Guild:Paradox (Hellscream EU)

Paradox is a Horde PvE guild on the European server Hellscream. Paradox (pār'ə-dŏks')
 * 1. A seemingly contradictory statement that may nevertheless be true.
 * 2. Something that exhibits inexplicable or contradictory aspects.
 * 3. An assertion that is essentially self-contradictory, though based on a valid observation.
 * 4. A statement contrary to received opinion.

Overview
Paradox is a large-sized social guild, with over 150 members and 400+ characters. The main language used within guild communications is English. However, many of our members hail from a wide variety of countries (including Russia, Norway, Sweden, and Germany, amongst others), which contributes to Paradox's multicultural environment.

History
Paradox is one of the longest-standing Horde guilds on the server.

Prior to the arrival of the Burning Crusade expansion, Paradox had already begun progressing through the end-game raid content, with experience in Zul'Gurub, Molten Core, Onyxia's Lair, and the Ruins of Ahn'Qiraj (AQ20).

During the Burning Crusade, Paradox enjoyed a large amount of success in raids across Tier 4 and Tier 5 content bracket, venturing into early Tier 6 content shortly before the launch of Wrath of the Lich King.

Raids








Although Paradox does hold semi-frequent end-game raids, we are primarily a social guild. As such, we tend to adopt a far more "casual" approach to raiding than some of the more "hardcore" guilds on the server, with our primary focus being having a fun time, and less emphasis on raid progression/loot. Our current 'regular' raid leaders include:
 * Sarris
 * Saish
 * Raid Progress : So far, raid progress has been mainly focused on the non-heroic version of Naxxramas, though some progress has been made in the heroic version as well. Some of our members may have also ventured forth into the Obsidian Sanctum and the Eye of Eternity; to date, no major guild progression efforts have been fielded for these instances.


 * Raid Schedule: Most Paradox raids occur during the evenings, usually between 18:00 and 01:00 server time. We do not operate by any specific raiding schedule; raids occur as and when our raid leaders are able to arrange them. As a result, our raiding frequency can vary greatly, from times when there are several raids posted on one week, to very few/none at all on another week, depending on when our raid leaders are available to raid lead and how many raiders are available to participate.
 * Members are under absolutely no obligation to sign up for raids; our members are free to choose how often they would like to raid (if at all), and we have no requirements that our members participate in a minimum/maximum number of raids per week/month/etc.


 * Raider Requirements: Raiders are required to have access to teamspeak in order to provide the raid leaders with verbal communication facilities. However, a microphone is not required, and players are under no obligation to be talkative if they feel shy. Indeed, a great many of our raiders have yet to be heard over teamspeak :)
 * The guild's teamspeak channel details can be found in the guild information tab. Paradox's primary teamspeak channel is currently being hosted for us by Zardaz.


 * We recommend that raiders use mods such as Deadly Boss Mods and CT Raid Assist. However, mods are not mandatory for Paradox raiders.

PvP
Although Paradox as a whole does not generally engage in PvP activities, such as battleground pre-made groups, many of our members enjoy PvP, and it is relatively easy for members to find other like-minded players within the guild to group with for battlegrounds/arena/world PvP. Members are free to spend as little or as much time engaging in PvP as they wish.

Paradox encourages players to engage in arena combat if they wish to do so, and we have no rules regarding who is allowed to join our members' arena teams (i.e.: we do not restrict our members from making arena teams with non-guild members). Arena team management is organized by the team members - the guild generally leaves arena teams to their own devices.

Recruitment
Due to Paradox's size, guild recruitment is currently closed, with some specific exceptions. Applications from real life friends, relatives, and long-term in-game friends of our existing members will still be considered, and outstanding applications/unusual circumstances may also be taken into account as an exception. Fundamentally, recruitment decisions are made through guild and secretarial discussion on a case-by-case basis. As a formality, individuals who wish to join Paradox are required to fill in a simple application form on the forum. We do not restrict or judge applications based on a player's level, class/spec, equipment, raiding experience, age, gender, or nationality. Our only requirement is that applicants are sociable, and have a reasonable level of understanding of English, in order to properly facilitate guild communications.

Guild Guidelines
For the "official" Paradox Pirate Code, please visit the following link.


 * General Behaviour : Please remember that we are all responsible for creating and upholding our guild's reputation on the server. When speaking in chat channels, assisting other players with quests, or participating in other game activities, please remember that your behaviour can and does reflect upon the guild in both positive and negative ways.
 * Dealing with Anti-Social Behaviour : As a social guild, it is our highest priority to ensure that our guild environment is a place where our members feel happy, relaxed, safe, and welcome. We have a strict policy on anti-social behaviour, and strongly encourage our members to notify one of our guild secretaries if they feel that another person is behaving at all inappropriately within the guild. In incidents of reported misbehaviour, a guild secretary will discuss the issue with whomever is involved and try to resolve the issue as fairly as possible. Misunderstandings can and do occur, and as a result each dispute will be handled individually.
 * As a general rule, we operate a "three strikes" style of policy for most incidents involving misbehaviour. Members who have a persistent history of bad behavior may be subject to review and/or removal by the guild secretaries. In all cases individuals will be warned that their behavior is unacceptable.


 * Alt Characters : We allow our members to add a maximum of two of their characters to the guild if those characters are below level 70; however, we do not currently limit the number of level 80 characters our members may add to the guild roster. We have very few restrictions on "alt" characters aside from this policy; "alts" are permitted to raid (if they have sufficient gear) and are permitted the same access to loot as "main" characters provided they have contributed to the group effort. However, please note that for non-farm raids, raid leaders are entitled to express a preference for bringing "main" characters over "alt" characters.


 * Raiding Policies : Raids are organized by the raid leader via the guild forums in advance (although how far in advance may vary). Please refrain from posting a raid sign-up if you do not intend to lead the raid personally (i.e.: don't post a raid sign-up and expect somebody else to step forward and lead it) or have not made prior arrangements with another member for them to lead the raid (which is acceptable practice if the proposed leader is unable to put the sign-up on the forum themselves). Any member is more than welcome to try their hand at raid leading, provided they have a sufficient understanding of guild raiding policies and knowledge of the raid instance they intend to lead; both veteran and newcomer raid leaders are encouraged, and greatly appreciated for the time and effort they are willing to put into providing our raiders with leadership.
 * Positions within raids are generally assigned on a "first come, first served" basis; people who sign up for a raid after all positions are allocated will be offered a reserve spot. In some specific circumstances, most commonly with the more difficult "non-farm" content, raid leaders are entitled to refuse admission to certain characters based on the strength of their gear (i.e.: to avoid a severely undergeared character significantly lowering the raid's chances of success, or preventing progress past a certain point), and to express preference for bringing "main" characters over "alt" characters to the raid - however, this practice is replaced by the normal policy once the content is considered to be sufficiently mastered by the guild as a whole.
 * Raiders must not deliberately sign up for multiple raids of the same instance which fall within the same reset boundaries (e.g.: signing for two non-heroic Naxxramas raids which are posted in the same week, before the instance resets) in order to maximize their chances of gaining a raid spot; in the past, this has led to issues where people have double-booked members of their group and reservists, causing unneccesary complications and stress for our raid leaders.
 * Whilst our members are free to use their time as they wish, we would appreciate it if members bear in mind Paradox's raiding schedule if they wish to attend PUG raids, and avoid locking themselves to non-guild IDs if they are able to attend one of the guild's own raids. We also tend to frown upon members advertising positions in another guild's raid in our guild chat channel - our resources are not to be used for the benefit of another guild's raiding progress, especially if it would cause Paradox's own raids to suffer as a result.
 * Raid reservists should be present during the raid invitation times in case they are needed to fill a vacant position at the last minute; if reserve-listed raiders cannot be contacted for whatever reason, the position will be advertised to the rest of the guild and a raider chosen on a "first-come, first-served" basis (or in some cases on a "most suited to the job at hand" basis).


 * Member Inactivity : Members should mention their reasons for any long-term absence (such as holidays, changes in personal circumstances, and so on) to other guild members on the forum and/or in the guild chat channel if at all possible. Members who are away for a considerable length of time (e.g.: months) without any notification of whether or not they will be returning may be subject to removal if this is deemed to be appropriate. However, in such circumstances, the member will be notified of the reason(s) for their removal if at all possible, and the subject of their return may be discussed (where appropriate) if the player returns to World of Warcraft.


 * Loot : Paradox's overall looting policy is to allow any players present within the group who need an item - i.e.: can use an item for their primary set of gear - to roll need. We do not use loot distribution systems such as DKP or prioritize the "gearing up" of certain individuals over the needs of others (e.g.: all of our tanks are just as entitled to tanking items). During raids, the raid leader will usually employ a combination of the Master Looter system (for boss loot) and the Group Loot system (for trash mobs).
 * Sometimes players may want items that may not be immediately obvious for their class (especially members of the hybrid classes). To avoid misunderstandings, we advise our members to mention this sort of thing at the beginning of the raid/instance, and certainly to speak up if any mistakes/assumptions have been made.
 * Group leaders are advised to discuss any specific rolling rules (if applicable) for items such as motes and crafting materials with their group at the beginning of the raid/instance. Some items, such as Mark of the Illidari and Soul Essence, will be deposited into the guild bank for those who need them to request at a later date. At the raid leader's discretion, any materials produced from raid loot which was disenchanted will either be rolled for by all members of the raid, or deposited into the guild bank.


 * Guild Bank : All members are welcome to request any items which they would like to withdraw from the guild bank.
 * Please note that only guild secretaries may make withdrawals from the guild bank, and each secretary only has a certain amount of withdrawals available per day. In order to make a withdrawal, members should contact a guild secretary with the name(s) of the item(s) they would like to withdraw. Guild secretaries have the right to refuse a request for certain reasons (e.g.: requesting an epic gem to put in low-quality gear, requesting a recipe for a BoP epic item when you lack the trade skill/class/spec to use the item, requesting gold in order to purchase your epic flying mount).
 * Money which is donated to the guild bank will normally be used to purchase additional guild bank space, or to fund other guild-related ventures (e.g.: buying a new tabard design).

Guild Secretaries and Rank Overview
Paradox's guild leader is Saish. Our current list of guild secretaries includes: New members will be automatically assigned the rank of Initiate upon invitation to Paradox. After a brief initiation period (usually two weeks), members will then be promoted to an appropriate full member rank.
 * Battlechief
 * Challenger
 * Fallenwings
 * Gorrell
 * Laxeath and Raymond the Raptor.
 * Memento, master of turnips.
 * Sikhdevil
 * Silentpower, the rogue who tanked Magtheridon.
 * Tint
 * Yazgohr, the bearskin rug.

Member ranks are currently based simply around the character's level:
 * Member rank is assigned to characters between levels 1 and 30.
 * Guardian rank is assigned to characters between levels 31 and 45.
 * Veteran rank is assigned to characters between levels 46 and 59.
 * Hero rank is assigned to characters who have reached level 60 (and above).