[Sgt.Trojan]

Ladies and Gentleman,

The British Sergeants' Mess were created back in 2001 with CS 1.6 and around 6 members. We were always a CS community with four, 20 slot servers at our peak. When CS started to look a bit tired and with the launch of more PC testing games our member base started to dwindle. We acted on this by looking for another game to host. Lately, we have seen a rapid expansion of our member base since we moved to the Battlefield Series (BF2 initially) back in 2009 and have gathered a large following of regulars. Out of these regulars we make invitations to become a Sgt. (an admin) on a quarterly basis (if the right candidates are available).

Now that we have passed through CS and BF2 we now host the BC2 servers you see in my sig (and a secret L4D2 server).We now want to consider the implications of BF3 on our community. At BSM we tend to all jump together and always have one focal game that draws us together but due to financial reasons some are left behind with sub standard PCs. We don't want to lose the admins we recruit as they are all good people and have individually invested hundreds of hours in our community.

Our recruitment ethos is invitation only. The reason being is that any member that accepts our invitation is given admin rights on our servers and we have to be careful that our Sgt Code of Conduct is upheld. See our Code here BSM Code of Conduct. In our CS days we had regs that played for literally years before they were asked to be admins. We want to keep the good people we recruit and ensure our admins levels are kept high and their standard is maintained. See our current roster here BSM Roster. The Tour of Duty section of the roster shows members "M.I.A." back to about 2005 so you can see we tend to keep our admins happy!

Our main communication method is via our website forum. See our website here BSM www
Second to this is ventrilo which is mainly used during game time.
Some members to communicate via mobile phone also.

What we would like to know from other multi-gaming communities is:

1. How do you decide what games you will host and what you expect to happen to the community during the new addition.
2. What your recruitment policy is and how it differs to ours and any comments you can provide.
3. How your roster changes over time and what you do to keep the existing admins interested (inc. activities outside of the servers)
4. What links you have with other communities and whether you see the need for liaising with others
5. When your community was created and where you see your community in five years.

Many thanks for your reading time and any input you give.

Sgt.Trojan
Head Admin at The British Sergeants' Mess

P.S. The added advantage of this thread is that other communities in the same position as us can use it to consider as many possibilities of expansion.

[jossmer]

Hello Sgt.Trojan. Joss here from WonkaWarriors.

1. How do you decide what games you will host and what you expect to happen to the community during the new addition.

Usually by membership requests. As we have taken the step in to dedi servers, we find this opens up the multi gaming community choice.
This freedom has created discussion for sure within our community. It is fair to say that some members feel left behind. Some of these are long term members who liked BF2. We have tried BF2 servers but found they are not as popular as they once where. Most of the loyal BF2 players have stuck with us while waiting the release of BF3

Usually when new games are mooted we get those that can't afford or not interested in those games. With any new game we decided to host means less players on established servers. We do work hard to try and populate those servers first, before going into the new game.
During this period we seed our core games, usually BFBC2 vanilla and Vietnam. Yes at certain time of the game release cycle people want to play the new games. There is not always acceptance of new games for what ever reason. So having the dedi sure makes life easier as we can try new games, yet maintain our established games too.

Wonkawarriors is a long established Community. A good player base who are not afraid to move with the times. Yes for smaller clans it can be a problem due to cost and player base. However, for us the dedi takes away a lot potential disputes about what games we run. Purely because we have the capacity to run up to 9 games on our dedi.

A healthy community will always have dialogue. Not everyone will see eye to eye with change. Has this caused any splits? not really just much **** taking lol.

2. What your recruitment policy is and how it differs to ours and any comments you can provide

Our policy is try us and see if our community suits you and visa versa of course. We try not to scare away potential members away with too many pre-requisites. Just basic info on potential memberhere
Essentially we are a fun community so we don't get too hung up on the more serious aspects like good KDR etc. We encourage them to join our TS comms so we can get to know them, and them us. We like to see members active in the forums, games and comms. We feel slow but sure with lots of support if needed.
Usually after a couple of weeks a vote is posted. Full members vote. The outcome is them given to the potential member.
We don't actively chase new members when they join. It is up to them how active they become. The more you involve them and support them, the better the out come. Be warned our forums get lively lol.
In general we do not pro-actively recruit. We usually find word of mouth, and in game chat with players on our servers is good. Forum sigs in the games forums too.
We are not a match playing community so not hung up on drill etc. We play for fun. Having said that, we do have fun nights with other friendly clans.
Friendly clan links are good. So is getting your servers recognised in other communities. Especially the likes of DieHards HQDieHards HQ

3. How your roster changes over time and what you do to keep the existing admins interested (inc. activities outside of the servers)

Our roster is due for clean up, but we say once a wonka, always a wonka. So we don't house keep too much. Members often take a break from games for what ever reason. So deleting them creates work when they come back. However we do add new members lol. Wonkawarriors has been an entity since 1997. Its still growing. Senior admins have been with us from the start so a good solid core puts the community in good hands.

We are a very relaxed community, but a well organised one.There is always something for us to do. Motivation is gaming and enjoying our community in game , on the forums and socially for those close by.

4. What links you have with other communities and whether you see the need for liaising with others

We carry a few links from friendly clans. Now and then we get together for a fun nights. We display in our friendly clans link panel. We also reciprocate the links.
Yes we see a need for liaising with other groups. We are only a small part of the gaming community, so we see link exchanges as a positive step. Keeping up with them also helps with development.
Building these relationships helps to pull the network of gamers together.

5. When your community was created and where you see your community in five years.

WonkaWarriors was created early 1997. Where do we see ourself s in 5 years? So much depends on the game developers and the marketing. Who knows what the future holds. Games being ported from consol's is an utter fail. Developers are being sucked in by the big game names and releasing titles that clearly are beta on the paying public, needs to be addressed. Don't hold your breath.
As our members "mature" we do have younger members, honest! Maturity brings loyalty.

Hope this helps

[EvilEddy]

Sgt.Trojan, on 27 March 2011 - 09:42 AM, said:

1. How do you decide what games you will host and what you expect to happen to the community during the new addition.
2. What your recruitment policy is and how it differs to ours and any comments you can provide.
3. How your roster changes over time and what you do to keep the existing admins interested (inc. activities outside of the servers)
4. What links you have with other communities and whether you see the need for liaising with others
5. When your community was created and where you see your community in five years.

Well this RSoBB is the second incarnation of the tag. The first incarnation was back in 2003 when we supported the neglected Medal of Honor series (EA royally screwed that franchise right over back then), the original Call of Duty title, Counter-Strike Source, Battlefield 2, Battlfield Vietnam and Battlefield 1942. We had a dedicated box back then and ran around 9 servers comfortably. Back then, we hosted what we thought would be a success and all were, given the odd exception.

1. How do you decide what games you will host and what you expect to happen to the community during the new addition.

Nowadays, we host what the community wants. We're very 'Battlefield' centric now, with little desire to venture into any other titles. We tried Medal of Honor as that's where our roots are, but the new title was just an underworked BF clone and didn't offer what we MoH vets wanted, which was good fast arcade fun. Bring back the WWII theme with Tug of War and Liberation, any day of the week!

The only title we have on the horizon is BF3. We have plans to downsize BC2 when the time comes, support BF3 with one or two servers, and the monitor the BC2 servers to decide whether we continue to support that title or not. It will depend solely on whether our members still want it. I'm hopeful that we will, BC2 is a cracking game.

2. What your recruitment policy is and how it differs to ours and any comments you can provide.

I won't comment on yours, you can draw your own conclusions!

We've tried many a recruitment method, simply because we don't take ourselves particularly seriously. Finding a method of getting the right members in when our requirements aren't too demanding has been tricky, but we're there now.

We operate on a sponsorship basis. If you want to get in, you must be sponsored in by an existing member of RSoBB. The idea is that you have gotten to know us, some of us, before you can join. We've done this not only to filter the applications so we get those that we want, but also to slow our growth. In 2005, RSoBB collapsed in a heap after the leadership at the time was burnt out. It had become so big that it became a job, and the recruitment processes were so poor that we ended up with idiots in the ranks and squabbles breaking out.

Once sponsored in, you have to wait for an application spot to open up. We will only ever process 3 apps at the same time. When your app is sorted, you are added into our 'coming out' group, a trial of sorts. Whilst in this group, you get all the perks of a full member, reserved slot, match play, whatever. You're pretty much treated as a full member. You'll be in this group for two weeks, after which the member base (anybody who is already a full member) votes to let you in, kick you out or extend your trial. A trial can only be extended once, for 7 or 14 days, at our discretion.

This might seem like a lot of work, but it's really not. We don't place any requirements on the applicant in terms of skill, capability, attendance, etc. All we ask is that they get to know us through whatever means are at their disposal, be that on the forums, Team Speak of in game. This is the only way they'll get our votes afterall.

3. How your roster changes over time and what you do to keep the existing admins interested (inc. activities outside of the servers)

We've promoted some people to admin status, not all. We have 15 or so admins right now, a mixture of those who can kick and those who can ban. Because we take on new members through an application process, admin access is certainly not a given. In fact, we look down upon anybody who joins for this purpose.

We also increased our count of top level admins, we call them 'Bum Lords', from 3 to 5. These 5 have an equal say in the affairs of RSoBB and will debate anything that needs attention, from what servers to run, map rotation changes, bans, games to support, etc. It's taken the burden of running an active community away from a few and spread the load amongst more. These are all people we have come to know, love, hate and trust!

In terms of keep admins interested, we don't do anything. We're not here to entertain others nor do we try to hold onto those whose interest has diminished. We've been in a position before where we would try to re-energise people so that they would stay with us, but it simply doesn't work. You are either interested in RSoBB or you're not. By not actively trying to do this, we keep members who have a genuine interest in us and want to stay, rather than those we've incentivised to stay. 10 members who stay active through their own choice are greater than 100 who are given reason to stay. (my opinion only, ofc)

4. What links you have with other communities and whether you see the need for liaising with others

In terms of official affiliation, none. We did this in the past for little gain.

In terms of friendship, well RSoBB members have gotten to know some of the British Sergeant Bums fairly well. This is as far as we've gone with this. We're quite happy sitting in our little corner, getting to know those who we meet without making too much of a big deal out of it.

5. When was your community was created and where you see your community in five years.

The original RSoBB was created in 2003 and died in 2005, due in some part to errors from the leadership. Quite simply, we were too big and out of control.

The new RSoBB was formed in 2010 and will exist as long as there is an active leadership and members who want it to continue. Who can say where we'll be in five years? We don't even know where we'll be in 6 months, and history taught us not to plan ahead too far because it can all come to an end.



/end wall of text

[Sgt.Trojan]

Good reads. Thanks chaps.

@Joss:
Do you think the addition of the many games weakens the community in anyway? I mean that if the community had one game only then you are always together, playing that one game. If you have different games made for different interests is that the flip side of the coin?

@Klompers:
I see you as being there and done that (with running communities) so what do (did) you consider "too big" and why was this a problem? If it was unruly admins then could something have been done to prevent that?

This post has been edited by Sgt.Trojan: 03 April 2011 - 06:05 PM

[jossmer]

Sgt.Trojan, on 03 April 2011 - 06:04 PM, said:

Good reads. Thanks chaps.

@Joss:
Do you think the addition of the many games weakens the community in anyway? I mean that if the community had one game only then you are always together, playing that one game. If you have different games made for different interests is that the flip side of the coin?

@Klompers:
I see you as being there and done that (with running communities) so what do (did) you consider "too big" and why was this a problem? If it was unruly admins then could something have been done to prevent that?

Yes I would say. Reason being many members can't play the new games because their machine needs upgrades, let alone afford them. So on that basis its a yes. However.
Our members stick with us and still play BFBC2 whilst waiting for BF3 to come along.
The flip side is New games hosted by us opens up the potential to new recruits.. Its an ever evolving process of seeing what works for you guys. Where just a bunch of pirates who don't take our selfs to seriously. In it for the laugh

[EvilEddy]

Sgt.Trojan, on 03 April 2011 - 06:04 PM, said:

@Klompers:
I see you as being there and done that (with running communities) so what do (did) you consider "too big" and why was this a problem? If it was unruly admins then could something have been done to prevent that?

When you've got a small group, they bond and become friends. When you've got a big group, they split out into smaller groups and form their own circles of friends.

The latter is what we saw happen in the old days of RSoBB and is what, ultimately, destroyed it. As these circles formed, they wouldn't interact with others who they were not familiar with and would inevitably leave, as a group, to do their own thing. We had several splits during that period and none of them really very amicable.

This time round, we're keeping it small and fun. Nobody will be left out.

[movedgoalposts]

nthwgaming

1. How do you decide what games you will host and what you expect to happen to the community during the new addition.

This is largely a community choice. If we see enough posts on the forums then we look at it a tad more closely and if there is percieved demand we'll look at changing our server lineup.

Our PC players started with MOH:SH and CoD1. Since then we've been mostly following CoD until BF:BC2 came along when we got interested in that as CoD had become a bit "more of the same". MOH 2010 never quite took off. BF:BC2 is now less popular for many. Whilst some like CoD Black Ops others hate it with a passion.

If anything it is getting harder to find any single game that our community prefers. I see us playing a wider variance as time goes on and indeed this increasing variance and "so what" with games regurtitating and not having any "wow" factor is the greatest risk to our communities survival, along with prevention of cheaters destroying the online gaming experience.

2. What your recruitment policy is and how it differs to ours and any comments you can provide.

Recruitment is an issue that causes our biggest headaches. We don't actively seek recruits. Most who find us are real life friends of existing members. Indeed it's the ones who just find us off the 'net by bumping into us on one of our servers who are the greatest challenge. Mostly we will want someone to have been around for a while, posting on our public forum areas, joinign in Teamspeak and playing on our servers before we will entertain an application. Only then will we hold a vote where even one black ball can be enough to reject. If accepted there is at least a 6 month probation. But clan members (tag holders) do generally get rcon admin status to game servers, invites to our LANs and such like, so effectively we are strict because they are more being admitted to our circle of friends than to an online community.

3. How your roster changes over time and what you do to keep the existing admins interested (inc. activities outside of the servers)

The central core of us, probably 12 or so, are a quite tightly nit bunch. We've been together for years and apart from abusing each other over the internet, we try to arrange a LAN party at someone's house a couple of times a year. That is quite a logisitcal excercise with the host having to clear out their furniture so the rest of us can turn up with all the necessary tables, our own computers and all the networking gubbins to tie it all together. LANs are also tougher to arrange now that many servers can only be hosted online and yet the average domestic broadband can't cope with 10+ simultaneous users.

Our forums are a central point of communication. We avoid chat type pages as the historic spam is of interest to those who miss out even on a day's webwatching. A strong indication of our forum activity is that it restarted (as we lost the database) on only the of March, have 30 signed up members and already over 1400 posts (OK so a lot of that is absolute garbage, but it shows the sustained activity we can generate).

We also insist that our members use Teamspeak. Rarely is the banter about gaming, but more a general catch up on life. As I said it's that we have become friends rather than just gamers that binds us.

And then there is the general knowledge that especially Friday and Sunday nights there should always be others who will be gaming.


4. What links you have with other communities and whether you see the need for liaising with others

No formal links but many of our members do also visit other clan forums, especially where there have been past friendlies. We don't go for ladders or other competetive gaming. Indeed competetive stuff has been enough to cause too much friction between the couple who take it seriously and the rest of us that just die.

5. When your community was created and where you see your community in five years.

The NTHW clan's history is detailed here: http://www.nthwgamin...e=NTHW_History. We can trace our routes back to 2003. As for the future, who knows, but the last paragraph of my answer to Q1 is probably the most telling.