What does SASU stand for?

Sword and Spells United.

Is SASU a guild?

No.

Then what is SASU?

SASU is an alliance of guilds and free agents cooperating together on end-game content.

Why are you here?

SASU was formed to provide smaller guilds access to a larger pool of people, activities, raids, resources, and end game content. It expanded to include unguilded individuals, as well as members from larger guilds whose schedules' did not mesh well with their guilds', or even large guilds who just happen to appreciate SASU's environment and the advantages it offers.

SASU also aims to provide a mature, role-play friendly environment free from the less savoury types that are often found in the more general Earthen Ring population.

How does this all work?

SASU operates on a volunteer basis. Individuals and guilds volunteer to run raids and events, many of which occur weekly. SASU members can then choose to participate to those events, but are under no obligation to do so. Think of SASU as a meeting place, a club where people meet before heading out to do their own thing.

Who is running the show?

SASU is run by a group of officers who are either representatives of the various SASU member guilds or representatives of the many free agents that we have. These representatives elect an administrative council and appoint coordinators to key positions. Follow the following link for a complete list of the SASU officers, coordinators and councilmen.

What kind of people are y'all?

SASU has a huge spectrum of players. Some only show up once a month, others raid every day of the week. From the hardcore raider to the avid role-player, SASU members have varied interests, attitudes and beliefs, but are all united in the quest to create a mature, pleasant environment to enhance their World of Warcraft experience.

How does SASU keep its members in contact?

SASU has an in-game channel, aptly named "SASU", which is used to keep in touch in-game. We also have forums, which can be found at http://www.sasu-er.org/index.php. Visitors wishing to learn more about us are welcome in both.

Do I have to commit to join? Can I just test it out?

The only commitment required to join SASU is to abide by our rules of conduct. You do not have to leave your guild, and you do not have to commit to raiding only with SASU.

Since there is no commitment associated with membership, there is no way, or need, to "test it out". Simply join as an introductory member, and see for yourself how SASU feels to you.

If I sign-up on the forums, am I a member?

No. Please consult the Joining SASU page for details on how to join us.

I'm a member now! What should I do?

First, you should join the in-game channel, SASU. To do so, simply type "/join SASU" in your chatbox. You can also sign-up on the forums for out-of-game socializing, as well as sign-up to various events.

How do I sign-up for raids and events?

You can sign-up for raids by visiting our raid sign-up board. Be sure to read the guidelines on how to sign-up for a raid first. Other, non-raid events will post instructions on how to sign-up for them in their respective threads.

Can I use SASU to gear-up for my guild's raids?

No. SASU is a community which works hard to create a cooperative environment where we help each other out. Using SASU as a stepping stone, only to ditch us later on, is very poorly looked upon.

y r u giving me a hard time about my english lol

SASU was initially created with role-playing guilds in mind. As such, one of our heritage is that we strive to be role-play friendly, and text-speech makes baby panda role-players cry.

Using proper english is a mark of respect, and an invaluable skill for everyone to have. Those of us who strive to write clear, correct english are quite disappointed when we are replied to with a mish-mash of ill-assorted consonnants without their vowel consorts.

Then what, exactly, is proper english?

"Proper english" is defined at the officers' discretion, and enforced using the officers' judgement. At the very least, it means no text-speech or LFG abbreviations. "y", "u", "r", "w/", "PST", "b4", "thx", "ty", etc. should all be avoided. Using "lol" every few words is also an habit that you should rid yourself of.

We have not, and never will, chastise you for honest mistakes. We will, however, come down hard on what we perceive as laziness.

Certain acronyms are tolerated. Instance names, "FYI", "ASAP", "BRB" and such. As a rule of thumb, if it is an acronym rather than an abbreviation, and that the full version would have more than 10 letters, then the acronym will probably be accepted.

These rules only apply to the SASU channel, and not to whispers or raid chat. However, remember that in the SASU environment, a lot of people will be very thankful if you keep your language level high even in those circumstances. Raids can make their own rules about the level of language they expect from their raiders.

Someone is being a meanie! Help!

If you observe someone breaking SASU rules, or simply being a jerk, you can consult our Handlings disagreements between SASU members thread. The short version is: try to solve the problem with the other party in private first, and if it fails, contact an officer.

An officer is represing me! Help!

Officers are the enforcers of SASU rules, and the law of the channel. You must comply with any request a SASU officer makes of you, be it dropping a particular subject, stopping sending whispers to a particular person, or anything else. If you have issues with the way an officer has treated you, you can contact our discipline coordinator to make a complaint.

I want to organize a raid! What must I do?

Any SASU member can organize a raid or event. You can post a sign-up sheet for a raid you organize in our raid sign-up board.

Consult the How To Post A Raid Signup post for instructions on how to link your raid to the SASU calendar. Your sign-up post must contain your raid's objective, date and time, as well as clear rostering and loot rules. If you do not use the in-game calendar to track raid invitations, your post must also contain a roster, indicating to everyone if they have been given a spot in the raid, or if they have been alt-listed.

When in doubt, consult the other raid sign-up threads that have been posted by our longer running raids.

Why should my guild join SASU?

Joining SASU as a guild automatically grants all of your guild members SASU membership. This is ideal for guilds that are either small, or big, but not quite big enough to fill out a raid. Your members will then have access to a wide assortment of raids and heroic groups, as well as a new place to socialize.

Furthermore, being a member-guild allows you to appoint a guild representative: a person which will act as a liaison to SASU, but who will also be granted officer status, giving you a say in the matters of SASU administration.

My guild is now a SASU guild. How do we get a guild representative?

A guild may request a guild representative after being a member guild for 45 days. To qualify for a guild representative, your guild must prove that it has at least five active players within SASU. You can make the request for a guild representative to any SASU officer.

I want to open my guild run to SASU. What should I know?

First, familiarize yourself with the general requirements for running a raid within SASU. As a guild run however, there is one point you should pay particular attention to.

Once your raid has been opened up to SASU, you must treat your SASU raiders with equal consideration as your own guild's raiders. You cannot keep loot from a SASU raider in order to give it to a guild member, nor can you refuse to roster a SASU raider for the sake of rostering a guild member in his stead.

Note that this does not mean that SASU raiders get "first dibs" on anything. It simply means that we expect you to reward raiders fairly and proportionately to the amount of effort they put toward your raid, regardless of guild affiliation. Keeping tank upgrades for the main tank, who happens to be a guild member, is perfectly legitimate. Keeping your SASU main tank starved for loot, in order to feed a guildmate "because he's part of the guild" is what you must avoid.

Can I recruit for my guild in SASU?

No. Recruiting for your guild within SASU is strictly forbidden. It is understood that people form friendships within SASU, and may wish to change guild because of this. However, posting guild recruitment advertisements in channel, or pressuring members to join you, is unacceptable. SASU was created for the express purpose of allowing smaller guilds to survive and allowing their members to see end-game content without having to switch to larger raiding guilds. Thus, all attempts to "poach" members from other guilds, or coerce free agents into joining, will result in severe punishment for your guild.

With that said, if someone explicitly invites recruitment on the SASU channel (e.g. saying "are there any guilds I can join?"), you are allowed and encouraged to reply to them.

I cannot find an answer to my question here. Where can I ask?

For any additional question, you can either join the in-game SASU channel and ask for an officer, or join the SASU forums, and ask your question in the Questions, Comments, and Concerns board. You can also contact us at contact@sasu-er.org.