Constitution and By-Laws of Nesh Me Hanan
A LOTRO Rank 10 Kinship on the Landroval Server
Nesh Me Hanan is a casual, mixed-style Kinship established for the camaraderie, social activities, development, and gameplay of like-minded individuals and families in the game Lord of the Rings Online on the Landroval Server. All player Race characters of all ages are welcome to join.
Article I – The Nature of the Kinship
Section 1 - Meaning
Nesh Me Hanan has no meaning in the languages of Middle Earth but based upon membership acclamation has been decided to mean ‘Seekers of Light’.
Section 2 – Overarching Principle
The overarching principal in the conduct of the Kinship as a whole and of its constituent Members and prospective Members is to Respect Others. This principle is extended to all people, Members, prospective Members or not, alike, and applies during all forms of gameplay. Policies added cannot affect, change, alter, add to, nor subtract from this rule, but merely lay out a format for the structure within the Kin and its efficient operation.
By Respect Others we mean that we aspire to be kind, friendly and considerate of others' feelings. Each person joins under the reality that this definition of respect is a must and agrees to abide by it.
Section 3 – Gameplay Focus
As a casual kin, Nesh Me Hanan promotes all types of gameplay and does not oblige any of its Members or prospective Members to engage in any particular area of the game. The Kinship neither specializes in ‘hardcore’ Raiding, PvMP, or Roleplaying nor prohibits the pursuit of or organizing/scheduling of those gameplay types. Members may partake in any and all activities or styles of gameplay as established and allowed by the game itself as they choose.
Article II – Ranks within the Kinship and their Duties and Responsibilities
Section 1 – Ranks within the Kinship
There are five basic ranks within the Kinship. They are Recruit, Kinsman/Kinswoman, Officer, Successor, and Leader. The latter three are all contained within the category of Officer. These ranks are set down by the mechanics of the LOTRO game itself. There is a sixth title/rank provided in game called Founder and is bestowed upon the character that founded the Kinship and at that time became the first Leader. That title/rank is always with that character and imparts no additional rights or responsibilities beyond that which the character may currently have based upon one of the other ranks assigned to that character in Nesh Me Hanan, if any.
Section 2 - Recruit
The rank and title of Recruit is given to individuals newly invited to the Kinship. They are initiate Members and as such, barring a few exceptions, function within the game as a regular Member. Recruits have access to Kin chat, are given the Trait of Return to Kinship House, and are identified in-game as belonging to Nesh Me Hanan. They have no access to Kin Chests in the Kin House and may neither post to or bid/purchase items on the Auction House denoted as for Kinship only. Recruit status will not normally apply to alts of existing members.
An initial period as a Recruit helps both the players and the Kinship determine compatibility with Nesh Me Hanan. Assuming no intervening circumstances, the Recruit will normally be promoted to Kinsman/Kinswoman after an initial period of no less than three and no more than four weeks. Recruits are encouraged to participate in Kin Chat and group gaming with existing Members to allow for better evaluation on the part of all parties.
Section 3 – Kinsmen/Kinswomen
The rank and title of Kinsman and Kinswoman are given to Members in full standing of the Kinship. They provide the core of membership within the Kinship and as such provide for its existence. In addition to Kin Chat and to the Return to Kinship House trait, Kinsmen and Kinswomen may now access the Kinship House chests and post to or buy from Auction House Kinship postings.
Kinsmen and Kinswomen enjoy full standing in the Kinship until such time as they decide to leave the game or the kin or if removed from the Kinship following inappropriate behavior. It is expected that Members will come and go over time based upon real life requirements, differing needs from the game, or for whatever reasons. Active recruitment of new Members is encouraged to secure the ongoing growth of the community. Kinsmen and Kinswomen are the most abundant Members and are essential to a thriving kin community and vibrant activities.
Section 4 – Officer
Officers, which also include the Successor and Leader, provide the leadership core of Nesh Me Hanan and see to Kinship development and administration. In addition to full Member standing, Officers have the ability to invite players to the Kinship, to promote Recruits to Kinsman/Kinswoman, and to access the Officer Chat channel and Officers Forum on the website.
Officers are chosen from among active members who set an example of adherence to kin principles, promote kin community, and help to preserve the integrity of the Kinship. Potential Officers will be identified by the Leader and other Officers for their dedication to the Kin and ability to contribute to its growth, activities and maintenance. Upon the agreement of a majority of current officers, the Leader will discuss the promotion with the selected Kinsman/Kinswoman, explaining responsibilities and determining term of service. New Officers will be promoted immediately in-game and on the website. In some circumstances, the Leader may select and promote Officers as necessary for the preservation of the Kin.
Section 5 – Successor
The Successor is an Officer who has been designated by the Leader to become Leader in cases where the Leader can no longer perform in that capacity, either voluntarily through Resignation of Role or leaving the game or involuntarily by not logging-in to the game over an extended period of time according to the mechanics of the game itself. The Successor has no additional responsibilities or powers other than those of Officer.
Section 6 – Leader
The Leader is the Officer designated as head of the Kinship. Only the Leader may promote or demote Members into and out of the Officer Role. The Leader with the Successor sets the direction for the Kinship in conjunction with the guidance of the Officers.
Article III – Policies and Procedures, including Recruiting, Succession, and Due Process
Section 1 – Recruitment
Officers will recruit new members after determining their interest in joining the kin; Officers should not normally send an unsolicited Kinship invite to a character for recruitment.
Officers should check the status of Recruits in the Social Panel on a periodic basis to determine if promotions should occur; promotions should take place on a regular schedule. On occasion, the Leader may need to remove inactive players from the Kin Roster and/or from Officer ranks.
A Recruitment Officer position may be taken by Officer(s) who would focus on recruiting through the scheduling of Recruitment drives or other events. Any procedures followed should support and be within the spirit of this Section.
An established Do Not Invite list should be consulted and maintained to guide recruitment.
Section 2 – Succession
A. Voluntary Succession
If the Leader leaves the game or cannot continue as Leader for whatever reasons, he/she will select a new Leader in consultation with Officers and with the prospective new Leader. The outgoing Leader, the incoming Leader, and the Officers will work to inform the Kinship and assure as smooth a transition as possible.
B. Automatic Succession (as Established by the Game Mechanics)
If the Leader leaves the game involuntarily or otherwise goes inactive without notice, the option to “usurp” his/her position is made available through provided game mechanics.
If the leader does not log in for more than 35 days or cancels his or her account, the Successor receives an in-game mail indicating the availability of the Usurp option. The Successor can click the Usurp button in the Kinship Panel to become Leader.
If the Successor does not usurp leadership within 10 days (45 days of the Leader being absent), all Officers of the Kinship receive an in-game mail informing them that any Officer can usurp leadership.
If no Officer usurps leadership within 20 days (55 days of the Leader being absent), all Members of the Kinship receive an in-game mail informing them that any Member can usurp leadership. (It has been reported that the game no longer sends in-game mail informing Members of the option to usurp the Leader probably as this could lead to a very chaotic situation.)
If the Kinship goes 65 days without a new Leader (100 days of the Leader being absent), the Kinship will automatically disband through normal game mechanics.
Section 3 – Due Process
A. Recruits that violate our Guiding Principle or that have behaved inappropriately in game will be expelled and placed upon our Do Not Invite list. In the case of miscommunication or inadvertent violation of our Guiding Principle one warning can be given to that Recruit. Any subsequent violation will result in dismissal.
B. Kinsmen/Kinswomen that violate our Guiding Principle or that have behaved inappropriately in game will be dealt with in the following system. Officer(s) receive reports of misconduct from Kin members or from outside. The Officer receiving the complaint will consult with other online Officers in Officer Chat channel and post the issues in the Officers' Forum of the website to discuss the nature of the offense and how it should be approached; this period of discussion will not last more than one week. Accused Kinsmen/Kinswomen will be given a fair and unbiased chance for redemption. An Officer will be chosen to discuss the allegations with the Kin member and hear his/her side of the story, according to recommendations from the general Officer discussion. Efforts should be made to record any direct evidence through chat logging and preservation of the original complaint. All evidence will be posted to the Officer Forum and reviewed by the Officers and a majority vote taken within three days. Upon determination that inappropriate behavior occurred, in most cases a Kin member will then be given a first and only warning to adjust behavior. A sanctioned Kin member may be demoted to Recruit for an additional term if appropriate; any infraction while on this form of probation will result in dismissal with no additional warning. The intent is to give players every reasonable chance for correction, however, in rare cases, immediate dismissal may be required. If the situation was handled immediately through a dismissal, the circumstances and other relevant information should be posted on the Officer’s Forum on the website. Any second complaint about a Kin member will be handled as the first, but with the final sanction of dismissal.
In all cases where a dismissal occurs, the character and all the player’s alts will be dismissed from the Kin and placed on the Do Not Invite list.
