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Black Widow Company
Standard Operating Procedures (SOP)
Read this, and post your acknowledgment of understanding. NO ONE is above the SOP. There will be no other replies, and any made will be deleted. The only exception to this rule is if you have a question or an issue with anything listed below. In the event of a question/issue, please quote the section and someone will clarify. Further, send a PM to a ranking officer as not every officer peruses the SOP thread to check for questions.
Basic Expectations
BWC is a military-style Company (not clan, not guild, not outfit, not society). We define ourselves as such for various reasons - we have a dedicated chain of command that we expect to be followed, we use military organization, we train our members like the military trains, we have quite a few members who are ex-military or active duty (and a few Marines). Legionnaires are the senior-most NCOs of the company - they are not officers but they have the same authority, granted by the BWC Commanding Officer. They also have the same responsibility towards conduct and professionalism. BWC also features a rank structure and a Battle Decorations Program. We also define the concept of working together in ways that few clans/guilds can match. BWC is an elite Company of highly-motivated, highly-dedicated, highly-trained players. We are proud of who we are and we will not hesitate to hold you to the same standards. Above all else, BWC is renowned in numerous games for its dedication to teamwork, and its ability to put well-trained players on a target, all of them working toward a singular goal - and generally doing more, with less.
There are TWO basic rules for being in BWC.
-- ONE- *ALL* members are expected to be in the appropriate BWC Operations channel on the ULTRA Alliance Teamspeak server before you log into the game. It doesn’t matter if you have a microphone or not. It does not matter what game you're in - if it's a BWC-sponsored game, you will be on our TS server.
-- TWO- Forum registration and participation is a must. The SOP is duplicated in several spots - this copy is the one that you will be required to sign once you’ve been admitted to BWC.
When you become part of BWC, which would mean you're associated with BWC in a game that we play or you're part of the forum community with general membership access, you are beholden to the same rules as the rest of us. Yes, Pirates of the Burning Sea is our current main game. But it is not the only game we play, and therefore when you play with BWC, you play by BWC's rules. Just because you only play, say DDO for example, doesn't mean you're not allowed to break rules that are associated with the whole of BWC. And if it's not in a Company-specific section at the bottom, then you WILL follow these rules. The standards that we apply to all of BWC apply to you - otherwise you are not in BWC, so leave the forums now. Company-specific standards apply to those members who are playing that particular game.
I. Participation
Black Widow Company [BWC] encourages each member to participate 100% of the time and try to attend all meetings/Ops if possible. We understand that there is more to life than devoting most of your time to a game. All we ask from you is to at least try to attend one mandatory meeting/mission per week to satisfy participation requirements. We also require you to check in frequently on the forums regardless of your participation-level, in the form of indicating your presence at operations. When you are online, you are expected to participate with BWC squads or groups - if you didn’t want to be in the Company you wouldn’t have joined. It is perfectly acceptable to solo once in a great long while, if you feel like goofing off because you won't be online very long. During operations nights, we expect all online members to be in a BWC squad, no exceptions. If you have friends who play and you want to hang with them, then either have them join BWC or join our squad for the evening.
II. Attendance
A.) Attendance Post
In the BWC attendance is vital in our ability to function as an elite unit. . Signing up for every operation is not necessarily a requirement - you earn promotion points for signing, that's your reward for doing it. However, Operations planners and Mission Commanders may opt to specify that you cannot attend if you haven't signed up for an op. You're S.O.L. if you don't adhere to that requirement. In addition to your signing in, the squad leaders and operations commander of the OP will be responsible for also taking attendance during the OP. In order for a member to get full credit for participation on Op nights both the sign-up for the op on the Operations Server and the OC’s attendance rosters must match.
B.) Absences
The Leave of Absence (LOA) policy is as follows:
-- If you plan on being inactive for a period of time to exceed 15 days, post an LOA. If you don't know how long you'll be offline or out-of-game, you need an LOA post.
-- You must be logged in at least once every 15 days. Logs of TS activity and in game stat tracking will be used to make the determination of attendance. Consequently, BWC's policy is that anyone who shows up as having 16 or more days absence without a posted LOA will be automatically and unapologetically kicked from the Company.
-- LOAs are only valid for 90 days, unless extenuating circumstances such as crippling disaster, military deployment or job-related temporary transfer apply (ie, an Extended LOA). Generally, after one year, if no contact has been made, we consider your Extended LOA invalid.
Essentially what this states is, if you or your alternate character have not logged in for over 15 days and there is no LOA post, you will be booted from the Company. You are free to reapply, provided you maintain an active account. If you earned the Legion of Honor, you may enter BWC at the rank of Legionnaire at the discretion of the Company Commander. Otherwise you will be readmitted to BWC as a Recruit. The bottom line is, no LOA post - no immunity from the boot.
Our attendance rule exists for two reasons: To help the command staff determine eligibility for promotion, and to determine what resources will be available to the Company when operations are being planned. The Commanding Officer of the Company is very flexible with the attendance rule and understands that some members will be unable to attend due to vacations, family emergencies, illness, etc. The CO asks only that you keep the Company informed as to your status and that you post notice of your expected absence (for any reason) in the Leave of Absence Forum. The CO/XO will reply to your thread acknowledging your status. Members who post in the Leave of Absence Forum for leave can return to the Company without penalty of being busted in rank or dropped from the roster.
C. Status
Members are classified as being Active, On Leave, or Inactive. A member's status is posted in the Mission Attendance roster, the member's profile, and the Team page where the member is assigned.
-- a.) Active - A member who attends 1 or more meetings/Ops per week is considered to be active within the Company.
-- b.) On Leave - A member who has posted there status in the Leave of Absence Forum will be given this title. No penalties will occur for these individuals while On Leave.
-- c.) Inactive - A member that misses 1 week of Ops without posting in the Leave of Absence Forum concerning their status is considered to be Inactive. Members who find themselves on Inactive status have 1 weeks time to get in contact with the CO/XO in order to keep his/her full membership. Members who fail to do so after that time will be removed from the Company.
**Note - those who are dismissed from BWC for inactivity are eligible to rejoin the Company at any point, at the rank of Recruit. Those who previously held the rank of Legionnaire or were inducted into the Legion of Honor, and retire from BWC, are eligible to have their rank reinstated.
III. Battle Decorations
A) Promotions
1) Promotions within the enlisted ranks are based on three factors: Seniority, Attendance, and Medals earned. Points are awarded to each member based on their achievement in these three areas. A certain number of award points is required to be eligible for each rank. Members who have obtained the minimum number of points to be eligible for higher rank must apply for a promotion.
Promotion request process:
1) A PM must be sent to your "game division" OIC (officer in charge).
2) The division's OIC will notify all officers of the promotion.
2) Officers have 24 hours to provide input. Silence is Acquiescence.
This keeps all knowledgeable personnel involved.
2) The Promotion Points system is a structure which will allow for blanket competitive promotions. Not all members are expert shots or kill-junkies. Members may augment their Promotion Points by earning skill badges and tabs, ribbons and medals, and otherwise distinguishing themselves on the battlefield aside from massive amounts of kills. Each of these features allow for Promotion Points, which will assist in the overall goal toward promotion to the next rank. Awards will now take the place of most “meritorious promotions”. Meritorious Promotions are still possible, but they will be very very rare. You are advised to simply fulfill the requirements for promotion, due to the rarity of such promotions.
3) Training Sessions & Promotion Points
-- a) - This is the official word. Consider this carved in granite. TRAINING DOES NOT COUNT FOR PROMOTION POINTS. TRAINING SESSIONS DO NOT COUNT FOR OPERATIONS.
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B) Rank Brackets
1) Officer Ranks
-- Officer ranks are administrative in nature, and indicate a person who is an officer-in-charge of a particular unit with BWC, or holds a senior staff OIC position (such as S-1, S-3). Officer ranks are meritorious, and are only commissioned when a duty position is available. When a person steps down or is relieved of an OIC position, they return to the enlisted rank from which they held before they were promoted.
2) Legionnaire Ranks
-- Legionnaires are the pinnacle of Leadership, the enforcement arm of the commanding officer's executive authority. They are promoted meritoriously from any rank and have earned distinction by being inducted into the Legion of Honor. Legionnaires are the penultimate senior NCO rank and best exemplify the traditions of leadership and mentorship. The Sergeant-Major is the chief Legionnaire and the duty position is filled from the ranks of the Legionnaires. Legionnaires who go on to serve as officers are promoted to Legionnaire-Officer status unless serving at higher command levels.
3) Enlisted Ranks
-- Members of BWC enter the Company at the rank of Recruit. They must complete a series of requirements in order to gain promotion to the next level. This progression is outlined in the BWC Awards forum, and is entitled the "Promotion Points System". Promotions range from Recruit to Staff Sergeant via points, and promotion to Sergeant First Class (SFC) is given to Staff Sergeants [and Master Sergeant (MSG) is given to Sergeants First Class] via merit and by authority of an officer promotion board. These two final ranks (SFC & MSG) may not be earned via points.
-- The position of First Sergeant is equivalent to Master Sergeant, but this position is filled from any rank. The First Sergeant is "frocked", meaning they are given the duty position of 1SG and are treated as a senior NCO. They will wear the rank insignia of a 1SG and be afforded due respect given any senior NCO. When they vacate that position, they return to whatever rank they held previously. Generally, if a Legionnaire fills the 1SG position, he/she is still a Legionnaire, but they will wear the 1SG rank insignia. They are still afforded the same respect as a Legionnaire, under all circumstances.
C) Promotion Points System
The system BWC uses to judge promotions is adapted from US Army promotions procedures. The points are revised on a monthly basis, and are generally published on the 1st of every month. Therefore, the Awards Forum promotion thread should be updated once a month by an Admin.
IV. Common Procedures
A.) Forum Profiles
1) Your rank icon is not an avatar- it is a set “forum title” that comes with an image. You will be given one based on your in-game rank. If yours has not been squared away, simply notify an officer or the BWC Sergeant Major by private message.
Forum signatures will consist of the following as a minimum:
1x (ONE) Kazpoint Fruitsalad 2.1 signature image
At the max your signature may contain the following:
1x (ONE) Kazpoint Fruitsalad 2.1 signature image or game-specific banner
1x (ONE) "signature banner" image (rotators do not count as multiples)
1x text-message
B.) Squad Conduct
-- 1) The BWC squad leader is the absolute authority for orders. It does not matter if the Squad Leader is the CO, XO, Lieutenant, Legionnaire, or a new private. When that SL tells you to do something, you do it. When you click “OK” after the invite, you are submitting to that authority. If you do not wish to squad up and receive and follow orders, don’t join. In fact, don't join BWC at all - BWC is a squad-based, team-based Company. We succeed through organization, coordination, and teamwork. If you're a Han Solo lone-wolf, or you think you're Dirty Harry or Maverick, then you belong in another guild of lesser stature because BWC does not tolerate that crap.
-- 2) DO NOT QUESTION ORDERS. It will not be tolerated. Nor will we tolerate disobedience. All members are given a chance to lead, and the BWC Command & Staff will not have that authority superseded by your personal motivations. The squad leader’s word is law - it all boils down to simple respect. Members who disobey a squad leader’s orders can be expected to be kicked from the squad, and they will not receive sympathy from the Company command. This does not mean you can't propose an alternative if you think there is a better way. But this is to be done as discretely as possible through /tell's where possible. Do not contradict a squad leader's orders in any level of chat or on Teamspeak. Send them a /tell if you have a better idea, or if you wish to ask "why?". If the game's interface does not include a method for sending a typed /tell to the squad leader then you will set up a whisper to the channel commander in your TS channel.
-- 3) When your squad is conducting operations, be where you need to be. Members who cannot join the squad due to a 'population lock' or a full server will be given additional instructions. Find out what you need to be doing. We do not tolerate lone wolfs or Han Solo-ing. The squad is a team, not a fountain for XP and fame. SQUADS STICK TOGETHER. We have defined tactics in this Company - learn them, know them, use them.
-- 4) If you have a suggestion or problem with an order that the SL gives, take it up with the SL in a /tell or a TS whisper. Do not air your dirty laundry to the squad, platoon, or Company. The same goes for Teamspeak. Do not be insubordinate or disrespectful - if you think you have a better idea, simply say "I have a suggestion" or send a /tell or whisper requesting clarification. Once the SL has heard your suggestion and makes a decision, don't be rude - either follow the order or leave the squad and politely explain your reasons for doing so. RESPECT is a two-way street.
C.) Forum Conduct
-- 1) Keep your flames and rants to yourself. We don't care if you get pissed. Everyone does, everyone has a bad day. If we all acted on our anger, this forum would be filled with thousands of rants. Flaming and ranting towards a member of the Company will not be tolerated, regardless of whether it is implicit or explicit. This means whether you name the person or don't, it WILL NOT be tolerated. If you have an issue with a member of the Company, your first move is to inform them via PM and try to resolve it at the lowest level (your "sent box" maintains records of what you sent, keep them in case it gets out of hand). If that does not work, use your chain of command. Talk to a Legionnaire. If a Legionnaire cannot solve the problem or recommends you take it to an officer (SL, XO, CO) then follow that advice. BWC is a family, a community of friends- we do not wish for people to leave because of disputes.
-- 2) Profanity is fine, and frequently heard on Teamspeak. This forum comes with a rating for Teen audiences and maturer players. BWC will not be held accountable if your mommy or daddy hears the F-word and doesn't like it. Some enterprising soul invented headphones. We do not expect people to suppress their rights to free speech simply because you're not old enough to understand what "blankety-blank" means. BWC does not censor its language, and when you click on the OKAY for the User Agreement, you are recognizing the fact that these games have a Teen Rating and you are entering a somewhat adult world where there is violence and uncouth language. If your kids play the game, then you authorized consent for them to see and hear whatever goes on in-game. HOWEVER - BWC respects its members and we will do our best to tone down the language upon individual request at that point in time.
-- 3) Racial, ethnic, religious or sexual slurs are absolutely forbidden, regardless of the offender's orientation. Meaning we don't care if you're Jewish and making "jew-jokes". Others will not find it funny, and the Company command will not hesitate to send you packing. This single offense is grounds for immediate banning. It does not fall under the "Three Strikes Rule". This will not be tolerated on the forums, on Teamspeak, or in the text-based communications in-game.
This does not mean you cannot say what you wish - you're free to say whatever you want. If it crosses this single line, we'll say what we want- and that will be "Goodbye". Now, if a member has a problem with something you said but doesn't include Item Two, again- don't air your dirty laundry. Take it to /tell or forum-PM.
-- 4) Public Forums are public. All BWC members are expected to conduct themselves civilly on all public forums. It does not matter if you don't care - BWC cares. This is a team, not a free-for-all. BWC has a reputation of being outstanding members of the online community, and we are well-known in-game for being proper gamers. You agree to become part of that civilized community when you join our ranks. And we agree to kick you out of the Company if you break that reputation.
D.) BWC Member Conduct, Discipline and Teamspeak Conduct
-- 1) Member Conduct
All BWC members are expected to conduct themselves professionally at all times, regardless of rank. You will be respectful of all members, and you will be afforded that same respect. Violate it, and your respect will be taken away. It's that simple - team effort, not free-for-all.
All members will refrain from engaging in unprovoked or gratuitous TK wars. TK'ing Company members and other allied players WILL NOT be tolerated. If a non-Company member TK's you, you will ask for a reason. If you accidentally TK someone, send them an apology /tell. You are required to set the example of what a model troop is. Do not fall to lower levels. Do not fire warning shots, as this will only provoke those who lack intelligence. If anyone endangers the mission objective or goes against the mission goals or the set objectives, or disobeys Command Rank orders to NOT destroy key battlefield assets, you are authorized to protect the mission through discretionary use of TK and/or other methods UPON OFFICER/LEGIONNAIRE APPROVAL.
-- 2) Discpline
BWC operates much like a military unit operates, because this is the best system available. Therefore, we expect you to follow our rules. During your recruitment process, you were informed what some of those expectations were, be they for Planetside, BF2, or any other game. While you are here to play games, BWC is also a community of family and friends. There are expectations - if you fail to meet standard, you are dismissed from BWC.
Therefore, BWC operates on a three-strike rule. Strikes are documented. After a six-month period, strikes are erased. Serious violations of the SOP may result in immediate dismissal from BWC.
If you witness an SOP violation, you may report it up your chain of command. SOP violations are handled by C&S potentially in the form of a "strike". Any strike, or strike recommendation from a NCO, should be posted in the soldier's Company C&S forum so that the soldier's C&S can provide input if necessary and be alerted of the situation. If it is deemed that a strike is warranted, then that soldier's game OIC should issue it (or Company XO where applicable). The officer should tell the member why they are getting it and give some constructive advise on how to solve the issue. This allows the person receiving the strike to feel more comfortable venting his opinion and will probably take the strike better.
-- 1) Strikes may only be issued by members of Command and Staff. BWC members can report something to a member of C&S for investigation, but generally there are enough members of C&S that are online anyway.
-- 2) Strikes may be erased after six months of proper performance, provided the strike is not for a serious offense. If a strike is given for a prior offense of the same nature, the previous strike counts.
-- 3) Documentation in the form of screenshots is generally regarded as the best means of justifying a strike.
-- 4) Upon accumulating three strikes, the individual in question is dismissed from BWC.
This ensures that:
* The incident is documented on the forums (and possibly the Ops Server if UP can/will do so)
* The soldier's OIC knows about it
-- 3) Teamspeak Protocol
Teamspeak is a tool to assist BWC in maintaining an effective fighting force. It is not your personal cellphone. Communications procedures are quite simple - if it does not pertain to the mission, don't say it. Think before you speak. The rule of thumb is, "Is this really necessary?" or "Can I type this instead of saying it?"
Channel Command is a Teamspeak feature that is reserved for officers, platoon leaders, squad leaders, and fire team leaders. All soldiers are required to bind a key to Activate Channel Commander, and all soldiers are required to bind a key to Whisper to Channel Commander - because YOU may be given the role of SL. Do not engage Channel Commander if you are not in a leadership position. It only adds to the confusion. Because of BWC's relation within the ULTRA Alliance as a prominent and active member of the alliance, all members within a squad leader, platoon leader, or officer-in-charge position are required to activate Channel Command. There are exceptions, and BWC officers (and BWC officers alone) may make a command decision to turn their channel commander off.
TEAMSPEAK COMMUNICATIONS PROTOCOL
1a) All BWC members will bind a key to "Activate Channel Commander" and they will bind a key to "Whisper to Channel Commanders". Instructions on how to bind these keys should be found on the forums.
1b) During Primetime operations (when the SL/PL policy is in effect), only the OIC and the SLs need to have Channel Commander on. Anyone else needs to turn it off. C&S members no longer need to have Chan-Com activated. During normal operations (non-primetime), the SLs should have Chan-Com on. Only an officer may make the determination to turn off Channel Commander. The only person who is to TRANSMIT on Channel Commander is the OIC or a person of the OIC's designation. The exception to this is when squads are in separate channels - SLs may need to reply via Chan-Com.
1c) All soldiers should be stating their "character name" in all voice communications. It makes it easier to learn voice recognition and helps cut down on extraneous "BS chatter".
2) The Squad Leader (group leader, team leader, etc) will maintain strict No-Transmit policies as a default. BS chatter can go to the AFK/Break Room or one of the other sub-channels (see 3a). All unimportant conversations now go in the appropriate in-game text chat box.
3) Anyone wishing to transmit on Teamspeak needs to key the mike, pause and state their character-name, and say "Break". Such as in this example: Code: This is Joe Snuffy, break.
They will then proceed with the next part of their transmission unless otherwise told. Squad Leaders and BWC Command & Staff members are responsible for regulating Teamspeak comms.
F.) Hacking And Exploiting
Hacking and exploiting are considered dishonorable and against BWC standards. Those knowingly found modifying any game to gain unfair advantage over other players will be dismissed without strikes. Those who unintentionally run across bugs/exploits should do their very best to avoid situations where such bugs/exploits will give them advantage. Strikes may be issues for players who continue to exploit bugs after they have been told of fixes for such bug. This does not include gameplay mechanics which during the course of gameplay are available to all.
For Planetside, this includes using an undestroyable vehicle after you been told it's undestroyable, knowingly exploiting dual cores and installing/using zero COF hacks, or using wall hacks. This list is not exclusive and other such similar activities may result in dismissal. The best defense is not install anything that will modify your Planetside Install.
3rd person, removal of mossie/reaver bailing animation and third person "wallhumping" among others are considered gameplay mechanics and are not punishable.
For BF2, anyone who comes up with a cheating Punkbuster screenshot, removed by Punkbuster for cheating violations or being added to Punksbusted master ban list will result in dismissal without reconsideration for membership unless proof can be submitted that such bans were in error.
For any other games, being removed by anti-cheat utility for cheat violations will result in dismissal without reconsideration for membership unless removal was done in error.
In any case, final dismissal approval must happen by 2 senior level company officers and battalion staff member who are not assigned to S-4 division.
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