The Riders of Rohan Kinship

Lord of the Rings Online

Arkenstone Server

Leadership Structure, Philosophy, Roles and Responsibilities

Original: 7/12/2007
Update: 3/29/2010

This document represents the official leadership structure, philosophy, roles and responsibilities for the corps of officers for The Riders of Rohan kinship (RoR) on the Arkenstone server in the perpetual online game The Lord of the Rings Online (LOTRO). Any and all information within this document belongs to the officer corps of The Riders of Rohan kinship and should not be reproduced for any reason without the express written consent of the officer corps of The Riders of Rohan kinship. For document reproduction questions or any other comments or questions reference The Riders of Rohan, please fill out the webmaster contact form located at www.ridersofrohan-lotro.com.

Purpose: This document is designed to outline the leadership structure, philosophy, roles and responsibilities of officers of The Riders of Rohan (RoR) as well as to inform our members and the public of the selection criteria used to fill vacant officer positions within the kinship.

Structure: The leadership structure of The Riders of Rohan consists of a kinship leader and a central core of executive officers who are the ranking officers within the kinship. The executive officers are assisted and counseled by a number of non-executive officers. The executive officers lead by committee and have sole discretion and authority concerning all aspects of the RoR kinship. The executive officers authority includes, but is not limited to, sole discretion over the number of executive and non-executive officer positions as well as the rank structure, roles and responsibilities of each executive and non-executive officer position.

RoR has found that a ratio of approximately 1 officer for every 10-15 members creates a solid balance within the kinship. The ratio of 1:10-15 is an approximation and may vary significantly from time to time. If changes to the leadership structure should occur in the future, those changes will be noted in an update to this document.

Leadership Philosophy: The Riders of Rohan officer corps has developed a leadership philosophy based around the idea that kinship leaders are here to serve the best interests of the RoR members and not the other way around. We believe that our officers should always lead by example and offer sound advice and guidance to RoR members when necessary. The officers are here to help, within reason, when needed and to provide kinship services that benefit all RoR members.  RoR will not tolerate officers who would abuse their authority or use their authority for personal gain. The authority that comes with an officer position is a privilege and carries with it responsibility to the other officers and members of RoR.

The officer corps also strongly believes in the power and importance of communication.  When internal kinship communication lines and methodologies are severed or deteriorate, the kinship will suffer.  Therefore, the leaders of RoR believe that a primary responsibility of all officers is to enhance and promote open and honest communication within the kinship. 

Executive Officer Positions and Titles

Note: Although the titles of the executive officer positions may indicate otherwise, the executive officer corps governs the kinship by committee.  The executive officers share full and equal authority over the RoR kinship.  Each executive officer has his/her own title.  This list will adjust if the number of executive officers changes.

Lord of the Westfold (Kinship Leader)

Chief Marshal of the Mark (Successor)

First Marshal of the Mark

Marshal of the West Mark

Marshal of the East Mark

Second Marshal of the Mark

Third Marshal of the Mark

Field Marshal of the Mark

Non-Executive Officer Positions and Titles

Note: The officer corps is collectively called “The Captains of the Riddermark” and all officers share this title.  In addition, our webmaster also carries the title of Lore-Keeper. 

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Lore-Keeper (Webmaster)

Captains of the Riddermark

General Officer Duties and Responsibilities: Although each officer position may have its own specific duties and responsibilities, all RoR officers have some shared duties and responsibilities. The following is a list of duties and responsibilities which apply to all RoR officer positions including the executive officers:

•    All officers are charged with upholding and enforcing the RoR Code of Conduct (CoC) and the LOTRO Terms of Service

•    All officers have the responsibility to be responsive to questions posed by other officers and members.   

•    All officers are required to have Ventrilo access and to regularly log onto the kinship Ventrilo server. If you are logged into the game, you should try to be logged into the Ventrilo server as well. The Ventrilo server allows officers to discuss kinship matters and develop relationships with other officers and members.  You are not required to speak in Ventrilo but you should be able to listen to the conversation and respond via in-game chat

•   All officers are required to be active on the RoR website forums in order to keep up with what is going on in the kinship

•   No officer should reach 2 weeks (14 days) without logging in to either the Lord of the Rings Online (LOTRO) game or the RoR website unless something prevents log in. If any officer will not be able to log into either the LOTRO or the RoR website for 2 weeks or more, that officer should let an executive officer know or post notice in the officer section of the RoR website forums as soon as possible. Officers that don't log in to the game or the RoR website for more than 2 weeks without notice are subject to being moved to member status

•   If an officer decides to change the in-game kinship message of the day, the message must be friendly, mature and useful. If an officer does not have a useful message to convey to the kinship, they should not change the message of the day

•  All officers are charged with the recruiting of high quality LOTRO players 

Officer Positions, Roles and Responsibilities

Each officer position has its own specific role and responsibilities. The following section will further define the role and responsibilities of each officer:

The Executive Officer Corps – Since all the executive officer positions are very similar in duty and responsibility, it makes sense to describe them collectively. The kinship structure in LOTRO requires that one person be the highest ranking officer in a kinship and therefore RoR has a kin leader position.  But the various executive officer positions are actually equally ranked officers. These are the executive officers of RoR. They have complete control over all kinship activities and situations and present a united executive leadership front.  If an executive officer mandates something, it is mandated by all executive officers. 

Executive officers have responsibility over everything that may occur within the kinship including all officer responsibilities and duties.  In addition, executive officers have the following responsibilities which are focused on ensuring long-term kinship viability and prosperity:

·      Maintain the current internal kinship lines of communication and continuously work to improve and enhance internal kinship communication

·      Resolve both large and small kinship problems or issues

·      Provide strategic-level guidance and paths forward

The Captains of the Riddermark – The Captain’s primary duties include:

·       Upholding and enforcing the RoR Code of Conduct (CoC) and bringing CoC violations to the attention of the executive officers

·       Effectively and consistently communicating with members in order to build and maintain kinship unity, involvement and internal relationships

·       Operational and tactical game play

·       Keeping a finger on the “pulse” of the kinship in order to determine the wants and needs of the kinship

·       Developing innovative and creative ways to provide fun and inviting kinship activities to members

·       Relaying all kinship information to other officers and executive officers

Aside from upholding and enforcing the CoC and effectively communicating, Captains are primarily focused on operational and tactical game play. They are charged with planning and organizing combat groups and raids to maximize group effectiveness at the operational level. They are also responsible for efficiently leading groups and raids into combat and maintaining tactical superiority. The successful Captain should be proficient in group dynamics, group tactics, class strengths and weaknesses as well as end-game raid strategies.

Lore-Keeper – The RoR webmaster has all the responsibility of the Captains but also carries the following duties:

·       Developing the RoR website

·       Maintaining the RoR website

·       Taking appropriate action in regards to website related member/officer suggestions, “bugs” and administrative requests.  “Appropriate action” may or may not involve implementation of ideas, suggestions or requests.

·       Staying in close communication with the Executive Officer corps regarding all website matters. 

Although the Lore-Keeper also holds the title and responsibilities of a Captain of the Riddermark, the Lore-Keeper is primarily responsible for the kinship website.  The website duties come first above all other duties for the Lore-Keeper.  The kinship website is the kinship’s primary means of communication and event planning outside of LOTRO and is a critical part of the long term success of the kinship. 

Criteria for Filling Vacant Officer Positions:

This section is designed to explain the criteria used to select new officers to fill vacant officer positions. First and foremost, only RoR officers and members will be considered to fill open officer positions within RoR. After the aforementioned, the most important criteria used to choose a new officer is their desire to be an officer and their commitment to the kinship. The officer candidate should first show an active desire to become a RoR officer. This takes more than a quick email or PM in game to a current RoR officer. After the candidate requests to become an officer, the candidate must demonstrate the desire to become an officer by conducting themselves in an officer like fashion. The candidate should actively look to help other RoR members and proactively form quest groups with other RoR members. The candidate must also show commitment to the kinship by being active on the RoR forums, official LOTRO forums, in-game chat channels, RoR Ventrilo server and participating in as many official RoR activities as possible. Being a RoR officer does not mean you have to spend all your free time in game or conducting RoR business. Nonetheless, a certain level of kinship activity and dedication is required. The number of hours spent online or character level is not a factor considered for the filling of vacant officer positions.

So what steps should a RoR member take in order to be considered a candidate for an open officer position? The following list of actions is a good place to start:

1. Send a single request to one of the executive officers requesting that you be promoted to officer.  Include why you think you would be a good fit as an officer and any ideas you may have that will help the kin. Remember to only send one request to become an officer. The executive officers will not forget you requested an officer position and repeated requests will do nothing but annoy the current RoR leadership. The following are examples of a good and bad request for promotion:

• A good request could be, “I would like to have the opportunity to fill a vacant officer position. I think that I could bring a lot to the position through my outgoing personality and people skills which I believe I have demonstrated on Vent, the RoR forums and in game chat. I developed the idea of (insert your great idea)which I think would really help the kinship by (explain how your idea will contribute to RoR) . I would really like the opportunity to implement my idea if it sounds like something that would fit in with the RoR philosophy. Thanks.”

• A bad request might be, “Hey, Ive been in the guild for like 3 months or whatever and why am I not a officer yet? I was in this guild when I played WoW and I was an officer in like 3 weeks and stayed an officer for almost a year and a half. Also I was level 70 and constantly owned noobs and raided all the time. Anyway, let me know when I will be an officer asap cuz I group constantly and I just got level 43 and I cant wait to own noobs in Etinmours or whatever. I really need to be an officer in like a week or two. peace.” 

2. Begin conducting yourself as if you were already in the position. Develop ideas that you would implement as an officer and email those ideas to an executive officer. Ask if you can implement those ideas and after receiving approval, take the lead role and make them happen.

3. Get on the Ventrilo server as soon as possible. It’s not a coincidence that every officer is required to have Ventrilo and to use it often. The officer candidate should be very active on Ventrilo every time they log in. Remember that Ventrilo activity does not mean that you have to speak over the Ventrilo server. We have current officers who can only listen to Ventrilo and respond by typing in the in-game chat window. The point here is that you must be involved on the Ventrilo server so that you know what is going on in the kinship and so that you can build relationships with other members and officers.

4. Try to group and interact with as many current officers as possible. If an executive officer is online, see if they need any help or would like to group. Ask an officer if they would like to run a group quest with you or if there is any current RoR group that needs your character’s skills. Contact the Kin Leader and talk to him/her about an idea you had for a fun RoR activity. In other words, make contact with other officers as often as you can. Becoming an officer is as much about building relationships as it is about being a high quality, active kinship member.

5. Do your best to get other RoR members more involved with the kinship. Get on kinship chat and let everyone know you are looking to group. Start a group for a specific group quest and advertise that you are looking for more. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t get immediate responses. Let everyone know that you are actively looking to group with other RoR members and you will most likely get a positive response very quickly.

6. And finally a short list of things not to do:

·       Don’t pester officers to let you be an officer.

·       Don’t play for yourself all the time.  In other words, take the time to help out fellow officers and members with things that they need from time to time.  Nobody expects you to power-level other members but helping out with a quest here or a deed there shows selflessness and a dedication to the betterment of the kinship.    

·       Don’t bicker or fight with other RoR officers or members. If you have a disagreement, only discuss it in private chat channels and conduct yourself in a mature fashion.

·       Don’t be a quiet, solo player. Although there is nothing wrong with quiet people or those who want to solo, you have to speak up and get involved if you want to be an officer.

·       Don’t act like you somehow deserve to be an officer because you have been in the kinship for a certain amount of time. First of all you don’t automatically deserve an officer position and secondly those type actions show immaturity and greediness. Neither of these traits will land you an officer position.

The Riders of Rohan corps of officers believes that this document clearly delineates the structure, roles, and responsibility of the officers of RoR. We also believe that this document demonstrates our leadership philosophy and some of the key criteria utilized when considering a new officer candidate. This document is meant to be a living document and is subject to change as the RoR kinship further develops governing policies and procedures. If any RoR member or officer or any member of the public has any questions reference this document or any other aspect of the RoR kinship, please contact a current RoR officer in game or fill out the webmaster contact form located at www.ridersofrohan-lotro.com. Thank you and we will see you in Middle Earth.

The Corps of Officers, The Riders of Rohan Kinship