What do you consider proper protocol for kicking crew for not meeting minimum rumble levels? Warnings? Demotions? How many?
Just do it quickly and get it over with (like removing a band aid). I've used that approach in the past. It usually happened in a close rumble when several people were underperforming. I look, see zeros, see they have logged on, get pissed, and before I know it they have been kicked. Just happens automatically. But for those less impulsive. Warn once and demote. Warn twice and demote. Kick the third time. If they don't read chat and don't see your warnings, too bad. You really don't want members that don't check in on guild chat anyways.
Our protocol is similar to Spongee's less impulsive version. First and second missed min = warning on chat, third = demote to monkey, fifth = kick. Meeting min in a rumble "resets" the count. A bit overly forgiving for some tastes no doubt, but it works well enough and we created an R&R guild for habitual missers to camp out until they're up to the fight again.
What's harder is dealing with inactive members without spelling out minimums. Then it becomes a matter of "Gee, this guy was logged on for the past two rumbles. I wonder how long that's been goin on. Guess I'll kick'm." I like the three strike method. Warn. Warn-Demote or just Warn. Kick. I'm gonna suggest that in our guild.
For us it also depends on communication big-time. If someone has a trip coming up or is just busy and thinks they won't make min or be able to participate at all, all they have to do is let us know in advance and we don't hold it against them. If they miss and we ask what's up and they explain, that also counts for a lot. We hate to call people out or demote because we want the guild & game to be a good thing, and we really hate to kick because recruiting isn't easy, but when we can see someone's checking in but not rumbling and not even saying hello, that says they don't care, which makes it a bit easier to get out the spike-tipped boots and feed the fish. A few other things we do: At the beginning of each rumble, we nudge any player who hasn't been on for more than a day. We also try to post a list in chat of people who sent a note that they'd be out - that's a last chance for others not on the list to let us know. We're flexible about the mins. They're based on PH level and the general goal of getting in at least 8-10 battles in a rumble, but if we know someone has a job that makes it tough sometimes, we're not going to give them grief about missing by a bit when they sometimes score far over the min.
The idea of warnings was swatted down. The idea is if they play they stay if not they're kicked - that simple. Which, in a way, makes very good sense. What bugs me is when someone logs on but doesn't attack. Worse is when, in a 24 hour period they attack once for something like 15 pts and you don't see them again. That's why so many guild apply minimums.
Logging in without battling annoys hell out of me when they haven't contributed at all. We have rules set in place so that people can notify if they are busy and can't rumble, then they are excused for that rumble. We have a minimum average score (based on the last 5 rumbles). If they drop below the minimum they are demoted to powder monkey as a warning and then kicked if they fail to meet the minimum again.
The 5-rumble average is interesting because it builds in a grace period for when things get unavoidably busy. Is the average rumble score shown in Plunder Pirates known to be calculated based on the last 5 rumbles, or do you log the scores yourselves to do this? Checking in without battling annoys us too except in cases where someone said in advance they'd be swamped and unable to participate. Otherwise, you've got people reaping the rumble rewards without participating. Even if we understand because someone told us they'd be out, not all crew will get that and it creates bad feelings. So, nowadays we also have the second R&R guild for when people need to sit out more than 2-3 rumbles. Since doing that, while our roster has decreased in size a bit (since some are off in R&R), we have fewer people missing the minimum in the main guild. Because guild matching is based partially on guild size, this means that even though we're a bit smaller (for now), we're more likely to win our rumbles.
We keep our own records. We tried the R&R guild hoping it would develop new people as well but are currently closing it as keeping perks running there was too much hassle for what we got out of it. If you want to see the way we run things we have it documented at www.windraiders.weebly.com Copy as much as you want. And feel free to drop by if you want.
Same goes for us almost verbatim including the Vacation guild that Elite as setup. We do have a spreadsheet setup to track rumble participation and it helps to see who's pulling their weight or not but mostly we go by feel and if someone is not making the min they get demoted and once at Powder Monkey and they miss a rumble they are out. We also give second chances at times when a crew comes and shows they can participate.
It comes down to the values and standards that you set in the guild. As each guild is different its up to the members to guild that direction and the FM's, QM's and Captain to lead and enforce that standard. The guild needs to balance passion and ambition (in improving) with tolerance and loyalty. I think the keys are communication and consistency; ensuring all members (regardless of rank or length of service) understand the current direction of the guild and the expectations and penalties for underperformance. But how every you do it; it must be swift, fair and consistent across the board.
