History/Purpose
The Valar Guild stands on the values of honor, loyalty, and camaraderie, which are central themes of Tolkien’s works. We are not just an aggregate of people. We are a community of friends, and in many cases family, with a common interest and an agreement on how some things should be. Our members have many different skills and talents, but it is what we have in common that unites us.
Now, the Valar Guild expands into World of Warcraft, seeking to place roots and promote these values as we always have.
Membership
The second major requirement for entry into the Valar Guild is knowledge and love of Tolkien’s works. This shows most immediately in the five-question test we give over Lord of the Rings. This is not a hard test, as its primary objective is to ensure you have read the books. Questions are not asked about the movies. Answers coming from the movies may be in grave error when compared to the source material, and such answers will be wrong.
Membership in the World of Warcraft branch means full membership in the Valar Guild, so all requirements for membership in the Valar Guild must be met.
Honors
Server
Player vs Player (PvP)
Chat
Rules and CoC
Communication
The Valar Guild was founded on October 4th, 1997 for the purpose of bringing together lovers of Tolkien’s works in honorable online gaming. In the seven years preceding the drafting of this Charter, the Valar Guild has grown a lot, as members come and go, many others staying for a long time to become dedicated members of our community.
We have two major requirements for membership in the Valar Guild. The first is maturity. You are expected to act honorably at all times while bearing the emblems of the Valar Guild in any medium, whether it be a tag, a tabard, or simply your name in the Valar Guild. If you cannot conduct yourself in this manner, you will not even have a chance to fulfill the second requirement.
There are three levels of full membership in the Valar Guild. These are regular Member, Maia honor, and Vala honor. For more detail on Maia and Vala honor, including how to attain these, see here.
The World of Warcraft Branch resides on Lothar, a normal server located within the US Eastern time zone. A normal server was chosen because we have found other options to be too restrictive in other games. On a normal server, we are free to be the Valar Guild.
Player versus player combat is not required for any Guild member. However, it is allowed in the defense of Alliance lands. Battlegrounds are also an option for PvP, and allow an even number of players on each side. Remember to conduct yourself honorably in PvP, as you would in any endeavor in which you bear the emblems of the Valar Guild.
The Valar Guild is a family guild. We have members with children, and even some with grandchildren. We do not allow the use of profanity or obscenity in any Valar Guild communication, including but not limited to Guild chat, Valar channel Chat, our AIM meeting channel, or our forum. It takes time to type words, and during that time you can be using your brain to recall non-profane synonyms for words you may use in frustration or anger. The English language has over 1 million words, so don’t say you can’t find some.
These are fairly simple, and for the most part can be gathered from this charter. For a full list of rules and the Code of Conduct, go here.
Anything new or up for discussion will be announced at the weekly meeting, on the Forum, on the Valar Guild World of Warcraft page, or (most likely) on all three. Some important Gaming News may also be announced on the Valar Guild Games Page, the general web page for Valar Guild gaming. It is strongly encouraged that members attend meetings whenever possible, and keep an eye on the Guild News Page as well. Participation in the forum is also suggested and encouraged.
Members should make at least a monthly contact with the Valar Guild through either
e-mail, meetings, or Forum activity. Members who may be out of touch for a while due to various real life issues should contact either Eonwë or Varda so we are aware of the situation and won’t drop you should a sweep occur while you are gone.
If any member has concerns or questions, they may contact Eonwë (World of Warcraft Branch Leader and co-chair of the Valar Guild) or Varda (general contact person and
co-chair of the Valar Guild) via e-mail or private message (on the Forum), in World of Warcraft, or contact any other member of the Council via e-mail.