Running A Fellowship

[DeletedUser15486]

So this goes out to all those who are running fellowships with success. I started a new one and I have already filled up my members. I was wondering how those of you with success have kept up with knowing if a player is inactive or how to get players motivated to help in tournaments and fellowship adventures? I have run guilds, clans, etc before but the one I inherited I'd been with a long time and worked my way up from the bottom, and everyone was active(is active) plus I know a good few in person or on a personal level so I don't really have to worry. But here, I dunno.
Just wanna know your thoughts, advice. Please help out a fresh start.

 

[DeletedUser12586]

how those of you with success have kept up with knowing if a player is inactive

In general, it's up to the members (usually the archmage or those designated by the archmage) to keep track of player growth. Every fellowship will differ in preference, but they will produce weekly or biweekly reports that reflect each member's rank.
For example, here's a snippet from my week 3 report:
Dark Starr: 8956 - 7829 > 1127
ET: 7600 - 7340 > 260
Devils Handmaid: 7288 - 6848 > 440
A bunch of us in DT II realized we had baby cities in Sinya Arda so it made sense we created an extension, DT III. I lead us the way our archmage leads us in the original fellowship and it works well for everyone. My reports go in a single message to the whole fellowship every Sunday, so when it comes to tracking visits and growth, the data collecting runs from Fridays - Saturdays so my Sunday report reflects seven full days of possible visits.

how to get players motivated to help in tournaments and fellowship adventures

When I say data collecting, whomever is appointed to keep track of this stuff often is someone who doesn't mind keeping track of the possible 25 visits per day and recording 25 individual ranking scores. Spreadsheets come in handy for us, I use google docs for the two members who said yes to my invitation to see the spreadsheets as well.
Having my spreadsheets is awesome, too, to keep track of our AW building KP donation and our aspirants. I keep track of aspirant growth (to a short point) to ensure we're taking in active players. So those weekly reports are great for DT III since we get a lot of new players who quit the game (so far our ratio of players we don't end up flushing out is 1 to 4). In general, for fellowships who really depend on the city visits and have guidelines about it, it acts as the validation for possible warnings or even expulsions.

If you have any other questions please feel free to ask!

 

[Mykan]

I think some of what works is stuff that works in general life.

• Be clear about what you expect whether its activity tournament participation or whatever. The clearer you are about the type of fellowship you are the easier for new/potential members to decide if your fellowship suits them
• Lead from the front
• What gets measured gets done - if you want visits x times a week than someone needs to track them
• Explain and teach people the benefits of doing things in the game - boosts only, tournaments, etc.
• Patience and perseverance
• Communicate well - encourage people with how the fellowship and individuals are going. Makes it easier to see the team getting stronger.
• Celebrate achievements

As to rules you may set, there is no magic formula. Some fellowships only work with rules of x visits a week and others I have seen work well with no visit rules and just encourage and lead people to do so.

Tournaments is something you need to build up towards. Knowing your end goal and working with people to continue to grow and participate. There is a lot to learn about successfully doing tournaments regularly.

If you look in my guide under fellowships you will see some information about certain rules some fellowships set. You just have to decide if you want none, some or lots. Choosing the rules and how many starts to set the tone for the fellowship.

 

[DeletedUser2824]

*this post was written while tired, and so it rambles a lot, and I've had to edit it several times*


A lot of what keeps me involved and happy with a group is whether or not I feel like we are all on the same page. And as an Archmage, I've found that keeping up moral is very important for keeping my fellowships wanting to stay involved. You need to be clear about expectations, but also, you want them to seem less like expectations, and more like the goal everyone wants. Honey is sweeter than the whip, so if everyone feels like regular visits, tourney participation, ect, is mutually beneficial, and not just a demand, they'll stay happy and interested.


Decide what kind of fellowship you want, and build up from there. Specific rules can shift as you go along and learn more about what will best benefit your fellowship, but you should have your goals for the fellowship pre-decided. Nothing more distressing than when a leader up and decides to do a 180 with a groups direction. Whether you want something more active or laid back, decide what kind of place you want, decide on a few rules you think will help you achieve that kind of place, then refine those rules as you find the need. If you need to change something, be sure to explain why. If your members have the same goals as you, they'll be much happier to know that the fellowship is taking more steps in that direction.


People come and people go. Don’t get hung up by those who quit or move on. It may be sad to lose members, but in the end, think of fellowships as a place where likeminded people can gather. If someone moves on because they need more or less out of a fellowship, wish them well and keep moving on ahead.


Stay positive. People feed off of their leader’s mood. If a leader complains too much, or makes a big deal out of something, it can be very demoralizing to the group. On the flip-side, don’t take serious matters lightly. If something’s really bother a member or your group, too much forced positivity can be a big turnoff. They need to know you care about how they feel, and that you are there for them.


Delegate where needed. If you find you can’t handle running everything, find members who are willing and who enjoy doing a few tasks, such as tracking visits ect. While you need to manage and oversee your fellowship, giving members tasks and encouragement help them to feel more involved and part of the team.


And as Mykan said, celebrate achievements. If you’re trying to encourage tournament participation, get excited with each chest your fellowship unlocks, thank everyone for contributing, and research and explain the benefits of doing the tournaments. Even the small things need attention. If someone has been out due to life, and makes it back enough to put a few points toward the next chest, let them know you appreciate them taking time out of their hectic life to help out.


If you've led groups before, most of this will probably sound familiar to you. If you want to know specific methods and ways people keep track of everything, more than a few use spreadsheets, and I'm sure there's more than a few who will be happy to share. And what rules you set will depend on what you want out of the fellowship, which will go largely off of your own play style.