Part 1 - The Order
Part 2 - Our Code (this page)
Government
The Octopus government is based on a direct democracy. Each Lord has a vote in every issue. Each Lord is allowed to call on any issue to a vote. Issues are broken into 3 categories, major issues, minor issues, and membership issues.
Major issues
A major issue consists of a rule change to standing government in a particular game. Any sort of policy change that will affect most members is considered a major issue. It requires a 90% agreement among the Lords. Major issues have a minimum of 7 days to be resolved.
Minor issues
Minor issues are never changes in government, they consists of small policies among certain games. Few issues are considered minor, they require a 100% agreement among the Lords. If a minor issue is voted on and there is both strong opposition and strong support, it is then considered a major issue. Minor issues have a minimum of 3 days to be resolved.
Membership issues
Membership issues for Lords stay the same in every game. It can alter from game to game when considering for Knight, but before it is altered it is voted on as a major issue. They are voted on as followed: To become a Knight, a person must be voted and receive at least 3 votes of approval or 10% of the active group, and no votes of disapproval. If there are any votes of disapproval the Knight must wait a period of one month before being called on again. Only a Lord can call on votes for a person to become a Knight. To become a Lord, the Knight must have 10 votes of approval or 50% of the active membership in a game. Any votes of disapproval result in the Knight waiting a period of at least one month before being called on again as Lord. Membership issues have a minimum of 3 days to be resolved. To exile a member from the OCT requires a 100% vote from the Lords. If any member disagrees to the exile, the person in question is not removed. Exiling has a minimum of 15 days to be resolved.
Power and Rank
The following describes powers granted to each member based on current rank:
Lords: Lords are the only ones who have the powers to vote. They have free will to discuss an issue and try to sway other members to see an issue their way.
Knights: Knights do not have the power to vote. However, they are free to try and sway a Lord to call an issue to vote, and they are free to try and influence the Lords to see an issue their way. Anytime membership issues are called on to vote Knights will not receive the call.
Crusader: When a Crusader has been at this status for a period of one month the Lord who recruited him, or any Lord thereof can then nominate the Crusader for Knight. In turn this means the Crusader has been in the group for a period of at least 60 days, 30 days as a squire and 30 days as a Crusader. In no instance, unless the person was VIP'd Knight Status, shall anyone be permitted to be voted on for Knight until they have been a Squire for at least 30 days and a Crusader for at least 30 days. The Crusader in question must receive at least 3 votes of approval or 10% of the active group with NO objections. If there are any objections or "NO" votes the Crusader in question must wait a period of at least one month until he can be called upon again. This process can be repeated a maximum of 3 times, upon the 3rd round of voting if the person does not move to Knight status he is dismissed from the guild. If the Crusader in question hasn't been called on for his Knight vote after 3 months, he is automatically called on. If he does not receive the 3 votes of approval he is automatically called on again on the 4th month and again on the 5th. If he does not receive the
3 votes of approval at the end of the 5th month the member is dismissed from the guild.
Squire: When a Lord brings a new member into the guild, he accepts the member as his Squire. After a period of one month the Lord is free to go to the forum where he originally posted the information on the new member. As long as there are no objections to the new member in question the Lord is free to promote the member from Squire to Crusader. If their are any objections to the Squire in question the Lord may choose to address them and reconcile it, or he must wait another month until he can move the member to the Crusader status. A Squire can be dismissed from the group by any Lord, but the Lord who removes him must contact the Lord who recruited him and they must be in agreement on the dismissal. The Lord who sponsored the Squire can dismiss him from the group at any time. When a Lord or Lady recruits a new member into the guild as a initiate the following procedure must be completed before the member is officially in the guild. First, the Squire must register with the guild roster and must include the game played, date, and the name of the Lord which recruited him. Second, the Lord must put the Squires name on the designated section of the forum, the date, and the game in which the member was recruited. It is also advised that the Lord include a brief description of his thoughts on the member and why he decided to recruit him. The forum section will also serve as a place in which other Lords can post any objections to the new member assuming he has just cause.
A Note about Promotions
If you desire membership in OCT or are already a member but wish to be promoted and remain within our Rank structures it is your job to get to know the Lords, and other members of OCT. OCT is a tightly nit family that was organized on the basis that every should have a vote, and every vote should be counted. Therefore membership within OCT is not easy but comes with great benefits. Many of our members have played together for 6 or more years. If you are not actively involved with getting to know the current members of OCT your chances of getting promoted within our ranks is very small. Remember our system is not based on anything other than friendship and who the Lords fill belong in the group. Each Lord is free to have his own goals, and ideals for the future of OCT and in doing so a member must maintain a sort of higher Standards of Honor and Virtue above the rest of the gamers out there. If at any time a Lord feels a member is not up-holding these morals they will remember that.
Speakers: Speakers of game usually are the ones in charge of relaying email and keeping things flowing in a game. They are often not even assigned the position, they just take it up cause no else has. Any Lord can be a speaker, there is no limit to the amount of speakers in a game. However, if a game specifically calls for a speaker then the head speaker has minor powers of decision. Any issue that seems below a minor issue a speaker is allowed to make a decision on as long as he has the approval of a Seer and/or another speaker. If a decision is required to be made quickly then the speaker does not have to get Seer approval though it is recommended. Should a speaker end up making a bad decision, the first question to be asked will be; did you talk to a seer about this? There is usually no direct call for a head speaker, if there is, then he must be voted on. If two people desire the position, then they share it. Speakers are expected to give vast amounts of time to the game their elected or appointed to. The speaker title is not displayed in ones name or character.
Seers: Seers are members of the OCT who are Lords, and are over 40 years of age in real life. They are looked to for their wisdom that only age can grant. If a Speaker decides to make a decision that seems minor and d
oes not call a vote on it, a Seer must always be notified and approve. If the Seer does not approve of the decision, then a vote is called on immediately. To become a Seer the Lord must wait a period of one month after becoming a Lord, and then request it. It is granted without a vote. The Seer title may be displayed in ones name or character.
HighLords: HighLords have extreme powers that are only used when absolutely necessary in times of severe crisis or ethical dilemma. If an issue cannot be resolved, then a Lord can call on a HighLord to resolve the issue for the group. When this is done, the HighLord will only step in if he thinks it is absolutely necessary, and there is no other possible way to resolve the crisis. If there is no HighLord in the game, then they are called into it, explained the situation and determine an outcome. The HighLord can elect that the Lords of the game should resolve the issue, or if he feels is it absolutely necessary, settle the dispute. When a HighLord is forced to solve an issue by using the HighLord powers he should have another HighLord agree with his actions. Any time a HighLord invokes his powers it is considered an act of martial law, in which all members must comply. HighLords threaten the democracy and for this reason will rarely use these powers. As a Lord you should only consider requesting a HighLord into an issue after careful consideration. A HighLord is considered a Lord until his powers are deemed needed.
There are 4 HighLords, they are the founders of the group who envisioned an equal and fair democracy, and realize this power must be used wisely and with extreme caution. A HighLord never displays this title in his name or character.
Types of voting rights
There are 4 types of voting rights, they are as follows:
Yes- a yes vote is an agreement to an issue or policy change. For membership, it is agreement to grant the person in question the particular rank.
No- a no vote is a disagreement to an issue or policy change. For membership it is a refusal to allow the person membership as Knight, or advance to Lord.
Hold- A held vote is a request to allot further time for debate on the pending issue. Held votes always have a minimum of 5 days to be debated on. For membership issues the Lord who has held the vote is encouraged to spend time with the member in question so that he may judge the member for when the held period is over. After the held period is up, if there is still disagreement or a decision still cannot be made, a Lord may hold a vote again. The power to hold can be a lengthy process and can draw an issue out for long periods of time. Lords are encouraged to use the power wisely and only when necessary.
Passive- A passive vote is made when a member has no opinion on the issue, or does not care if the issue passes or doesn't. It can also mean the Lord does not feel he has been active enough to vote on the issue. Any votes that are not replied to are considered passive. When a Lord votes passive, he is no longer counted towards the percentage of the active group.
One last thing regarding voting is form of your vote response. Keep in mind that we are a large group, and the speaker, who will receive all the e-mails, will have considerable work to do. So please, unless you feel strongly about something keep comments short and to the point. Always use one of the preceding 4 responses in your reply. Don't just state your opinion, give your response. The rules were made to keep a Speaker's work minimal, and we need speakers, don't make it hard on them.
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