Phoenix Forgeworks / PHOENIXFW

Who is Phoenix Forgeworks? Our introduction sums it up, we are a collection of small friends and family. We are casual but play hard, we focus on industry for profit so that we can PvP, Pirate, Raid, build bases, mine, salvage and PVE, just to name a few activities. Many of us have been playing online games and MMO’s for decades across a plethora of platforms.

• Enter Star Citizen, being in alpha for almost 13 years, a few of our players have been here almost the entire time. A few of our seasoned players have now joined and we are beginning to establish our presence here. We have spent real money on many ships including but not limited to a Polaris, an Orion, a Merchantman, a Pioneer, an Endeavor, an Idris, Reclaimer, Caterpillars, C2’s, Constellations, Vultures, Prospectors and a multitude of medium to light fighters. We DO NOT expect other members to spend real money and will never request that someone do so. It is simply not a requirement being a casual organization.

• Upon launch it is our intention that we (many of our core members) are going to speed up through the factions to become a quote, unquote “Citizen” so that we may build a small base/village in lawful (this is subject to change by CIG). This will operate as our zero. We will always have it and it will be set up as a location for our crafters to sell goods, and everyone else to launch ops from. Once this base of operations has been established we will begin courting organizations that have taken over lawless like Pyro and Nyx with the intention of partnering with them. We will use ships like the Orion and the Reclaimers in thier space to generate a ton of resources that we will in turn offer them a portion of our work in return for freely having access to thier space.

• We have always highly valued our alliances and it is also our intention to assist our allies in anyway that is needed. This means we may lend them the use of our Pioneer to help build their space stations or cities. We will assist in thier large Ops, defend their space and surface locations, exchange members, sell weapons and armor and build ships for them to purchase. We intend these items and ships to be of the highest quality with fully researched blueprints and only using 1000 quality materials for construction. We value allies and will easily show them how they can benefit from having us as the same. Smaller organizations will all be welcome to merge with us and gain access to these benefits providing thier members review and accept our charter. While being casual, our standards are high, along with our expectations of behaviors.

• We have zero tolerance for griefing. Period. Those who grief other players will quickly find themselves listed on our “Wall of Shame”. The individuals will forever be banned from joining our organization AND will be bagged if they manage to join one of our allies. Griefing is NOT PvP, it is harassing a player with the intention of making them quit Star Citizen or at a minimum making the game unplayable for a period of time. This type of behavior is unacceptable and in truth just plain old bad form.

• We have zero tolerance for hackers, dupers, exploiters and cheats. This diminishes the quality of the game for everyone, leads to unstable or skewed economies, devalues loot tables and is also generally just bad form. If members are found to be guilty of any of these or other uncouth behaviors they will be removed from Phoenix Forgeworks and subsequently placed upon the wall of shame. Any players, member or otherwise who are widely known to be either a griefer or an exploiter may be reviewed by our board to be placed on a Kill on Sight list (KoS) and be bagged if they join one of our allies. These zero tolerance polices are not taken lightly and are certainly not designed to diminish the play experience of Star Citizen.

• Our primary goal is wealth and making all our members extremely wealthy so that we can in turn experience everything Star Citizen has to offer. With unlimited credits comes an unlimited experience. Ops in a reclaimer can land a team of 3 500k per hour as an example. A kit for FPS runs around 40k. Or 4 hours of salvaging means a player can then buy their own vulture in game and not spend real life cash, so on and so fourth. In our many years of playing we have learned that wealth in MMO’s truly expands what you can do on any given day in the game. So again we say “Come for the wealth, stay for the expansive play!

Here at Phoenix Forgeworks a great portion of our success derives itself from a set of core values and laws that govern the organization. We strive not only to continue to be leaders in the universe of Star Citizen but also to be unified and have fun with all aspects of Star Citizen. As with any successful organization, member participation is key. Here are some of our core guild goals, rules, policies etc… that prospective members should know before joining:

Alpha & Beta Tester Mission Statement:

Phoenix Forgeworks is actively alpha & beta testing, focusing on testing/systems and stress testing Star Citizen. We take this responsibility very seriously. We seek to better the whole online gaming community through our testing efforts by not only finding bugs and balance issues but also by suggesting new features or better implementation of key features. Our goal is to help create the best online experience possible for Star Citizen. To help avoid the pitfalls and issues of past games and to help the industry continue to innovate and offer new challenges and experiences to all gamers.

Standards of Conduct:

Core Rules:

Phoenix Forgeworks only accepts members into its ranks that are of similar personalities, goals and values to its own. All of our members support and follow our core guild rules and anyone who cannot, is removed. Our core rules and values have served us well since our early days as gamers and continue to be the guiding principles behind moving the organization forward. Our core rules include, but are not limited to:

1. Organization First: We expect all members to ensure that all actions they take are done in the mindset of ‘Organization first’. Anything a member does reflects on the overall Organization image and on all fellow members. We expect members to only take actions that reflect positively on the organizations image that we have worked very hard to build and maintain over the years.
2. We recruit the PERSON not the TOON. We look for good PEOPLE not only a toon that meets a specific set of requirements. As such members of Phoenix Forgeworks should not be a member of any other organization without permission from the board. Membership in another organization, in Star Citizen, is permitted with some caveats (ex: you could not be in an organization that was a cheater/exploiter organization, or if furthering Phoenix Forgeworks in building alliances or helping to process a merger.).
3. It is not permitted to relay any information/Intel outside the organization, for any reason, at any time. Phoenix Forgeworks is a private gaming organization. We do not share information with the public except through official channels and officially sanctioned outlets. Therefore no member should reveal any information, no matter how minor they may think it is, outside the organization. Star Citizen IS a PvP game and many hostiles would love to know ops that we have scheduled or interfere in alliance’s that we may be building.
4. Participate In Organization Events. Hunts, Raids, Ops and other in game activities occur all the time. You should be expected to take place in as many of them as possible, within reason, and not interfering will real life. We understand people have lives and cannot live within the online world and that is ok. But if you are online, have the time, and we are having an organization event of some sort, you need to be there and participating in it. Actively working against the organization on any mission will result in immediate and permanent removal, especially combat ops or high yield profit ops.
5. Leadership roles in Phoenix Forgeworks are decided based on demonstrated ability as well as the need for a leader in a particular spot. You can be assured that your leaders are working hard to make the game more fun for you. While the reason behind every decision may not always be apparent at the moment an order is issued, all orders from officers need to be immediately followed. If errors are made, they should be reported to Middle Management where they will be dealt with and, if needed, escalated to the board which may result in changes made to the officer team. Absent those changes, all officers should be listened to as though it was the board issuing the order.
6. We are FRIENDS & FAMILY. Backing up your teammates is expected because they will do the same for you. Phoenix Forgeworks members understand that sometimes personal character sacrifice is needed for the team to complete a mission. We don’t view it as personal sacrifice, however, because we are helping out a friend and that is more important than loot or pixels on a screen. Games come and go. Phoenix Forgeworks and the friendships within it, remain.
7. Deadweight is not needed in Phoenix Forgeworks. Failure to maintain an acceptable level of activity will result in your removal. We do have an “inactive” status for members who are experiencing the complications of real life and requires good, clear communication. For those active in other games, we expect them to read our posts for our updates. We expect members to participate in at least 1 Op per month, we are ‘casual’ but we do play hard. Simply vanishing off the face of the earth without any communication indicating you wish to go to inactive or on extended hiatus is taken as a sign you have quit the game and will result in the member being removed.
8. Star Citizen is a game, we all understand and accept this. With that said, we ARE casual in nature. Real life should always come first and is often the most chaotic aspect of anyone’s existence. We only ask for a concerted effort that you promptly and clearly communicate any issues that you may be experiencing so that we may assist you in any manner that we can or grant you a hiatus. We all have responsibilities, one of those is communicating with friends and family.
9. Members who cannot follow core rules and standards, are removed from the Organization.

Code of Conduct:

Our Code of Conduct is a collection of rules and guidelines that is integral to the foundation of our organization. It goes hand in hand with our Manifesto but bears repeating so all existing and future members understand what is expected of them in the universe of Star Citizen. These rules of conduct include but are not limited to;

1. Our members may not use cheats or exploits of any kind for any reason.
2. Our members are permitted to freely participated in PvP, including non-consensual.
3. Piracy is permitted, it is recommended but not required. that if you do pirate another player you reimburse them between 25-50% of the profits. We have all been destitute in Star Citizen and should endeavor to not leave others in such condition.
4. Members need to behave in a mature, professional, team focused manner. Solo play is promoted as well but we should be working to enrich each other so that we may all participate in what Star Citizen has to offer.
5. Make friends in the organization. At our core we are a collection of friends and family, so make friends. Those friendships will make us stronger, a Polaris is operating at sub-optimal levels if piloted by one person only.
6. Any issues with organization policies or procedures are to be brought directly to the board members, via private messages. Publicly bashing or complaining about them is counter-productive and cannot be tolerated.
7. Personal attacks on other members or leadership cannot be tolerated. Try to handle rough situations with other members 1 on 1 in a mature and professional way. If unable to resolve, you are required to take the matter to a Director, then the board members.
8. Do not backstab, fight over loot, steal from, scamming, participated in non-consensual PvP with or against other members. We are a collection of family and friends, lets keep it that way.
9. Profanity should be ‘controlled’. The occasional F bomb is ok but keep in mind that many of our members may be children of various ages. They don’t need that exposure, even with a profanity filter.
10. Sexual content, sexual speech & obscene content are not needed or permitted in member channels of the game, in IRC or on the chat zone. If instigated, take the high road. It is a game.
11. If a Director or Board Member tells you to do something, do it immediately. Said Director or Board Member is obligated to explain such orders, but not NOW. Sometimes time is not on our side. Do not argue or complain and definitely do not get nasty with them. If you do removal from the organization may happen. If you are not pleased with or don’t understand the situation we expect you to behave in a mature and professional manner and escalate your complaint to the entire board of directors itself so that we may discuss.
12. As a collection of friends and family please don’t hesitate to offer suggestions or offer input. Our charter can evolve with each and every patch if necessary, but only if we continue to discuss and troubleshoot issues.

Organization structure:

Phoenix Forgeworks format for leadership is that of a dictatorship facilitated by the board and enforced by Middle Management. There is one overall CEO of the organization who will debrief and inform the board. All decisions are ultimately made or ratified by the board. The responsibility for incorrect decisions is also held by board. With that said, decisions are not made in a vacuum. Instead we will apply past experiences of the organization, feedback from Directors and our members and feedback from allies as the situation warrants. The overall goal of all decisions is to make Phoenix Forgeworks the best Organization possible for all members. So we term the style of the organization as a ‘benevolent dictatorship.’ Feedback from members is encouraged regularly and plays a large part in the decision making process. All members know the board, Middle Management and our Directors have an open door policy and that anything presented in a respectful manner is read, considered and weighs into final decisions.

The Board:

The Board will consist of the most senior members of Phoenix Forgeworks. They represent the heart and sole of our organization and are tasked with great responsibility and power. All matters that modify this Charter, approve alliances, approve wars, approve organization developments, disciplinary & appellate issues, promotions of Directors, Middle Management, CEO or new Board Members fall upon this body. The number of board members will always be odd, to prevent stalemates in voting, promoting constant forward movement and progression. New Board members will only be brought on 2 at a time. Board members will meet once a month, scheduled a month in advance, will discuss and vote on all pending issues, ensuring that no issue exceeds 30 days pending, with few exceptions only approved by the Board & Middle Management in a unanimous vote. All other issues voted on require only a majority to meet approval this includes but is not limited to the aforementioned responsibilities.

The CEO:

The CEO will only ever consist of one person. That person is either the founder of Forgeworks or a highly trusted member who has taken over leadership of the Organization. The CEO is an honorary member of the Board and must participated in all meetings and votes. The CEO will work in unison with Middle Management to ensure that the day to day on goings of the organization remain stable and positive. The CEO, working with Middle Management will bring all issues to the attention of the Board. The CEO is to ensure that there are no issues pending in excess of 30 days, barring unique and rare exceptions. The CEO is the direct face of Phoenix Forgeworks when it comes to interacting with, fostering and finalizing details when courting other organizations as potential allies or potential foes. The CEO will finalize all details on this matter, prior to presenting it to the Board for approval. The CEO is responsible for all applications to be processed in a timely manner, working with Middle Management as well as promotions of recruit, junior and senior members within the confines of the scheduled outlined below.

Middle Management:

There is only one member in the Middle Management position at a time. Their purpose is enforce core rules and standards as well as facilitate information from Directors to the Board. Middle Management is second only to the Board in the Organization in terms of overall authority. Middle Management is a key person in global organization policy decisions. They are the person the Board trusts the most and who they rely on most heavily on for feedback. If a new policy has to be made on the spot when the Board is unavailable, they will make it and short of the Board modifying it later, that will be Phoenix Forgeworks law going forward. While the need for new policies, after so many years of well established gaming, is rare, the message here is that Middle Management is key to our ‘Benevolent Dictatorship, so Directors and all other members need to listen to them like they would listen to the CEO or the Board.

Directors:

Directors are promoted by the Board. Each Director manages a group of members on a day to day basis. Directors are integral in the feedback process that sets new guild policy. Directors speak with the voice of Phoenix Forgeworks when Middle Management, The CEO, or members of the board are not online and are empowered to act within and enforce all organization rules. This means if a rule is broken, for example, that results in removal and a Director is online, the member will be removed. The member may then appeal to upper leadership later but it is rare that a reversal will take place. It is part of the Board’s role to ensure that each Director is a trustworthy, well respected member that will act within the rules and enforce the standards of the Organization at all times. Directors cannot set new policy or chose to ignore or not follow some rules, but do have full authority to enforce and act upon all rules and policy. Only Senior members may apply for or be considered for Director positions and must come with a referral from at least 1 other Director. All Directors are responsible for scheduling Ops for they’re respective departments and are free to set the frequency of said Ops, with the approval of Middle Management and/or the CEO.

Senior, Junior & Recruits:

This will make up the bulk of Phoenix Forgeworks members. Each of these positions comes with increasingly more access to the Organizations assets, rights and in some aspect responsibilities. Members moving up through the ranks will follow the schedule below, with exceptions for those on Hiatus. Alpha testers will automatically start out as Senior members, having weathered the worst of the storm. Beta testers will automatically star out as Junior members. All new members post launch/live will have to start out as Recruits. This schedule exists for many reasons, one of which and certainly not least to prevent long cons. Piracy comes in many forms, organization infiltration and theft, we anticipate, will be ever present within the Star Citizen universe and must take steps to minimize our exposure to such an event. This schedule may only be bypassed with a unanimous vote from both the Board & Middle Management with a referral from no less than 3 Directors.

• Recruit: 90 days of service.
• Junior: 1 year of service.
• Senior: 2 years of service.

Other Roles:

May be created an implemented at the discretion of the Board. These roles, including but not limited to, may include working as liaisons to alliances that are being courted, a member swap, (not to dissimilar from exchange student programs) assistants to CEO or Middle Management, etc., etc…. These roles are unofficial, temporary as needed and carry no official permanency or title in Phoenix Forgeworks. They should be considered serious and needed only for the time that requires them.

Alliances:

Alliances within gaming are often not needed and more of a mental thing rather than having any tangible impact on the game itself. Phoenix Forgeworks does not engage in such alliances. We do, however, form strategic alliances with organizations when there is a compelling, mutual interest or goal and there is clear benefit to both guilds to do so. We only ally with like-minded organizations and never form alliances with those who’s values and practices are not ones we can support. If an organization would like to discuss an alliance, they should be referred to the CEO or Middle Management. We will require information about their organization and why the alliance makes sense for both themselves and for Phoenix Forgeworks. The CEO or Middle Management will get back to you within 24hours and a line item will be entered for the Board to discuss and approve or decline within 30 days.