Overview

The guild of the Drunken Monkey Brewery has stood proudly for nearly two years now. So I suppose it is time to set some ground rules before we all get too far into things...

These are some fundamental concepts and tips that have been generally accepted over the life span of the guild that are finally being cast into the written word. This is designed as a guide to direct new members of the guild to for further information should they have any questions about what being a member of the guild entails.

The Filthy Side of Azeroth ((RP Setting))

Before role playing with members of the Brewery it is important to know some of the origins of the guild. Originally founded in whenever year of whatever land, the specifics lost to a haze of hangovers and celebration of the time, the Tavern of the Drunken Monkey was opened. This tavern thrived in one of the most desolate parts of the Barrens, away from any civilized traffic, and catered to a "special" category of customers. Race was never an issue to the denizens of the bar, only the financial standing and the willingness to be parted from one's coins. Originally built and run by what remained of the Stonehoof Clan of Thousand Needles, the bar quickly grew in customers who were using long lost trade routes to avoid any Horde or Alliance entanglements.

The wastelands are hardly a place to do good business solely as a bar though. As more questionable employees and customers began to regularly use the Tavern, its reputation as the "go to" place for illegal arms and supplies quickly grew. Sadly this drew the attention of the ever greedy goblin trade princes of the Steamwheedle Cartel. Since the Tavern had little or no support from the major governments, the goblins took it upon themselves to "tax" the shipments coming from overseas to the Tavern. Their choke hold on the oceans nearly bankrupted and destroyed the owners and their cohorts.

Then one day, the youngest of the Stonehoof clan, Leza, sparked an idea. Using contacts she had made in the Alliance, she and a few key members of the Tavern were able to acquire guild charters and form what is now known as the Drunken Monkey Brewery. For all intensive purposes both the Horde and Alliance are ignorant of each other's involvement in the organization outside of having stamped their approval on the charter for what they believed to be medical relief herbs. Charters in hand, the DMB rose from the bowels of the wastelands and became one of the most profitable, all be it underhanded, overseas smuggling forces in Azeroth.

It is little or no secret that most of the members of the Brewery are ex-special forces, military war heroes, and crafters of weapons and regalia of war that songs have been sung of. It is even more well known that nearly every member of the Brewery has a bounty on their head somewhere to someone, and it is by the good graces of fate and the trust in their fellow scoundrels that keep them alive...

Pull up a Stool ((Guild Chat))

With exceptions to small smatterings of Role Playing determined by those involved, Guild Chat is primarily used for Role Playing within the setting of the Tavern. Out of Character chat is perfectly allowable, though we do request that the (( )) be used around anything that is intended as "not in character."

To clarify about the layout of the Tavern ((this is from the website that the guild was literally founded from. Subject to change based on memory of players or imagination of whomever...)). The Tavern itself rests against a high rising cliff of rock, as if some great mound in the Barrens had its side ripped off by a giant. The majority of the Tavern uses a tee pee structure similar to the huts and lodges used by the tauren, though the quality of the materials used to make the bar are beyond questionable. Tainted kodo hides and rotting wood coalesce around a massive totem like pole roughly twelve feet in diameter. Upon the top of the pole, which rises about a good 40 feet into the sky, is the carving of an intoxicated monkey face, grinning for all to see.

The interior of the establishment is a series of tables, chairs, furs, dirt, and miscellaneous filth. The rock wall has a stage carved into it for a variety of entertainments and the bar itself lay directly in the middle of the room, using a hollowed out portion of the massive totem pole that serves as the central mast of the pub. Within the hollowed out post can be found a row of kegs just above the head of the bartender ((Most typically played by my character Pazo, but anyone will do. :-) )). An array of bar stools circle the pillar. Beyond that, what lay just out of sight and within the bartender's reach is up to the imagination of whomever is participating.

Due to popular demand, the tavern does offer sleeping cots and furs to its customers, though these are more frequently kept in tents adjacent to the tavern itself. Just outside the door is a hitching post with such an array of mounts that no creature smaller than golem would have the cahones to walk by if they did not know better. The menagerie of mounts used by the denizens of the Tavern range from the steam powered wonders of a Gnomish Mechanostrider to the lethal fangs of the Frostwolves of Alterac.

Some other things of note within the bar itself is the array of booths and vendors that can be found. The infamous Hoodoo Voodoo shop is always entertaining if not enlightening, listening to the antics of the Voodoo Priest Golomojo and the pipe smoking Witch Doctor Hukari. Good war stories are always in high demand of the famed veteran Matok Zaotok or the dangerously beautiful Rukra Hexxen (Hukari's wife). The villainous mercenary "entries and acquisition specialists" team of Eye vs Spy (Trogbob and Xynth) can almost always be found for the turn of a coin or a twist of the blade.

Countless others as well ((whom shall be listed in a page I am now dubbing as "page coming when ZachO has time." I'm not trying to ignore anyone, certainly not any of the old timers)) proliferate the tavern as regulars, besetting all those who step through the threshold with danger, destruction, and a mercenary sense of sensibility.

OMGZ RP LOLZ ((RP Guidelines))

Role playing is an elaborate game of fantasy and make believe that adds an extra layer of imagination and wonder to the game that no rules, items, costumes, or even monsters could provide. It strips the fun of the limitations and boundaries of programming and game mechanics and allows the players to experience some true make believe.

That being said, when involving any Role Playing Game, be it in an MMO or even pen and paper D&D, always remember:

It's just a game!

While some may wonder why this would even be pointed out there are more than one occasions where an argument about what a character would or would not do, or an insult made in/out of character was taken personally, or even just the way the game is flowing have sundered friendships, began feuds, and fueled conflicts that have lived on long after the imagination or memory of that fantastic world had faded. When stripped of their content, many arguments can even be seen as a fight over who has the ball. Childish displays of anger and vengeance that result in people loosing touch with what is really important.

The Drunken Monkey Brewery has gone through much in our time in Azeroth. And in that time nearly every argument, dispute, or slander has always found some form of resolution in a positive fashion. I say nearly all as we are not without our flaws, our frustrations, etc. While normally such a section could go without saying it is important to make it clear that no actions are taken in the guild without thorough discussion between the officers.

The Nasty ((Guild Laws))

We are a very relaxed guild. As such we tend to get along with many of the people out there in the world. Many of us amongst the officer ranks pride ourselves on our tolerance of others. While that may draw a few chuckles from a select group I will point out that in 2 years of operation the guild has had only one /gkick command given, and even that is still under consideration at the time of this document being written.

Things we do not tolerate however: (Subject to change based on "stuff")

Emochat
Nobody likes me, everybody hates me, guess I'll go eat worms...
The guild is very laid back. One of the things that makes it work is that no one is forced to commit unless they want to. We are the very definition of a casual guild and the "woe is me" attitude that only comes with an inflated sense of self-entitlement can lick my fuzzy virtual butt. There is such a thing as a Bad day or a bad chain of events. However, pining the same argument or complaint in guild chat fishing for pity will result in either silence or annoyance by many of the members. While we have never kicked anyone from the guild for this, we have been inclined to not re-invite those who /gquit and then ask to return. This has happened on more than one occasion and is important enough to mention here.

Jerkiness
The "Don't be a Douche" policy
Seriously, in character or out of character, don't be a jerk. Yes, there are "edgy" characters in the guild that their shtick is unrelenting anger, rage, a-holeness, etc. I even have one myself. Tehd. Who revels in heckling people. Ultimately, however, if the officers of the guild feel that through role playing or basic conversation that you are not a good fit, we can discuss the matter with you and even possibly result in expulsion from the guild. This includes direct harassment of any member of the guild. It is very important to remember that everyone has a different barometer of what is jerkiness, what is casual flirting, and what is clearly stepping over the line. This policy applies as well to unrelenting stalkiness of the ladies ((or men, if said men choose to take complaint. Personally I would welcome a stalker these days)). Making anyone in the guild feel uncomfortable or multiple people feel uncomfortable can result in being spoken to by an officer or flat out booted from the guild.

Swearing: The conversation of the Tavern IS CONSIDERED FOR MATURE AUDIENCES ONLY. That is to say that swearing and vulgarities are allowed, if appropriate to the conversation. Slipping on an F-bomb will not result in you being kicked from the guild. However, there is a certain amount of language that is not allowed by Blizzard all together, so I do ask that you please keep any real world politics, racial issues, religion, etc out of guild chat and in private whispers or conversation.

Racism: In character with regard to the races of Azeroth or Draenor, go nuts. New and inventive racial slurs are allowed provided it does not get to the point where it makes everyone uncomfortable. However, Racism for real world cultures, ethnic groups, races, etc will NOT BE TOLERATED and can end up with an immediate booting from the guild if necessary.

Power Leveling or Buying Gold Online: If I find out you do this I will personally kick you so hard out of the guild with my own foot the Game Masters themselves will hear you scream from their lofty seats down in the bowels of the Twisting Nether...

I believe that covers the basics. Anything else can be covered later if necessary or the need arises. If you would like to see any revisions to this document please feel free to contact me at Pazo_is@tavernofthedrunkenmonkey.com.