Sign My Charter, a new community build around charter signing
by Mike Schramm 
Apr 21st 2008 at 7:00PM
We've all done it. You're sitting there, grinding away, minding your own business. Or (more likely) you're in a city, leveling up a profession or selling some things at the AH. And then, over the world chat it comes: "Can anyone help me sign my charter?"The guild charter is a game mechanic that's never really been questioned -- to start up a guild, you have to grab a charter from an NPC, and then get nine other people (not characters, people, as alts on the same account can only sign once) to sign it. But in many cases, a guild isn't even planning to have nine other people. And so, they come, the charter signers, asking and sometimes even paying to get nine signatures on their guild charter.
The mechanic is a good one -- it keeps people from starting guilds lightly (or exploiting the guild interface too much) without actually being a big barrier to entrance. Some people are happy to sign charters, others not so much. I like St. Andrews Girl's approach over on WoW LJ -- she's actually started up a community of people willing to sign on and sign charters to get guilds started. Do you happily sign charters or would you rather people leave you alone? Sign My Charter is pretty empty right now, but you never know -- maybe there's a whole world of people out there willing to help guilds get off the ground.
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Tips, Fan stuff, Virtual selves, Guilds
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
niko Apr 21st 2008 7:20PM
seems like weaksauce to me.
FTL and Epic Fail and all that.
klink-o Apr 21st 2008 7:21PM
I started a guild for my bank alts the other day to get more bank space. At first I stood in Ironforge asking in trade for signatures in exchange for I think 2 gold or something like that. Ten minutes later, I didn't have a single signature, so I just ran around blindly petitoning every unguilded person. Ten more minutes, and I had a guild. I found it quite amusing.
TheClaw Apr 21st 2008 7:22PM
My bank & auction house alts are all unguilded, so I frequently get people hitting them up for a charter sign.
If someone asks me, I'll do it for nothing. If I'm shuffling my mail and someone pops a charter up in my face, I charge one gold. :-)
Alchemistmerlin Apr 21st 2008 7:31PM
Charter signatures is largely what has prevented me from creating the guild "Crustacean Seller" for my Troll Hunter alt (And his Crab Ahab) with the Lobster tabard.
jdkenada Apr 21st 2008 7:36PM
When I started my Guild on Runetotem, it was with the idea that my fiancee and I would have a place for our alts to store and share items. A few friends would join and we'd be a happy go lucky bunch. Since I'd never done one before, I went in blindly. I don't think it could have worked out any better.
Being a Night Elf, I decided at around 15th level (roughly) to head to Darnassus and get the charter to have it signed. My fiancee was signed up right away. Then I needed eight more. Again, I had no idea what was etiquette or protocol for such a venture. So I did what came logically to me. When I spotted a player who had no Guild, I sent them a tell. It was roughly "I'm sorry to bother you, but I'm trying to start a Guild and need signatures. I was wondering if you'd be willing to sign it for me. You need not stay, but are welcome to."
Within half an hour I had my charter signed and turned in. Of the original signatures, three of us remain. One left a short time later, one person just disappeared...and one was an idiot plain and simple. But what I found, was that whether people signed my charter, or didn't, they all thanked me for being courteous and polite in asking.
So, there's my two cents. In the meantime, I'll happily get paid to sign charters from those that broadcast such offers on the channels...it all ends up in the Guild bank anyway.
hpavc Apr 21st 2008 7:35PM
For the bank space you cannot beat it, for a duo of accounts its a lot easier that opening trade over and over or mailing stuff.
Amengeb Apr 21st 2008 8:20PM
Same here. With gold so easy to make, it makes more sense to make a true "bank alt" and get all that extra storage for things not used every day, but have value.
It also makes lvling a real alt toon much easier since the provisions for all your base professions as First Aid, Cooking and even trade professions much easier and in turn lvling that toon much more enjoyable.
but to be honest, I'm just a pack rat that can't get rid of his HIGH WARLORD'S STREET SWEEPER . . .
Reinard Apr 21st 2008 7:39PM
If asked nicely, maybe. Usually no, but maybe. If, like in my case, someone comes up to me and just opens the charter for me to sign, then no. If they do it a few more times before even asking, ignored. Or reported as spam should they be a jerk about it.
I'm so mean :|
Mixx Apr 21st 2008 7:57PM
I'll sign for free if I'm on an unguilded alt and the person actually asks me - opening the window without any prior communication is always a no.
Aladek Apr 22nd 2008 2:33PM
Yes, I have the same rule for LFG - if you don't even talk to me before hand I won't respond to you. I feel that people need to remember that your still interacting with others and need to be social to them.
That being said, I have Order of the Moon (my old EQ guild) and since all members have split after EQ - now it's 2 of us and my 8 alts :) (and 4 bank tabs)
rapp Apr 21st 2008 8:28PM
My husband and I originally started our guild as a way to duck people asking us to sign their charters, since on a bad day in Stormwind it felt like we couldn't get from the cheese shop to the Auction House without half a dozen tells.
We had a few like-minded friends, but not 10, and therein was our problem: how to avoid becoming that which we hated? The answer: trial accounts. We all gathered up the little cards in our game boxes and created characters who dutifully and quietly signed the charter and then were never seen again.
Somewhat to our surprise once we had the guild created everyone started doing things together, and two years later we're still going strong and have even grown a little.
Nurowyn Apr 21st 2008 8:31PM
Most of my alts are unguilded. I wouldn't do it for free, but a gold or two goes a long way for a toon in their teens or twenties.
Nick S Apr 21st 2008 8:57PM
ask before you stick that charter in my face or you're going to get a piece of my mind. usually, i'm on my bank alt late, late at night, trying to get business done before i go to bed.
i don't know how many times i've been reported for the choice words i have for people who won't stop sticking charters in my face.
Xavian Apr 21st 2008 9:07PM
Our guild was started simply by someone asking how to disband a guild that he was the sole participant of. I was leveling up my daughter's character when the message came across the general channel.
Already annoyed with the constant tells asking to join a guild, I whispered him asking to invite me, make me guildleader and then he can gquit. Perplexed, he said ok and I was now a proud owner of a little known, mispelled guild and it cost me no time, nor money.
And needless to say, I went unmolested for sometime, quite happily with my charitable guildleader status. haha.
After a close friend joined, we eventually upped to a tabard and a guildbank. I had another friend join and now we are a self sustaining guild of alts comprised of 2 regular players.
My daughter maintains her guildleader status to this day. ;)
Minidrake Apr 22nd 2008 1:17AM
I was wandering my bank alt around Ironforge one day and someone invited me to a guild. I joined just to get rid of the guildinvite spam.
Time Passed.
My main joined a guild and I rather liked it. I decided to get my alt invited. Imagine my surprise when I the guy inviting me says "you'll have to leave your guild first". OH yeah! so I /gquit. Shock 2: Guildleaders can't /gquit. When the heck had that happened?
I did a little exploring in the guild interface and found out that I was the only active member of the guild (the only other member was a character who hadn't logged on in three months). okay, so my little level 3 gnome was guild leader of "The Gremlins". I decided to keep it.
My play partner joined her alts to the guild and we scrounged up some cash (we're all bank alts, so it wasn't that hard) and now we have two guildbank tabs and a tabard showing a stack of gold coins. The Guild message of the day? "MAKE MORE MONEY". I'm the Lord High Banker, and all our alts are "Comptrollers".
We're already running out of space so we're contemplating tabs three and four (it's only been about two months now!)
Whomever you were that ninja-offloaded the Gremlins on me, thank you. :) you spared me the charter shuffle.
absaroke Apr 21st 2008 11:19PM
I only sign charters if the name of the guild is good. On Gul'Dan there's a hilarious guild named "ZOMG KITTENS MEW MEW" or something close to that. Anytime I see someone with that floating above his/her head I laugh. I wish I had signed that charter. But anytime it's some lame name like "Killers for Killing" I just let them know I'm not interested.
Synergistic Apr 21st 2008 11:47PM
I never sign unsolicited, I abhor that behavior and I won't reward it.
ILPC Apr 21st 2008 11:38PM
Suddenly I feel an urge to create a guild named ...
ILPC Apr 21st 2008 11:38PM
that should say guild named Sign My Charter...
kunukia Apr 21st 2008 11:40PM
I will sign a charter for nothing, if I get a polite message. I will not sign a charter shoved in my face. When the guild goes live, I say, "Grats!", and leave.