is not the right guild for you. Any extended absence during your first two weeks of Recruit Training will result in disqualification.
If you complete the application correctly, you will be notified via Private Message here on the forums with a verification of receipt and approval, a link to the
APPLICANT PROCESSING STATUS REPORT. You will then be placed into the Applicant Membergroup giving you access to the
TBC10Q Form.
If you do not complete the application correctly, you will first receive a notification of denial via your email on record, then your forum accounted will be deleted. There will be no further contact on behalf of TBC. We strongly advise that you accept any rejections like an adult and move on without further contact or incident.
5. If/When you complete the TBC Application correctly, your membergroup will be elevated to "Applicant 2", granting you access to the TBC10Q. The TBC10Q (Ten Questions) has been designed over many years to provide the Company with insight into not only what type of person you are, but what type of gamer as well. Answer each question with full honesty in as much detail as you are willing and able. The purpose of our rigorous application process is to ensure that you will be a match for the Company. It behooves both parties when the Company is likewise a match for you. If you are dishonest with us, you are first and foremost being dishonest with yourself. There are no "right" and "wrong" answers per se, in the sense we are going to judge you personally or morally. Again, these questions are designed to determine your play style and whether or not they serve the good of the Company.
After you have submitted your responses, they will be automatically posted to our member forums for a panel of Company Recruiters to review and vote upon. This method is Tradition and has served us well for many years. It ensures that one or two people are not making the sole decision on whom with the rest of the Company should be playing. While we are not a democracy, consensus must be reached at some level in a gaming organization as to which members are allowed in and to remain.
If you are voted for approval to continue, you will again receive a Private Message here on the forums with instructions on how to continue, detailed in the next step below. As with each step in the process, you are to reference the
APPLICANT PROCESSING STATUS REPORT for updates.
If it does not work out for whatever reason: You will first receive an email of denial and your forum accounted will be deleted. There will be no further contact on behalf of TBC. We strongly advise that you accept any rejections like an adult and move on without further incident.
6. Agree to and understand the Purpose of Recruit Phase: A probationary period is required in order to offer both applicant and Veterans the opportunity to learn one another without undue expectations. While there is no set time for this phase, those who have read the Charter and understand the philosophies behind it, will find themselves awarded their Colors in good time. If you find that you do not enjoy Company life, simply take your leave by way of a PM to any Officer in order to document the Roster, no questions asked, no drama to endure on either end.
7. Agree to making The Black Company your exclusive guild in the Game and Server selected for Company Deployment. We do not allow part time participants to join our ranks. While we cannot dictate what you do with your account, the Company can, will, does dictate which type of gamer fits the profile for unit cohesion.
If you choose to lend your account to anyone: Notify the Company so that we may remove your character(s). "You" the person, not your account or friends or relatives, is being allowed into the Company. Only those willing to dedicate their in-game time to experiencing it Of, By, and For the Company are qualified and accepted. If you do not agree with this policy, you probably won't fit in.
Given that policy, we believe every one should experience the multitude of characters available by taking advantage of any available character creation slots to experiment. Certain games offer only one character per server. In those cases, these rules apply to those with multiple game accounts.
Once your main character is a confirmed decision for you, use the following guidelines
- All Members must recognize one character as their "Main".
- All Characters Must be registered with the Company to receive validation and benefits.
- When applicable, Recruits are allowed 2 characters total in guild (1 Main, 1 Alt).
- When applicable, Brothers and up are allowed as many characters in guild as they wish.
8. Recruit Training and ReviewIf your application is accepted, you will need to meet with a Company Officer in order to officially accept the offer of Recruitment. At this stage, your VCOMM account will be set up for you and the log in information sent to you by Private Message here on the forums. Know that we do not allow open access to our VCOMM, that each account is set up individually with permissions applied to each account. You can arrange for this meeting by replying to your notification of acceptance and arranging for a time to meet with the Company Leadership.
During that meeting, you will be formally invited to join the Company as a Recruit. Upon your acceptance, you will be formally invited in-game through VCOMM, bringing you on board officially within the game. You will be directed to a Welcome Post created for you not only to welcome you into the Company, but which includes links to all the required reading for new Recruits.
You will be assigned to the forum membergroup "Recruit", allowing access to certain sections of the member forums, as well as the TBC WIKI, which contain all the information required for you to become indoctrinated in the ways of the Company itself. These sections, known as the TBCRD (TBC Recruit Depot) and Boot Camp, are not required to be memorized verbatim during the first two weeks. You will be required to learn
how to access this information.
Take your time, learn at your own pace. Ask questions. Participate in Company events on a regular basis. Only by combining all the written information with the practical application of experience can one be expected to learn our ways.
At the end of your first two weeks, you will undergo a Recruit Progress Interview (RDI), conducted live via VCOMM by a Senior NCO and may be attended by any Company Officers available. While this interview may initially be seen as a PASS/FAIL test, do not think of it in such cut and dry terms. The purpose of the RDI is to measure your progress in learning the ways of the Company. We understand that this may sound restrictive and not very much like fun. You must understand that to learn the Company is to take part in what we do on a daily basis. By taking a few moments a day to read and then applying those principles and Standard Operating Procedures toward your daily game time, you will learn at a pace which is conducive to having fun in the Company way.
Those who demonstrate a working knowledge of the information presented in the Boot Camp and SOP sections and/or the ability to access that information in a timely manner will be approved to proceed.
Those who demonstrate they have taken neither the time nor the interest in learning the information presented in the Boot Camp and SOP sections, both in terms of the RDI and in game through practical application during Company operations will be dismissed from the Company.
9. Recruit Path to BrotherhoodAt this stage, you will have successfully completed your RDI and have a fundamental understanding of how the Company operates. You will know where and how to find the information required by all members to perform as required by the Charter and all basic Standard Operating Procedures.
The first step reading and comprehension of all Standing, Combat, Logistics, and Operational Orders. These Orders are your guide to daily life in the Company as well as your insight into short, mid, and long term goals. They will not detail every single aspect of the Company's plans at any given time. Much of the information compiled of, by, and for the greater goals of the Company are disseminated on a "Need To Know" basis.
Regardless of what or how much you know about our game of deployment, understand that TBC operates in our own way, with our own tactics, learned by our own experiences. While we will always take in as much information created on the outside as well as what comes to us through new members, we do not make it part of our official program until it has been field tested and approved by the Company.
You will have six weeks to undergo Company training through to completion. If real life interferes with your training schedule, we will make allowances on an individual basis. As clearly stated in
Item I, Section VIII., real life comes first, always. This does not mean, however, that you will be given a pass if you are unable to commit the full scope of time required to be a TBC member. At any time during your Recruit Phase you find that your real life obligations become too great to continue on, you simply need to notify an Officer and take your leave of the Company. You will not be looked down upon or treated in any other negative way. We will consider your re-acceptance when and if your real life obligations have been reconciled with your game time.
Once you have proven yourself through your Recruit Phase, you will then be measured in totality by the Company Veterans for all aspects of your training, both in terms of TBC Training and Game Deployment Training. You will be voted upon by the Company Veterans for final approval and acceptance into the Brotherhood of the Black Company. There is no set time for Recruit Training. Some will take longer to complete the program than others. Others still will not complete it all.
Be Advised: If you are not accepted for Full Colors upon your first voting, you will be re-evaluated in several weeks, up to a maximum of three times. If you have not gained the confidence of the Company and/or have proven you simply are not a match for the Company, you will be dismissed without prejudice.
If you are accepted, you will be awarded Full Colors, with all Rights, Privileges, and Duties.
You will also then be awarded all applicable
Medals and Awards.
10. Continue to be a Regular Participant in Company Events and Forum Usage. You get out of the Company, what you put into the Company. We document everything we learn in these Annals to be easily found at your leisure. While we
all eventually have questions about the game, keep in mind much of what you seek will have already been found and documented in several places, including our own advanced training materials contained within the TBC Wiki, our forums, countless fan sites, and of course the official game forums. We encourage all members to take an active role in the Official Forums of our chosen game, with regards to increasing our global knowledge and understanding of the game, recruiting and advertising our services. If you aren't sure what this all means, you probably won't fit in.
Again, Be aware the entire Recruiting process itself may take several weeks to complete. During that time, do
not PM anyone asking for a status update. Do not ask in the IRC. Be yourself, use Common Sense, and you will see your CURRENT STATUS listed here in the thread titled
APPLICANT PROCESSING STATUS REPORT. You may also elect to utilize the NOTIFY function in that thread, so that it emails you when the information in the post has been updated.
Thank you for your time, patience, and your candor, in advance. Good Luck, Better Skill.
Recruits who qualify will earn the privilege to take their place as Brothers with Full Colors, proving they are a vital section of the backbone of the Company by doing what needs to get done regardless of personal loss, Of By and For the Company, on the field of battle or the blaze of the forge.
Simply put, earning your Colors means you have proven yourself to be a dedicated Black Company Regular, making the Company your Home.
Qualifications for Full Colors:
- 1. Have completed no less than 60 days as a Recruit.
- 2. Completed Recruit Training.
- 3. Undergo Field Testing to implement all TBC Training, Techniques, and Methodology.
- 4. Receive a majority vote of Acceptance by the Recruit Review Board.
- 5. Take the Oath to the Black Company.
The Oath
I am a Brother of the Black Company.
I am here by My own Choosing. My only Discharge shall be through Death.
I will keep my weapons honed and apply my skills in service Of, By and For the Company.
The Annals and Charter are my Guides, both in letter and spirit.
I will follow the Chain of Command and My Orders, taking no actions that violate My Oath or any Contract into which the Company has entered.
No Excuses.
I am a Brother of the Black Company.
"There is one thing," I said. "You come over here and do it, you're going to have to take the oath to the Company, same as anybody else. Meaning you can't pledge yourself to any higher loyalty." - Croaker, Shadow Games
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