When being a leader of any group in an online setting, it takes a certain amount of skill. However, the act of leading really is more about following a series of axioms then anything else.
First one has to realize that this is not a “game”. While yes, it is a game in the concept that it has rules. The point of MU*ing is to have an emotional experience. To have fun, yes, but to also –feel- the emotional experience is just as important as the rules and winning. Some players are into the rules aspect of the game; some players are into the emotional connection. The need to RP out the details so as to create greater submersion into the PC is strong. In this aspect, MU*ing is not a game, but a Hobby at its worst, a lifestyle at it’s best. While it may be a game for you, it is most certainly not a game for the other players. SO if you are going to be a leader, you must take this seriously and not be flippant. The words, ‘It’s only a game’ should never leave a leader’s lips if you intend on being a good leader in a MU setting.
The danger of all this, is that this hobby of ours is an emotionally charged one. As with all emotional things, logic is secondary to how we feel. To properly you must adopt a certain point of view. Your primary concern is loyalty and obedience. To have that, you must first gain the emotional attachment. Logic will only go so far. So learn the following:
FEELINGS FIRST. FACTS FOLLOW.
This is the carnal rule of being a leader. You must first and foremost ALWAYS deal with the emotional context of a problem before you can hope to solve the problem itself. It is the nature of the beast that your sphere is a swirling and churning hotbed of emotions both on the IC and OOC level, which creates a crashing dynamic that cannot be directly confronted with logic. Therefore, you must be skilled in the art of defusing emotional situations, if you hope to solve problems. One the emotions are defused, logic can be applied.
The most important part of being a leader is to listen. The less you say, the more what you do say will be respected. An important rule of thumb is, every three poses you make in a conversation should be a summary of what the other person said, formed into a question. For example:
Bob: I hate this place.
You: Why do you hate this place?
Bob: This place sucks.
You: What specifically sucks about this place?
Bob: I can’t figure out what to do with my character.
You: It sounds like to me you aren’t having fun because you can’t seem to figure out what you want to accomplish. Is that correct?
Bob: Well, not exactly. What I mean is…
What just happened here? Bob was venting. Bob expressed an issue that was a gripe. You helped him get past the emotions to the actual problem. By stepping back and clarifying every third pose what the other person said you:
- Show the other person you are listening.
- Avoid confusion by clarifying the reality.
- Make the other person think about what he’s saying and how he sounds like.
Bob response to your question was to tell you that you are wrong. That isn’t what he meant. You misunderstood Bob. But you would never have known unless you asked him what he really intended. A major problem is people don’t think they are heard. They want to be heard and understood. This starts with YOU, the leader, and understanding people better.
Chapter Two: Ask for permission.
The second part of problem solving is to ask for permission to help. I usually use this line.
That sounds like a problem. Do you want me to problem solve, or do you just need someone to understand you?
NEVER offer solutions without asking if the solution is wanted first. NEVER assume an answer to this question. Example:
You: That sounds like a problem. Do you want me to problem solve, or do you just need someone to understand you?
Bob: Ed is driving me nuts always telling me that Abominations are a bad player concept.
You: But do you want me to go talk to Ed about this, or do you just want advice?
Bob: I’m telling you Ed is a jerk.
You: Yes, But do you want me to do something about it? I don’t help people unless they specifically want the help. I never assume. You need to be clear. Yes or No?
Bob: No… I don’t want to make a fuss over this.
What happened? Bob is not presenting a problem. Bob just wants attention and to feel better. He’s venting, not asking for help. It SOUNDS like Bob wants help, but he doesn’t actually want it. He just wants to talk. Part of being a leader is this very situation. Making people think they are understood and appreciated.
Chapter Three: Problem Solving
Problem solving is left up to the apt pupil. Be it a simple matter or a complex one. There are more problems then one can imagine, so we will include some simple guidelines.
- Define the problem – It’s important to know what the problem is exactly.
- Define Success– What is a win? If you don’t know it, you can’t solve it.
- Define Failure – It is a poor leader who does not consider losing. You must consider failure in order to prepare for it.
- Minimize variables – Try to remove everything not needed from the equation.
- Prepare in advance – Always prepare from problems before they exist. Don’t prepare for every problem, but when you have free time, prepare for something new. Will the vampires turn on us? Have people go make wooden stakes. Will the mages start draining Garou for quintessence? Spy on them to find out where they live, just in case.
- Wait for it – It is rare that haste commitment solves a problem. A problem might not be a problem. A problem might work to your advantage. Wait for the perfect moment of opportunity.
- When you choose to act, move swiftly and with overwhelming force – When you do decide to solve a problem, the problem must be solved quickly and with as much precision as possible. A wise leader does not wish lengthy battles. This applies to wars, and to helping someone deal with her ex-husband. Once you are in motion, MOVE.
Chapter Four: Public Relations.
A good leader is respectable on both the OOC level and the IC one. If you have IC respect but no OOC respect, you are doomed. If you OOC respect, but no IC respect, you are doomed. It is only by mastering the politics of both the OOC and the IC can you hope to achieve victory over all your opponents.
When you listen often and speak infrequently, you will come to understand others while others will learn less about you. The words you use will have more weight because there is less to be heard.
When you encounter a threat to your followers, you must be vocal in your protest and desire to destroy all who would dare to threaten your group. You to not have to actual act on your threats. Your threats are for your groups’s ears, not for your enemies. With this, you will be seen as protective and trustworthy.
When you encounter problems, you must solve them quietly, but have others sing your praise. You cannot praise your own actions. Others must praise you. If no one praises you, then your victory must go unsung. With this, you will seem humble and well liked.
When you are insulted, you must endure it. You should ask what the person intended and attempt to learn why he dislikes you. State to him what you believe is his problem with you, then state what you intend to do about it. If you intend to do nothing, or you believe him to be wrong in his assessment, state that. No insult should be ignored, but seen as an opportunity to improve. With this, you will seem introspective and stable.
Chapter Four: Dealing With Friends
The leaders friends are his group. He must trust his group and trust no other. He must work to make sure that his group knows he is their friend. No friend is made in a mass scene. No friend is made with three people in the room. Friends are made one on one. The true leader is the friend of everyone in his sphere. He speaks with everyone at least once a month both OOCly and ICly. He keeps a spreadsheet of the active players and these he covets for a leader’s strength is not in his stats, but in the strength of his followers. He keeps track of what dates he last spoke with whom one on one. Everyone at some point must be asked two OOC questions once a month.
Are you having fun in the sphere?
What would you improve around here if you could?
These questions need not be written down, but merely kept in mind. The act of asking the questions alone is enough for most players to keep them happy and thinking that you care about them as a player. ICly each month, you must meet each player and ask:
How are you doing?
What can I do to help you?
Then you must leave the conversation on a happy note of praise. You must state something positive about them that can be as simple as, ‘Thanks for helping, you do a great job.” By asking these four questions and by praising them, you create friends. Thus the wise leader has his finger on the pulse of his sphere.
Chapter Five: Dealing with Enemies
A leader’s enemies are many. They are everyone not in your group. None can be fully trusted. Most enemies should be treated like friends. One enemy must not. One enemy must be reviled and hated. One enemy must be beyond redemption. This enemy cannot be redeemed. This enemy need not be destroyed, but serve as your scapegoat as well as the release value. Without an enemy to fight, a group loses focus. It becomes stagnant and listless. An enemy must be present and if ever defeated, another enemy must be found. By always being at war, by always being the one everyone in your sphere is friends with, by being the leader that everyone respects, you will always have a place as leader.
Chapter Six: Dealing with Traitors
A traitor of your sphere refuses to be your friend. He refuses to help you. He acts against you. This is a traitor and not an enemy. Those who oppose you in your group are an enemy of the group. Those who support you support the group. Traitors must be destroyed not by your hand, but by the hand of those who serve you. To directly destroy a traitor is to show that you attack your own. The rest of your sphere will not see the traitor for who he is. They will see the traitor as a member of the sphere first and an enemy second. You must not directly involve yourself in the disposal of enemies. Therefore, you must find a master assassin.
The master assassin is not only physically capable of performing a PK, but also in systematically destroying the reputation of another player. In fact, the preferred method of destroying an enemy is to destroy his reputation. The assassin should not appear to be acting on your orders, but acting on his own. He must accept that he will be hated and understand that he serves a greater purpose. The best assassin is not known as an assassin. The best assassin does not even know he serves your will.
When an assassin destroys a reputation, the traitor can be cast out and become an enemy. Thus an enemy that the sphere can focus it’s hate, and thus unite in your purity. This is how a leader turns a traitor into an asset.
Should you have no choice but to directly confront a traitor, Do not strike first. Instead, ask the traitor questions that the answers are crimes. Are you trying to betray me? Are you trying to tear this sphere apart? Why are you friends with the enemy? Never accuse directly, but ask questions that the answer to would accuse. Thus you avoid directly confronting the traitor and others come to the conclusions that you have on their own.
Chapter Seven: Communications
The wise leader has no secretes. The wise leader is open and just assumes that OOCly, information will get around and there is almost no way to hide anything. People will talk. Rumors will spread. The true leader thus has open communication and is honest to a fault. He does not lie, although he may mislead. If he misleads, he must mislead all. The misdirection must become truth in the eyes of all, lest the fabrication be used against you at a later time by a traitor.
The best way to communicate is in mass. Low priority messages go on the BBoard. Moderately important messages to the sphere should be +mailed to all active players. Very important messages should be delivered in person at a weekly meeting. It should be you talking to the sphere and them listening. When you are finished talking to them, then you can open the floor to general discussion. This will create weekly RP and all who attend will gain XP for when mass voting takes place. Thus your weekly meeting will be it’s own reward. If you cannot attend the meetings, you must find a trusted Second to act in your place and explain the information that you wish to expound.
Chapter Eight: Organizing your group
Titles cost you nothing but give players a sense of accomplishment. You should give titles to people and list those titles publicly on the board. There shall be the titles of the Sept and these should be filled at all times by active players. There should be the heads of each sub group, a head of each tribe, a head of each auspice. The pack leaders and betas should be listed as well. There needs to be an alpha, a beta, a warlord, a master of the challenge, a master of the rite, a keeper of the land, a den mother. There should be a trusted liaison to every power group. Everyone with a title should report to you once a month to inform you of what they have done. Inactive players should be removed from office.
The unofficial positions are Master Assassin, and PR man. A master assassin should be given one of these positions, since he will need power to fulfill his duties. The PR man should have no title and remain quiet in the background. He is your ear of the common man. The one who hears what people will not say to your face. Select your PR man well, for he will be the one who lies for you. He is the one who will sing your praise. He is the one who will be the one who agrees with you and promotes your cause when you are not around. Without a PR man, the Leader is blind and relies on what people will only say to your face. If you are impressive enough, no one will ever tell you anything bad. The leader who does not know the heart of his group shall fail.
Chapter Nine: Delegation.
A proper leader finds the players that are active and aggressive. The active players are put in charge of inactive players. The wise leader delegates to the active players. If you order your followers and nothing happens. Perhaps your orders are not clear. Issue them again.
If you order your followers again and nothing happens, the fault is in your officers. Destroy one officer as an example to what happens when they fail you. Promote another to his position. Thus they will come to believe you are serious.
A leader should perform no TP himself, but instead delegate as much as possible to others. If there is a member of the sphere who has nothing to do, give him a task. Find you guns. Get you money. Make armor. Spy on the enemy. Spy on an ally. Go help another member of the Sept. There is no reason anyone must ever have nothing to do. Everyone should have a task and those tasks should be recorded on your spreadsheet. When someone complains about nothing to do, bring up their task and ask why nothing has happened with that task.
Chapter Ten: Putting it all together.
Finally, putting it all together. Make a post and address everyone’s concerns. Remember, people want something to do, and LIKE being told what to do. Act like you are in charge by being in charge.
