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Eiodains guide to:The Tribe(II) Musings of a Manager
For Beginners and Vetrans alike.
INTRODUCTION
Creating and managing an effective tribe is THE most difficult thing to do in this game. Surprising when one considers the concept in light of its dual role as both the foundation (premise) on which the game is built and as the Crucial denominator between players one that governs their interaction;the initiator of activity if you will,possesing the capacity to inform and define the actions and reactions of players within the game .
In the years since the games creation hundreds of tribes have been established some by individuals in search of the fame and glory that comes with being a succesful tribe leader and others in search of a challenge. 90% of these have failed a trend that has become as much a part of the game as nobling so much so that everyone expects it. This holds true especially in the early stages of most worlds during which novices and Vetrans alike create tribes in the hopes that theirs will become the most dominant and influential locally and globally.
Half of these fail within the first week.The other half either gets deleted or merges with bigger tribes in the "K" somewhere down the road. And with these first round of deletions and absorbtions begins the self perpertuating cycle of tribes being created and disbanded,merged and deleted tossed together and torn apart as if on a whim but in actual fact in response to the subtle promptings of a script hammered out by the ever shifting tides of political alliances within the game.
To be sure theirs a minority that make it past the first hurdle.Its not like all the tribes that are created face this tumultus process. For some sailing is pretty smooth.Sadly this is the case for just a few and to an extent is probably the way it should be.
That being said i have come across a few tribes that did not have to go down this obstacle ridden road.Tribes with both Vision and Potential that lacked the ability to translate these two ingrideints into success. It is for them primarily that i write this guide because the way i see it the more tribes that scale the teething stages of the game the more competition their will be which ultimately means more fun all around.
Lets start at the very begining shall we?
Whats in a name?
Identity
Aspiring leaders often overlook this fact; not out of carelessness but because they think it dosent matter.Sadly their wrong. In TW the kind of tribe you belong to speaks volumes about the kind of player that you are(especially at the begining of the world).
And while names might not be the most important aspect of a tribe they are still pertinent especially when one considers the fact that names reflect content and content determines (the) character of a tribe. The way your tribe is percived goes a long way in determing not just the caliber of people that join but the way the tribe is related to.
Its important to note that while their are very poor names their is no such thing as an "inapropriate" or "bad name" (curse words being the exception) with names it boils down to the image that the tribe is trying to project. The way i see it "run" with whatever works for you.Just make sure its something youve thought through. A good idea would be for leaders to pick a temporary name and then take a vote after the tribe has been established to get an inlkling as to which way the tribe is leaning.
Organization the key to success.
Chain of command
There is nothing more disheartning in TW than disorientation. That feeling of having a question or running into trouble but not knowing who to turn to for help/advice. Or having important information to share with the tribe leaders but not knowing who they are exactly.Any tribe that opertaes this way is doomed to fail.
As an aspiring leader one wants a chain of command that is clearly defined,and easy to contact.This also holds true in the intermidiate and late stages of the game when skirmishes and full blown wars have become the order of the day. If no one knows whose handing down the instructions they will obey whoever is the most "charismatic and influential" a common occurence in all tribes.In times of peace and war people need to know whose calling the shots and who to go to for what. Instructions are obeyed more effectively and information diseminated more efficiently if this is in place.
It is worth mentioning that a tribe without organization is like fish without water.Devoid of this important element a tribe is nothing more than a social club.A forum where like minded individuals gather to play "house".But not for long. Lack of organization = Organized faliure.It cant be stated any clearer than this.
Aspiring leaders should note that any tribe worth its salt needs a structure,a backbone that it depends on when the going gets tough. Headed by a chain of command and infused with just enough protocol to give a semblance of order(not so much as to make it totalitarian) this structure serves to steady the tribe. To give it direction and focus in a world that needs just that.
Communication not that far behind.
Keep those channels open
If your not a good "people person" you shouldnt even bother starting a tribe. Except ofcourse you intend to recruit some one who is and set him to work as quickly as possible. In a tribe relating with other people is the name of the game.
Weather your giving advice or handing out battle instructions, ordering a scout mission or outlining a full scale attack communication is an important key to victory. Private messages are your best friend.feel free to employ them as you see fit. Circulars are just as effective and strongly advised in order to pass across important messages to those members who dont bother with the forum.
Also communication needs to be clear and concise. Raving,ranting and writing long speeches never did any one any good. Infact its usually counter productive to whatever goal your trying to achive and usually only serves to put people off. Unless ure writing a guide or issuing instructions for combat writing aspriring leaders should do all in their power to shy away from the infamous "wall of text".
Last but not least rumor mongering on the forums should not be tolorated and if possible kept to a minimum of non. There is nothing worse than tribe members running of on a tangent because of the conclusion based on assumptions birthed by rumors...
Aggresive recruitment strongly advised.Just dont over do it.
Quantity good but qualities better
A trend amongst leaders (especially non premade ones) is what i like to term "panic recruitment" Player A starts a tribe on world xyz and then proceedes to send invites to every one around him, in his field and the adjoning ones.While i understand th mentality behind this i dont completely agree with it. Granted most tribes want to have a sizeable portion of members so that they look active but just letting any one into your tribe will usually shorten its lifespan.
Aspiring tribal leaders need to realise that the political climate of the game is fickle.Political winds change direction constantly. Just because your tribe is small does not mean it lacks the potential to increase both in size and influence. As long as you know what your doing and surround your self with like minded individuals and take heed of the "weather " the rest should be a doozie.
On top of which just letting any one into the tribe is ill advised. You want tomake sure that you are surrounded by supportive like minded people who have the same goals as you ans want the same things you want. To do other wise could prove detrimental to your tribes health.
Please dont get me wrong.I am not advocating that small tribes are better than big ones i am saying that just because your small does not mean you cant be succesful . As long as you have a PLAN and know what youre doing you should be fine.Just keep your eyes open pay attention to the ever shifting tides in TW recruit who you can when you can and try to be as active as possible.That way people think long and hard before tangling with you.
I was once in BvC a small tribe on world 12 (smaller that most of the so called small elite tribes) that kept a low profile at the earlier stages of the game (not by choice). Its not that they werent open to new members but no one wanted to join them cuz they were so small. That is until they started to noble villages and expand at a rapid rate.Headhunting the best players from surrounding tribes and either absorbing or destroying players as they grew. To think at the begining of the world they were voted "least likely to be succesful" on the forums.Some of their players are still on the world.
Alliances NAP's and everything in between.
Intrigue comes with the territory.Deal with it
Lots of TW players take issue with this crucial aspect of the game. Mostly they cant decide how many alliances and naps is healthy for a tribe to have.(they all seem to agree that a tribe needs its fair share of enimes tho.. thank God for small mercies no...?). My advice "go with the flow" the pace of whatever region your in on the world will determine how many of what you need.
To be sure having a lot of Aliances and NAP's is not advisable but so is having non.if you dont have 1 or 2 tribes that (for the most part) you trust implicitly then your probably screwed. Dont get me wrong their will be periods in the game when you look around you and all you see is a sea of "baddies wanting to eat you".
But if thats the story of your exsistence throughout the game then you probably wont make it very far.This is especially true for the early and intermidiate stages in the world.Dont isolate yourself. Diplomacy is important to your survival and once in a while you will probably have to team up wit other tribes in the K to take out a "threat" so alliances and NAP's are things that cannot be avoided.
Elite vs Mass Recruiting;The issue of size.
Its a game of numbers
Dont buy into the hype.Just because a tribe is smaller and looks like its better packaged does not mean itll be succesful. Then again it dosent mean it wont. Ive noticed in TW that lots of people like to throw the word elite around. Because it sounds cool and makes them seem experienced. In game i often come across slightly "corny" statements like "building an elite tribe" "recruiting elite players,noobs not allowed".
People need to stop blowing their own trumpets.the whole elite thing is over rated. Im not saying there are no elite players and elite tribes im saying those that are dont even realize it. Or maybe they do but they dont use the word to describe themselves every chance they get.
The size of a tribes membership is up to its leader.That being said i strongly advice leaders to admit only the number of people thay can effectively manage as large groups of people fast become unwieldy and often bring dissention within the tribe. As long as you can manage them and you are sure that they are good players the number of people you have in your tribe is upto you.Most people seem to think that smaller equals better.
Cant say i agree but then again people are entitled to their own opinion.Just do what you think is in your best intrest.dont worry about what the other guy thinks or dosent thinks.
CONCLUSION
What can i say that hasnt already been said?This post is long enough as it is so ill just sign my name and be done with it. Look out for the next instalment in the series.
eIo
In Circulation
Eiodains guide to:The Tribe
Eiodains guide to:The Tribe (Musings of a Manager)
Eiodains guide to:The Tribe
Eiodains guide to:The Tribe (Musings of a Manager)
Forthcoming.
Eiodains guide to:The Tribe (Contemplations of a General)
Eiodains guide to:The Tribe (Contemplations of a General)
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