A Guide To Starting A Clan (Updated 30 April 2005)

[blizzard227]

A special note on Plagiarism: ALWAYS GIVE CREDIT if you plan on using part or the whole of this guide! Thank you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also, as a general reminder, I'd like to inform anyone reading this guide and seeking to create a clan that this guide will NOT teach you everything there is to know about leading a succesful clan. What I offer is the basics in getting started, and a few management tips.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So do not think that if you read this guide three times, you're automatically going to be able to create an awesome clan and know everything there is to know. Take the guide for what it is: help for your journey starting/leading a clan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Guide To Starting and Running A Clan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Before we go any further:

I find that too many people have started to create clans with no backing, they're simply people who want to be in a clan, but crave power, so they think that theyÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢ll become a massive clan and control all of them, but about 80% of them never make it past the 10 member mark literally.

(Thanks to Guardian XI (From RuneVillage) Think about that. What is your motivation for starting a clan? If it's one of the following: Greed (Items from members, etc.) or power, then do NOT start a clan. It's okay to desire a little power; but that should NOT be your entire basis for starting a clan. A clan is a group of people coming together to have fun or achieve something in RuneScape. If you do not abide by this golden rule the best advice I can give you is to not start a clan (Don't kid yourself either).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another quick note: While some may dismiss 90% of this guide as "common sense" or say that this guide is useless because leading is an inherent ability that cannot be taught, they're missing the point- this guide is here to help beginners who have no clue as to what they're doing. What may seem like "common sense" to us now may not be so apparent to someone who's starting a clan for the first time. Of course this guide also can't teach people how to lead but that's not what it was created for: it's here to help the newbies who need a plan, if you will, to get started.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Note: This is not a recreation of cspace's clans guide, but an entirely new one written by me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cspace's Guide: Here

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table of Contents:

 

 

 

I. The Cold Truth (Reputation)*

 

 

 

II. Introduction

 

 

 

III. Getting Started

 

 

 

IV. Early Members

 

 

 

V. Recruitment

 

 

 

VI. General Tips*

 

 

 

VII. Running Your Clan (Leadership)*

 

 

 

VIII. The Clan Bank (Economy)

 

 

 

IX. WAR!

 

 

 

X. Assuming Leadership Of A Clan

 

 

 

XI. Patience*

 

 

 

XII. Interview (With Sting, Leader Of Phoenix)

 

 

 

XIII. Interview (With Livinlarge21, Leader Of RSD)

 

 

 

XIV. User-Submitted Advice

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*-Denotes a key section. While every section in this guide is important, these sections should be read a bit more carefully.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you are starting a clan, don't just skim this guide in two minutes; take your time. You'll have plenty of time to recruit, but if you mess up it could make your clan look like another one that just walked in from Lumbridge. Same goes for people looking to improve various aspects of an already established clan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I. The Cold Truth (Reputation)*

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now, in a perfect world, your RS/PKing skills shouldn't matter when people decide to join your clan. The fact is, however,if you have not lead a clan before, or do not have a good reputation (Good PKer, nice stats, etc.) your clan is VERY likely to fail; because few people will join/take your clan seriously .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So to prevent a disaster from happening, wasting your time and that of others, here are a few things you should do before you decide to start and lead a clan:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-First, ask yourself this question: Do I have a good reputation, am I a well known, liked member of RS and this community/forum (Depending on where you recruit)? Well, if you answered yes, then you're off to a good start; if no then you need to be able to say yes to the next question

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-Do I have good stats for the type of clan I want to set up (ie. I want to set up a level 90+ PKing clan, so I should probably be a level 110+ PKer), or have led another clan before (One that didn't fail miserably)?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now, if you've answered no to both of these questions, the best advice I can give you is to NOT start a clan. What I recommend you do instead is to join the best clan within your league, and watch what the leaders do within that clan. In the meantime also be sure to raise your stats. Once you feel confident that you have a good reputation and good stats, then you're a lot more likely to succeed at creating and running a clan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am not trying to scare anyone off with this section, and by all means, if you have a good idea of how to run a clan then good luck. Just be aware that it's a lot better to get a strong reputation or set of skills (ie. By joining another clan and staying in it for a while); and then start a clan, rather than the other way around.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

II. Introduction

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, you want to start a clan :?: ? Or you want a clan of yours to work better, attract more members, and in general be a feared and respected clan across the entire world of RuneScape? If so, get comfortable and pay attention; because if you're a newbie or intermediate in the clan world you'll (Hopefully) get some good tips to help you and your clan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, some of you may be clamoring and waiting to criticize my "poor" advice (Remember, this is advice that worked in my own experiences, or knowledge I have gained from mistakes, and also general guidelines that EVERY one should follow), so on to the guide!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

III. Getting Started

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nowadays, it seems like any half-wit with a keyboard can create a clan and attract one or two members, but if you're going to have a full functioning clan you'll need some general guidelines and help:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Clan Type:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Before you do ANYTHING, you need to first think of what kind of clan you want. Here are some types to consider:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1.) PKing. Pretty self-explanatory, PKing clans revolve around Player-Killing in RS.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PKing clans are currently the most common type of RS clan because they're easy to set up, they revolve around the most interesting aspect of RS and they're fairly easy to run (A couple leaders, some active members who PK often and you're pretty much done).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not everything, however, is great about PK clans. In general you'll often have to deal with other PK clans' insults, animosity and a higher amount of spies than with other clans.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, this is all my opinion but I do recommend that you go for making a PK clan if: A.) You love PKing and want to lead people in the wilderness, B.) You want to be reasonably or greatly involved with alliances, enemies, and war and C.) You don't mind the occasional or often insult (Depending on who you are, and if you incite other clans).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2.) Skills-based. This is the second most common type of RS clan. Please note that there are two types of skills-based clans: All-rounder, and clans that are devoted to two skills (Usually complimentary, such as mining/smithing, fishing/cooking, etc.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Skills-based clans are harder to run in general. Unless you have fun skill-raising events (Which are harder to coordinate and setup compared to PK trips) it's hard to stay active in RS. Skills-based clans when run correctly and efficiently, however, can help everyone to gain experience in certain skills or have fun. They can also provide a great sense of accomplishment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In general, skills-based clans are not meant for the glitz and glamour of winning wars and having lots of alliances. I recommend this type of clan if you're A.) Looking for a sense of great accomplishment, B.) Seeking to raise your RS skills or use your non-combat skills in a more social setting and C.) Not concerned with allies, enemies or war.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3.) The "We don't know exactly what we are" clan. This clan is usually a mix of skills-based/PKing clans, but it can be anything RS related. If there was a general description of this clan type it'd be, "We PK a bit, but we also have fun events or help each other raise skills". These can also be known as "fun" clans. "We're a group of friends who relax and have lots of special events."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'd recommend this type of clan if: You want to combine certain aspects of PKing/Skills-based clans, and don't want to be bound to either type.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nowadays most PKing clans have evolved into this type of clan; they have plenty of different events, although some hardcore PK-only clans remain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4.) Fan-based. These clans are so rare, I've only seen one. Self-explanatory, these are clans focused on something non-RS related. They often aren't involved in RS (No events, PK trips, etc.) I would recommend this clan if: You really like something non-RS related (Such as skateboarding), and you want to talk about this with other RS players/RS forum members.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, that's it for the main types of RS clans. Before we move on I just want to say, however, if none of these types of clans really interests you don't be afraid to create another type of RS clan! Be creative- maybe you want a clan that thinks of new special events and then hosts them, or maybe you want a clan that helps new RS players. Whatever it is, be creative and think of a new clan type if said ones don't appeal to you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Name:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once you're done choosing your clan type you should move onto naming the clan. So many promising clans are killed because of a poor or unoriginal name. While some may blow this process off you should take the time to pick a good name for your clan. Here are some steps you should follow for critiquing a possible name:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1.) Does everyone know the meaning of the name? (ie. Shimpu is a Japanese word that means "Divine Wind"; but it's not in common usage, and everyone does not know the meaning of it). If not, try a different name.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2.) Avoid usage of the word "l33t" or any ÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ãâ¦Ã¢â¬Ål33tÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬ÃâÃ

[matt_d_rat]

wow a very detailed guide, well done :D

[Guest Guthix90]

great guide...This should definetly be a sticky :shock:

[Thunder]

Stickyed

[Cowsy]

I liked the interviews :wink: Were fun to read.

[Dragonsaber]

I thought it was a very well written guide

[upbrother]

I thought it was a very well written guide

 

 

 

sup dragon havnt seen u for a while

[Guest]

very good guide :D

[jammy316]

Avidgamers.com (site + forum) or Invisionfree.com (forums)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Are old and popular, to use to make a clan site.

[Polixo]

Think about that. What is your motivation for starting a clan? If it's one of the following: Greed (items from members, etc) or power, then do NOT start a clan. It's okay to desire a little power, but that should NOT be your entire basis for starting a clan (or even a large part of it). A clan is where a group of people come together to have fun or achieve something in RS. If you do not abide by this golden rule, the best advice I can give you is to not start a clan (don't kid yourself either).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Problem here: A lot of the powerfull clans were formed and are based on becoming the most powerfull, maybe not all the way but a large percentage would be.

[Guest Frankywise]

Dam I bet u copied and pasted I didn't red that lol crazy :?

[blizzard227]

 

Think about that. What is your motivation for starting a clan? If it's one of the following: Greed (items from members, etc) or power, then do NOT start a clan. It's okay to desire a little power, but that should NOT be your entire basis for starting a clan (or even a large part of it). A clan is where a group of people come together to have fun or achieve something in RS. If you do not abide by this golden rule, the best advice I can give you is to not start a clan (don't kid yourself either).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Problem here: A lot of the powerfull clans were formed and are based on becoming the most powerfull, maybe not all the way but a large percentage would be.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, I put that there to, hmm, how to phrase this...to deter the lower levelled players among us who have no chance in hell from hallucinating and trying to make a 'powerful' clan and then failing miserably.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not saying lower-levelled players shouldn't make clans, but if they do, it'd be recommended that they make one to have friends and fun events in RS, rather than dreaming that Zezima's going to join their clan and they're going to be big and powerful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And I also stand by my comment: While the most powerful clans may have been created to become powerful, they also had a decent amount of motivation in other areas, such as protection in the wilderness, creating more friends, etc etc. It's not all about power, and if it is, well, that clan's going to get into serious trouble down the line as we've seen in the past...

[jammy316]

 

 

Think about that. What is your motivation for starting a clan? If it's one of the following: Greed (items from members, etc) or power, then do NOT start a clan. It's okay to desire a little power, but that should NOT be your entire basis for starting a clan (or even a large part of it). A clan is where a group of people come together to have fun or achieve something in RS. If you do not abide by this golden rule, the best advice I can give you is to not start a clan (don't kid yourself either).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Problem here: A lot of the powerfull clans were formed and are based on becoming the most powerfull, maybe not all the way but a large percentage would be.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, I put that there to, hmm, how to phrase this...to deter the lower levelled players among us who have no chance in hell from hallucinating and trying to make a 'powerful' clan and then failing miserably.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not saying lower-levelled players shouldn't make clans, but if they do, it'd be recommended that they make one to have friends and fun events in RS, rather than dreaming that Zezima's going to join their clan and they're going to be big and powerful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And I also stand by my comment: While the most powerful clans may have been created to become powerful, they also had a decent amount of motivation in other areas, such as protection in the wilderness, creating more friends, etc etc. It's not all about power, and if it is, well, that clan's going to get into serious trouble down the line as we've seen in the past...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yeah, but people join the more powerful clans for protection, more people doin this, makes the clan bigger, and makes the clan more powerful.

[blizzard227]

Yeah, but people join the more powerful clans for protection, more people doin this, makes the clan bigger, and makes the clan more powerful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was talking about the motivation for creating clans, not what happens after they are created. Already knew that mate :wink: .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

/Blizz

[jammy316]

 

Yeah, but people join the more powerful clans for protection, more people doin this, makes the clan bigger, and makes the clan more powerful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was talking about the motivation for creating clans, not what happens after they are created. Already knew that mate :wink: .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

/Blizz

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The motivation to create a clan is what the leader(s) want out of it ;) or should be.

[blizzard227]

 

 

Yeah, but people join the more powerful clans for protection, more people doin this, makes the clan bigger, and makes the clan more powerful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was talking about the motivation for creating clans, not what happens after they are created. Already knew that mate :wink: .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

/Blizz

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The motivation to create a clan is what the leader(s) want out of it ;) or should be.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Um, yes? That's already been said before, er it's been inferred. I'm talking about the motivation to create a clan and how it shouldn't all be based on power and the other factors for why people create clans. I don't think we're reading each other's posts right or you think I'm saying something else :? .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

/Blizz

[mythologen]

well written, but its only the tip of the iceberg my friend.

[blizzard227]

well written, but its only the tip of the iceberg my friend.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Absolutely, and I do not profess to know everything:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, it's nearing the end of this guide. I know I've probably left out a million other details, but you're going to have to learn some stuff on your own. I know it'll be hard at first, but eventually, if you have a natural leading ability (or someone else has it in your clan), you'll do just fine :wink:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

:) .

[mythologen]

I feel it is an impossible feat to describe or explain the leading of a clan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I respect your attempt, and even admit it is well said. but as you say, you left so much out, it almost does an injustice to describing the position.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just my feelings.

[blizzard227]

I feel it is an impossible feat to describe or explain the leading of a clan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I respect your attempt, and even admit it is well said. but as you say, you left so much out, it almost does an injustice to describing the position.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just my feelings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I don't feel I've done "an injustice" to clans, as pretty much anyone will tell you- The point of this guide is to help a newbie without a clue, or someone looking for a few extra tips, not to be the ultimate, end-all, be-all masters thesis of everything related to clans or leading clans.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Most beginners don't need or want to read a textbook. This guide gets the job done, I believe, and so many others think it too. If you feel I have left out so much that is important, please, post some examples :wink: .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Your tone is a bit snooty, but for no real reason in my opinion. This guide teaches the basics with a little extra to help out beginners and even those with clans already. Anything else added to this guide, in my opinion, would seem a bit extraneous or unecessary.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I respect your attempt, and even admit it is well said. but as you say

- You misread what I said:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remember- just because there is alot of information, not all of it is necessary or even useful to add. Plus, you're missing the point of the guide- to help beginners, not thoroughly explain how to lead an amazing clan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, I'll let you provide some examples of all the "important stuff" I've left out :) .

[mythologen]

 

 

 

The point of this guide is to help a newbie without a clue, or someone looking for a few extra tips, not to be the ultimate, end-all, be-all masters thesis of everything related to clans or leading clans.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hear what your saying. I'm not saying it should be longer, or that you should add anything, just that there is a lot more to leading a clan than posted here. From reading your guide a newb might thing, hey, just follow these steps and people will follow me!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you feel I have left out so much that is important, please, post some examples :wink: .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ahh, so you want an example. Well then. What would your clan guide recommend supposing a hacker was found to be in the clan? What would your guide recommend doing supposing the hacker was a very good friend of the leader? Or if there was a hacker in the clan, but the leader couldn't figure out who it was?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you want more examples on a different topic, just ask.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Your tone is a bit snooty, but for no real reason in my opinion. This guide teaches the basics with a little extra to help out beginners and even those with clans already. Anything else added to this guide, in my opinion, would seem a bit extraneous or unecessary.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I feel that is not correct, for two reasons.

 

 

 

1. there is always room for improvement.

 

 

 

and 2. Your guide doesn't teach leadership of a clan, it teaches making the foundation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remember- just because there is alot of information, not all of it is necessary or even useful to add. Plus, you're missing the point of the guide- to help beginners, not thoroughly explain how to lead an amazing clan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm not missing the point, I'm just looking down the road a bit further than you. Literally anyone can make a webpage, and forums and clan rules, etc;however, leading a clan is considerably more complex(and actually requires skill) than 'not being soft', and sitting back whilst enforcing rules. You have to be prepared for things the rules don't cover, and be able to deal with situations that you can't prepare for. And you can't simply write that stuff up.

[blizzard227]

And you can't simply write that stuff up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exactly. Here's my final point: this guide is to help beginners, and with a few extra tips to also possibly help people who already have a clan. That's it. It's not supposed to teach leading and if that's what you're looking for, or looking down the road for, it's not going to happen. Leading is a natural ability in my opinion, you can't read a guide and know what to do (although if it's a well-written guide on leading, you may improve). There's just no point to add all that stuff about hackers because this guide is for beginners.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Your guide doesn't teach leadership of a clan, it teaches making the foundation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

That's what I said before.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From reading your guide a newb might thing, hey, just follow these steps and people will follow me!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, if anyone thinks that, then I feel very sorry for them, but when I get back from vacation I'll write a disclaimer telling those few thick-headed individuals that this guide does NOT teach you how to lead, but how to set up a clan with management tips.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So all in all, all you needed to say was the above quote if you were worried that newbs would simply read my guide and say "hey, I can now lead a high level sweet clan!" although I've often stated against this many times. Because the other stuff, I said before like that this guide does not teach how to lead because leading is partially a natural ability and you just can't learn everything about it from a guide.

[mythologen]

From that summation, I think you get the gist of what i'm saying.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So I respectfully depart from this post.

[slayeroftime]

I agree with Mythologen 100%. Not everyone is fit to lead, so even making a guide wouldn't do much good for users. You either have it or you don't.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This guide would just be trying to emulate this sort of analogy: How to become a genius.

[blizzard227]

I agree with Mythologen 100%. Not everyone is fit to lead, so even making a guide wouldn't do much good for users. You either have it or you don't.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This guide would just be trying to emulate this sort of analogy: How to become a genius.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That's actually not what he was saying :P . He was saying: put a warning in the guide letting people know that reading it won't make them awesome leaders because it's partially a natural talent. Of course, this guide provides the information...talent is great, but having talent and the information and basics of how a clan works also helps :wink: .