Null Division Charter

Qi'Lar · Autarch Joined: 24 Nov 2009 Posts: 4

Overview

That's what it takes to be a hero, a little gem of innocence inside you that makes you want to believe that there still exists a right and wrong, that decency will somehow triumph in the end.
- Lise Hand

This document describes the organization of the Null Division, a role-playing supergroup in the City of Heroes Massively-Multiplayer Online Game. While many of the concepts outlined cover in-character interactions and the group as a role-playing entity, this document is intended as a player's guide to the workings and dynamics of the group, and as such, is meant to be read as an out-of-character document.

Separate documents, both in-character and out-of-character, support this guide, including the Application for Membership and the Organization Charter.

Mission Statement

The hero is one who kindles a great light in the world, who sets up blazing torches in the dark streets of life for men to see by.
- Felix Adler

The Null Division is a themed role-playing supergroup. In theme, it fits in with the more science-fiction elements of the Silver to Modern Silver Age eras of comic book superheroes, notably by-passing most Iron Age conventions. For more information on these eras, a wealth of resources is available on-line and in print, as well as in the comic books themselves.

The goal of the Null Division as an organization is to provide a vibrant role-playing community and environment within City of Heroes. This is a task that begins and ends with players. Providing and supporting an role-playing environment also means that the supergoup as an organization will engage its members in role-playing activities, stories, and events. Again, this begins and ends with players, but group leadership is responsible for the driving the events, helping the membership get organized, get involvement with other players, and participating in them.

Membership
A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is braver five minutes longer.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Null Division is always interested in adding active players seeking a fun, active supergroup environment that focuses on interaction and story-telling. Prospective applicants should:

Prospective members should not be in another supergroup at the time of their application (this refers to the character applying, not the player). The Null Division is part of a greater community of player groups, and will not enrich its roster at the expense of another of its peer supergroups.

Prospective members should have their "Info" sections filled out under their I.D. page.

Joining the Null Division

Parties interested in joining the Null Division should fill out the Application form via the web site. This will require the applicant to register for access to the web site if he hasn't already done so. Applications will be reviewed in a timely manner (no later than 48 hours, and much sooner in most cases) and acknowledged by a Null Division officer.

Applications will be reviewed for alignment with the supergroup's values, interests, goals, and policies, both in-character and out-of-character. Applications that conflict with these elements may be rejected outright, or there may be a request for further information by the reviewing officer on the part of the applicant. Applicants whose applications that are approved by the reviewing officer will then be contacted in-game to arrange for an interview. Ideally this initial contact will be via in-game tell, but in cases where time is a constraint, in-game email may suffice.

Interviews will be accomplished in-game face-to-face and in-character and will involve one or more Null Division officers and the applicant. In addition to the reviewing the applicant's understanding of the supergroup's values, the interviewers will ensure that the applicant understands role-playing concepts. This is also an opportunity for the applicant to ask questions of the interviewers about the Null Division, which will be answered candidly wherever possible. Interviews may last anywhere from ten minutes to thirty minutes.

In practice, applicants who make it to the interview stage are likely to be accepted. If an applicant is not accepted, he'll be duly informed by the interviewer or another Null Division officer. In cases where an applicant is close in some areas but not quite aligned to the values of the supergroup, the interviewer may make suggestions to the applicant for changes, which may result in a later reconsideration of the applicant. An example of this is if an applicant applies with a character that is not completely suitable for the Null Division and is rejected, but has another that is an ideal candidate that he would like to substitute. This situation may merit reconsideration, although attendant steps of submitting a new application would be required.

Interviews may be logged for further review.

Character Concepts

The source inspiration for characters that fit the the Null Division theme is superhero comic books and the media inspired by them (movies, television shows). Simply put, the Null Division is looking for characters that fit into the comic book vein. Fortunately, this covers an extremely wide range of character possibilities, from the decidedly non-powered (but nonetheless highly skilled) Nick Fury to the mutants of the X-Men to the otherworldy characters of Etrigan and the alien Silver Surfer. Keep in mind that most of the Division are aliens; new characters may either be survivors of the crash of their ship, or literal new recruits to the organization on Earth. Members will be expected to utilize the official uniforms of the Division, although some variation is permissable. See the uniform forum thread in this folder for more detail.

The Null Division is not interested in characters obviously derived from other sources (i.e. no "Wulverine" characters). Although it's not a stretch to say nearly every hero concept has been played out in comic books, these concepts can be endlessly re-spun into new creations.

In particular, characters that translate well within a “team” concept thrive in the Null Division. That is, we’re looking for characters that have complementary powers and stories to other team members, not necessarily all-in-one concepts. More Alien Legion and less Silver Surfer.

Names

In-line with the Character Concepts as outlined above, character names should use the source material as inspiration. Characters who are aliens (as most of the Division) are likely using their real names; new recruits from Earth may be using a "superheroic name" which should follow the standards below.

Following are names that are unacceptable:

Other considerations:

Exceptions to the rule. There is precedence in the source comic books for inventive names (particularly in spelling, e.g. Havok) for the same reason there is a great deal of variation in City of Heroes - many names are already taken or the particular story of the character calls for a name variation. These situations will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Leadership

Our chief want in life, is, someone who shall make us do what we can. This is the service of a friend. With him we are easily great.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson, The Conduct of Life, "Considerations by the Way" (1860)

The role of leaders in the Null Division is first an out-of-character service position for the business and health of the supergroup and secondly as in-character leaders of role-playing activity. That is, the leaders facilitate the needs of membership in terms of providing the right environment in which to participate. It is our intention that the roles never conflict with another.

Ranks

The executive exists to make sensible exceptions to general rules.
- Elting E. Morison

There are five ranks in the Null Division.

Autarch/Command Staff. These individuals are the ultimate custodians of the supergroup’s business, health, and affairs, in both in-character and out-of-character aspects. They set and enforce policy in accordance with the supergroup charter, but are also responsible for ensuring that the supergroup is an active one by maintaining high availability in-game and on the supergroup forums, initiating and assisting role-playing efforts, and facilitating the needs of the membership. These Officers wield the entire range of in-game supergroup rights, including the ability to promote membership.

Sectarchs. Sectarchs are in-character leaders of the supergroup, reporting to the Command Staff in all matters. The main focus of Sectarchs is to assist and lead (where needed) role-playing activity, with the role of out-of-character supergroup business de-emphasized. In-game, Sectarchs maintain a wide range of group rights to assist them in their role. Sectarchs may be tasked to specific in-character duties for the supergroup. For example, a Director may be named “Chief Technology Director” for the Null Division to emphasize his role as an in-game technology expert.

Specialists and Wardens. These ranks are the two primary membership ranks, and the two are considered equal. These are the veteran members of the Division and hold supergroup rights that are largely tied with in-character role-playing (eg. storage access) and not tasked with a group responsibility beyond upholding supergroup values. From an RP point of view, the Specialists are characters who are presumably "the best there is at what they do", and are focused on one aspect of the Division, such as medical needs, mechanical needs, weapon repair, and so forth. The Wardens are more of the generalist "sergeant" types who may be called upon to do almost anything and everything-and do so with uncommon skill.

Aspirant. New members of the Null Division hold ranks of Aspriant. Associates have many of the rights of the primary membership and are expected to carry themselves similarly. Promotion from Aspirant to either Specialist or Warden is automatic upon accrual of 50,000 prestige or active membership beyond three months. The Aspirant may choose which rank of the two into which to be promoted. Aspirants can be promoted in special circumstances (in reflection of in-character service, for example).

Representation

All members of the Null Division are considered to be representing the supergroup at all times, whether in-game on public forums related to the game and server. In communications with other supergroup leaders, the Autarch speaks for the Null Division in matters of out-of-character business (such as entering coalitions), while the entire Command Staff speaks for the Null Division on in-character issues (such as in Task Forces with members of other supergroups)

Conduct

The reputation of a thousand years may be determined by the conduct of one hour.
- Japanese proverb

The Null Division is a role-playing supergroup and follows widely accepted role-playing conventions. Role-playing conventions in City of Heroes are fairly standardized and are well-documented in a variety of sources.

Because of the role-playing component, both the "in-character" conduct and "out-of-character" conduct will be addressed.

In-Character Interaction

Life's like a play; it's not the length but the excellence of the acting that matters.
- Seneca the Younger, Epistulae morales ad Lucilium, letter 77

The "default" interaction for the Null Division supergroup chat is "in-character". The "in-character" mechanic is that this channel is accessible via a communicator device owned by each member.

It's assumed that all members of the Null Division have similar "in-character" goals of cooperation, teamwork, and a classic understanding of right and wrong - and the sense of duty to be fighting for the "right" side of the equation. These very general guidelines cover a very wide spectrum of characterizations; if your character still doesn't fit these, it doesn't belong in the Null Division. The Null Division isn't the place for in-character assassins, double agents, or anarchists.

There are many do's and don't in the role-playing convention, but the most paramount in terms of conduct is that all role-playing is a consensus between parties, whether in-game or posted. Violating the role-playing trust is a serious matter and is one of the in-character mechanics that matches an out-of-character priority (the well-being of the community atmosphere). Some violations may seem relatively minor (for example, the "god-mode" character) while others are far more serious (attempting to "kill" or harm another character without the agreement of that character's player). Players who damage the role-playing trust may be removed from the supergroup without warning.

Out-of-Character Interaction

The out-of-character interaction amongst members is assumed to be mature, friendly, and civil. Some players are more out-going and sociable than others, but all players can maintain civility with their groupmates. To an extent this goes without saying, but it is important enough to point out that truly anti-social conduct in out-of-character interaction won't be tolerated within the supergroup.

Because the "default" interaction of the supergroup is "in character", over-use "out of character" conversation is discouraged. There are a myriad of communication options within the game - take it to tells or group if necessary.

Activity Level

Members of the Null Division are expected to be active at least on the designated RP nights. As the Division is a story-based RP group, members can expect events to be happening on those nights regularly. The individual mileage per player will vary, as real-life considerations frequently figure into playing time. At the same time, the Null Division isn't interested in members who are merely camping alternate characters; "activity" will be based on role-playing activity primarily, and prestige earned as a secondary consideration.

Inactive members who do not post leave notifications may be removed from the supergroup. The majority of inactive members are those members who have not logged in for ninety days. In addition, members who just log in for a few minutes every so often might also be considered inactive. Members removed for this reason may be admitted without an application and interview on a case-by-case basis; in some cases, members may not be re-invited back to the Null Division.

Prestige

The Null Division pays "rent" on its supergroup plot on a monthly basis; thus the accrual of prestige is a supergroup priority. All members less than 25 in level are required to remain in supergroup mode (although use of group colors and emblem is discouraged, as the Division Uniforms fit this role); prestige earning after that point is optional, barring the 50,000 point accrual requirement to advance from Aspirant to either Warden or Specialist ranks. Prestige earnings are tracked. If for some reason a member leaves the Null Division (by accidentally pressing "Quit" or by an inactivity dismissal) and are re-admitted, his or her earnings will appear reset in the supergroup tab, but in most cases, the re-admitted member won't need to re-accrue prestige to return to his or her previous rank.

As mentioned above under "Activity Level", prestige totals may also be used to gauge a member's activity level.

Meetings

Official supergroup meetings will occur on an at-need basis, in the the Null Division base. Meetings will occur in-character, although in some circumstances, out-of-character business may also be discussed. A Command Staff officer must be present for this official meeting; if for some reason one can't be present (due to connection problems, for example), the meeting will be re-scheduled. Meetings may last approximately one hour to one and a half hours, after which socializing usually occurs. Minutes will be kept for these meetings, as well as logs.

Other supergroup meetings may be called on occasion (such as to celebrate a birthday, a wedding, or just to get the group together); these can be called by any active member.

Events

Events are in-character, in-game stories undertaken by supergroup members and their friends. Frequently, an event will stretch the boundaries of the City of Heroes game, standard role-playing conventions apply in terms of following action and direction of the story. Most often, events will be "hosted" by the even author, but occasionally they can be completely improvised.

Some events are epic enough to encompass the entire supergroup (or even multiple supergroups). These events will always be hosted by the Command Staff.

While all active members are encouraged to come up with their own events, they may require assistance beyond just getting people to participate. In these cases, members should the Command Staff for assistance.

Note that any event that affects the supergroup operations as a whole should be cleared by the Command Staff first. For example, events concerning the base operation (including the computer) or supergroup communications should be cleared first.

In general, the Null Division likes events that reach their conclusion; events that don't terminate tend to damage the atmosphere. At the very least, running events that don't conclude-or are overly long-could make it difficult to get other members to participate in the future. This does not preclude an event stretching over a number of nights, but it should have a set end-point so that other stories may be permitted to begin.

Stories

Stories are writings accomplished in-character (or at least, describing in-character events), posted to the supergroup's role-playing forum. Stories can vary in tone and form; they can describe out-of-game events or supplement in-game events. Role-playing conventions should be followed, especially consensual use of characters (i.e., you should ask for permission if you want to include someone else's character in the story - nothing is more disconcerting than reading a story and seeing your character say or do things they'd never do).

Stories posted to the forums should be threaded - that is, the entire episode should be composed of an origin post, with replies forming additions to the story.

Stories posted to the forums are assumed to be "closed" - that is, only the original poster should add to that story. If a story is open to participation, it should have "open" or "open RP" appended to its subject line as a post. Some stories might be marked as "limited open", where a small group of authors contribute to the thread.

Alts

The Null Division limits the number of alternate characters a member may have in the supergroup. Wardens and Specialists may have one additional character in the supergroup, Sectarchs may have two, and the Command Staff, three. The higher ranks are involved with facilitating group play and thus may need to match characters with whatever the situation may call for, hence are allotted more alternates.

Alternates may also be created specifically for events; these are accomplished on a case-by-case basis and are usually quite temporary.

Leaves of Absence

RUMACK: Elaine, you're a member of this crew. Can you face some unpleasant facts?
ELAINE: No.
- Abrahams/Zucker/Zucker - Airplane (1980)

For various real-life reasons, players may be unavailable to play for extended periods of time. If a player needs to take an absence the supergroup, he or she should post their intentions to the the Null Division forums with both an in-character and out-of-character explanation. The in-character explanation will help any storylines the member might be involved in; the out-of-character explanation spells out the player's intentions.

Should a member who posted a leave of absence be removed from the supergroup due to the sixty days of inactivity, reinstatement is fairly straightforward; the player should contact a member of the Command Staff upon their return to the game.

Members who are removed from the supergroup without posting a leave of absence may be required to re-apply and re-interview, or may not be re-admitted outright.

Conflict Resolution

Discontent is at the root of the creative process: … the most gifted members of the human species are at their creative best when they cannot have their way, and must compensate for what they miss by realizing and cultivating their capacities and talents.
- Eric Hoffer, The Ordeal of Change, Ch. 6 (1964)

It's hoped that out-of-character disputes be handled by the involved parties amongst themselves in a mature and civil fashion. If a conflict arises that impacts the supergroup negatively, the Command Staff will intervene and attempt to bring the parties to consensus within the realm of their group powers.

In all cases, out-of-character disputes should not be undertaken in supergroup chat. Use tells, groups, or other channels. Any mediated issues will be handled in those channels.

Votes may be called by the Command Staff to gauge membership opinion on matters, but setting of policy is the domain of the Command Staff.

When I dare to be powerful -- to use my strength in the service of my vision -- it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.
- Audre Lord

Null Division Charter

re: Null Division Charter