Disclaimer: Ignorance is not an excuse. Saying 'I didn't know' if you break one of these rules will not excuse you.

• The OES is predominantly composed of people between the ages of 21 and 40 something. Due to the difference in maturity between that age group and people under 18, we as a general rule do not accept minors as applicants. There are a few exceptions to this, but they are rare. In our founding guildmaster's words:
  

  I would rather be direct than beat around the bush. I normally have a stong policy against allowing anyone into the guild who is under 18. The main reason for this is that my guild is composed of mostly folks between the age of 21-40. This tends towards conversations that some parents will strongly consider inappropriate for their "minor". The second reason is that sense's of humor are strongly different with folks below the age of 18 and those above. One example was a youngster who was added to the guild and within 5 min said "Hey guess what? Chickenbutt!". Turns out the kid was the same age as my son, 12. I kicked him immediately.

  So, if you are under the age of 18 and thinking of applying to our guild, please be aware that maturity is extremely important to the OES. And if you apply and lie about your age you'll have to deal with the consequences.
  
  
• Don’t be a jackass. Or as Searath has been known to say, “No assholery. We all know what it is, don’t do it.” This applies to your fellow Shieldmates and people not in the guild. You represent us wherever you go, at all times. You are Shield. We all have bad days and such, try not to let that carry over into your playtime though. Be courteous to your guildmates as well as others.
  
  
• Be mature. Very much in line with the previous rule. Don’t whine / pout / get all passive-aggressive if you don’t get your way / get an item you want. Don’t just up and quit the guild if you get pissed. Take your issues to a superior officer (usually a Blackguard) and talk it out, or leave a message if none of the command structure is available. If there is a topic on the table being discussed, be patient. If it's important, it'll probably take a while for us to discuss so don't mention your problem and then bail out the next day. The Shield will only be as mature as you, the members, make it. If you expect to be treated like an adult, act like one yourself. Causing drama intentionally hurts the guild and makes everyone angry and tired. Any unecessary drama is unwelcome. This doesn't mean that if you have issues, they shouldn't be addressed. Problems can be solved in a mature way. If your problem is with a guild officer, take it to someone above their rank. If your problem is with the Khan, you can talk to him about it. Please do speak up! We're not mind readers and misunderstandings do happen. We do our best to keep things fun.
  
  Along these lines, if the officers are approached with "this needs to change or I'm quitting the guild" then the standard response is "do what you need to do."  This doesn't mean that we don't care about you or your problems, but we aren't going to respond any quicker because you are holding your guild membership hostage.  Report the problem, and give us time to come to a resolution.  If you honestly can't stay in the guild because of the issue and we haven't come to a resolution, then it is probably better if you do go.  If you're hoping for "Oh please don't go!  We promise we'll give a half ass band-aid solution just to keep you!" then please refer back to the previous paragraph about unecessary drama.
  
  
• Give without expectation. One of the things most of us appreciate about the Shield is that we share resources and equipment whenever possible. If you put something up to be given away, don’t expect anything in return. This does not mean that you need to give away all your loot or even some of your loot. There is no quota on if or how much you give. Generally speaking though, most of us would rather see a nice piece of gear used by someone we know and trust than auctioned away.
  
  
• Don’t expect handouts. This sort of goes along with the above rule. Don’t expect people to fall over themselves to give you money if in guildchat you say “I need 30G.” No matter how much you give to others or the guild as a whole, don’t make a request and expect it to be filled. Ask nicely, if it happens, great! If not, don’t pitch a fit or think that we’re all unhelpful or don’t like you. If you're very new to the guild, please understand that our generosity is based on trust and a knowledge that our fellow guildmates will return the same generosity. That trust takes a little time to build but in the end, it will go a long way. So don't abuse it.
  
  Don't give until you're broke though. Giving and sharing are all well and good, but look out for yourself as well. Don't go overboard. If you want to auction an item, go for it. If you feel like you're poor, auction stuff, don't give it away. Never feel like you HAVE to give something away. As said above, there is no quota on if or how much you give. Giving things to the Shield makes the Shield stronger, but a guild is only as strong as its weakest members.
  
  
• Respect and utilize the chain of command. If you have a problem, talk it over with one of your friendly neighborhood Blackguard. If your problem is WITH a Blackguard, try another, or try one of the Bloodsworn.
  
  
• Communicate effectively and with maturity. Most of us don’t have a problem with the occasional “how u doing” or the occasional “LOL.” Constant use or whole sentences composed of net or leet-speak will get the command structure pissed at you in a hurry. “gud 4 U” is very much frowned upon. We also have a vent server that’s usually available and even faster than a shorthand “can u help?” Keep this rule in mind both when communicating with guild members and with outsiders. And for god’s sakes, DO NOT CARRY ON CONVERSATIONS IN THE SHOUT CHANNEL IN ORGRIMMAR, DAMNIT!
  
  
• Respect your enemies. You don’t have to be all lovey-dovey /hugs and /kisses, but don’t /spit and /rude, don’t spam emotes, don’t log in as an alt to chew someone out, and don’t talk smack on public forums. There are good people on both sides of the war, so try to extend to them the same courtesy you want for yourself. Make them WANT to fight you again, make them have FUN fighting you, and you will go far. Besides all that, you are Shield – we are above /spitting on enemies. No blue flagging please. You don't have to warn people that you're flagging up, I never do (Whitecloud) but not flagging up so you can get a big opener in on someone without taking any risks is punk ass behavior.
  
  
• Loot ninjas are not welcome, and need not apply. If you ninja from us then expect every guild you join to be informed of your activities. We like our faction mates too.
  
  
• If you must go inactive for more than two months, please let an officer know so we can place a note on your character. Characters who have been inactive for 3 months or more will be booted from the guild to save us some roster space.
  
  
• Account sharing: We do understand that some folk share an account with a spouse or whatnot. Character sharing however, with a few exceptions, is generally frowned apon in the OES. There are a couple of exceptions to this rule, so please ask an officer for clarification. Do not allow others to play your characters without express permission from the guild officers. If someone using your account does something while on your character in the OES that violates our rules you WILL be held responsible. If severe infractions of our rules take place while someone else is playing your character or representing you on our forums (etc) you may be kicked from the guild or banned without warning.
  

If you have questions regarding these rules, please feel free to address a guild officer for clarification.