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First of all, I’d like to give every single other person who has ever written a leadership guide for TW a huge round of applause. They have all done an incredible job, and I always learn something new after reading through a leadership guide I’ve seen on the forums.
So you might ask me, why am I writing a leadership guide if everything else is so good? Well, I wanted to try this from a different approach. The vast majority of guides I’ve seen here on the forums take Tribalwars and apply it to leadership. I want to take leadership and apply it to Tribalwars. Very rarely will you see me referring to Dukes, or war strategies, or politics and propaganda. But you will see me referring to leaders, plans of action, and promoting your groups image (at the expense of others). I leave it to the reader to draw the connections. Rarely will there be direct references to TribalWars, but the phraseology of this guide should make it pretty obvious as to what I'm referring to. After all, if you want to be a leader, you don't expect everything just to be handed to you on a silver platter do you? You don't? Good. You're learning already.
Table of Contents
So you want to be a Leader
What is Leadership?
Styles of leadership
Setting the Bar
Proper Communication
Planning
Molding your followers
Problem Solving
Author's Note
Author's Note
Well, there you have it. This guide will be expanded upon and refined sometime in the future. Feel free to copy and paste it anywhere, just credit me. If you want to send me a message telling me that you're using it, I'd appreciate that as well. Feel free to comment with advice, questions, comments, to tell me that the sky is falling, anything.
P.S. I plan for this guide to be the first in a series of ones I make about various abstract TW concepts . If you've got something you want a guide on, feel free to ask.
So you might ask me, why am I writing a leadership guide if everything else is so good? Well, I wanted to try this from a different approach. The vast majority of guides I’ve seen here on the forums take Tribalwars and apply it to leadership. I want to take leadership and apply it to Tribalwars. Very rarely will you see me referring to Dukes, or war strategies, or politics and propaganda. But you will see me referring to leaders, plans of action, and promoting your groups image (at the expense of others). I leave it to the reader to draw the connections. Rarely will there be direct references to TribalWars, but the phraseology of this guide should make it pretty obvious as to what I'm referring to. After all, if you want to be a leader, you don't expect everything just to be handed to you on a silver platter do you? You don't? Good. You're learning already.
Table of Contents
So you want to be a Leader
What is Leadership?
Styles of leadership
Authoritative
Consulting
Selling
Democracy
What is a Leader?Consulting
Selling
Democracy
Setting the Bar
Proper Communication
Planning
Molding your followers
Problem Solving
Author's Note
Well, congratulations! You’ve decided that following isn’t just good enough any more, that you want to take on a role where you get to be the boss, or maybe you just want to tell your boss what it is that he’s doing wrong. In any case, you’ve (hopefully) come to the right place. This guide is meant to be (but probably never will be) an all-encompassing guide to leadership, and how to apply it to every aspect of Tribalwars.
So, if you’ve come here for a light read, find another thread. This one is going to be extremely long, and it’s only here for those who really want to learn. Now, I attempt to liven it up at places with references to outdated movies and my sarcastic sense of humor, but this really is more of a lecture that one would take notes on than a conversation that one would have with a friend.
Additionally, this guide will be interactive. there are multiple times where I will ask you to write down something, to give me an example, and there will be questions. If you really want to learn, you should interact with the material, not just read it. (Thanks goes to my 11th grade U.S. History teacher for learning how to do this) That doesn’t mean I’m going to put random quizzes at the end of every section, but it does mean that if you get to the end of the guide and don't remember half the stuff in here, something didn't go right (And the most likely cause is that you were skim-reading)
Lastly, this guide should not be taken in one sitting. I have far too much respect for your free time to do that. Take breaks, come back tomorrow, do whatever you have to. If for some reason you're stuck on a plane for 5 hours, I guess you can read through it all at once. But remember that if you try to take in a mountain of information all at one time, you will get that wonderful brain-dead feeling we all remember from cramming for college exams.
So without further ado, let’s start learning.
So, if you’ve come here for a light read, find another thread. This one is going to be extremely long, and it’s only here for those who really want to learn. Now, I attempt to liven it up at places with references to outdated movies and my sarcastic sense of humor, but this really is more of a lecture that one would take notes on than a conversation that one would have with a friend.
Additionally, this guide will be interactive. there are multiple times where I will ask you to write down something, to give me an example, and there will be questions. If you really want to learn, you should interact with the material, not just read it. (Thanks goes to my 11th grade U.S. History teacher for learning how to do this) That doesn’t mean I’m going to put random quizzes at the end of every section, but it does mean that if you get to the end of the guide and don't remember half the stuff in here, something didn't go right (And the most likely cause is that you were skim-reading)
Lastly, this guide should not be taken in one sitting. I have far too much respect for your free time to do that. Take breaks, come back tomorrow, do whatever you have to. If for some reason you're stuck on a plane for 5 hours, I guess you can read through it all at once. But remember that if you try to take in a mountain of information all at one time, you will get that wonderful brain-dead feeling we all remember from cramming for college exams.
So without further ado, let’s start learning.
Let's begin the first interactive part of this guide. Take out a piece of paper and a pencil (Or open up a Text Document in Word, whatever suits you). Now, I want you to find one word that describes leadership. What do you think that leadership is?
Now, there are an infinite number of answers to that question, but the one that I think sums up leadership more than anything else is influence. A good leader is able to influence others at will, to mold them into his perfect creation, to fine-tune as he sees fit, without his followers even realizing what's happening.
There are several other things that are very important to realize about leadership. First of all, as the leader, you are the lead of the group. As such, it is impossible for the group to do any better than you allow them to. If you have the influence of a true leader, your followers will not act differently than you tell them to. So if you tell them to do something stupid, they will do it. Afterwards, they'll realize what they did was stupid. They'll lose faith in your ability to lead. You'll lose your reputation as a leader, and the faith of your followers. And next time, they might not be so keen to act on your behalf. So, the first thing to remember about leadership is…
Influence does not come naturally. Influence is earned.
Just because you are the leader does not mean that everyone will respect you. Clearly, your followers have to respect you (or at least be interested in you) if they choose to join forces with you and follow your lead. However, they will have no second thoughts about jumping ship if you don't turn out to be everything you promised them that you would be. As such, it is very important that you remember something else about Leadership;
When making promises, never make a promise you can't keep.
If you promise something and fail to deliver, you're just another annoying politician. Additionally, there is another question that pops up very frequently on this subject; "What if I can't convince them unless I make something up?" It seems obvious to me, but the answer would be to get better at what you do. Get more experienced, devote more time, and study whatever it is that you're not perfect at.
Now, maybe you think you'll never be a leader. Maybe you think that you're not good enough, not charismatic enough, not fast enough with words. Or maybe you think you were born to be a leader, that you're just on fire with leadershipness, and that people will flock to you and you'll take over the world. Because of that, I'm going to make a disclaimer:
Leadership isn't inherited. It's a skill that is continuously learned and re-learned.
If you want to become a good leader, don't expect it to come naturally to you. Leadership isn't just about making others do the work for you. In fact, you should always be working harder than those under you (especially in TribalWars).
Now that we've set down the utmost basics, it's time to take a ride off to Leaderville.
Now, there are an infinite number of answers to that question, but the one that I think sums up leadership more than anything else is influence. A good leader is able to influence others at will, to mold them into his perfect creation, to fine-tune as he sees fit, without his followers even realizing what's happening.
There are several other things that are very important to realize about leadership. First of all, as the leader, you are the lead of the group. As such, it is impossible for the group to do any better than you allow them to. If you have the influence of a true leader, your followers will not act differently than you tell them to. So if you tell them to do something stupid, they will do it. Afterwards, they'll realize what they did was stupid. They'll lose faith in your ability to lead. You'll lose your reputation as a leader, and the faith of your followers. And next time, they might not be so keen to act on your behalf. So, the first thing to remember about leadership is…
Influence does not come naturally. Influence is earned.
Just because you are the leader does not mean that everyone will respect you. Clearly, your followers have to respect you (or at least be interested in you) if they choose to join forces with you and follow your lead. However, they will have no second thoughts about jumping ship if you don't turn out to be everything you promised them that you would be. As such, it is very important that you remember something else about Leadership;
When making promises, never make a promise you can't keep.
If you promise something and fail to deliver, you're just another annoying politician. Additionally, there is another question that pops up very frequently on this subject; "What if I can't convince them unless I make something up?" It seems obvious to me, but the answer would be to get better at what you do. Get more experienced, devote more time, and study whatever it is that you're not perfect at.
Now, maybe you think you'll never be a leader. Maybe you think that you're not good enough, not charismatic enough, not fast enough with words. Or maybe you think you were born to be a leader, that you're just on fire with leadershipness, and that people will flock to you and you'll take over the world. Because of that, I'm going to make a disclaimer:
Leadership isn't inherited. It's a skill that is continuously learned and re-learned.
If you want to become a good leader, don't expect it to come naturally to you. Leadership isn't just about making others do the work for you. In fact, you should always be working harder than those under you (especially in TribalWars).
Now that we've set down the utmost basics, it's time to take a ride off to Leaderville.
There is no universal style of leadership. There are many things a leader can do that are generally accepted as universal traits of a leader. They can be confident, or clear, or charismatic. However, it's important to differ between the qualities of a leader and the styles of leadership they use. The style of leadership you use at any given moment depends on how you're feeling, how you're followers are feeling, whether your past endeavor shave succeeded, etc. It's very important to know what kind of leadership style you're trying to use before you put it into action. For many people, this is intuitive. However, if you're in one style during an argument, and suddenly switch to another, many people will subconsciously note your change in tactics as a sign of weakness. As such, it is extremely important to know what your approach will be, and to stick to it.
Authoritative
What are you doing on the computer? Get off, right now. Go clean your room. Don't you realize the grass needs to be mowed? And can you give me one good reason why you've been staring at that giant wall of text for the last 10 minutes? Don't answer that, just go work! Now!
Now, hopefully most of you don't actually have that much to do (Or a parent/roommate/spouse who would be that much of a jerk). However, it's a simple example of the authoritative style of leadership. An even simpler description (but less applicable to real life) would be "Go to Jail. Go directly to Jail. Do not pass go, do not collect $200." An authoritative style of leadership is one in which you make the rules, you carry out the rules, and you punish the rule breakers. As leader, you set yourself up as judge, jury, and executioner. If someone does something stupid, they're out. Sometimes you don't even bother explaining yourself. This is the style of leadership most commonly observed among drill sergeants, dictators, and crime lords.
"With great power comes great responsibility." The one flaw of the authoritative style of leadership is that you absolutely HAVE to know what you're doing every second of every day. You need to devote your life to planning for that one unexpected bump in the road up ahead, for when competition gets fierce enough that you have to do something about it. In Tribalwars, the authoritative style should only be used by those who've mastered the game and devote their lives to the game (quite literally).
The other huge flaw in authoritative leadership is the lack of a support network. As a dictator, you don't have people who are helping you make a choice, you keep that power to yourself. Ultimately, this is why an authoritative style of leadership must be kept temporary. If one person tries to run the show permanently, there are many reactions (And none of them are good). Your followers will rebel, or there will be that one weekend you're away on vacation, your tribe comes under attack, and you aren't there to organize anything. A duke's inactivity under authoritative leadership will always destroy a tribe. No matter the case, an authoritative government is doomed to failure, and should be avoided except when absolutely necessary.
Applying an authoritative government to TribalWars is very useful at only one stage in the game. Take a guess to what that stage is. If you guessed start up, you are correct. When you make a tribe, you should have a very specific vision as to what that tribe should become. You are starting that tribe from scratch. This means that unless you already have a group of friends you're bringing in with you, you need to remain fully in charge until you can determine which of your new recruits are up to par, and which are experienced and active enough to become part of your leadership network. But again, realize that being a dictator is a temporary solution, and the faster you get out of it, the easier your job gets and the better your tribe becomes.
Consulting
Consulting is simply a variation of authoritative leadership, in that you consider what the group thinks, but the final decision ultimately rests in your hands. This is the style of leadership of a CEO who owns 51% of their company, and is generally the style of leadership used by successful tribes. As leader, you get to be the one who makes the final decision. However, if you keep making decisions that go against the will of your followers, they will abandon you.
Consulting is different from Authoritative leadership in that everything is toned down one notch. You don't have to be quite as good (At least not at everything), and you can set up a system where others do all the menial labor for you. However, by convincing your followers that they have a say, you're going to have to give them a chance to speak their minds. By doing so, they can both waste your time, and also provide valuable insight that you hadn't thought of. This is a system in which one needs to pick and choose the people to listen to, and the people to ignore.
Selling
Selling isn't really a separate style of leadership, but rather an addition that can be made to either the Authoritative of Consulting style. In a selling leadership system, you make the decision. However, after you make the decision, you go and convince your followers that it was the decision they wanted all along. Obviously, if it was the right decision, this shouldn't be too hard. But it's also useful when you're making a decision that might initially be a huge turn off, but has big payoffs (Think declaring war on the Rank 1 Tribe). After you make the decision, you need to prove that it's the right one, whether by making a pseudo-propaganda presentation to your followers, or by having long discussions in which you answer every concern they might have.
In any case, selling is a technique that absolutely must be used whenever possible. You don't want to just make your followers… well.. follow you, you want them to love following you. And this is where promoting your image to others comes in. When you use a selling style of leadership, you don't just use it to your followers. You advertise to everyone else is well. You make them jealous that they don't get to be part of your group. You make your competitors look like whining, immature youngsters. It's just as (if not more) important to convince your community that you're making the right decision, as that's where alliances are born. Nobody will join what they know is a losing cause.
Democracy
I'm sure we all know what Democracy is, so I will be brief here. Everyone votes, majority wins. You might come up with an idea, but you always present it to be scrutinized before you put it into action. When applying this to Tribalwars, you aren't a leader. You're the figurehead of a community. You might occasionally be responsible for coming up with a plan, but every other person in our tribe should realize that they have just as much responsibility to do so. This style of leadership only works when your followers are just as experienced as you are. Mob-ocracy can easily result if you recruit stupid people. Additionally, as those who live under democracies will readily attest, it take a long time for anything to ever get done. This style of government is also one to be avoided, as it makes it nearly impossible to make quick decisions.
Authoritative
What are you doing on the computer? Get off, right now. Go clean your room. Don't you realize the grass needs to be mowed? And can you give me one good reason why you've been staring at that giant wall of text for the last 10 minutes? Don't answer that, just go work! Now!
Now, hopefully most of you don't actually have that much to do (Or a parent/roommate/spouse who would be that much of a jerk). However, it's a simple example of the authoritative style of leadership. An even simpler description (but less applicable to real life) would be "Go to Jail. Go directly to Jail. Do not pass go, do not collect $200." An authoritative style of leadership is one in which you make the rules, you carry out the rules, and you punish the rule breakers. As leader, you set yourself up as judge, jury, and executioner. If someone does something stupid, they're out. Sometimes you don't even bother explaining yourself. This is the style of leadership most commonly observed among drill sergeants, dictators, and crime lords.
"With great power comes great responsibility." The one flaw of the authoritative style of leadership is that you absolutely HAVE to know what you're doing every second of every day. You need to devote your life to planning for that one unexpected bump in the road up ahead, for when competition gets fierce enough that you have to do something about it. In Tribalwars, the authoritative style should only be used by those who've mastered the game and devote their lives to the game (quite literally).
The other huge flaw in authoritative leadership is the lack of a support network. As a dictator, you don't have people who are helping you make a choice, you keep that power to yourself. Ultimately, this is why an authoritative style of leadership must be kept temporary. If one person tries to run the show permanently, there are many reactions (And none of them are good). Your followers will rebel, or there will be that one weekend you're away on vacation, your tribe comes under attack, and you aren't there to organize anything. A duke's inactivity under authoritative leadership will always destroy a tribe. No matter the case, an authoritative government is doomed to failure, and should be avoided except when absolutely necessary.
Applying an authoritative government to TribalWars is very useful at only one stage in the game. Take a guess to what that stage is. If you guessed start up, you are correct. When you make a tribe, you should have a very specific vision as to what that tribe should become. You are starting that tribe from scratch. This means that unless you already have a group of friends you're bringing in with you, you need to remain fully in charge until you can determine which of your new recruits are up to par, and which are experienced and active enough to become part of your leadership network. But again, realize that being a dictator is a temporary solution, and the faster you get out of it, the easier your job gets and the better your tribe becomes.
Consulting
Consulting is simply a variation of authoritative leadership, in that you consider what the group thinks, but the final decision ultimately rests in your hands. This is the style of leadership of a CEO who owns 51% of their company, and is generally the style of leadership used by successful tribes. As leader, you get to be the one who makes the final decision. However, if you keep making decisions that go against the will of your followers, they will abandon you.
Consulting is different from Authoritative leadership in that everything is toned down one notch. You don't have to be quite as good (At least not at everything), and you can set up a system where others do all the menial labor for you. However, by convincing your followers that they have a say, you're going to have to give them a chance to speak their minds. By doing so, they can both waste your time, and also provide valuable insight that you hadn't thought of. This is a system in which one needs to pick and choose the people to listen to, and the people to ignore.
Selling
Selling isn't really a separate style of leadership, but rather an addition that can be made to either the Authoritative of Consulting style. In a selling leadership system, you make the decision. However, after you make the decision, you go and convince your followers that it was the decision they wanted all along. Obviously, if it was the right decision, this shouldn't be too hard. But it's also useful when you're making a decision that might initially be a huge turn off, but has big payoffs (Think declaring war on the Rank 1 Tribe). After you make the decision, you need to prove that it's the right one, whether by making a pseudo-propaganda presentation to your followers, or by having long discussions in which you answer every concern they might have.
In any case, selling is a technique that absolutely must be used whenever possible. You don't want to just make your followers… well.. follow you, you want them to love following you. And this is where promoting your image to others comes in. When you use a selling style of leadership, you don't just use it to your followers. You advertise to everyone else is well. You make them jealous that they don't get to be part of your group. You make your competitors look like whining, immature youngsters. It's just as (if not more) important to convince your community that you're making the right decision, as that's where alliances are born. Nobody will join what they know is a losing cause.
Democracy
I'm sure we all know what Democracy is, so I will be brief here. Everyone votes, majority wins. You might come up with an idea, but you always present it to be scrutinized before you put it into action. When applying this to Tribalwars, you aren't a leader. You're the figurehead of a community. You might occasionally be responsible for coming up with a plan, but every other person in our tribe should realize that they have just as much responsibility to do so. This style of leadership only works when your followers are just as experienced as you are. Mob-ocracy can easily result if you recruit stupid people. Additionally, as those who live under democracies will readily attest, it take a long time for anything to ever get done. This style of government is also one to be avoided, as it makes it nearly impossible to make quick decisions.
Now it's time for another one of those interactive exercises. Take out that piece of paper again, and write down every single trait you can think of that a leader should have. Leave nothing out, and give it about 3 minutes. Once you're done, come back. Your list may or may not be as long as mine, and there's a decent chance that it's better. But here's my list, with descriptions of each term:
Leaders are…
Good Communicators- If you don't communicate what your beliefs, opinions, and wishes are effectively, nothing will ever get done.
Patient-Sometimes people just don't get it. Whether they're being a pain in the rear, or are just slow learners, sometimes it just takes patience on your part to help your group succeed.
Trustworthy- A true leader keeps his word. He doesn't sell out his followers, he doesn't lord his position over others. Your word is your reputation, and leaders understand this.
Open-Minded-As a leader, you need to be smart all of the time. That doesn't mean you ever have to be the smartest. When someone offers a suggestion or constructive criticism, a leader needs to accept it.
Understanding-This goes along with patient. Realize that other people will find it hard to fit into your schedule, or that they're going through something that is making them high-strung. Just because they're a jerk doesn't mean you should be. People usually have reasons for when they do what they do.
Encouraging- Providing motivation is a key part of being a leader, and a key part of motivation is encouragement. When someone does something impressive, tell them it was impressive. Praise their efforts to everyone. Friendly competition, and well-deserved praise has never hurt anyone.
Knowledgeable-If you aren't qualified to be a leader, you shouldn't be one. Leaders don't just need management skills, they need to understand what it is they are doing.
If you're in charge of a group of IT programmers, but you've got no clue what JAVA/HTML/BASIC/C++ is, then you probably shouldn't be leading them.
Decisive-When it comes time to make a decision, you need to be able to make one. There is a time to rely on your council for input, and there is a time to take matters into your own hands and make a decision. When that time comes, you need to be able to make the right decision.
Thoughtful-This really is a catch-all for leaders. You need to put thought into everything that you choose to do. Think about praise and criticism, and decisions, and whether leading is actually for you. Consider all of the options,and consider them well. Not putting enough thought into something is usually the reason it doesn't end up going the way you want it to.
Creative-Leaders need to be inventive. If they don't have a flair for coming up with the unexpected, they're cookie cutter. And cookie cutter leader's actions are easy to predict, which makes it far easier for their followers or their adversaries to manipulate them. This doesn't mean be unpredictable for the sake of being unpredictable, it means that sometimes the obvious answer isn't the right one.
Accessible-As a leader, your job is not to lock yourself away in a throne room. You need to be there with the answer whenever anyone has a question, and you need to put yourself forward as the person to go to when answers are needed.
Resourceful-Leaders aren't always handed the world on a silver platter. Sometimes, the advantage is very much against them. Leaders need to understand what they have, and how to use it effectively, instead of wishing for something they didn't have.
The first thing you have to understand about being a leader, is that you are not a boss. As a leader, you are part of a team. As such, you need to act like it. A boss says "I need you all to work." A leader says "We need to work." Sometime even the way you phrase a request can make the difference between being a jerk and wonderment at how much of a genius you are.
Leaders are…
Good Communicators- If you don't communicate what your beliefs, opinions, and wishes are effectively, nothing will ever get done.
Patient-Sometimes people just don't get it. Whether they're being a pain in the rear, or are just slow learners, sometimes it just takes patience on your part to help your group succeed.
Trustworthy- A true leader keeps his word. He doesn't sell out his followers, he doesn't lord his position over others. Your word is your reputation, and leaders understand this.
Open-Minded-As a leader, you need to be smart all of the time. That doesn't mean you ever have to be the smartest. When someone offers a suggestion or constructive criticism, a leader needs to accept it.
Understanding-This goes along with patient. Realize that other people will find it hard to fit into your schedule, or that they're going through something that is making them high-strung. Just because they're a jerk doesn't mean you should be. People usually have reasons for when they do what they do.
Encouraging- Providing motivation is a key part of being a leader, and a key part of motivation is encouragement. When someone does something impressive, tell them it was impressive. Praise their efforts to everyone. Friendly competition, and well-deserved praise has never hurt anyone.
Knowledgeable-If you aren't qualified to be a leader, you shouldn't be one. Leaders don't just need management skills, they need to understand what it is they are doing.
If you're in charge of a group of IT programmers, but you've got no clue what JAVA/HTML/BASIC/C++ is, then you probably shouldn't be leading them.
Decisive-When it comes time to make a decision, you need to be able to make one. There is a time to rely on your council for input, and there is a time to take matters into your own hands and make a decision. When that time comes, you need to be able to make the right decision.
Thoughtful-This really is a catch-all for leaders. You need to put thought into everything that you choose to do. Think about praise and criticism, and decisions, and whether leading is actually for you. Consider all of the options,and consider them well. Not putting enough thought into something is usually the reason it doesn't end up going the way you want it to.
Creative-Leaders need to be inventive. If they don't have a flair for coming up with the unexpected, they're cookie cutter. And cookie cutter leader's actions are easy to predict, which makes it far easier for their followers or their adversaries to manipulate them. This doesn't mean be unpredictable for the sake of being unpredictable, it means that sometimes the obvious answer isn't the right one.
Accessible-As a leader, your job is not to lock yourself away in a throne room. You need to be there with the answer whenever anyone has a question, and you need to put yourself forward as the person to go to when answers are needed.
Resourceful-Leaders aren't always handed the world on a silver platter. Sometimes, the advantage is very much against them. Leaders need to understand what they have, and how to use it effectively, instead of wishing for something they didn't have.
The first thing you have to understand about being a leader, is that you are not a boss. As a leader, you are part of a team. As such, you need to act like it. A boss says "I need you all to work." A leader says "We need to work." Sometime even the way you phrase a request can make the difference between being a jerk and wonderment at how much of a genius you are.
A good leader always leads by example. If you aren't willing to do the job yourself, you shouldn't ask others to do it for you. Not only should you set the bar through doing what needs to be done, you needs to set the bar at the level of professionalism and shape the atmosphere by determining what will and will not be tolerated. If you act professional, those around you will act professional.
You also need to keep the bar up after it's been set. If you preach about how active everyone needs to be, and play 24/7 for two weeks, everyone else will probably play 24/7 for two weeks. However, if you then decide to just get on once a day, your lack of dedication and hypocrisy will show right through your message. Following suit, nobody will listen to your commands, and that will extend itself to include general discontent. Slippery slope may be a logical fallacy, but don't get started on one in the first place and you'll have nothing to worry about.
You also need to keep the bar up after it's been set. If you preach about how active everyone needs to be, and play 24/7 for two weeks, everyone else will probably play 24/7 for two weeks. However, if you then decide to just get on once a day, your lack of dedication and hypocrisy will show right through your message. Following suit, nobody will listen to your commands, and that will extend itself to include general discontent. Slippery slope may be a logical fallacy, but don't get started on one in the first place and you'll have nothing to worry about.
Proper communication is an essential part of leading. Think of it this way: You could be the best leader in the world. You have led your #1 tribe to glory, defeated your biggest opponents, and put to shame the naysayers who denied your greatness. But one morning you wake up, type instructions into the computer as to your tribes goals for the week, and realize that your little brother switched around all the keys on your keyboard. Instead of a detailed to-do list, there's instead a pile of gibberish. So you whip out your iPhone, write another quick post in which you explain what happened, but u txt lik this cuz nbdy actuly writs erething perfectly if there txtin + why shud u?
First of all, if there's someone in your tribe who doesn't speak English very well, but gets along fine with Google Translate, well, they're screwed. You've also alienated your audience, as you think they're being taught by some weird 17 year old like me. Ultimately, good communication and presentation of yourself on the forums, Skype, or elsewhere is necessary if you want to succeed. For an in-depth look on this, check out BCB's guide to self-presentation on forums (Which will be released at some point in the future), but let's just gloss over the major points here.
Spelling and Grammar
This paragraph will be writen entirley without spellchecl. I won't fix any of the nice little red lines thar pop up under here. AF a matter of fact, I'm a trerrible speller. My gframmar is ok, but spelling has always been a real strugle for me, not because I don't kno hoq words are spelled, but becaues I'm a terrible typer. Everyone struggles fom this, and it's just something you hvae to accept.
Now, when someone writes a post like the one up, it looks real embarrassed. But even if you have picture-perfect spelling, bad grammar can hurt you. Their are many conundrums about the English language that many people refuse to except or understand. In order two communicate good, you also need too use the right grammar.
You need big words too. They call that vocabulary. When he talks with words that never get any bigger than you used in fourth grade, it's never good. This is always hard to see, but if you use big words people think but don't think (subconsciously think) that you are very smart. But if you use big words just to use big words, you might find a conundrum in your extensive vocabulary register that will undoubtedly exalt you. (But it won't exalt you, it'll embarrass you. Don't use words if you don't know what they mean)
Past just the way you say something, you need to phrase it in a way that is simple and understandable. You need to be organized in your presentation and follow a set pattern. For example, take the paragraph below. I will be sending a message to a fellow player saying that I claimed a village he nobled. As we're tribemates, he should give it back. Not to hard to explain right?
Hey BlackChaosBelow,
I've noticed recently, because we got to nobles at about the same time, that there weren't too many nobling targets around. It seems we were both interesting in capturing the same village, which would be fine if we were enemies, as conflict would no doubt ensue regardless, whether it was instigated by a particular village or not. However, this game being the way that it is, there is no way to enforce particular claims to village that people make before you. In this case, I'm in the right, and I think this issue should be resolved.
Thanks.
Now, not only did that message seem absolutely pointless, it doesn't actually tell you what "The issue" is. Sure, if you study it for awhile the meaning comes out, but who actually wants to bother with doing that? The message needs to be clear, concise, and simple. Explaining to every single player the intricacies of something they don't need to know is just wasting their time (Not to mention yours)
First of all, if there's someone in your tribe who doesn't speak English very well, but gets along fine with Google Translate, well, they're screwed. You've also alienated your audience, as you think they're being taught by some weird 17 year old like me. Ultimately, good communication and presentation of yourself on the forums, Skype, or elsewhere is necessary if you want to succeed. For an in-depth look on this, check out BCB's guide to self-presentation on forums (Which will be released at some point in the future), but let's just gloss over the major points here.
Spelling and Grammar
This paragraph will be writen entirley without spellchecl. I won't fix any of the nice little red lines thar pop up under here. AF a matter of fact, I'm a trerrible speller. My gframmar is ok, but spelling has always been a real strugle for me, not because I don't kno hoq words are spelled, but becaues I'm a terrible typer. Everyone struggles fom this, and it's just something you hvae to accept.
Now, when someone writes a post like the one up, it looks real embarrassed. But even if you have picture-perfect spelling, bad grammar can hurt you. Their are many conundrums about the English language that many people refuse to except or understand. In order two communicate good, you also need too use the right grammar.
You need big words too. They call that vocabulary. When he talks with words that never get any bigger than you used in fourth grade, it's never good. This is always hard to see, but if you use big words people think but don't think (subconsciously think) that you are very smart. But if you use big words just to use big words, you might find a conundrum in your extensive vocabulary register that will undoubtedly exalt you. (But it won't exalt you, it'll embarrass you. Don't use words if you don't know what they mean)
Past just the way you say something, you need to phrase it in a way that is simple and understandable. You need to be organized in your presentation and follow a set pattern. For example, take the paragraph below. I will be sending a message to a fellow player saying that I claimed a village he nobled. As we're tribemates, he should give it back. Not to hard to explain right?
Hey BlackChaosBelow,
I've noticed recently, because we got to nobles at about the same time, that there weren't too many nobling targets around. It seems we were both interesting in capturing the same village, which would be fine if we were enemies, as conflict would no doubt ensue regardless, whether it was instigated by a particular village or not. However, this game being the way that it is, there is no way to enforce particular claims to village that people make before you. In this case, I'm in the right, and I think this issue should be resolved.
Thanks.
Now, not only did that message seem absolutely pointless, it doesn't actually tell you what "The issue" is. Sure, if you study it for awhile the meaning comes out, but who actually wants to bother with doing that? The message needs to be clear, concise, and simple. Explaining to every single player the intricacies of something they don't need to know is just wasting their time (Not to mention yours)
As a leader, it is vitally important that you plan. You need a Plan A and a Plan B all of the time. If Plan A is even slightly risky, have a Plan C. If Plan A is pretty risky, have a Plan D. If you have time, you should go all the way down to E or F, and no I'm not exaggerating in the slightest. Now, there is a wonderful acronym that I don't use (Because I hate acronyms, but other people like them, so I'll put in in here) for planning and for setting goals. You need to make sure that they're SMART:
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant
Time-Based
Now, let's take the example of me. Say I want to lose weight. So I tell myself, "I'm going to lose weight." That doesn't get me anywhere. So I look at SMART. Specific. Well, let's say I want to lost 40 pounds. So my plan is now "I will lose 40 pounds." Is that measurable? Well sure it is, so at least we have that. Is it attainable? Well, losing 40 pounds is a pretty big deal if you aren't willing to make some serious lifestyle changes (And Atkins does work, by the way). So maybe we'll drop it down to 20 pounds. Is it relevant? Well, I'm 6'2" and weigh 135 pounds. If I lost 20 pounds, I would probably starve to death. So this plan is definitely not relevant to me. But for the sake of argument, let's say it was. We then get to time-based. "I want to lost 20 pounds in 6 months, with weekly checkups." Voila, we now have a SMART plan.
The other important thing about any plan is research. This especially applies to TW. Figure out what your first move is. Tribalwars is like a chess game. You need to time your moves perfectly, while your opponent is stunned and helpless. In order to do this, you need to know what your opponent's next move is going to be. You always need to be four or five moves ahead, always anticipating as to what will happen next. If you don't do this, you will be defeated. And then you have to go to your Plan B (You better have had one).
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant
Time-Based
Now, let's take the example of me. Say I want to lose weight. So I tell myself, "I'm going to lose weight." That doesn't get me anywhere. So I look at SMART. Specific. Well, let's say I want to lost 40 pounds. So my plan is now "I will lose 40 pounds." Is that measurable? Well sure it is, so at least we have that. Is it attainable? Well, losing 40 pounds is a pretty big deal if you aren't willing to make some serious lifestyle changes (And Atkins does work, by the way). So maybe we'll drop it down to 20 pounds. Is it relevant? Well, I'm 6'2" and weigh 135 pounds. If I lost 20 pounds, I would probably starve to death. So this plan is definitely not relevant to me. But for the sake of argument, let's say it was. We then get to time-based. "I want to lost 20 pounds in 6 months, with weekly checkups." Voila, we now have a SMART plan.
The other important thing about any plan is research. This especially applies to TW. Figure out what your first move is. Tribalwars is like a chess game. You need to time your moves perfectly, while your opponent is stunned and helpless. In order to do this, you need to know what your opponent's next move is going to be. You always need to be four or five moves ahead, always anticipating as to what will happen next. If you don't do this, you will be defeated. And then you have to go to your Plan B (You better have had one).
The biggest problem with being a leader is that you are going to be more intelligent than most of the people who are following you. (If you aren't, you probably should be reading a game guide, not this one). Now clearly, dumbing yourself down isn't the solution to this problem, making your followers smarter is. In order to do this, you have to motivate them not only to get better, but to get better in ways that you want them to. Suppose one of your followers is incredibly good at farming, but has a horrific build order. However, he doesn't think he's good enough at farming, and dedicates himself to learning every strategy and practicing all kinds of troop techniques and Scout Report Evaluators. Your job as a leader is to convince him to work on his build order, rather than his farming technique.
The key here is to always be respectful. You have to remember that these are actual people that you're talking to, not just names on a screen. Don't use the anonymity of your username as an excuse to degrade others. Rather, use it as an opportunity to leave any negative aspects of your Real Life reputation behind, and take only the positive ones into the game with you. Praise in Public, criticize in private.
The last thing you must come to realize as a leader (And TW player) is that you aren't going to be around forever. Real Life gets in the way of Tribalwars. Unfortunately, sometimes there are blackouts, or week long vacations. And because of that, you need to mold your followers not only to succeed, but to succeed you. The best legacy a leader can leave behind is someone else he's trained to be better than he ever was.
The key here is to always be respectful. You have to remember that these are actual people that you're talking to, not just names on a screen. Don't use the anonymity of your username as an excuse to degrade others. Rather, use it as an opportunity to leave any negative aspects of your Real Life reputation behind, and take only the positive ones into the game with you. Praise in Public, criticize in private.
The last thing you must come to realize as a leader (And TW player) is that you aren't going to be around forever. Real Life gets in the way of Tribalwars. Unfortunately, sometimes there are blackouts, or week long vacations. And because of that, you need to mold your followers not only to succeed, but to succeed you. The best legacy a leader can leave behind is someone else he's trained to be better than he ever was.
No matter how good a leader you are, you will always get to the point where you find a problem that you can't fix at the drop of a hat. There are many things every leader has to deal with during their career, and problems will always be one of them. What happens if your Plan A suddenly goes wrong, and you forgot a Plan B? What happens if you wake up and find out that all your villages have been cleared and trains are on their way? What happens when that one guy is just being a jerk to you? So, when you get to the unsolvable problem, there are several things you need to remember.
Stay Calm. In the words of Tedd Dekker "Adrenaline dulls reason; panic kills it." (That's a really good book, by the way).
Be Patient. Sometimes the answer doesn't just jump out at you. Sleep on it. Think about it, and if the answer doesn't come, come back to it later.
Control Yourself. This is especially applicable to those of us have hot tempers, and really just want to go off on people.
Take the logical approach. Sometimes we all overthink problems. It's like the classic question "How do you fit an elephant in a refrigerator? Open the door, put it in, close the door." Sometimes it can really be that simple.
Stay Calm. In the words of Tedd Dekker "Adrenaline dulls reason; panic kills it." (That's a really good book, by the way).
Be Patient. Sometimes the answer doesn't just jump out at you. Sleep on it. Think about it, and if the answer doesn't come, come back to it later.
Control Yourself. This is especially applicable to those of us have hot tempers, and really just want to go off on people.
Take the logical approach. Sometimes we all overthink problems. It's like the classic question "How do you fit an elephant in a refrigerator? Open the door, put it in, close the door." Sometimes it can really be that simple.
Author's Note
Well, there you have it. This guide will be expanded upon and refined sometime in the future. Feel free to copy and paste it anywhere, just credit me. If you want to send me a message telling me that you're using it, I'd appreciate that as well. Feel free to comment with advice, questions, comments, to tell me that the sky is falling, anything.
P.S. I plan for this guide to be the first in a series of ones I make about various abstract TW concepts . If you've got something you want a guide on, feel free to ask.
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