JoBildo:
Im here with Roses and Zodiac from The Kinship, one of Champions
Onlines premier Supergroups. They've also got branches in Age of Conan and the newly launched Aion. Guys, welcome to Ten Ton Hammer,
and thanks for taking time out of your busy day beating bad guys to
do this interview.
ROSES:
I want to thank you once again for having us here on Ten Ton Hammer,
it is always a pleasure to take time out to chat with
you.
JoBildo: Tell us (that is the
entire world or at least those reading this) a little bit about The
Kinship.
Zodiac:
The Kinship is a family. We have formed friendships that go past any
game we play together. We strive ourselves in honesty, and loyalty.
We take pride in our gaming and take pride in the community that we
game with.
JoBildo: How would you guys classify
yourselves? Are you a tight-knit role-play guild, a PvP focused
group?
ROSES:
The Kinship is a guild of everything.
The Champions Division is more PvP Based and the Aion Division is more
PvE Raiding based, and the Division of AoC is both.
We have some role-players as well as some PvPers. We do not like to
classify ourselves. We are all well rounded and love to jump in on some
great PvP or stroll on down to a role-playing event. We also hold our
own events within The Kinship for PvP and for Role-playing. So those
whom do not like to PvP so much and those whom dont like to Role-play
so much can experience the fun that all of us have on a daily basis.
JoBildo: Hows the Supergroup
run? I mean, is it managed a certain way? Whats the leadership
like, and how do you guys delegate authority? Basically, as I
used to ask the Age of Conan clans, are you more Hitler or more Gandhi
when it comes to how things are run?
ROSES:
I have to say this is one thing that I truly enjoy about our guild.
We have our main Guild Master Zodiac who oversees all games that we
play. He is the Community Leader of the Guild and the Founder. In the
games we play we have Guild Masters whom are the GM of that Division,
with officers under them, and the rest of the guild. So for example
in Champions Online The Kinship has Zodiac
as the Overseer of the division however I (Roses) am the GM for the
Division of Champions Online, and have several officers under me. When
there is an issue in any division the Kinship plays in, we can handle
it on our own for the most part unless it is something that desperately
requires Zodiacs attention. We have always done it this way and it
has worked wonderfully.
JoBildo: How many Kinship members
are there these days? Do you guys spend time across more than
one game? Zodiac Talon (another member) tells me that youve
started up in Aion too?
Zodiac: We have a total of
about 70 tight-knit Kinship Members. We are blessed to be able to hold
Divisions in Champions Online, Aion on the Lumiel (RP)
Elyos Faction, and Age of Conan on the Wiccana Server. We have members
whom play all 3 Divisions, and then of course we have members who focus
on 1 or 2 Divisions. No matter what Division we play on we all hang
out together in Ventrilo, and all hang out together on our website.
We enjoy each others company immensely and this remains one of the
motivating reasons we stay together through the years.
JoBildo: One of the trends we
see with some of the larger guilds in most MMOGs is the hosting of server
or guild-wide events. Is that something the Kinship ever does?
Are you very active in the community, or do you mostly keep to yourselves?
ROSES:
We love attending, and holding events. Unfortunately right now in Champions
Online there isnt a big need for events just yet, but I am keeping
up hope that there will be a need for them. I know that the Division
of Aion there was an event that our members were looking forward to
sponsoring. The game has just released and we are helping to make our
new community a great one for everyone!
JoBildo: If you guys are recruiting
new members, can you tell us what exactly it takes to become one of
the Kinship? Whats required of a prospective member?
Roses: We require you to fill out
an application on our comprehensive
website www.kinship-guild.com. Currently
the Age Limit is 21. Exceptions can be made if you have older family/friend
members that have joined Kinship and
can vouch for you. Players should converse in a higher standard of communication
(NO "leet" or "dewd" language).
**Players should have a friendly, social, and a strong drive to work
as a team member**
- Must fill out an application and use/visit the website on occasion.
- Must be willing to follow guild rules.
- Not so much a rule, but we encourage our members to use Ventrilo for
guild grouping (PVE/PvP) at the very least. If you are not comfortable
with Ventrilo, thats fine! Download it, join up and just listen in
for guild grouping. This will be much more effective and easier
for everyone! While we do suggest it highly, Ventrilo is NOT a requirement
for The Kinship!
Zodiac:
We will use the 'common sense' rule to determine if you will remain
in the guild. Generally our thoughts are about a week or two depending
on your level (This is to ensure our members are motivated to be social
with the guild and not a 'solo only' player.)We are always seeking like
minded folks and are very strict with our
quality of quantity rule. Its easy to send out blind invites,
or try to recruit 100s of members but that does not give the guild
any flavor or purpose..its just a sea of humanity without a direction.
Normally guilds of this variety die out in a few short weeks or months.
We strive to create and maintain an intimate experience.
JoBildo:
One more question, and this is the all-important one for fans of the
game
what do you think are the most pressing issues in Champions
Online today? What, since we know Cryptics out there listening,
would you request they work on before anything else?
ROSES: We would love to see more group
content, as well as a Global PvP Area. Right now I can understand Cryptic
is trying to balance classes so things are being nerfed, stealth-nerfed,
and some things are getting buffed. Its a bumpy road, but a road
that I am sure is to be smooth and even more enjoyable in the near future.
Champions Online is like no other game that I have personally played
out there, and I am still enjoying myself no matter what they have done
to date.
Zodiac: I would
have liked to have seen some more in-depth and challenging PvE dungeon
content. What is in place right now needs a little work! What lairs
they have are kind of quirky and buggy. Also, the ability to have a
super group organizational system (make notes and comments) is essential.
Unfortunately they do not have that in place as of yet.
JoBildo:
Alright, that concludes this Champions Online Supergroup Showcase.
Thanks so much Roses and Zodiac for taking the time to answer these
questions and letting the community know everything they could want
to know about the Kinship. See you in Millennium City!
ROSES:
I want to thank you once again for showcasing The Kinship. We look forward
to fighting alongside all of the other Supergroups. See you in
Millennium City!!
Zodiac: Thanks Jo! Always a pleasure!
For Elysea!
OPENING STATEMENT:
Born at Sea, Baptized in Blood, Crowned in Glory
RECRUITMENT: All Divisions
of Kinship are seeking like minded folks.
PVP: Champions Division,
Age of Conan Division
ROLE-PLAYING: Aion Division
(Lumiel-Elyos), and Age of Conan Division
ALT POLICY:
Of course, you can never have enough toons. Aion faction has an alt
guild <Kinship>
INACTIVITY POLICY:
Give us a pm or message in game or out of game if you know you will
be gone for a while. Otherwise we go by 60 days of inactivity
COMMUNICATION:
http://www.kinship-guild.com and Ventrilo
we also have a myspace, www.myspace.com/kinshipguild and a facebook facebook.com/kinshipguild
WEBSITE: http://www.kinship-guild.com/
WE DO NOT WANT: Griefers,
Nerd Ragers, Leet dewdz
RECRUITMENT INFORMATION:
http://kinship.mmoguildsites.
To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our Champions Online Game Page.