What Makes a Clan Long-Lived?

**sugaree**

In MxO, there are ephemeral clans that come and go in a month or so, and others that have endured for years- ones like Furious Angels, Dark Mavericks, Tetragrammaton, and Fallen Horizon are merely the first ones that come to my mind.

In your experience, what are the things that help a clan last for a long time? I'm curious about this because I think MxO is better off with many long-lived clans than with a few, and if there are predictable factors that help clans last, we would all benefit from wider knowledge of how to make our own groups last. I'd like to think it is more than luck. I'm sure there is a lot we can all learn from each other.

Mostly I'm thinking about what has worked for the long-term successes in MxO, but if people have noticed patterns of success from other games, please feel free to share them.

**Valeth**

My guess is that it's mostly about friendships enduring the years, and still being willing to be active and play the game.

Criingey

Valeth wrote:

My guess is that it's mostly about friendships enduring the years, and still being willing to be active and play the game.

Yeah, think about what is involved in friendship... trust, honesty, willing to do whatever it takes, the ability to laugh and share.

Now put that into a faction. With Section 9 i love the constant adventures we share with each other.. never a dull moment.

**Riac.**

Criingey wrote:

Yeah, think about what is involved in friendship... trust, honesty, willing to do whatever it takes, the ability to laugh and share.
Now put that into a faction. With Section 9 i love the constant adventures we share with each other.. never a dull moment.

I would agree with that.. general bickering over rubish things is what kills a faction, you need to know where to draw the line between having some fun and making another persons game play a nightmare by being an *CENSORED*. the core of all good factions is a group of friends if that doesn't exist then the faction will fail.

**Procurator**

I'd say it's more to do with the people than the factions (clans indeed

). If the faction members are more likely to stick with the game and stick with their friends, the faction remains coherent and thus survives. If the members aren't like that, they keep ending up in factions that only last a few months and the problem persists.

A faction will survive if there's a core of dedicated members. The faction may see fickle people of dubious loyalty and conviction come and go, but as long as the core remains, the faction remains. If, on the other hand, a faction is formed by people who've a long history of being in different factions, that faction is far less likely to last. That's why you see the same players again and again in the 'flavour of the month' faction: they can't keep a faction coherent for long before they've left again to form different ones. And the cycle continues...

ThHidden01

I have a big philosophy that many people hate. The Dragoons are big, and have been for nearly 2 years, whether people like the people inside, that's irrelevant. My belief is simple, Die For Faction, *CENSORED* everyone else.

The faction internally does everything for itself, we live breath together as a family, we grow, experience. We have our own events, we have our own ventrilo, site, we have our own games, different tournaments on these games. But if you don't wear our tag, when it comes to it, your not a Dragoon, and therefore we don't ever put you above the faction. Which is why smack talk is allowed, but internally to each other it's not.

I also accept everyone. Alot of TC and FH, and the older 'royal' factions, have longer interview processes and frown upon the idea of lowbies getting in. I am not against that, it has it's benefits. I prefer to give everyone a chance, and alot of our people were lowbies that sprouted into 50s. They also always remained for us. There is rumours floating around that I pay my members, yet a quick look into this with my members would reveal otherwise.

We have not been here as long as the royal factions, so kudos to them. We are quite different in leadership, no council, it's me at the top, and power trickles down the hierarchy. I am not a tyrant at heart and deliberate alot of things.

Overall, the key is to just remember your faction is what matters, if you work for them, and ignore outsiders, your faction will always thrive.

The Dragoons is a cult I was told by some dissaproving individual. Shame it works SMILEY

TH

**LoTekGhost** · 02/16/2008 07:18:21

It has everything to do with the people. My faction has been around since 2005 (although under a slightly different name now, due to a leadership change) and our community of players is what's kept us together. We may not be as populated as we once were, but we still maintain contact with most of the players that have either become in-active in the game or moved on to other endeavors utilizing our faction website as a portal for communications.

As far as having a successful and active faction goes, it requires participation. One can set up all sorts of activities and events within the faction for members to participate in, but it's all moot until the members participate. Keeping players interested and active is key in this, which is mostly dependent on key members in the faction to encourage others and (importantly) be there for others when they need assistance or just feel like talking. If you get a good group of knowledgeable and willing players to structure the higher-levels of the faction, it trickles down and effects the entire population of the faction. In summation, I'd list the top-3 important factors as follows:

Community (includes the players and the means by which they communicate)
Activity
Encouragement and accessibility (by accessibility I refer to making activities available for all types in the faction, making no one feel left out)

My 2 $i.

**JDilla**

The friendships I've made through my faction, is the biggest reason is still login into this game everday. I think friendships is what holds factions together. I also think common "in game" goals. If you have a group of people who are all down for the same cause, you'll have a strong faction. Just my two bits.

Word

**Satta**

Procurator wrote:

I'd say it's more to do with the people than the factions (clans indeed ). If the faction members are more likely to stick with the game and stick with their friends, the faction remains coherent and thus survives. If the members aren't like that, they keep ending up in factions that only last a few months and the problem persists.

A faction will survive if there's a core of dedicated members. The faction may see fickle people of dubious loyalty and conviction come and go, but as long as the core remains, the faction remains. If, on the other hand, a faction is formed by people who've a long history of being in different factions, that faction is far less likely to last. That's why you see the same players again and again in the 'flavour of the month' faction: they can't keep a faction coherent for long before they've left again to form different ones. And the cycle continues...

Very well said. I agree with you. SMILEY

**Shinryu**

I can only echo what's already been said. It's the people, the friendships, and that commitment to eachother and to the game at large.

**MxO-PhanthomZtryker**

This.

Join usssssssss.... *drool* *vacant stare*

Zudrag

A crazed leader.

**sugaree**

ThHidden01 wrote:

The Dragoons is a cult I was told by some dissaproving individual. Shame it works " width="15" height="15" />

TH

"The Dragoons is a cult"...they say that like it's a bad thing.

**Eleutherophobia**

Someone to collectively dislike.

Zudrag

Eleutherophobia wrote:

Someone to collectively dislike.

Hit it on the head. Good job.