Thunder's Supreme Commander Plan for Jan 2021 to July 2021
Supreme Commander Plan January-July 2021
As I begin my second term as Supreme Commander of Pegasus Command, I am again tasked with providing an overall plan for the guild. This is a strategic plan and the tactical aspects therein will be covered in the Game Commander’s Plans. It is comprehensive with a particular focus on community. I believe that over time, people tend to lose sight of what it means to be part of a community. So what is the textbook definition of community?
According to Webster’s Dictionary, community is “a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals”. I bring this definition to light because during my observations over the past six months, community mindedness has somehow gone by the wayside. We need to be focusing on community across Pegasus Command, not just within our individual games.
Pegasus Command should never look or feel segregated, nor should the environments within each of our guild games. Members, both new and old, should feel welcome across the board in each and every game we have. It’s up to each and every one of us to ensure that this happens. Engagement is the first step. It is imperative that new members are greeted, welcomed, and shown the ropes immediately upon their arrival to Pegasus Command. Getting them involved right away will give them a sense of belonging that will inevitably result in long term membership.
Discord is our #1 mode of communication. Yes, we have the ability to type anything and everything we have on our minds at any given moment, and that’s great. But, human social interaction via voice communication is absolutely necessary as it displays an open and inviting environment and is by far the best way for members to interact with other members. I will be monitoring this closely as I feel it is the cornerstone of membership retention and reiterates our motto, “We are nothing without our members”.
As I prepared this plan, I utilized a variety of Pegasus Command resources, including but not limited to the old website. I did this to gain an even better understanding of where we started, where we are now, and where I expect us to be, come July, 2021.
Pegasus Command started way back in 2011 with one game and a handful of members. With a little bit of work, a strong command staff, and a whole lot of grit, Peg Com grew into a multi-game community over the course of nine years. Our membership has grown from a handful in 2011, to triple digit numbers today. We’ve seen some games come and seen some games go.
There are several reasons I feel games do not make it for the long haul:
1) The games themselves are no longer viable, or are shut down by the developers.
2) Recruiting efforts are ineffective (lack of flow).
3) Membership retention (command staff failure to engage new members).
4) Overall command staff failure to maintain their games and keep them moving in a forward direction.
Of all the reasons for a game to be unsuccessful in Pegasus Command, the ONLY one we can’t control is the first. That being said, in order to maintain what we have and continue to grow our community, we need to tighten up in several areas. Command staff, from my perspective is too loose and needs tightened up. Command staffers need to engage their positions to their fullest capacity.
Each member of command has a written description of their roles, responsibilities, and what is expected of them, on the website. It is extremely important that each game commander, executive officer, and other staff members be well versed in what their positions entail. Having a command staff under the Game Commander isn’t about having a few people doing tasks to make them feel useful or to handle things the Game Commander doesn’t have time for. A command staff is a chain of command that provides an in-game officer career path.
We are grooming our staff members to become Executive Officers, Game Commanders, Supreme Commanders, and one day, even President. Tightening up what type of staffers each game needs and ensuring that they are doing what is expected of them will translate into more solidified gaming guilds and overall smoother operations.
Recruiting efforts are an ongoing task. Without consistent recruiting in ALL games, there is no flow and without flow, our membership numbers will become stagnant and will eventually begin to fall off. People come and people go. That’s the nature of the business. However, it is up to us to ensure to the best of our abilities that more people come and less people go. One surefire way to assist in this is to engage new members and continue to engage old members. Game Commanders must be reaching out to their guild members on a consistent basis and strongly encouraging the use of voice communications in our Discord.
Another area of concern is the lack of cross-gaming promotion. Although each of our games are individual, it’s crucial to remember that those individual games are part of an entire gaming community. Cross game promotion is a vector for communicating what’s happening in your games or activities that are taking place in your guilds. Sharing this information is a great way to promote your games and possibly entice members of other guild games to become an active member of your guild. I will be incorporating ways we can promote cross game play within each Game Commander’s Game Plan.
I must have 100% buy in from all of my Game Commanders regarding cross game promotion as well as the promotion of guild wide events, social gatherings, and anything else that might be happening in Pegasus Command. Doing so brings people together to share experiences and promotes fellowship.
The point of all of things Pegasus Command is to cater to our membership. Fun and interactive game play, comfortable and inviting social atmospheres both in games and across our entire Discord. Game Commanders will have Ops that cater to the needs of all members of their guilds by continuing to utilize in game career progression strategies which aids our members in moving from phase to phase in the games they play. We will continue fortify our “leave no one behind” attitude by making sure events are in place for all members, regardless of the type of player they are or the amount of experience they have in their games.
The business end of this Supreme Commander Plan is as follows:
A budget of $600 has been agreed upon for this term. Each game will receive $120 to be used during this six month period. Each month, $20 will be used specifically for each game’s monthly giveaways.
Regarding giveaways, for each game, it will be expected that each Game Commander have a monthly points giveaway in their respective games. These giveaways will be mapped out to a degree in their individual game plans. Points based giveaways encourage membership activity, as they can be designed around Op attendance, particular activities within the games, etc.
Additionally, we are adding a new feature to our giveaway structure. Here’s how it works: Game Commanders will need to be diligent in posting their Op attendances in their respective administrative channels in Discord. Screenshots of the activity in Discord during the Ops are highly recommended, but not required. Just ensure that the attendances are documented. At the end of every three month cycle, all game’s attendances will be tallied. The game with the highest ratio of attendance to members listed in that game’s roster will win the event and their game will be place at the top of our Discord.
Regarding League of Legends, this game has been under the direct command of the Supreme Commander for the past six months. I need to modify the game plan for League of Legends and intend to take the role of Game Commander at the end of the next six months if a suitable Game Commander can not be found. During this six month period, League of Legends will continue to be under the direct command of the Supreme Commander. This guild is still viable in Pegasus Command and as such, should be given the opportunity to continue it’s growth under regular command.
Command Staff meetings with the Supreme Commander will be held on the last Tuesday of every month. I will be evaluating overall Game Commander performance, Command Staff performance, game plan progress, game activities, recruiting, and addressing any questions, issues, or concerns. This will serve as a gauge as to where we are and where we are headed. These evaluations will be documented and submitted to the Quorum for review no later than one week prior to the monthly scheduled Quorum meetings.
Game Commanders have been confirmed and are as follows:
Saucy: ESO Commander
Sterling: Star Conflict Commander
Bazookbear: Peg Com Server Guild Commander
Jo4play: STO Commander
Thunder: League of Legends Commander
We are currently actively searching for a new game to add to our community. Once determined and properly agreed upon by the authorities that be, the new game should be in place by the end of January, early February at the latest.
Lastly, this year marks a very important milestone for Pegasus Command. Come July 22, 2021, we will be celebrating our 10 year anniversary. To that end, each of our games will be tasked with creating a big event to take place during the month of July. As with every anniversary, Pegasus Command will be holding a guild wide anniversary event. Game Commanders will be tasked with making sure that their members are aware of and participating in this. Promotion across ALL Pegasus Command games is what brings everyone together, which in turn promotes COMMUNITY.
I’d like to extend my appreciation for the ability to run for a second term. I will continue to do my job to the very best of my ability, but I can not do it alone. We are all in this together and I want you all to know that your efforts never go unnoticed.
Thunder Catalyst
Supreme Commander
15 JAN 21