05. Packs, Alphas, and Bands

Ardent · (This post was last modified: 06-10-2019, 08:38 AM by Nyx.)

Pack Creation & Expansion

Ardent members are allowed to form new packs, given that those characters who seek to create a new pack meet the requirements to do so, and that our current pack count does not meet the maximum. There is currently a maximum of 10 full packs and 1 mini-pack on Ardent.

Pack creation is currently OPEN. We currently have 7 full packs and 0 mini-packs.

Please see the thread here to apply for pack creation.

Members are also allowed to form bands. Band creation is currently OPEN and there is no limit on these.

Requirements

The requirements to create a pack include 500 gems, 200 posts in count and a total of 5 followers (6 members total including the leader).

Followers do not include the following : Claimed wolves/prisoners, children under 1 year, or characters that you play.

The wolf looking to create this pack must have existed and not been set inactive for at least two months and posted at least 40 times in the last month, spread out over the entire month in a pattern of ten posts per week. Newly created packs should have their pages set up within a week or they will be disbanded; they also have two weeks immunity in which they may not be challenged for.

Your character must be one year or older to create a pack.

The requirements to create a mini-pack include 500 gems, 200 posts in count and a total of 5 followers (6 members total including the leader). Activity requirements before applying for a mini-pack are the same as creating a full pack. Mini-packs are run only by any large creature other than a wolf, but members can be wolves & creatures alike. Mini packs may have 1 territory, and a maximum of 15 members.

Please see the fighting guide here for requirements for pack challenges and claiming abandoned packs.

At any given time, packs need a minimum of 5 adult members (over the age of 1 year), 6 including the Alpha, not including claimed wolves/slaves, or your own characters. Packs who are challenged for have 2 OOC weeks of immunity should they win the pack and will have 2 weeks to gather the minimum of 5 followers. Should members fall below 5 adult members, then Alphas will have 2 OOC weeks to get their member count up.

Please note that in packs, there may only be a maximum of three members in Tier 1, and three members in Tier 2.

NOTE THAT YOU MAY ONLY HAVE 1 CHARACTER WHO IS A PRIMARY ALPHA, 1 CHARACTER WHO IS A SECONDARY ALPHA AT ANY TIME, AND 1 CHARACTER WHO IS THE LEADER OF A BAND AT ANY TIME.

Population Caps

A new pack can claim any territory in Ardent given that the territory is not currently occupied and the region is not already full. There are only four packs allowed to a region. Islands and subterranean lands are not claimable. When first creating a pack, you may only claim 1 free territory, while the second must be purchased. All lands in a pack territory must be touching on the map, whether side to side, top to bottom, or diagonally. There cannot be other lands between them. All lands that a pack claims must be within the same region regardless of whether they touch on the map.

If a pack exceeds their member cap it causes negative events to be set in place. When the member cap is exceeded it is assumed that the some members of the pack will go hungry, given the overpopulation. Fertility is reduced by 50% and any member of the overpopulated pack has a 5 point deduction in any fight they participate in, assuming they are weak from being malnourished.

If a pack exceeds their member cap by more than 4 members even more severe consequences occur. Including a fertility reduction by 75% and a 7 point deduction in any fight any member of the overpopulated pack is involved in.

Expansion

Packs can expand their territory through sieges or by buying additional territory from the gem-store. The most territories a pack may claim is 2 territories with a member cap of 26 members.

When a losing pack is disbanded after a siege, the total pack count for Ardent decreases by 1 leaving room for new packs to form. The winning pack in a siege gains only 1 additional territory.

When a pack is claimed or challenged for and won by the challenger, the challenger will receive 1 territory and as many territories as correspond with the population that chooses to remain and follow the new leader. For example: If 10 members choose to remain the new pack starts with 1 territory; if 25 members choose to remain the new pack starts with 2 territories.

Ardent · (This post was last modified: 06-20-2017, 03:37 PM by Tealah.)

Alpha Activity Requirements

1. Single Alphas are required to make 5 posts with their Alpha Characters every OOC week, while Alpha Partners (two alphas) are required to make 10 posts with their Alpha Characters every OOC week. These 10 posts may be divided however you'd like, as long as they are completed. None of these posts can be in a thread solely with their own characters, but must instead be interacting with other player's characters for the whole of the thread for the posts to count.

2.. Please link to individual posts for the alpha check rather than entire threads to better facilitate checks. To do so, click the number on the top right hand bar. It will load the post and you can copy the site URL from there.

3. In addition to posts, Alphas are required to update their pack's event page which can be found here. This needs to be done every week, and you need to post the time and date you made the edit to the page in your activity check form, which can be found here. Pack pages are updated to reflect to number of members within the pack, as well as any events taking place (i.e. pack hunts, meetings, training etc).

4. Activity checks are done Mondays around 9:00 pm Ardent time (PST) however all alpha activity must be edited into the alpha activity thread by 6:00 pm Ardent time or will not be counted.

5. When on Absence, Alphas are excused from 1 OOC week of Alpha duties. This does not result in an automatic pass for the week, however - the previous week's status will be applied for the week of the absence, and the check will resume from there the next week. In the case of an alpha partnership, the absence of one alpha (one week only) will drop the requirements to those of a single alpha.

6. In the event of a primary alpha not contributing to activity for two alpha checks in a row (not including the one week they are allowed to be excused for an absence) the secondary alpha may take the primary alpha slot in order to make decisions for the pack.

7. When on Scarcity, Alphas are still required to meet their activity requirements.

8. The primary alpha may choose whether to give the secondary alpha position equal powers (ie, making edits, archiving pack threads, changing ranks) or not.

9. Alphas are required to keep five followers (not including the alpha or any characters played by the alpha's player) in their pack at all times to meet minimum standards. This checked at the same time as the alpha activity check.

10. In the event that a pack fails alpha check, the pack will go to the heir or another rank specified in the pack's pages. As a secondary alpha is responsible for making posts for the activity check, they are not eligible to inherit the pack if it fails.

Alpha Rules

1. Alphas use the Mod CP to change members ranks and pack status. This can be found on the top left of the top bar, below the WELCOME BACK usernamehere.

2. Alphas are also responsible for cleaning their own boards. This means that you, as an Alpha, are responsible for archiving any old threads within your pack lands.

3. Alphas are required to answer any and all challenges made to them. These challenges may be answered by either the Primary or Secondary alpha; it is up to the players.

5. Alpha duties do not include the following and using an alpha account to do them may result in losing the right to having one: gemstore purchases, character creation, maintenance, editing the guidebook anywhere other than alpha activity and pack descriptions, deleting IC posts, archiving threads outside the alpha's pack lands, archiving and/or deleting OOC posts and threads, and changing the information on any other pack's page or sections of alpha areas. Alpha accounts should also only be used to change the status of loners entering or wolves leaving their specific pack and no other packs.

Pack Events

1. Many packs hold different events for their members to participate in and make being part of a pack fun. We strongly encourage creativity here and you are welcome to try something unique.

2. Pack hunts are called so that the pack may participate together in a group hunt.

3. Battle training is another common meeting held by packs, and gives players a chance to improve upon their skills.

4. Healers are generally permitted to gather all the healers of the pack for training as well. It is a time when herbs are reviewed and different methods of healing are discussed.

5. Pack events are announced in the pack's page and can be updated with new deadlines or other pertinent information. As well, you can post the event in maintenance and it will be placed in the IC portion of the board index header.

How to Set Up Pack Pages

1. Pack pages are not really pages, but their own threads. The staff will start the thread for you, and all you have to do is edit in all of your information.

2. When changing character ranks on the pack roster, make sure that the coding looks like this :

Code:
<tr><td class=packrank> <a href=ACCOUNTLINKHERE>CHARACTER NAME</a> </TD><TD class=packrank> RANK</td></tr>

3. To make the pack header, you can either ask for it to be made by a staff member, or make one yourself and post it in maintenance for staff to input it. It must display the pack's color without texture on at least a portion of it (preferably the left side). The dimensions of the header should be 640x50.

An example can be found here.

To make it show up on pages once it has been added to the site, just enter this code :

Code:
<div class=PACKNAMEthead>PACK ROSTER</div>

Ardent · (This post was last modified: 01-10-2018, 07:20 PM by Ardent.)

Expanded Requirements for Claiming/Challenging for Packs

1. Whether challenging for a pack or claiming, characters must meet the minimum requirements of 400 gems and 100 posts in total and be at least 1 year old. They must have existed on the site for at least the last two months without being set inactive, and have posted at least 20 times in the last month, spread out over the entire month in a pattern of five posts per week. Like alpha activity requirements in general, some leeway will be given for weeks where the requirement was not met, but you MUST make up the difference in other weeks to come to the proper total (20 for claims/challenges, 40 for creation) at the end of the month prior to the claim or challenge. Please be prepared to show proof of this when challenging, claiming, or creating a pack.

2. The purchase for the challenge/claim must be posted in the gemstore before the challenge/claim will be valid.

3. Challenging for or claiming a pack with the intention of passing it to a character who does not meet the minimum requirements is not allowed and will be grounds for immediately invalidating the claim or challenge. The alpha must remain primary alpha and the pack must remain in their possession for at least 2 ooc months before the pack may be passed to another character, regardless of whether that occurs through IC interactions or through failing activity checks.

4. Characters challenging for, claiming, or creating a pack must not already be members of another pack - if they are, they must receive permission to leave the pack before they can post a challenge/claim.

5. Whether challenging for or claiming a pack, the new pack information must be edited into the pack’s thread within 1 OOC week of the official changeover or the pack will be dissolved and put back up for claim.

6. Please see the guidebook page 06. Fighting and Judging for for more specific rules about the challenge or claim itself.

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