UKFortress

Advice for Newbie Clans

Posted by [CJK]OblivionSeeker on 9/8/2001.

I recently 'participated' in a ladder game where we were awarded a default win because only three of the opposite number turned up to play. We had around ten players in chat beforehand, so we had players and subs available. The leader of the opposition begged, cajoled, and joked with us in an attempt to get the game re-played at the weekend. Neither the admin nor our clan leader would have it. So we used the time to practice map setups, while the three members of the other clan attacked along with some of us. We must have looked rather professional, adjusting sentry positions, communicating with bound keys and so on. I suppose the three clan players were unhappily thinking about how green the grass appeared on our side.

However, while they begged for a second chance, some of us in the clan were wracked with empathy. Not so long ago it would have been us, playing in another clan with too few players, begging and pleading with the admin, asking for a few more minutes in case someone comes online to play. When this happens too often you either fold the clan if you are the clan leader, or ditch the clan if you are not and go looking for another clan to join.

At least two members of CJK are ex-clan leaders, and I was arranging the server practice booking, the strategies used, the website (which I was asked to create but never used), and I ditched when I was asked to do the recruiting too. I figured I was doing the lot. So count at least three.

Now the ladder is well under way and we are seeing the same symptoms in other clans. They have just about enough players to qualify entry to the ladder, but not everyone turns up to the practice and the games. We, who are in our second or third clan, are looking at ourselves back in time. And listening to an admin say "You should make sure you have the players before you join the ladder" winds me almost as much now as it did back then, because it's so much easier said than done.

Success breeds success and failure breeds failure in a team sport. If you have enough players and therefore get wins, you become more attractive to potential recruits. When you lose due to no-shows, the remaining players are less inclined to bother showing up, and eventually ditch the clan.

The two questions facing these newbie clans are:

1. Where can I find reliable players?
2. How can I persuade them to join up?

Is there a way of telling if a player is going to be reliable while playing alongside him on a public server? Or maybe they hang out at the same bar... far too often the big mistake these clans make is looking for a high frag count. Sure, that shows a talented player, but not a reliable one.

I'm no authority on the matter, having never led a clan myself, but when I offered my services up a slew of clans asked me to trial, both Wireplay and UKTFCL. What did I do that was so special? I can only, in all modesty, suggest that the following things impressed these clans, and perhaps, in turn, should impress new clans:

1. Communication.
   I believe that telling your team where enemies or sentries are stationed, who is incoming to the base via. which entrance, and most impotantly where the flags are dropped, is the primary characteristic of a serious TFC player. Those who take time out to communicate instead of frag-chasing evidently care more about the overall score of the team than their own prowess. And if a player cares about the score of total strangers, he's going to care about the progress of his/her clan. A lot.
2. Key binds.
   A player who displays evidence of key binds shows that he has spent time on research and refinement. That he/she has sacrificed time surfing for fun or playing for a quick fix to look into improving their overall game. A player who wants a sense of achievement instead of a fast cap. Of course, key binds used to communicate are a bonus - so look for messages that come up quickly as a reaction, or a message that is repeated word for word throughout the game.
3. Other evidence of team play.
   A heavy class that acts as escort to a light one on canal zone. A player that throws the flag out the front window on well. That throws you the key on rock2 so he/she can hold the door open in the gas chamber. That will help you get past a sentry gun, or close the cave, and so on.

I do appreciate that this kind of player is like a diamond in the muck, and you could search for ages to find just one, but this sort of player is worth five casual players.

So question two: you ask if the player is clanned, they say no, you offer, they ask how many players in your clan, you lie. What now? What will persuade this player to join you? Again, I'm no expert, I'm only stating what impressed me as a potential recruit.

1. Trial the player. Even if you are desperate and will take the player if they are remotely talented, trial them anyway. Because if a player is tested, he will get to see your clan up close. If they're getting a few offers, they will go on what they already know about the clans. And since they have been introduced to your clan and seen them in action, you'll have the edge over a clan leader who is the only point of contact for the player. If you can trial several together, so much the better. It gives the (false?) impression that your clan is Popular and Organised.
2. Make sure the rest of your clan are on their best behaviour. For a start, they should turn up! You won't get any more players if the triallists see a depleted clan in practice, and you can tell your clan that if they persuade this player to join it puts less pressure on them to turn up to all the future practices and games. Then they should all play in proper roles and positions. If you don't know proper roles and positions for them, you're not ready to run a clan. That may sound like a hard line to take, but if a clan leader has not taken the time to research strategies, what good is he/she? The triallist(s) should be assigned roles. You can ask them what role they usually play, but don't take it as read that they must take up that position in the trial. They are supposed to be flexible.
3. Some of my trials I rejected the offers because the clans were so...regimental. Come in, stand there, start playing, stop. Wait. Roll over, play dead. I'm not saying be lenient, don't tell then to do as they wish, but just take a bit of time out to talk to the triallist. Casual stuff. Who are you really? Why did you pick that name (yawn)? Draw out an anecdote or a boast from them. Make them feel special. A clan is also a social thing, so be sociable.

I hope all that helps. A final piece of advice I can give is: don't launch the ship until it's got a crew. Don't be in too much of a rush to join a ladder or league, if you don't have the players. Wait until you have a clan of about 12 players, each of which will play games or practices 2 out of 3 times or better. You could get away with running a clan that just plays friendlies for a while, because those first few tentative friendlies will not go to plan - so the clan players will be reluctant to participate in a league until problems are ironed out.

I'd like to end this with a final plea to all the established clans: try to empathise with these new clans. It's easy to dismiss them as so-called 'chuckle brother' clans but they're all put together with the best of intentions. You might see an hour of your time wasted at a no-show, but they see their best-laid plans falling apart.

Adopt a new clan. Make friends with some of the members. If you play them and notice they don't know water conc jumps, politely offer to teach them or reccommend the TFC school. And so on.

Don't forget that some of your own clans were once in that position. And that maybe one member of that clan will be in your own team one day. Hopefully not - hopefully they flourish into a successful clan.

Home
Articles
Interviews
Reports
Forums
Site