For applications, please read the Charter and then proceed to our Forums and register. Then make your application Post (http://www.black-company.org/forums/)
Welcome to our site, our headquarters in the rear of the combat zone. Our purpose for this body of information is to offer insight and information about our organization, for both the hopeful recruit and the potential employer seeking the services of mercenaries. All the information presented here is the culmination of years of work, gathered and evolved from our many trials and tribulations within the realms of video gaming, most specifically those of massive multi-player online role-playing games.
We take our name and guild model from the Novels written by Glen Cook, and we highly recommend reading them even if you are not interested in joining our Company. The novels were written over a period of nearly 17 years, each chronicling a major time period of the Company's existence, written in the form of the Annals of the Black Company. The Annals are written by the chosen Company Annalist, to capture the essence and spirit of Company life, so that that future Brothers are able to learn from the past, remember fallen Brothers and their deeds, and gather tactical information that has been battle proven to be effective against the Enemy of Our Employers.
This particular branch of TBC has been around since 2002, having crossed several games, which include Anarchy Online, Star Wars Galaxies, City Of Heroes, and in the near future, Darkfall. Several of our members have also been highly involved in Shadowbane, Lineage, Asheron's Call, Everquest, Dark Age of Camelot, Earth and Beyond, Eve, and World Of Warcraft, to name a few, and although we have not gathered in force under the Standard of the Black Company in these games, we have a strong working knowledge and experience within them.
There are many other branches of the Black Company out there in many different games. If you are unsure whether or not you have been in contact with our particular branch, you simply have to inquire with details on the when and where.
We are a Mercenary unit who accepts payment for doing anything our Employer's have no wish to do themselves, provided it is based in War. We do take Contracts from live players, a practice that has led to many lucrative and fruitful relationships within the communities we have been involved in and with. However, given that we are in a virtual world, we must make for allowances in the telling of our own story. We will always consider any major hunt or raid a "Contract" for the purposes of our Annals and the spirit of the long standing tradition that defines the Black Company.
Since the Black Company first began taking contracts, many years after embarking as one of the Twelve Free Companies of Khatovar, we have never failed or backed out of a Contract, though our employers havebeen known to be as treacherous as the Enemies they pay us to fight. This Tradition continues to this day and is the back bone of our Trust/Trust relationship with any Employer who enters into a Contract with us.
Our leadership billets are primarily based in accordance to the novels, with necessary additions that allow for not only game mechanic situations, but for the multiple games which our Brotherhood is involve with.
As per the novels, at the head of the Company is the Brother known simply as the Captain. The Second in Command is simply known as the Lieutenant. The Captain is the overall leader of the guild and is not a game specific body. Each game will elect a Lieutenant and Division Commanders as their designated leaders.
When the game mechanics allow for the breakdown of divisions, there will always be an Infantry Division and a Supply Division, each headed by a Division Commander. Each Division Commander will assign a Junior Officer, known as the Chief of that Division. Each Division will, in effect, act as its own sub-guild of the larger body of the Company. This means that the Captain or Lieutenant will not decide how each Division is run, who is promoted, or any other details of daily operation. This does not mean that the Captain or the Lieutenant cannot make suggestions or issue orders when the need arises, however, this is a rare occurrence as a Division Commander attains their rank through their proven ability to lead and organize their respective posts.
All of the Officers of the Company are voted in by the Officers, assuring that a dictatorship cannot occur, this is not our way, nor will it ever be our way. In the years since we began, we have elected several leading officers, and each time the Company endures, grows, prospers, giving credence to the system which insures that although soldiers live and die, the Company Remains.
The Only Officer rank that is not elected by vote is the Company Standardbearer. The SB is the Brother chosen by the Captain to be his personal bodyguard and embodies all of the qualities that are inherent to one day receive a command post. The SB is a Full Officer and is called in to decide a tie breaker in the event of a deadlocked vote.
The Chiefs of each Division are also Officers, though they are known as Junior Officers. Chiefs are assigned their posts by the Commanders based upon performance and willingness to do what it takes to see the job done.
Each Division Commander can assign as many Sergeants as they see fit based on the number of troops available for each Division. Below the Sergeants are Corporals, then Grunts, and bringing up the rear are the Recruits.
As previously stated, when the game allows, there will be two divisions, Infantry and Supply.
Infantry is exactly that, the force that is our spearhead in and around the battlefield. Infantry consists of all frontline fighters, ranged support, siege specialist, scouts, spies, and when applicable, users of magic. Healers are assigned to Infantry by default, though some may be assigned to Supply. Infantry Division is broken down into squads and generally led by its own Sergeant. Squads are assigned based on time served and by skill specialty. The Infantry Division Commander will coordinate most raids, PvP practice, guard duties and training assignments. We support both PvP and PvE/PvM styles of play, as well as coordination of grouping, freedom for solo time, and the best in Newbie training regardless of experience.
Supply Division, the Backbone of any fighting force, provides nearly all equipment available in whatever game, minus those items that are only attainable as drop loot. We believe in securing the best of the best of any and all crafting professionals in order to maintain the highest level of readiness and to keep our hard earned money in our own pockets. Buying and Selling within the Company will Not Be Tolerated and is grounds for immediate removal of your life and all Company assets assigned. All Company Regulars are required to simply post to the Forums and requisition any equipment they are in need of. The Supply Division Commander will coordinate the sharing, gathering, and storage of all Company assets and issue them accordingly.
Infantry Division assists in supplying Supply Division as it assists in supplying the Infantry Division with what it needs vice versa such forth and so on... All is given freely, No Questions, No Excuses.
As we are a military unit, we behave accordingly with military traditions, such as; wearing assigned uniforms, using battle formations, and following protocols such as saluting officers to issuing supplies through proper requisition. This is all done without Ego or Drama, and done in the spirit of the Black Company.
If ego trips and drama games are something you enjoy, save yourself the time and energy and stop reading now if you are here to apply for recruitment. You will not find it here.
Freedom of speech is highly encouraged, though that does not mean you can say certain things and not face consequences. If you are a troublemaker, you will be removed. Racism and Bigotry Will Not Be Tolerated. Prejudicial states of mind are inherent in all people, this is to be understood, just use your best judgment and realize that some things are best left behind your teeth. For example, calling someone out for being a corpse camping shitbag would be a perfectly acceptable prejudice, in the eyes of most of the Brothers. Calling someone a faggot nigger kike wop will result in your immediate removal and banning for life.
Trouble is not defined by a person, but by the Company as a whole. No One person will pull rank and kick you for personal reasons, however, an Officer can decide if you are putting the Company in a compromising position with your words or actions. With this having been said, be forewarned to either have or grow thick skin when it comes to freedom of speech. We are not the Carebear Freelove and Hugs Association. We are a band of hardened mercenaries and play as such.
We are a PvP Guild at heart that enjoys immersion in a virtual world. If you choose to become a Brother of the Black Company, be prepared to act like one. If a Sergeant says "cut the chatter and move out", he is doing this in role and for the necessity of a mission. If an Officer says, "Do that again and I'll kill you myself", in reality he is saying, "that isn't the most efficient method of action, lets try this instead". This is simply how it's done here. You don't have to Role Play to be here, just understand that we play the roles of the characters and in the end, we end up being ourselves. The Purpose is to have Fun, Period.
In order to maintain the highest level of readiness for any situation, we firmly believe in the ability to communicate with one another by any means, on or off the battlefield. Not all of our Brothers are as close as some, but this is inherent in any organization. Our communication network consists of these forums, our own Ventrillo server, whatever each game can provide, and quite a few of us use a program called Skype, which is p2p voice telephony software with superior quality of sound though only supports 5 users at one time. We understand that not everyone wishes to use voice comms or post 10000 posts a day to the forums, however, this a club of real players, of real friends who believe that the better we communicate, the more grand our adventures, the bloodier the battlefield with our enemies blood, the more gleam to our coffers. It's not uncommon to get phone calls in the middle of the night on our cell phones from the other side of the planet, but you risk your own health being the one making the phone call. You have been WARNED!
We believe in regular meetings, events and training exercises, all of which are posted and scheduled ahead of time to allow for maximum attendance. However, Grunts can be called out at any time for immediate response duty, ordered (asked really, nobody will ever tell you that you MUST come and do something now now now) to pull a guard assignment, yanked off R&R to hunt down a bounty or any number of duties that put money in our pockets and drink in our bellies. This is the life of a mercenary. It isn't for everyone, it isn't easy, but it is damn rewarding for lost souls and sell swords looking for a place in the world to call Home.
Our main motto in the Company is, Of By and For. This means exactly that, that everything we do is for the benefit of the Company. We do not recruit Glory Hounds or Solo Kings. We are not a glorified chat room. Every action we take has the Company gain at its heart, Of By and For.
Though we are not all currently in the same game, we are in the same Company. Everyone is encouraged to get to know your Brothers regardless of the game you are in. Just because you are in Galaxies doesn't mean the Darkfall crew aren't your Brothers. We are all under one banner for the same reason; this is the place we choose to call Home.
The only proofs of this that cannot be offered in words are these facts: Many Brothers have fallen onto hard times and not been able to pay a month on their account. They have had their accounts paid by the Company. The Domain Registration, the Website, and the Teamspeak server are all paid by The Company as a whole. When Brothers have left certain games, they donate their accounts as bots or to new Brothers who have proven their loyalty to the Company. This is just how we do things....Of ...By.....and For. No Excuses.
If you aren't willing to commit yourself at this level of camaraderie, keeping in mind this takes time to build up this kind of trust with each other, the Company isn't the right place for you. Simply be honest with yourself and with the Brotherhood.
The recruitment charter is currently undergoing a few changes. Please just make your application on our forums at this address. Register before you make the application.
http://www.black-company.org/forums/
We look forward to seeing the Best of the Best make the decision to join the Brotherhood of the Black Company. Good Luck, Better Skill, No Regrets, No Excuses.