Lakeland Role Playing Guild

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The Lakeland Role Playing Guild Bylaws
Last Amended: July 1, 2007


1.0) Introduction: The Lakeland Role Playing Guild (from this point forward it may be referred to as the LRPG or simply The Guild) is a member driven, private organization, dedicated to providing a safe and fun atmosphere in which to participate in the hobby of gaming. Though named the Lakeland “Role Playing Guild,” the Guild supports many types of gaming activities including board games, card games, and miniatures as well.

1.1) The objective of the Guild is to strengthen the gaming community by providing structured opportunities for socialization and networking.


2.0) Membership shall be available to anyone that meets the following criteria
a) Be at least 15 years old, if applying as an individual.
b) Be at least 10 years old, if applying as part of a family.
c) Submit an accurate membership application.
d) If an adult, present a current photo ID.
e) Accede to a criminal background check. Any evidence of criminal activity past or present -- involving controlled substances, violence, sexual misconduct, or property violations (theft, vandalism, arson, etc.) is grounds for immediate denial or revocation of membership.
f) Sign an agreement to abide by LRPG rules of conduct.
g) Pay the membership fee.

2.1) The LRPG is a private organization and reserves the right to deny membership to any applicant who does not meet the requirements of Section 2.0 above.

2.2) The LRPG does not discriminate on the basis of ******, race, religion, politics, or disability.

2.3) Classes and Status of Membership: Members are divided into three categories: artisans, guildsmen, apprentices, honorary.
a) Artisans are founding members of the LRPG. The title is strictly ceremonial, a recognition
of long-standing participation in the LRPG.
b) Guildsmen are adult members of the LRPG.
c) Apprentices are non-adult members of the LRPG. Apprentices must present proof (such as
a signed note) of parental approval and/or supervision to participate in LRPG activities. They
must also maintain a constant 2.5 GPA during the school year. Apprentices become Guildsmen at age 18.
d) Honorary Membership have all the privileges of Guildsmen members, and in addition are not required to pay dues. An Honorary Member is an individual who, by their accomplishments as a member or by their support to the advancement of The Lakeland Role Playing Guild, has gained this distinction.
1) Honorary membership shall require approval by the Officers and a simple majority of the Membership.
2) Honorary Members may not hold an officer position, without first giving up their Honorary Member status and becoming a dues paying member again.
3) Honorary status is not permanent. It is a yearly award that may be renewed as the membership sees fit. Being an honorary member one year does not necessarily mean that the member will achieve honorary status the next year. It is a year by year award based on the year’s past contributions made by the member.
4) There may be no more than five (5) Honorary members per year unless the Guild President issues a waiver to this rule on a per person per year basis.
e) <DRAFT> Guild Legends (GL) are those individuals who have been an honorary member for at least three (3) consecutive or five (5) cumulative years. There will be a brief biography placed under the Guild Legends section of the Guild website or forum outlining the contribution made by all GLs. GLs do not require renewal each year but Legend status may be withdrawn in the event that action conducted by the GL is unbecoming of the title. <DRAFT>

2.4) A Member of the Guild shall be entitled to the following:
a) Members gain access to all LRPG events and resources. These include the LRPG campaigns, newsletter, seminars, and library.
b) Members receive a 10% discount on all regularly priced gaming products at sponsoring stores
c) Members become eligible for Guild Experience points (GXP) which can confer special advantages in LRPG activities.
d) Members gain a voice in official LRPG decisions.
e) Any other rights determined in the Constitution or by the Officer Corps

2.5) Responsibility of Members
a) To exemplify and uphold our Code of Conduct at each and every event of the Guild
b) To promote a positive and welcoming environment for all members and guests
c) To actively pursue participation in the different activities of the Guild
d) To be prudent with the Guild Treasury
e) To use wisdom and discernment in choosing individuals for authority positions within the
Guild

2.6) Termination of Membership
a) A Member may resign from the Guild at any time upon written notice addressed to one of the executive officers. The treasurer may grant a pro-rated refund of dues based on circumstances with a
majority vote of the Officer Corp
b) A member with delinquent dues shall be placed on probationary status for one month. After one month the membership of that individual may be revoked by the executive officers at their discretion.
c) Members who resign, or are expelled from the Guild shall be absolved automatically of all
duties and rights of memberships and they shall surrender all properties of the Guild in their
possession upon termination.
d) Any Member may be expelled for improper conduct. A written complaint (this includes electronic means), having been duly made, will be read and reviewed by the Officer Corps who will render a decision after making a vote amongst themselves.
e) Any Member expelled for improper conduct is not entitled to a refund of dues.


3.0) Dues: The purpose of dues is to help fund the Guild’s events and other expenses. Every September is the beginning of the Guild’s fiscal year. All members are required to pay a $20 membership fee. This amount is pro-rated throughout the year, according to the following schedule:
a) September through November: $20
a) December through February: $15
b) March through May: $10
c) June through August: $5

3.1) Guests, or non-paid visitors, are allowed and encouraged to attend a regular monthly meeting. The first visit to all guests is complimentary, however, attendance at subsequent meetings must be as a paid member. A completed application and payment of dues is required to return to any future regular meetings.
a) The guild president may issue a waiver of this requirement on a per meeting and per person basis.
b) The intent of this rule is to ensure that the guild has enough funds to fully support all of its functions and members.
c) This section is repeated as Section 4.5.


4.0) Meetings: A meeting will be considered a quorum provided that all the following hold:
a) Those present include at least one third (1/3) of the members of the Guild (that is those people who are also members in good standing) and two members of the executive officer corps.
b) The time, date, and location of the meeting have been advertised to the Guild at least two
weeks in advance.
c) No member of the Guild is denied attendance at the meeting.
d) If the Secretary is not there then a full member of the Guild is appointed to take minutes. The minutes of a meeting may only be recordation of who was in attendance, and who contributed either materially or operationally in the meeting. The minutes shall be kept in a binder by either the secretary or the treasurer (with the financial account).

4.1) All meetings will take place in a location accessible to the public and never in a private residence.

4.2) A minimum of one regular membership meeting must be held each month. However, the President may call special membership meetings or other events if the opportunity or need arises.

4.3) Quarterly meetings will be the first meetings of the month in September, December, March, and June.

4.4) A minimum of one regular meeting of The Officer Corp must be held each quarter. However, the President may call special Officer Corp meetings.

4.5) Notices for all meetings shall be sent by the Secretary at least two weeks in advance of said meetings. The notice shall state date, time, place and purpose of the meeting.

4.6) Guests, or non-paid visitors, are allowed and encouraged to attend a regular monthly meeting. The first visit to all guests is complimentary, however, attendance at subsequent meetings must be as a paid member. A completed application and payment of dues is required to return to any future regular meetings.
a) The guild president may issue a waiver of this requirement on a per meeting and per person basis.
b) The intent of this rule is to ensure that the guild has enough funds to fully support all of its functions and members.

4.7) Special events may be subject to special restrictions for non-member guests. For instance, the LRPG campaigns may be restricted to members only if space is a concern. Also, special parties and other events that have a high overhead (food costs, room costs, prizes, etc) may require non-member guests to pay a small cover charge.


6.0) Guild Leadership: The Officer Corps. The purpose of the officer corps is to administer the Guild and ensure its continued survival.

6.1) The officer corps will be responsible, and responsive, to the membership.

6.2) Communication between the leadership and the membership is a requirement. The burden falls upon the leadership of the guild to ensure that effective communication is in place.

6.3) Additional officer positions can be created on a temporary basis by the Officer Corps. Such positions will have whatever duties the Officer Corps determines at that time and shall be in no way inferior to the posts as defined in the constitution.

6.4) All posts will be held for a period not longer than one year without re-election. Incumbent positions running unopposed shall be automatically renewed without the need for an election.

6.5) Officer Corps members will allow their contact details to be circulated in the Guild as required.

6.6) All members of the Officer Corps will exemplify and uphold our Code of Conduct at each and every event of the Guild that they attend.

6.7) Guild officers are strongly encouraged to attend all or at least most guild meetings and functions.


7.0) The Officer Corps position descriptions are as follows:
7.1) President or (Guild Master). The duties of the President are:
a) To ensure the continued running of the Guild.
b) To ensure the production and distribution of membership cards.
c) To promote and assist gaming in Lakeland, Florida and it’s surrounding areas.
d) To delegate the responsibilities of any Officer Corps post which is unfilled.
e) If necessary to appoint a representative in their place.
f) Any other duties determined in the constitution or mandated by the Guild.

7.2) Secretary. The duties of the secretary are:
a) To ensure the efficient and accurate administration of the Guild.
b) To ensure that on joining the Officer Corps that every member has a copy of the Members’ Manual.
c) To take accurate minutes of the meetings of the Officer Corps and the Guild, to keep records of the minutes, and to make them available to the Guild.
d) To carry out the duties of the President if the post of President is unfilled, and to arrange for a Presidential election as soon as possible.
e) To maintain the record of Guild Experience Points (GXP).
f) Any other duties determined in the constitution or mandated by the Guild.

(7.3) Treasurer, the duties of the Treasurer are:
a) To establish a stand alone bank account in the treasurer’s name but for the sole purpose of keeping the Guild’s funds. When a new treasurer is elected or appointed, he/she must open a bank account prior to becoming the active treasurer. Once the new account is open, the outbound treasurer shall close his/her account and transfer the funds to the new account opened by the incoming treasurer.
b) To ensure competent financial management of the Guild.
c) To collect membership dues and to issue receipts of the transaction to the member.
d) To keep accurate accounts of the Guild’s finances, and to report on the Guild’s finances as required by the President or the secretary or a General meeting of the Guild.
e) To organize the new guild year kick off (held in September) and the Christmas Party (held in December).
f) To ensure that at the end of his term in office, the necessary paperwork is done for the Guild bank accounts to be handed over to the succeeding executive posts of the Officer Corps.
g) Any other duties determined in the constitution or mandated by the Guild.
h) See Section 12.0

7.4) The above three (3) positions are considered the executive positions and must be held by three different people. However, the three members holding those three positions may also hold any of the positions below.

7.5) Librarian. The duties of the Librarian shall be:
a) To maintain in good repair, if possible, the contents of the Guild Library, and to catalogue the Guild Library if required by the Officer Corps
b) To make the contents of the Guild Library available as requested by Members of the Guild. A complete listing shall be posted to the guilds website/forum and updated as needed to keep it current.
c) To ensure that any items borrowed from the Guild Library by Members of the Guild are accounted for and to request return if necessary.
d) To keep a record of the amount of times each item is borrowed.
e) To make recommendations based on suggestions by the membership of what items should be purchased for the library.
f) Any other duties determined in the constitution or mandated by the Guild.
g) See Section 11.0

7.6) Campaign Coordinator. The responsibilities of the Campaign Coordinator are:
a) To administering the LRPG Campaigns.
b) The post of Campaign Coordinator can be held by two people simultaneously, each responsible for different games. If there are more than one Campaign Coordinator, they shall be named for the campaign they oversee.
c) To find Game Masters for the games run within the campaign.
d) To ensure that the campaign background (the canon) stays consistent in all games run within the campaign.
d) To ensure that the rules stay the same and are implemented consistently by all game masters running games within the campaign.
c) The Campaign Coordinator may, and is in encourage to, recruit and organize a number of members of the guild into a team that will assist in writing, proofreading, creating art, play-testing, Game Mastering or any other function that will help the production of the LRPG Campaigns.
e) Performing other duties determined in the Constitution or mandated by the Guild.
f) See Section 10.0 Below.

7.8) The Sword and the Quill Editor. The duties of The Sword & the Quill editor are:
a) To obtain articles and artwork from members of the Guild, for publication in the Guild Magazine, The Sword & the Quill.
b) To edit and arrange the printing of The Sword & the Quill, at intervals determined by the Officer Corps and as possible by the submittal or availability of material.
c) The Sword & the Quill Editor may, and is in encourage to, recruit and organize a number of members of the Guild into a team that will assist in writing, proofreading, creating art, designing layout or any other function that will help the in publication of the Guild Magazine, The Sword & the Quill.
d) The cost of printing copies of The Sword & the Quill will be paid for by the Guild.
e) Any other duties determined in the Constitution or mandated by the Guild.

7.9) Social Secretary, the duties of the Social Secretary are:
a) To arrange social events for Members of the Guild.
b) To organize quarterly New Members Orientations.
c) Any other duties determined in the Constitution or mandated by the Guild.

7.10) Additionally it shall be the responsibility of every member of the Officer Corps:
a) To assist, if necessary, any other position as requested by either the other officer or the president.


8.0) Guild Activities
8.1) It shall be the policy of the Guild’s leaders to set the event agenda for Guild activities such that the wishes of the membership is proportionally represented.
8.2) The agenda will be established incorporating all requests made by the members. If the membership does not provide input as to what it wishes to play, the leadership will use past attendance records and forum posts as a guide.
8.3) The guild agenda will be set as best as can be for the entire year. The membership should keep in mind though that room availability or other factors may influence this on short notice and despite the best laid plans, changes are not just inevitable, they’re likely.


9.0) Normal Games & Adventures.
9.1) Normal games and adventures shall mean any non LRPG Campaign events. Normal games are what is planned on routine game nights.

9.2) Normal games and adventures shall be run by any volunteering member but shall be run as professionally as possible with the sole intent being the enjoyment of the playing members.

9.3) The guild leadership reserves the right to selectively choose any given night’s game masters. This selection shall be based primarily on past GM’ing performance and/or membership requests.

9.4) The GM of an event shall be the final authority on game play rules decisions.


10.0) LRPG Campaigns. These consist of single adventures played during special events held periodically by the Guild that string together to make an ongoing epic story.
a) Campaign “chapters” shall have a common base story line that must be perpetuated at each event.
b) LRPG Campaign(s) is/are role playing or other games that are for the enjoyment of all Members of the Guild.

10.1)) These games may be published settings, adventures, and campaigns, or originals written by a member or a panel of members of the guild.

10.2) The rules for character creation (if a role playing game) or army/squad building (if a miniature war game) must be accessible to all Members of the Guild. The rules of a LRPG Campaign must be published to the Guild forum in the appropriate forum topic. If the rules are in a form that is particularly difficult to publish in digital form, copies of the rules must be made available in hard copy. Either way, the rules must be published and made available to membership at least one month prior to the first meeting of that campaign.

10.3) It will be the responsibility of the Campaign Coordinator to ensure that a LRPG Campaign is run successfully. He/She may choose a team of Guild members to assist them in this. This team shall have access to a private campaign sub-forum in the Guild forum site. A request must be made to the forum admin for this.

10.4 The running of each game table will be the responsibility of the Game Master(s) of that game with oversight by the Campaign Coordinator.

10.5) The LRPG Campaigns will be open to all members of the Guild.

10.6) The LRPG Campaign will be run in such a way as to be accessible to players who have not role-played before. All reasonable effort will be made by the Campaign Coordinator to ensure that the game can be enjoyed by as many Members as possible.

10.7) The GM of an event shall be the initial authority on game play rules decisions. The Campaign Coordinator shall be the final authority if the GM chooses to involve him/her.


11.0) The Guild Library
11.1) The Guild Library will consist of games-related items owned by the Guild, plus any items loaned to the Guild Library by Guild Members or others.

11.2) The Officer Corps need not accept all items donated to the Guild Library.

11.3) If a member of the Guild borrows an item from the Guild Library and fails to return it in a reasonable state, that Member will be responsible for replacing the item, or for the cost of repair or replacement. Any such money collected will be used to buy items for the Guild Library.


12.0) Guild Finances
12.1) Anticipated expenditure includes: Membership cards, website hosting, website domain name, ad flyers, Guild parties such as the Year Kick Off and Christmas parties, and any reasonable expenditure related to special guild events such as Game Demo Days at a game store.

12.2) The Officer Corps will be authorized to administer unforeseen expenses up to a value of
$30. Discretion is strongly encouraged. All other expenditures must have the pre-authorization of the treasurer.

12.3) Monies collected by the Treasurer for a particular event will be used for that event.

12.4) Any items paid for by the Guild, and remaining after an activity will be added to either the Guild Library, or to the materials available to the Campaign Coordinator.

12.5) Surplusing items. Items deemed excess to the guild by consensus of the Officer Corps may be surplused. Liquidation of surplus items shall first be made available to the guild membership, then friends of the guild, then to the general public (by eBay if necessary). ALL proceeds from the sale of said items shall be deposited into the guild treasury with priority for these funds being the acquisition of new library items.

13.0) Motions and voting: Members are encouraged to help steer the Guild.

13.1) Motions regarding any matter may be raised and voted on at any guild meeting providing the following conditions are met:
a) There is at least one third (1/3) of the membership and at least two (2) executive officers present at the meeting. This shall be called a quorum of the general membership.
b) The matter to be voted on has been advertised on the forums at least 45 days in advance of the meeting. The advertisement must clearly present the matter for discussion and state the issues at stake.
c) Only motions related to the matter on the agenda may be voted on.
d) In the event of a dispute, the President, or highest ranking officer present, shall make the final judgment call on whether the above conditions are satisfactorily met.

13.2) All motions shall be proposed and seconded by a member of the Guild.

13.3) In lieu of a live meeting, special meetings may be conducted online by use of the Guild forum. A special forum topic will be created by the site admin and discussions and voting will take place within clearly posted time frames. This provision is created due to the difficulty in securing meeting locations and to make representation by all members more accessible.

13.4) The Guild can vote on any motion by any means acceptable to those Officer Corps members present at the meeting (or online in such a case), provided each member receives one vote on each motion.

13.5) A simple majority vote of a quorum meeting will be considered binding on the Officer Corp. This includes a vote of censorship against Officer Corps members.

13.6) Motions to change the Guild constitution shall require polling of at least three quarters (75%) of the membership. This shall be called a super quorum. In order for such a motion to pass, at least two thirds (2/3) of the super quorum must vote in favor of the motion.


14.0) Elections of Guild Officers and other posts

14.1) Elections will be carried out at each Annual General Meeting of the Guild (the Guild Year Kickoff in September). Additionally any empty, non-executive posts may be filled at any time by a willing member of the Guild chosen by the President. No such Officer Corps member will hold a post solely by Presidential appointment for a period exceeding one term.

14.2) With the exception of a post for which a successor to the current holder has already been elected, every post will be available for election at each quarterly general meeting (See Section 4.3).

14.3) The President, Secretary and Treasurer must be a resident of Lakeland, Florida.

14.4) In the term preceding the Annual Guild Meeting it is the responsibility of the President to inform Guild members of the posts available on the Officer Corps and the duties required of each. The President will open nominations for each post not later than two weeks before the AGM.

14.5) The Officer Corps may also call an election for any post which is unfilled, or which is held by Presidential appointment, at any time. This fact will be advertised to the Guild, and nominations for the post must be opened at least two weeks before the date of the election. The election must be at a meeting of the Guild.

14.6) Candidates will be selected by self-nomination, together with one seconder, who must be a member of the LRPG. Nominations and Seconds can be in person, in writing or by email.

14.7) A Candidate has to be a sentient being according to the UN’s guidelines.

14.8) A Candidate properly nominated before the meeting need not be present at the meeting to be elected.

14.9) Nominations for all posts will be closed at the meeting.

14.10) Elections will be by secret written ballot. Absentee ballots will be allowed. Proxy voting will not be allowed.

14.11) Each member of the Guild, may, for each post to be elected, vote for one candidate or to re-open nominations.

14.12) Votes will be tallied by the President and by a second member of the Guild appointed at the meeting.

14.13) A candidate will be elected to a post provided that they receive more than half the votes cast for that post and provided that the vote is quorum.

14.14) If no candidate is elected to the post, then the candidate receiving the least votes will be eliminated, and a further election held for that post. In the event of more than one candidate being tied for last place all such candidates will be eliminated. In the event of all candidates receiving equal numbers of votes a re-election will be held.

14.15) If the majority of votes cast for a post are to re-open nominations, then the President will decide either to invite further candidates immediately and hold a further election, or to leave the post unfilled (except in the case of executive posts).

14.16) All posts will be held for a period not longer than one year without re-election. Incumbent positions running unopposed shall be automatically renewed without the need for an election.

14.17) If there are no candidates for a particular Officer Corps posts, or if no candidate is elected to the post then the post will be left unfilled (except in the case of executive posts).

14.18) After the election there will be a one week hand over time frame during which the incumbent officers will remain in their posts solely for the purpose of transitioning to the new leadership regime.

14.19) If elections are not held simultaneously, the order of elections will be as follows:
President
Secretary
Treasurer
Other Officer Corps posts, in an order determined by the President.

15.0) Suspension and expulsion
15.1) Officer Corps may suspend a Guild member for a period not longer than four weeks for a breach of the Code of Conduct. To permanently expel someone from the Guild they have to have repeatedly breached Code of Conduct and there has to be a vote by the Guild at an extraordinary general meeting.

16.0) Standing Policies. This section shall be the Code of Conduct. Guild members must understand and adhere to the rules presented in this section. Members are encouraged to report violations of these rules to an LRPG officer as soon as possible. Violations of the rules by an officer should be reported to the President immediately.

16.1) Controversial Subjects
In the interest of maintaining a civil environment, the LRPG prohibits discussions of politics, sports, religion, or any other controversial topic during Guild meetings and events. The LRPG does not encourage the study or practice of “black magic”, violence, criminality, or other immoral behavior.

16.2) Sanctioned Activities
The LRPG focuses on role-playing games; however, it also features programs and events for board games, collectible card games (CCGs), and miniature war games.

16.3) Unsanctioned Activities
Live-action role-playing, or “larping”, is not supported by the LRPG due to liability issues. As an organization, the LRPG cannot be responsible for health and legal complications stemming from LARP activities, and therefore chooses not to sponsor them. Games of chance played for monetary reward (i.e. gambling) are not endorsed by the LRPG. Games oriented to adult audiences (i.e., those with mature content unacceptable for minors) are also not endorsed by the LRPG.

16.4) Disruptive Behavior
Disruptive behavior is any action that interrupts a game or disturbs its participants. This
includes, but is not limited to:
• Unprovoked displays of anger or aggression.
• Verbal or physical abuse.
• Foul language.
• Uninvited sexual advances.
• Lewd or harassing conversation.
• Incessant arguing of rules.
• Cheating.
• Purposeful obstruction of play.
All such behaviors are prohibited and will invite disciplinary action by the LRPG officers. As a private organization, the LRPG retains the right to warn, eject, or expel members who refuse to be civil.

16.5) Substance Abuse
Guild events are drug, tobacco, and alcohol free. Period. Members discovered to be intoxicated at an LRPG event will be required to leave. The LRPG has zero tolerance for illegal substances and underage drinking or tobacco use and will report violations to the local authorities.

16.6) Personal Hygiene
Members are expected to adhere to accepted standards of hygiene during LRPG meetings and events. Failure to do so can result in disciplinary action.

16.7) Intellectual Property
The LRPG respects intellectual property. Acts of piracy will therefore not be tolerated. Members found owning or distributing pirated game materials will be permanently expelled from the Guild. Dues will not be refunded in this eventuality.

16.8) Publications & Advertising
All publications and advertisements incorporating the LRPG name or logo must be approved by the Guild officers before distribution.

16.9) Resignation & Disciplinary Action
A member may resign his position in the Guild at any time. Written notice must be delivered to the President or Secretary before the resignation is final. A member in good standing who resigns his membership is entitled to a prorated refund (marked from the date of receipt of a written resignation) of his dues.