Home  About SMS  Alliances  Associates  Blogs  Challenge SMS  Find SMS  Join SMS  Links  News  Roster  SETI@SMS  SMS Store Username Password   Legal Stuff		A Comparison of Alliances vs. Associate Relationships Cross-Reference Chart     Alliance     Associate Relationship   Scope Refers to a relationship between clans/guilds/teams as defined by SMS on this page. Covers any and all games played by both parties. Refers to a relationship defined within a game (usually a MMORPG such as Dark Age of Camelot or Everquest). Within the context of the game, this relationship may be called an "alliance" but for our purposes here is called an "Associate Relationship". Applies to only a single game, and usually only a particular server or shard within that game. Prerequisites Compatible set of ethics, other clan/guild at least 1 year old and its leader must be at least 18 years of age. None Communication Frequent formal communication, at least once a month. Informal communication as needed. Confidentiality Discussions held between both parties are held in complete confidence, even from other allies. Full disclosure is assumed amongst all Associates, but information will not be shared with non-Associates. Intelligence Sharing Full sharing of information amongst allies regarding a common opponent. Limited not only by a "need-to-know" basis but to prevent disclosure of SMS resources and methods. Jurisdiction Members of a party (clan, guild, team, etc.) are subject to that party's rules, regulations and disciplinary guidelines only. Military Aid If requested in a reasonable amount of time, one team shall provide military support to the other in a Massively Multiplayer Online Game (MMOG) if the resulting goal is for the benefit of both parties, or is in the defense of one party under attack by non-allies. Non-Aggression Parties agree to never conduct operations against each other or each other's members but to rather settle their agreements rationally and peacefully. No Ally or Associate shall attempt to recruit members from another. Resource Sharing If one team requires the use of one of the other team's resources, the owning team shall take all reasonable steps to make that resource available provided that it has not already been allocated. The requesting team shall provide as much notice as possible for the use of the resource, and (if applicable) shall return such a resource in the condition it was loaned, or make arrangements for a replacement of identical capabilities. This not only applies to physical items such as game servers, but virtual items which may exist in a MMOG. If applicable, crafted items may be sold at cost or below cost of manufacture to Allies. Allied crafters may, at the discretion of the officer in charge, be assisted or otherwise subsidized although this level of support should be the exception rather than the rule. Any resources shared shall be virtual only (e.g. within the game). If applicable, crafted items may be sold at a discount to Associates but never at or below the cost of manufacture. Respect Each party shall afford the other the highest degree of courtesy and will familiarize themselves with the rank structure and senior staff of the other team. Common courtesy is to be observed at all times amongst Associates. Treatment of Allies-By-Proxy By default, allies of one team shall be treated respectfully by the other. Unless both parties in an Alliance are likewise allied with this third party, no other concessions are to be given to this third team. Both parties acknowledge that hostile actions between non-allied members in such a situation run the risk of straining all alliances involved, and shall take steps to resolve the situation quickly and peacefully. All Associates are to be considered to be on equal footing with one another. Relative Trust Level HIGH MEDIUM TO LOW Alliances page   Associates page Steel Maelstrom Homepage