Unit integrity & Recruitment

[humble]

I'll follow up on what RT said a bit. Jeff has established a pretty consistent set of parameters combined with an "open vox" policy. We seem to be a 2nd home for not only knights but a number of guys who normally fly another chess piece but occasionally "go slumming". As with most good squads behavior not skill is the determining factor, although we have a number of exceptional sticks on board. A number of us (Jeff especially) can be pretty vocal externally on range as a "good neighbor", giving check 6's, tactical updates and willing to carry the water if another bunch (squad or not) is pushing a specific plan and needs a hand. The flip side is a lot of candid chatter internally on vox about what we don't like. As an example Jeff commented on a certain knights behavior that not only wouldn't he ever help the guy again but that if he ever saw one of us act like that he'd boot us in a heart beat. We (really he) actully does not hesitate to kick a bad fit to the curb (happens once a quarter or so). This helps establish a pretty good understanding of what "we" tolerate and where we draw a line. We've had the pleasure of a large number of quality guys who have flown with us for awhile and move on seeking more then just a great bunch of oddballs (we are a very quirky bunch (look no farther then Beef's post here to get a feel for that) since we almost never have a squad night and rarely if ever "do mizzun's". Others like me have found a permanent home where the sum of the parts far exceeds any reasonable expectations we thought we'd find in a "squad" and become lifers. In the end I think a squad reflects the personality and character of the CO and to a lesser extent the senior cadre of members, as long as consistency to that "vision" is maintained then a squad can grow pretty large and yet feel very small and contained. Jeff does a great job of allowing a constant stream of new apples without ever letting one sour the entire barrel. From observation I can tell you its a fine fine line that not many can walk very well...

[boomerlu]

Here's my take as a recruit.

I've been approached by a few squads. Mainly a CO or other some such important person liked the way I handled my plane in battle (usually a duel or informal 1v1 in the middle of an arena) and PM'd me afterwards. I think this is a pretty reasonable way to approach recruiting. The conversation afterwards is quite important, IMO to gauge the personality of the potential recruit and for him to find out about the squad.

However, the squad I ended up joining I asked to join without being approached.

A little bit of shameless squad promotion here. JG11 didn't need to approach me because:

1) We have a well defined purpose. That is, it was very clear to me from the outset that JG11 flies German planes and flies intelligently as a team. That was exactly what I wanted, and my fly-along was merely a verification of these facts (from my perspective).
2) We are well known within the community.
3) We have a respected reputation and good forum representation.

Critically, I think #3 is a product of the individuals that make up the squad, NOT a decree from Herr Stampf. He does not need to give such orders. From my (admittedly short) experience with the squad, it appears Stampf started the squad with #1 and #3 in mind regarding who he chose to begin and applies those criteria with every prospective recruit. Don't take my word for it - I'm not Stampf, but that's what I've concluded so far.

That is... you must have the right group of people at all times, which starts with the founders and continues with new recruits (both selecting the right people and turning down the wrong people). Don't make integrity an order - rather recruit the right people and integrity follows naturally.

[Shuffler]

Who's this Stampf you speak of and can you send letters with him stuck on them.

[boomerlu]

Who's this Stampf you speak of and can you send letters with him stuck on them.

I was my head there for a minute, then I got it.  . Terrible pun though.

[Soulyss]

I was my head there for a minute, then I got it.  . Terrible pun though.

That's just a small sample of what we have to put up with on a nightly basis, so far it's been a pretty effective anti-recruitment tool.

[Shuffler]

I was my head there for a minute, then I got it.  . Terrible pun though.

Those are the only type puns I have in my bag-o-tricks. Didn't you know that??   

[mtnman]

Our squad (Ensign Eliminators) is just a corsair-related name to tack on behind our in-game id's.  That's about it.  Our entire squad flies F4U's all of the time (2 people, lol!).

Believe it or not, it was mainly formed so we wouldn't keep getting asked to join other squads.  Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of great folks out there, and great squads to go along with them.  I/we have nothing against any of them.  We enjoy winging up with several of them.  We just don't want to join them.

We left our old squad (which was a great squad) because we were really only interested in lone-wolf flying.  No missions, no capture's, no regular teamwork...  It made us feel like dead weight on our squad, and we just got tired of telling people we didn't want to work on anything "as a team".  Beyond that, I just can't deal with more than 2-4 people on vox at any one time.  The combination of the two finally prompted me to leave, and Saber and I are friends outside of the game, so he left too.

Once we left, people apparently thought we were looking for a new squad, or were "on the market" again.  While flattering, it got old to have people sending invites almost every time we were logged in...  So, we started our own squad.

We don't recruit.  While we're not in the least bit opposed to new people joining up with us, we don't seek it out.  Occasionally we have someone get interested and join the squad, but they generally leave once they realize we're serious about the "rules" we fly by.

The rules are-
-fly corsairs.
-shoot at the red guys.
-land kills if you can.
-be nice to folks.  Unless they deserve otherwise.
-no missions, no captures, no squad nights.  No squad email, no squad website.
-only assist in a capture effort (shoot ack, strafe town, etc) if you need to land at that field due to fuel or damage problems.
-only one vulch "flight" per month, max.  Beyond that, if a fight is reduced to vulching, fly away and find a different fight.  If you can't find a decent fight, switch teams and shoot the vulchers.  If the fight is really nothing more than a vulch, at least let the guys get out of the ack and give 'em a chance; try to drag one away from the crowd.  Leave the vulch and head to the next-further base if they start lifting there...
-stay out of the other guy's fights.  Allow them to go 1v1, and stay far enough away to not be a threat to the opponent.  It's preferable to have your squadie die, rather than to "save" him from a 1v1.  Pilot wounds, damage, fuel state may occasionally cause that rule to be bent.
-if a 1v1 turns into a 2v1 or greater, feel free to jump in and help with the slaughter.  Bombers are not included in this rule.  They're tasty snacks; grab 'em while you can!
-switch teams to help the under-dogged team.  That generally means logging in and joining the smallest team.  Having done that, if there are no decent fights, or if the team is "advantaged" in numbers at the decent fights, switch teams again.
-since there is no "squad" plan for any time, feel free to wing up with folks, visit, and have a good time.  Switch vox channels if needed, so that can happen.
-feel free to fly what you want, when you want.  Just don't spend most of your time in the corsairs.
-no more than 4 people in the squad (so far, our record is three, lol!)

-when there are better sticks than you around, try to kill them in nice 1v1 fights so they don't realize they're better than you...

Generally speaking, people have trouble with the 1v1 fight rule.  It's hard for them to understand that while we're flying near each other, we're not normally helping each other.  It's just a couple of lone-wolves hunting the same herd of caribou.  Some seem surprised when we let them die...

[Shuffler]

Big post.
Small Squad.


 

[FALCONWING]

Birds of Prey lets folks who are interested hang out on our vox for 2 weeks so they have a chance to check us out and vice-versa....

1.  No folks under 18 with few exceptions of members kids are allowed due to language/jokes issues
2.  Whiners, screamers, guys who are always upset pretty much are asked to move on
3.  Skill level is not an issue...attitude and commitment to having fun are valued commodities
4.  Lack of interest in score is preferred

[mtnman]

Big post.
Small Squad.


 

 

[thndregg]

Birds of Prey lets folks who are interested hang out on our vox for 2 weeks so they have a chance to check us out and vice-versa....

1.  No folks under 18 with few exceptions of members kids are allowed due to language/jokes issues
2.  Whiners, screamers, guys who are always upset pretty much are asked to move on
3.  Skill level is not an issue...attitude and commitment to having fun are valued commodities
4.  Lack of interest in score is preferred

5. Must be "gay" on Friday. 

[RedTop]

I'll follow up on what RT said a bit. Jeff has established a pretty consistent set of parameters combined with an "open vox" policy. We seem to be a 2nd home for not only knights but a number of guys who normally fly another chess piece but occasionally "go slumming". As with most good squads behavior not skill is the determining factor, although we have a number of exceptional sticks on board. A number of us (Jeff especially) can be pretty vocal externally on range as a "good neighbor", giving check 6's, tactical updates and willing to carry the water if another bunch (squad or not) is pushing a specific plan and needs a hand. The flip side is a lot of candid chatter internally on vox about what we don't like. As an example Jeff commented on a certain knights behavior that not only wouldn't he ever help the guy again but that if he ever saw one of us act like that he'd boot us in a heart beat. We (really he) actully does not hesitate to kick a bad fit to the curb (happens once a quarter or so). This helps establish a pretty good understanding of what "we" tolerate and where we draw a line. We've had the pleasure of a large number of quality guys who have flown with us for awhile and move on seeking more then just a great bunch of oddballs (we are a very quirky bunch (look no farther then Beef's post here to get a feel for that) since we almost never have a squad night and rarely if ever "do mizzun's". Others like me have found a permanent home where the sum of the parts far exceeds any reasonable expectations we thought we'd find in a "squad" and become lifers. In the end I think a squad reflects the personality and character of the CO and to a lesser extent the senior cadre of members, as long as consistency to that "vision" is maintained then a squad can grow pretty large and yet feel very small and contained. Jeff does a great job of allowing a constant stream of new apples without ever letting one sour the entire barrel. From observation I can tell you its a fine fine line that not many can walk very well...

<S> Snap!!!!

[SPKmes]

I don't know if I should really divulge this information...but..... for recruitment, I had to make tea, coffee and scones every squad night...do all the dishes...and keep the kitchen clean......At first I thought what a bunch of dirty cartoon pilots but after making it to the fully fledged Kitchen ranks I found this was not the norm...just giving the new guy the run around..also the scary part of recruitment is when they tell you to stick you hand in the hole......I was skeptical at first, but being the eager new recruit I did it.....and pulled out the tongs.....the rest is as they say.......We try to make it back every sortie, work as a team...but mostly we swap recipes and cooking tips...

[Bear76]

I don't know if I should real divulge this information...but..... for recruitment, I had to make tea, coffee and scones every squad night...do all the dishes...and keep the kitchen clean......At first I thought what a bunch of dirty cartoon pilots but after making it to the fully fledged Kitchen ranks I found this was not the norm...just giving the new guy the run around..also the scary part of recruitment is when they tell you to stick you hand in the hole......I was skeptical at first, but being the eager new recruit I did it.....and pulled out the tongs.....the rest is as they say.......We try to make it back every sortie, work as a team...but mostly we swap recipes and cooking tips...

mmm, time to make a burger and slap an egg on it

[TUK]

Congrats, poor boy's thread has been hijacked.. Hope you got some decent info...