HOW TO LEAD A CLAN (an instruction for n00b clanleaders)


Before making a decision to start your own clan you should think for awhile.You should realise that ruling a clan is not a cheer amusement but a duty.Being clanleader - you not only wear a crown you THINK.And think ALOT.Basically, the main thing that is needed for a clan leader is to be active and willing to take extra time for planning. People that are too busy shouldn't try to be clan leaders. By active I mean they have time at dayly basis they can set aside to plan and watch the progress of the clan, not necessarily extra playing time.
And you spend alot of time not only playing but fulfilling your clansleader duties.

So - for those who are sure they can lead a clan - i write this instruction.

A) First - you should pay alot of attention to player recruiting.Before even announcing a start of clan you should have a "core" - a 4-5 good players who are willing to join a clan.You can and will recruit more people later but if you dont have a core you will have a bad start.When recruiting a player - you should at first play a few games with him so you have a good idea of his skills.
The fact that player has a rank of general is not enough - there are alot of generals who just dont know how to play MA.
When playing - send him a message and ask him to talk to you via instant messenger.It is best way to communicate with member - so you should have each of your potential clanmember email and instant messenger (ICQ and MSN are most popular)
.When talking via instant messenger - always ask a potential members about:
1) are they sure that they can and want play MAN clanwar for a long period of time (clanwar is not a quick tourney so expect it to be half year at least).
2)do they play regularly? how often can they sent turns. - each day? in 2 days? in three days? if the player says that he can not sent turn within 3 days on CONSTANT basis - do not take him into clan.Make sure each of your members understand - they NEED to sent turns regularly.
3)Explain to players that Clanwar is a TEAM tournament so it does matter not only how good a single player is but how good they work as a team. Tell them that they need to be responsible.
4 talk to them about their playing preferences.Which planets do they like or dislike?How many experience they have on each planet used in CW?which do they want to play often and which planet they do not to play at all.
5)clan symbols (name,logo and motto) also should be discussed with players
6)You do not need a LOT of players at start. - for start you just need a small bunch of 4-5 good and disciplined players.
You can recruit more later if you need.After you got a "core" - start a clan and ask to make a private clan's forum for you.A forum is good way for inside-clan communication
B)After clanwar started.
1)Ask new players to register on forum and visit private clanforum regularly.Good idea to have them make posts about who are them,which timezone are they in,how often they play,which planets they like (see above).
2) on forum make a general information posts about clanwar course - describe what's going on which clans are losing or winning and how it affects your clan position.make sure that your players interested in your's clan's strategy (if not - they'll get unmotivated)
3) discuss with players your general strategies (like - making peace treaty or starting war with some clan etc).Make sure that they know who they fighting and what for they are fighting.
4)before starting next week attacks - make a post on forum like "next week tactical plan" and write there which planets you need\want to attack and ask who want to participate on specific planets.
5)same about defences - when somebody attacks you write this on forum and ask for volunteers to defend
6)ask players to make Glicko reference for them for example - player John played -
on Emerald - 40 battles 25 wins 15 losses rating 1750 RD 180
On Anubis - ..................and such a statistic for each planet
make them post in one thread on forum those statistics and make total reference chart thing for your clan...discuss it with players - how do they feel about it and decide who is the best for each planet.
7)do not assign players for battles just voluntarily without them knowing about it.
post a replays of all finished battles (especially ones which were lost by your clan) and discuss them with players.what they done wrong?what should they do in such a situations?


C)problems with players

Explain them that if they going to stop playing MA temporarily or permanenently they should warn the clanleader in advance (at least withing week) so he has time to put them inactive and think about replacement. Explain them that just leaving the clanwar without notice is extremely bad anti-social move and it makes problems for both the clan and moderators.So you they lag - you contact them via instant messenger and ask what's up.If they just not answering - make them inactive.If player just says he dont have much time - make him inactive but ask him to continue battles which he already started in clanwar.IF he just disappears - inform the moderators and think in advance about replacements.If other clans have to report moderator about your players lagging - this makes everybody to dislike your clan.

I think this Clan Leader Guide is great, and a must read for all clan leaders-to-be. In fact, I'd like to see this put on the Massive Assault Network site as a link to read before creating a new clan and joining the clan wars.

Very helpful!

Good effort! I disagree with some of the above but have no doubt that it works for you.

There is not one true way to run or have a clan. Yours is a heavyweight (hmmn) approach. I appreciate and run a clan in an effort to have fun, to expand the community. Whether we get two people or two hundred shouldn't make a difference, this is not a pissing match it is a game we play to have FUN.

How many noobies make frequent complaints that they don't like losing all the time. How many stop after playing for a while... why are there less than 100 people in clans? And 600 plus registered on the boards and a thousand or more have ever registered a trial? Why are all these people avoiding clans like the plague?

I posit that it is precisely this ponderous honor of running a clan with a heavy hand. Make it fun, make people see that its fun to be part of the community that is what I liked so much about the 7th.

How could this be changed --- this is the train of thought that must be followed -- not the enactment of multiple draconian laws to restrict to bind to make this less fun and more work. This is one of the reasons I started DAWGS of WAR -- less testosterone and more camaraderie.

There is room to have different opinions in this matter.

BTW -- how does one who does not lead a clan publish a guide for noobies to lead a clan... more theory than practice?

Mrakobes is leader of subclan and very well know situation in the Clan TGE.

No doubt, but he did not post a manual to lead a sub-clan but how to lead a clan. As you are the leader - he may lead a sub-clan within TGE. He may be reporting on what he sees, but he is not leading the clan.

No disrespect meant.

IEC subclan is a thing which has 1)it's own territory (have you ever look at map? IEC is right-most) 2)own money 3)own battles and 4)own members and availability list
so from the point of game mechanics subclan it is like a separate clan.
So technically i do lead own clan.(i define attacks,monitor games status,write official letters and stuff)
But this article is not about technical side of clan leading (which is defined in rules) but about working with players and mantaining discipline.
"subclan" means it was formed from TGE members and it follows Tiger's line in overall politics. - defining enemies,allies etc.It is not the game-mechanical term but a political.
So i do lead a clan - and after Tiger appointed me to do that i was mostly on my own.
And everything i write here is not theory it is practical methods used in TGE and IEC.
The reason why i write this is becaus Tiger is to busy to write anything atm.

lets see... IEC, IEC, hmmn -- 8 clans (official) now I see my name up there...but I don't see yours. ergo, sub-clan. You may want to change the name of your post that started this????

I never said anything about how well you lead a clan. I am sure you do a great job. This is not personal - this is, and this is my point, a game, not a war, not a training ground, a game, with all your talk of maintaining discipline just betrays your military background where you really need to do stuff like that. In games people generally wanna have fun.

However most people like to play games to have fun. Blow off some steam, frag a noobie, ya know.

However since you want to make this combative(?)

I challenge you to mentor 3 newbies right from the start. Share with them that great tactical knowledge you have and make them have enough fun so that they subscribe (I'm not sure you can discipline someone so that they subscribe but you are welcome to try. ) Lose games to them. (Play FNU) Let them win. Let them see how great and fun this game is.

Gee Whiz, get them to join your clan even, er, I mean subclan. I will do the same. Hey, you might not get that many points from them but you will do more for this game community than pulping a few newbies ever did!

What do you say?

IEC is not need to be in that list because politically it is part of TGE.And it not need own symbol\motto - we use TGE's.
Instead of looking on that list (which actually is just for show) you should look at map instead and see IEC there.IF you still want to argue - what is a clan - a thing which has a symbol and a motto or a thing which has own territory,battles and victories?
But - since there is no difference in leading a clan or subclan when it comes to working with players - assigning planet battles at so on...so why would you want to change post name's that hard.
We with Tiger did mentored a our clan's peoples from start (though of course i not did that alone - it's best for newbie to learn from different mentors simultaneously).
However i do not see much reason in (like you offer) spending time to mentor a total newbie due to the fact i do not know how responsible they are...will they do something good for a clan or just abandon the clanwar and go somewhere else?no.I prefer to deal with people who already shown their loyalty to MA (and TGE has no problems recruiting even considering we draw only people who speak Russian)
So i am not taking your "challenge"cuz it is look kinda waste of time for me.
Make you clan...gather any people you want...be my neughbour...let's see who wins...

Korvack....i think you making a mistake - saying all that about - playing games and having fun...actually - clanwar it is not for fun only it is for challenge...challenge is fighting strong opponent...people who want only relax and have fun - will never join CW cuz they not want challenge they will fight some weak players and amuse themself...
So clan which was comprised from ppl who want only fun not a challenge...will be weak..and lose...

gee I really hoped you would have taken the challenge. I think the gaming community of MAN would have benefited.

Oh well, all the best to you. See you around the boards. If you want send me a challenge, uh, you don't mind me playing PL do you?

Aww, and here I was going to contribute to the great debate, but it looks like it's over now.

No, that's not necessary right now, let's finish off ROTM. I was sure I had told them, but I guess I forgot to. Anyway, after reading your post, I am going to incorporate some of your ideas, such as the weekly tactical plan.

we are aware taht the current approach to players that take too long in their moves doesn't work and will b adopting a much harder approach in the 2nd war.