Céad Míle Fáilte!

The past two months have been filled with great joys, continuous growth, dozens of memories, and also one of the Gaiscioch family's greatest losses. In this edition of the Ceannard's notes we will be exploring the celebration of 10 years of Gaiscioch, changes in the family to stabilize the future, the giving of life to children in need through the Extra Life event, and the loss of a dear friend and leader of the Gaiscioch family. This edition has to be the hardest I've ever had to write. It is also by far the longest. I'm sorry for the enormous wall of text but everything contained within needed to be said. I will start by remembering our dear friend and brother Oldroar.

In Memory Of Our Fallen Brother Roger "Oldroar" Rall

Roger ''Oldroar'' RallIt's with great sadness that I report that our beloved friend Roger Rall known by most as Oldroar has passed on. We learned of his passing from his beloved wife, Karen. His passing was quick, quiet, painless, and unexpected. He was 65 years old, and leaves behind a loving wife and one heck of a large digital family.

I think it's safe to say that Oldroar touched us all through his time with us. He was the perfect example of a gentleman, calm, collected, and loving. He lead life with his heart, gave everything and asked for nothing in return. He coached many of us on life's challenges and forged hundreds of memories in our lives.

From the first day I met Oldroar and his made for radio voice I knew we had found a wonderful man, leader, and friend. He was only a few contribution points away from Draio in Warhammer Online and refused to donate anything officially because he felt he did not yet deserve the title. Unofficially he spent the majority of his time helping new members, leading events, and stepping up when no one else would. His true contribution to us who grew to know and love him was his unwavering patience and kindness.

He was our first Teagasgar, and will be our last. In memory of his passing we will retire the Teagasgar rank at his in game memorial upon the launch of Guild Wars 2. The date and time of this event will be posted as soon as we know when the game is coming out. Oldroar was very much looking forward to Guild Wars 2 and it's only fitting that we say farewell in the game he dreamed of playing.

God defiantly scored one of the finest leaders to walk the earth. Leading with kindness, patience, and compassion. We can only hope to be a fraction of the light that he was. He was a true friend, and an unforgettable soul. Roger will live on through our lives and extend his life through ours. He's affected thousands with his kindness and we all are better people for sharing our lives with him. Thank you Roger.

Please take some time to share your favorite Oldroar memory with us on our Remembering Oldroar post. I will be collecting all of the submissions, packaging them up nicely and sending a care-package to Karen. Visit: http://www.gaiscioch.com/oldroar

Giving Life Through Gaming

Gaiscioch to Host Special Edition of the Telara Saga Event for the Extra Life Charity Event October 15th to benefit the Children's Miracle Network.

Extra Life Charity EventOn October 15th nearly 100 members of the Gaiscioch family will play RIFT for 24 hours to help raise money for the Children's Miracle Network. In the first week of fundraising the Gaiscioch Family placed 51st in the world for teams participating in the event. The Gaiscioch aims to raise $5,000 to the Children's Miracle Network. To help boost participation the Gaiscioch Family has announced a special edition of the Telara Saga to be played at 6PM Pacific in Freemarch on October 15th on the Charity Server. This event will be open for both sides to participate in.

I would like to encourage you all to participate or donate to the cause. Every dollar helps. Lets give some children a second chance at life. Dozens of our members have already shared stories about how the Children's Miracle Network has saved their brothers, sisters, friends, and family.

The top 10 fundraisers will receive an in-game item code for the Dwarven Smithy Goggles, and all participants in either the Telara Saga event or in raising funds for the cause will receive the dollar amount in the form of contribution points. Join the team at: http://www.gaiscioch.com/extralife



Celebrating 10 Years of Epic Conquest

The Gaiscioch Family turns 10 years old on November 11th and celebrates by returning to Dark Age of Camelot for 1 Month.

The day the Gaiscioch began, 2 players of the MMORPG classic Dark Age of Camelot banded together to set out on a mission to create a Celtic Themed social gaming community. Bondon and Foghladha recruited 6 players to join them in forming the Gaiscioch na Anu. Two of these volunteers would become long time members and travel through a decade of adventures. Breel and Caelliu volunteered to help form the original guild and instead of leaving immediately after like the other 4, they decided to stick around and see how well we do.

Through the years we defeated dragons, conquered nations, told stories, and survived an epic collapse, which lead to our new casual gaming format. Through the years we have made friends, memories, and lasting relationships.

Today the Gaiscioch Family has traveled through 3 titles with another on the horizon. Over 2,400 registered members have come to call us home, ranging from students, to school teachers, to soldiers, to artists, to business owners. It is through our families undying commitment that we have succeeded in building one of the greatest gaming communities available.

We have been featured by major gaming related media sources including Massively.com, MMORPG.com, GameBreaker.tv, G4TV, GameTrailers.com, TenTonHammer, ZAM, and dozens more.

However the one accomplishment I hold dearest to my heart was the hundreds of memorable moments we shared on the battlefield. The relationships that have been formed are more important to us than any in game accomplishment. I thank you all for 10 of the most wonderful years I've ever experienced in gaming.

To commemorate our 10th year, a large part of the current Gaiscioch Family will be returning to Dark Age of Camelot for the month of November with RvR Events planned every Saturday Night. Feel free to reinstall and join us! Never played before? Sign up for a 14-day free trial Here. If you need to buy a boxed copy be sure to check out Amazon.com

Changes within the Family

Stabilizing the house for upcoming features and improvements.

The past 6 months have simply been amazing. We have gone from 250 characters opening day, to 3,300 characters in just 6 short months. That hasn't been the only thing that has grown in the family. Our family has successfully harnessed the 5 paths of MMO gamers. Raiding, Crafting, PvPing, Roleplaying, and Casual Gameplay. Our family contains all of these elements that traditional guilds focus on one or two. Not only have we done this successfully, we are well known in each of these branches.

In the past 6 months we have created the family marketplace, where items can be crafted, which gave life to the new secondary source of family honor points titled Artisan Points. This system has been used over 12,500 times to send goods and materials to fellow kinsmen. Also with the marketplace came Resources a new currency for purchasing crafting supplies from the family vault or from other members. These resources are converted from Family Vault credits. Each of your Family Vault Credits can be converted into 100 resources.

We have also expanded the donation system, which we pioneered in Warhammer Online to include crafting materials, rare and epic drops, and various hard to collect drops. Each of these changes accelerated the rate at which someone could progress in the family. Family events in RIFT yielded nearly 3x to 4x the number of family honor points per event than those in Warhammer Online. Thus we have adjusted the Family Structure to better reflect the new family honor point pace. In addition to this change we have flattened the progression away from the Warhammer Branching Tree.

The new Gaiscioch Structure begins with the "introductory ranks" being filled with our honored guests to our house. As they register and take their first steps in the family they join the official "fellowship" at the Lorgair rank. Over the next few months a member will continue growing in their advancement until they reach the Seimpin rank, which is the first of the Officer ranks. A member will spend a few more months as an officer before becoming eligible to become a family leader. By the time a member has been with the family 2 years and has completed all of the trials they will become eligible to become a Draio.

The progression path we laid forward in Warhammer Online originally planned to have players reach Lorgair after 1 month, Seimpin after 6 months, Ard Tiarna after 1 year, and Draio after 2 years. I believe that our current point model should realign the progression with this timeframe.

The Family Tree

The concept is to allow the newer members within the introductory ranks, register to the website, learn how to claim participation, and attend a few family events to get to know us. These newer members are considered our leaves. While many disregard leaves and rule them out as unimportant the leaves are essential to the survival of the tree. Without them the tree will surely die. While leaves will sprout and many will fall from the tree, the majority of them will grow to become twigs.

They transition into the Fellowship ranks where they become not only an active participant but also have the option to begin leading their own events. These members are twigs which stem from the limbs. They grow to support leaves and act as the doorway to new members. Those that choose to lead will be on the fast track to becoming an officer while those who prefer to follow will still work toward that goal but not at such a quick pace.

Upon becoming an officer a member becomes a representative of our family. An officer is a limb on our tree and must take into account our family as a whole. Every action they make is directly representative of us as a whole. If they cause a disturbance twigs and leaves fill fall at a much greater number. Their job is to ensure the well being of our tree. They must begin thinking beyond their own image and start helping create the Gaiscioch image. They are our eyes and ears and the front line to new members. They take on a responsibility of helping newer members understand the inner workings of the family.

After serving as an officer and proving their leadership ability by obtaining Tokens of Valor from newer members and showing their willingness to sacrifice a member can become eligible to become a leader. Leaders no longer concern themselves with self gain, and often will go out of their way to help others even when there is no reward for themselves. They are the most critical members of the family as they are the branches which support our entire tree.

The Trunk of the tree is the Ceannard. They must be able to support the weight of the tree in the most ferocious storms and be able to make decisions that effect the family as a whole and suffer whatever consequences they bring. They spend most of their time making the family stronger and have a constant eye on the public image.

The highest rank a member can obtain within the Gaiscioch is a Draio. They are the roots of our tree which support the trunk in staying grounded. They act as advisors, public faces, and have a strong commitment to the health of the family. These members know the history, the lore, the etiquette, and can answer most questions about the family. This position is a selfless one and you will be assigned a task to help support the family. You will be expected to spend at least half of your time in game providing support to the family.

Over the coming months I will be putting together more video tutorials, revising the about us section entirely, prepare new promotion emails to better guide you along your way, and finish the dungeon explorer system. In addition, I will be putting together the official "Trials" which will be benchmarks for you to obtain for your major rank promotions (Member, Officer, Leader, Elder). These Trials will require the user to read & agree to a credo and accept the responsibilities that come with the promotion. Upon agreeing to the credo a ceremony will be held in game to hallmark their achievement.

In Conclusion

I want to thank everyone who has shared a story or feeling about Oldroar on our forums, and those who will be participating in our Extra Life event. In these times we can see the true power of our family. Our unity is very apparent, and I think we all can see how much this is not just about a game. We real people, with real lives, and we share them with each other. We are a family, of 2,400 brothers, sisters, moms, dads, grandparents, and cousins. I am very proud to say that this is our family. Thank you all for 10 wonderful and unforgettable years.

"In the end it's not about the loot, it's about the memories and relationships you make that define your experience."

Slan Go Foill

Benjamin "Foghladha" Foley
Ceannard De Gaiscioch Treubh