From BA Wiki

Section 1 - Introduction

Welcome to the Path of Bellum Aeternus

The purpose of this document is to introduce you to the philosophy, structure, and rules of Bellum Aeternus. You are expected to read The Path in its entirety and you will be held accountable for its contents. Once you have completed reading The Path, providing you agree with it, you must sign The Pledge to affirm your commitment.

If you are not already a member and you wish to become one, please check the How to Become a Bellum Aeternus Member document.

Bellum Aeternus Philosophy

Innctus Debellamus. United we Conquer

Bellum Aeternus is dedicated to taking multiplayer gaming experience to a higher level through superior organization and tactics. Our purpose is to allow anyone who wishes to partake in a structured, team-oriented environment the ability to do so. This means we rely heavily on large scale organization and tactics, yet at the same time, remain open and available to those who seek our style of game play. Not only are we dedicated to achieving that "next level" of game play, but are also open to anyone willing to get involved.

Above and beyond our play style, Bellum Aeternus strives to be a fun, accessible, and mature organization. We expect the fun to come out of the camaraderie of our players and the success of our tactics. We are fundamentally egalitarian in our outlook, accepting anyone into our outfit and giving all the opportunity to seek leadership positions. As a mature group, we treat everyone -- ally and enemy alike -- with the highest respect both in-game and out.

These are the fundamentals and the core values of Bellum Aeternus. If you do not agree with our goals and methods, we ask that you please seek another group more suited to your specific play style.

Section 2 - Conduct

Overall Conduct

General Expectations

We have fairly high expectations for the maturity of our players. As such, we don't want there to be any question about what is acceptable behavior. All rules will be enforced in a "Tough, but fair" manner. If you play straight with us, we will be more than willing to give you a second chance. These rules exist to ensure that EVERYONE we play with has fun, member or not.

Bellum Aeternus members are required to treat their subordinates in rank, knowledge or experience, as if they were their equals; treat their equals as if they were their superiors; and treat the officers of Bellum Aeternus as representatives of the Pledge.

In-Game Conduct

Team/Player Killing/Griefing Deliberate acts of Team Killing or Player Killing are strictly prohibited. We do understand that sometimes it's not possible to avoid an accidental TK/PK. Please play carefully. We DO NOT allow "friendly" TKing. If you want to kill your buddies for fun, do it somewhere else. There may be exceptions to the TK policy, depending on the game you are playing. If any such exceptions exist, they will be specifically and explicitly detailed in the Path to that Province.

Griefing of any other kind is also prohibited.

Cheating

The use of cheat programs or other exploits will never be tolerated and will be grounds for immediate removal from Bellum Aeternus.

Out of Game Conduct

External Forums

As a member of Bellum Aeternus, anytime you post on an external forum, you act as a representative of Bellum Aeternus. Members of Bellum Aeternus should therefore be careful how they present themselves. Flaming, name calling, trolling, or other immature behavior will not be tolerated. As necessary, Bellum Aeternus leadership will stand up for the actions of its members. If you are in violation of these rules of conduct, you may be disavowed and removed from Bellum Aeternus.

Conflict Resolution

You may look to Bellum Aeternus leadership within your province for conflict resolution. Your leadership will handle both internal and external conflicts on an as needed basis. If you have a situation that you feel is not being addressed within your province, you may escalate the issue to the Legates.

A Note on Membership

Once you have signed the pledge for any Province or Community Game, you become a member of both that Province and Bellum Aeternus as a whole. If you decide to leave the Province or are removed for cause, you may still remain a member of Bellum Aeternus and may participate in other Provinces. Typically, if you were a member in good standing when you left a Province, you will retain posting rights for that game's forums. These posting rights are at the discretion of the Province leadership. If you are asked to stop posting, you must comply or risk being removed/banned from Bellum Aeternus as a whole.

Section 3 - Structure

Structure of Bellum Aeternus

In order to support a multi-gaming environment, Bellum Aeternus has a hierarchical leadership structure. This structure is designed to scale well, ensure representation, and split the load of leadership across multiple people. It also assigns and delineates specific roles to the leadership.

Structure

The following structure is designed to support a multi-gaming environment.

Bellum Aeternus consists of two major divisions: The Senate and Provinces. Each division has largely orthogonal duties, as defined below.

The Senate

The Senate is responsible for the management of the Bellum Aeternus Gaming Group, Policy, Website maintenance, and overall personnel issues. The Senate charts the course for the group, selecting Governors and providing guidance for each Province.

Legates

Legates are the primary authority in Bellum Aeternus. They are appointed by unanimous decision of sitting Legates. All Legates have full Veto Power over Legate Selection. Legates are expected to provide guidance to Governors, and may step in to assist in times of need. Legates have the 'last word' on all things, and can intervene when it is deemed necessary.

Council Advisers

Members of the Advisory Council may consist of:

Whomever the Legates shall apoint to this position
Governors
Allied Gaming Group Representatives

Advisers may discuss and give input, but do not have voting power within the Senate.

The Provinces

The Provinces are the individual games that Bellum Aeternus participates in. These are managed by Governors.

Governors

Governors are self nominated from the founding members of a Province that are approved by the Legates for a new game. The first governor'(s) is/are the one who starts up the new game. Governors are responsible for producing initial documentation for a new Province. More details can be found in the Founding a Province document. Governors may also be appointed by a unanimous vote by the Governors of that province - as per need.

Governors have complete control of their province, but have the right to pass any extreme situations to the Legates if they desire. Legate's retain the right to override any decision of the governors, however this may only be done by a vote of the Senate.

Legates may also be Governors.

Governors have complete control over their respective provinces, from leadership structure to qualifications. Although Governors should attempt to use the existing internal leadership structure, it is not required. When more than one Governor exists for a Province, decision making is governed through the "Bellum Aeternus Decision Making Process."

Ranks within Provinces

Each Province has its own game specific rank structure. Ranks are not universal. Being a Centurion in one Province simply means that you have certain responsibilities in that Province, and are otherwise free to enjoy the freedom of being a Legionnaire in any other Province.

Across each game we do try to use the same terminology. The following roles should be found in all Provinces. Additional duties and/or ranks may be defined in The Path for each Province.

Centurions

In general, Centurions are the Squad/Group leaders. They will form and lead groups, calling strategy and moves. Centurions are also responsible for maintaining the quality of Bellum Aeternus by enforcing the rules and ensuring that everyone is having FUN.

Centurions have a secondary role as the teachers of the outfit, helping teach The Path, as needed, and ensuring that everyone understands their duties. Furthermore, recruitment is primarily the domain of the Centurion.

Legionnaires

These are the general members, and they are the lifeblood of Bellum Aeternus. The above ranks exist solely to support Legionnaires. By signing the pledge, each Legionnaire makes a commitment to Bellum Aeternus stating that they have read and understand this Path, that they will take the time to learn how we operate within a specific game and that ultimately, they are the kind of person who finds teamwork to be FUN.

Non-Province/ProtoProvince Rank

Ambassador

(i.e. Huxley Ambassador)

In order to promote continued growth and facilitate our ability to expanded into other games, the rank of Ambassador exists. Interested members who would like to see a Bellum Aeternus presence in one specific game may petition community governors for this rank for the purpose of officially representing Bellum Aeternus to the developers, Non-BA forum members, and the game media as it pertains to that one specific game currently in development. Appointment to the rank is by the decision of the Community Governors.

While allowed to call themselves the "BA Representative" or "BA Ambassador", both in BA forums and external forums, these members report directly to the Community Governors and must do their utmost to present the ideals and philosophy of Bellum Aeternus while acting in a manner consistent with Bellum Aeternus decorum. Furthermore, they must maintain a monthly report, due at the last day of each month, updating the status of their particular charge. These reports will be given to the Community Governors who will in turn hand it off to the senate. In addition, Bi-weekly activities such as News, screen shots and quotes from outside sources should be given to keep interest high and help develop a stable following within Bellum Aeternus.

The overall goals of this rank are to create and manage ongoing member support for a potential proto-province, to rally and create support for Bellum Aeternus by the community members and admin of the forums for the specific game and ultimately to get us BETA spots.

Community Games

Description

Paralleling the major provinces are the Bellum Aeternus Community Games. All games that we participate in start as a Community Game, be they MMO type games with serious potential for mass BA involvement, or weekly pick-up games that we might only play sporadically.

The purposes of Community Games are twofold: 1) They allow us to have limited structure and systematic support for games that will never become a Province.

2) Community Games reduce the "barriers to entry" for new potential Provinces.

Community Games are supported with designated discussion forums and Voice Comms channels on the Bellum Aeternus Community Games Teamspeak server. Once a game has attained Community Game status, active member participation and interest can be more accurately measured.

A Community Game with potential to succeed as a BA province may apply to become a Province and will undergo a rigorous thirty-day evaluation period, as described in the Founding a Province Document. Requirements include a satisfactory level of maturity, a sizable number of active members, defined leadership, and creation of Province Documentation.

Leadership

All of the Community Games together resemble the structure of a single province in terms of the leadership hierarchy, as can be seen with the graphic above.

Governors
Community Governors are responsible for evaluating and supporting Community Games that undergo the provincial development process. In addition, they are responsible for creating Voice Comms channels and discussion forums for respective Community Games, however they may not necessarily be active leaders in specific games. Rather, this role is played by the Community Game specific Centurion.

Centurions
Each Community Game will have its own set of Centurions that act as resident officers. These Centurions may have responsibilities that include moderating Voice Comms channels and running game servers (IE: FPS servers). Regular participants in the Community Games will hold the rank of Legionnaire.

Section 4 - Next Steps

Next Steps

Through good communication and general knowledge about the tactics we use in each specific game, we can play at a very high level of organization, yet never succumb to the idea that to be elite, we have to restrict who can join. Membership in Bellum Aeternus is available to anyone who wants to join, and while we do have restricted ranks internally, that is all out of necessity, and ultimately serves only to promote our style of game play.

Simply put, every member of Bellum Aeternus should:

- Be open minded - Practice good communication - Be willing to learn the tactics of the game - Better yet, be willing to help create said tactics - Have FUN and Kick Ass!

Now, you must make a choice. Bellum Aeternus is not for everyone. Our organization caters to a certain kind of individual. One who values his fellow teammate, one who looks to win via superior tactics and not necessarily superior player skill. The ability to communicate well, be a responsible individual, and maintain a high degree of respect for Bellum Aeternus, its leaders, and especially its members, is REQUIRED.

If you feel that what we ask is unreasonable or that you may not have fun in such a group please reconsider joining our group. However, if you feel that this is exactly the type of group your looking for, read on. Each game supported by Bellum Aeternus is, to a degree, unique. What works for a FPS may not work for an RPG. Therefore, we have paths for each Province. To complete reading the path, choose the link for the game you wish to pledge to.

The Path of World of Warcraft: Kel'Thuzad - BA

The Path of World of Warcraft: Kel'Thuzad - BV

The Path of Everquest II

Path of EVE

Once you have read the Path for your Province, you will be directed to "The Pledge" that is specific to that game. If you agree with it, sign with your character names and join us.

Innctus Debellamus - United we Conquer