Greetings and welcome from the players of the Grim. If you are reading this, you are either a casual observer or interested party in joining The Grim.
The site you are currently viewing was created to streamline the Classic application process separate from our Retail versions. Our primary website can be found at https://thegrim.org. There you will find more information about us and our history.
The Grim Discord can be found at https://discord.gg/wGxxy6H. Please be aware that you will only have access to a few channels until the application has been completed and you have been invited into the guild in-game. If you have any questions feel free to pop in and ask them!
The Grim is a North American Heavy RP guild that originated on the Twisting Nether RP-PVP realm in Sept. 2005 and moved to Wyrmrest Accord prior to BFA start. We have been actively defeating the foes of the Horde ever since, whether they be demon, demented dragons, or Alliance. The Grim are a guild of action; a collection of role-players that want to play the game.
The Grim are a role-playing guild whose theme is “Peace Through Annihilation.” It is the Grim’s belief that there are drastic and extreme steps to be taken to see the survival of the Horde through this troubled and war-torn world, and it is the Grim’s actions that will see them through. The leaders of the Horde are not weak, they are just held back from doing what is necessary to survive.
Some would consider our actions evil, and they would be correct. There is nothing the Grim will not do to see our objectives achieved, though we are not a band of blood-thirsty killers that do everything on a whim. Each Grim follows one document, the Mandate, that serves to guide all members to their goals. The Mandate is a living document, so that when threats both rise and fall, the Grim know and understand what we have to do to see the continued survival and success of the Horde and the guild.
The Grim are a guild of action; a collection of role-players that want to play the game. While we strive to excel in both PvE and PvP content; we are a role-playing guild first. When members of both factions, Horde and Alliance, see and interact with a Grim character; they will know and understand that person is both in character and ready to play hardball. The Grim is not for people who want to sit around and sip tea all day.
If you are looking for a guild that is strictly PVP or raiding with no in-character context, or just want to sit in the pub and bemoan the murder of your mother by the Alliance, then we are not for you.
The Grim do not accept non-standard Horde races such as dragons, ogres, or arakkoa. Applicants are expected to adhere to the playable races (orc, troll, forsaken, etc), though specific distinctions are permitted. These would include mountain trolls versus forest trolls, Mag’har orcs versus greenskins, and other minor cosmetic differences.
The Grim adheres to Blizzard's naming conventions for RP realms. This includes requiring believably medieval or fantasy names for all characters; not allowing characters with names that reference real-world people, places, characters or icons from other games, tv shows or movies; and disallowing names constructed from sentence fragments.
In addition, though there are exceptions, any names that are real words may be subject to question. This includes words referencing your character's class, spells, etc. Examples of bad names: Stabnslash, Elusyve, Tirade, Deadman, Beefsteak. More leniency may be given based on the race of your character; for example Tauren names often sound like native names (Lunarhoof).
We also do not accept names with special characters such as accents, as they make communication unnecessarily unwieldy.
If you have a question about your name or character concept being accepted, you are welcome to contact an officer in game or on Discord before applying.
Grim Rules
The Mandate
You hold in your hands the Mandate of the Grim. Contained herein is our purpose and the guidelines we follow. This Mandate is the core of our existence. Our prospective members will learn of the Word; our seasoned veterans know it, breathe it, and embody it to the fullest.
Our enemies will come to fear it.
A Grim Purpose
The complete destruction of the Alliance is the goal towards which we strive. Though we are loyal to the Horde, we believe the Horde leaders are not always able to take the necessary steps to ensure its survival. Many who are allied under the banner of the Horde do not agree with our methods. But talk and half-measures are for the weak. It is through our hands that the Horde will become the dominant force on Azeroth and the world beyond.
This is our purpose. These are our obstacles that we must overcome. Everything we do we do for this one single goal.
Peace through annihilation.
The Grim Conduct
Many see our ways as evil. They believe we take things too far and are too extreme to be truly effective. We say they are weak in mind and reason. We do what must be done with neither regret nor remorse. If this determination is decried as evil – we will still embrace the Word, but not without mindless resolve. We are as calculating as we are driven; thus, we have rules in place for the conduct of our members.
The Grim is as much its members as it is the ideal. Each member of the Grim will remember that they are companions in the fight against our enemies. While one may not respect the person, they will respect the cause and their guild mate’s place in it.
Our loyalty is to the Horde and its continued survival. We must understand we are not alone in our struggle. The Horde has many like-minded heroes who will take the necessary steps of survival and so we will show them proper respect. Just because they are not Grim now, does not mean they will not be Grim soon.
The world is split into two different spheres. The part the Horde control and the part the Horde will control. Some of it is not yet ripe for the harvest. The Grim will not take part in the plunder or destruction of the weaker hovels and communities of Azeroth. Our strength is better used on the front lines against the strongest of the Alliance.
The Grim believe that to the deserved go the spoils. However, there are times when greed overshadows logic. We have rules designated for certain situations when we delve into the more dangerous parts of the world – these rules can be found in separate documents. As a general rule, those who find an item that increases their power should be able to acquire it. A fair use of dice will be used if more than one lay claim to an item. Common sense and the betterment of the group than the person should always be priority.
The Grim Structure
In life, a body is either a leader or a follower. The Grim are no different. Our members are a mix of skill and experience, and a rank structure is in place to show this. From the beginning of a member’s purpose to the pinnacle of being at the Commander’s side, the Grim view our structure not as a ladder of military discipline and authority, but personal initiative and the thought that while it is the individual who has the mind, it is the group that holds the power.
Each rank of the Grim has a purpose, and each rank has its place.
The Mandate is the foundation of everything that defines The Grim as being "The Grim".
Player Behavior Expectations - In-game
The Grim strive to set the example for role playing wherever we go. We follow the Blizzard role playing policy to the letter and then some. Each member of the Grim should be in character at all times, unless in a designated out of character channel. Most game related topics can be worded in character and we strive to ensure we keep as best an immersive world as we can.
We play evil characters. Because of this, most characters have very anti-social qualities. While role playing should never be restricted, it should also never reach a point where your character is unapproachable without drama. Conflict will happen, but remember to keep it in character. If you feel that something your character will do may offend or otherwise come off as very bad, give the person(s) you are role playing with an OOC whisper, just to give them a warning and that it’s nothing personal. A little OOC reminder goes a long way to prevent miscommunication.
A large guild has many personalities and opinions, which increases the chance of OOC conflict. There are too many people here to have a guild free from any disagreements. If you feel someone is not treating you with proper OOC respect, let them know specifically what it was you found offensive. They might not know they have offended you.
Continued out of character disrespect between members is not acceptable. While many people have different views, we are all here to play a game. Guild leaders will not babysit you, and we will cut the bad grape from the vine if you cannot get along with your fellow players. Racism and/or sexual harassment will never be tolerated and will lead to immediate guild removal.
The Grim do not condone situations that can be considered griefing. While our characters believe no Alliance should live to see the light of day, we as players need to remember that this is a multi-player game. Grim members should avoid killing low-level Alliance, unless provoked or defending in Horde or contested territory. Corpse camping is also frowned upon, and is defined as sticking around the body of an Alliance member for the single purpose of disrupting their game-play. Any Grim who engages in these situations without good cause can face demotion or expulsion.
Player Behavior Expectations - Out-of-game
With the advent of forums, and more recently Discord servers, out of game communications has become a common form of communication. Please maintain a respectful demeanor when interacting with other players from Grobbulus, even non-RPers. Follow the rules of forums and Discords. Do not beg for "admin", do not disrespect other players for not being lore-savvy, or for not being role-players. Each discord has a "vibe". If that "vibe" does not fit with you, then leave it rather than try to make it into something it is not.
Guild Ranks
As with any organizations, the Grim needs decision makers and mediators. While each member is expected to abide by the rules set forth by Grim hierarchy, we are all Grim and without all of us working together there is no Grim. All members – new or old – are encouraged to express their opinion or thoughts on all guild matters. Feedback is the only way we can make the Grim even better.
Grim Roleplay
The Grim considers itself a heavy RP guild. What that means to us is that we try to RP as much as possible as we play WoW. If a Grim is online, that Grim is in character for the time they are logged in. Anything that can be said or done IC, will be said and done IC.
OOC is only to be used for general non-game related chatting and for game mechanics that are just too difficult to describe IC. OOC is also used in cases where time is of the essence; voice chat is OOC and used for giving directions during raids and PVP events.
This information is intended to give everyone an understanding of the general feel of Grim roleplay, to help make people more comfortable RPing within the guild, and to create a baseline of expectations in effort to avoid disagreements.
In The Grim, we strive to promote RP for all players. We give each other the benefit of the doubt when it comes to mistakes or slip-ups. IC, we may bicker and squabble, but OOC, we strive for cooperation and camaraderie with each other.
If you have any questions about anything, ask! Send a whisper to the person you’re RPing with, ask an officer, a veteran Grim, post on the forums, or ask in the in-game OOC channel.
Lore
We try to roleplay within the lore, but we are not all lore experts, nor do we expect our players to be. If a Grim character or storyline seems reasonable within the WoW universe, we’ll roll with it. Even if something is not probable in the WoW world, if it is very well-played, we might still roll with it, although we may treat that character as insane! Characters can talk about history (lore) as much as they want. If they are wrong about something, we roll with it IC--either by playing that our characters are ignorant of the mistake, or correcting them IC. OOC discussions are also acceptable.
General Public Knowledge
The Grim is one of the older organizations within the Horde. As such, it has long ago discovered the value and obtained the resources for a network of spies and informants. All those who seek entry into The Grim will be thoroughly investigated. If insufficient information can be found about an applicant, that applicant will not become Grim.
Any information found on the in game roster, or on guild membership tracking websites is considered by The Grim general public knowledge, and may or may not be used in RP by anyone, as each individual players chooses.
Our characters may communicate with each other beyond the scope of the game. Minions, directly serving or assisting primary characters, may become knowledgeable to certain individuals, actions, or events at the player's choosing. Information spreads through word-of-mouth, and those who have already proven themselves within The Grim are considered far more trustworthy than those outside of the organization.
PvP Flag
In the past, Thrall worked with the Alliance to try to attain peace. As a result of those efforts, Horde members can choose to shield themselves from Alliance attacks in certain locations. Grims scoff at such peace attempts, and refuse to hide behind such shields.
In short, Grims are always flagged for PvP when in the presence of other Grims, including meetings, events, and city defense where they might otherwise not be PvP enabled. (Ideally for IC reasons, Grims are flagged for PvP at all times, but this is not something that will be enforced.)
RP Addons
RP addons are not required in The Grim, although many players do use them. If there is something special about a character that does not show on the screen where the other players can see it, it is that player's responsibility to make it clear through RP. Some people have trouble remembering odd character traits, so if a slip-up occurs a gentle reminder in whispers, or better yet an IC correction, should be used to set things straight. The more often such a trait is mentioned in RP, the more likely it is that other players will remember it.
IC/OOC Separation
IC knowledge and OOC knowledge should be kept separate as much as possible, but slip-ups do happen. When they happen, there are many ways to handle it IC--treat the character like they heard bad information or they’re crazy, or pretend your character didn’t hear it. Whenever possible, use it as an RP opportunity and keep the RP flowing, especially if it’s in guild chat or there are multiple people involved. If it is a major slip-up, or one you can't RP around, you can whisper the other player about it and try to find a resolution.
Character & Player Gender
The character gender does not need to match the player's gender. If we see a female character, we'll refer to the player as female for the sake of convenience until we learn otherwise, but we really don't care if a male is playing a female, or a female is playing a male. It's all good, as long as someone isn't being deliberately deceptive OOC for questionable reasons.
Death
Death is handled many different ways. Some refer to the spirit healer and resurrections. Others say someone was defeated or knocked out. For bosses, they have obviously been killed many many times.
The way we handle death is: everything goes! However a player and their character refer to death, we roll with it.
For more information, see Defeat vs Death.
Chat
/guild, /say, /yell are always IC, never OOC - no exceptions, not even for typo corrections.
/party, and /raid are always IC if it is a Grim group. If it is a pick-up group, use your judgment.
Guild chat is always IC. By default, a Grim’s hearthstone is tuned into the special guild frequency by advanced goblin technology. However, some Grim characters, particularly those who are talented in engineering, may use other devices to communicate. Guild chat is considered to be audio only, not visual. Again, some Grims may have specialized communication devices that can transmit or receive visual images.
Some Grim characters play that their communication tool is attuned to all Grims. It might show all the Grims who have their device turned on (all characters logged in at the time), or who is speaking, or when someone turns their device on and off (logs in/out). Many also play that the device shows them where someone is, as the roster shows the zone a player is in.
In other words, Guild chat is a tool we all use for our characters to communicate, but the specific details of how a character accesses it are up to the player.
The Grim use /o (officer) chat for OOC. Following this channel is optional and not everyone will do so. Anything that can be said IC should be said in guild chat, including looking for a group, asking if anyone can do a particular tradeskill, etc. Be considerate of other members in the OOC channel. The topics of politics and religion are off limits.
Vocabulary
The Grim has its own terminology for things that don't always sound in-character.
attune - invite (to a party or raid)
fist - party
vanguard - tank
guild hall - forums
the mad - non-roleplayers
blue badges - honor kills
bragging rights - achievements
as heroes - heroic raid/dungeon/scenario
tasks - quests
missions - quests
menders - healers ("healers" is also acceptable)
killers - dps
seasons (of training) - level
circles (of training) - level
fully trained - max level
For more insight on how The Grim roleplays, see this post from a former Grim GM:
How I Role (Ninja RP) by Malebrignon