1. Have fun.  What better rule could anyone possibly think of for a "gaming" clan?  It is the #1 desire of all of us to enjoy our time together in |tb| Tactical Brotherhood.  After all, games are intended to be fun and they are --- but gaming together with a group of folks that you enjoy "hanging out" with is even better.  If at any time your "fun quotient" dries up, we would encourage you to either take some time away; or if necessary, move on to greener pastures.  We want folks who contribute to the "fun factor" in this clan.

2. Don't be a "fun vampire".  Say what?  Yeah, we said it!  Rule #1 says that we are to have fun!  However, that is not exclusive to YOU!  So be mindful that in the midst of your "fun" you are not sucking the fun out of the game for those around you!  In other words, don't have fun at the expense of everyone around you.  For example, we are a tactical clan and we run a tactical server.  So if you find yourself a little tired of playing with a purpose and under control and just wanna "let your hair down" a bit and shoot 'em up run-n-gun style --- go visit a RnG server to do it.  Most of us joined a tactical clan because we don't like that style of play.  So, if you're feeling the itch?  Sweet.  Fine.  No problem.  Just go to the appropriate server to scratch...

3. Respect the leadership structure.  While we are not a specifically "military style" clan --- we have still employed a leadership structure (as identified on the Structure" page of this web site) to maintain order and delegate differing responsibilities among many.  In this way, there will be several voices in the top "decision-making" positions instead of just one.  It is our COMPLETE expectation that every member of this clan will respect the structure we have set up.  The people that have leadership positions have been carefully screened and have been given the responsibility to lead their own area.  All members are responsible to those above them in the leadership structure.

4. Create and participate in the total community.  Those of us that started this clan did so because we love the "community" aspect of gaming.  Sure, there is something to be said for the freedom of playing the "lone wolf" as a public player on occasion; but at the end of the day, we enjoy the community of brothers that we come to know.  It is important that you understand that this clan is NOT just about the game server we enjoy.  This is about the total community and it is our expectation that ALL members will participate fully.  That means we expect you in our voice server.  We expect you to participate in discussions and communication in our forums.  And of course we expect you to be active in our game server as well.  It's not really and option as we are buiilding around activity and participation!

5. Follow the rules of our server!  We expect that our members are positive examples in our server of what it means to play with a tactical realism mindset.  We set the examples and show our guests the advantages of playing together, as a team, with exceptional communication --- and they "get the bug" themselves.  There will be very little "leeway" for our members where this rule is concerned (not that there is "leeway" in the other rules, but you get the point).  No excuses about not knowing the rules.  We have our server rules scrolling in "dead chat" in the game servers 24/7.  If you have questions (you shouldn't after undergoing T&I, but if you do...), then ask one of our members in the leadership structure (these folks are at level L4+).  And then follow them!  Don't forget rule #1!  If TR isn't "fun" for you, we will respect your right to move on.

6. Obey the rules of other servers.  We want you to be a good representative of |tb| Tactical Brotherhood.  If you go to any other clans server, you are expected to honor their rules without question.  If they want fair teams, make sure you don't unbalance them. If they want unfair teams, same goes. Be polite.  If you are unsure about what their server rules are, make sure you ask one of their members.  If you join a server and it looks like perhaps an event is going on (maybe it's all their clan members in there), make sure you ask politely if you are interrupting anything.  If not, then thank them and play on.  If so and you are asked to leave, then leave.  We do NOT want to hear from other clan leaders that our members are not acting in a mature fashion in their server.  So spare us the trouble.

7. Respect your membership in |tb| and in our members.  We ask that if you join this clan, that you do not join another clan in the Call of Duty series. Most other clans have this provision, so this should not be an issue. If you want to join another clan, then we certainly will not stop you nor will we have an issue with it.  This is not a prison; you are free to leave if you wish.  Just tell us.  Leave in the proper way and we will wish you the best and look forward to running into you in the future.  A simple PM to your immediate superior should do the trick.  It's all about doing things respectfully.  And with honor...

8. No Cheating.  You may wonder why such an important rule is the last on the list?  It's not because it is less important --- of that we can assure you.  The reason is mostly because it seems far too obvious.  We are a clan of older, more mature members and most of us realize at this point that Father Time has slowed our reflexes and reaction times sufficiently that we have lost ALL the expectation that the infamous CoD4PL (Call of Duty 4 Professional League) scouts have lost all interest in us as prospects.  So, we play for fun with only the skills we still cling to!  Besides, we have grown old enough to ask this most fundamental question regarding cheats and hacks, "If YOU know you're cheating; and you have the top score every map; where is the pleasure in that?  Anybody can cheat and climb to the top.  How does this prove your manhood?"  You have to admit, it's a good question.  So, all that to say this: If we find a cheat/hack among us or among our prospective members, you will not only be thrown out but also banned from everything |tb|!  Don't even think about it.

Leadership.  Leadership (in the more traditional sense) in |tb| Tactical Brotherhood begins at the L4 level.  That is when you have been asked to serve the clan as an assistant leader for a particular section or team.  And, let us be clear, while leadership IS an honor --- it also comes with GREAT responsibility.  Leaders typically spend less time "playing" and more time addressing issues/concerns/training experiences/etc.  Leadership comes with much greater responsibility in this clan.  We will expect our leaders to be active in EVERY area of our clan --- voice, forums, and game!  When our leaders become less active and can no longer fulfill their duties and responsibilities; they will be replaced.  There is NO dishonor in this either.  Real life is far more important than any virtual world any of us may encounter.  And we do expect our leaders to live by that same rule of thumb.  We will be vigilant in making sure that you, our members, have active leadership throughout the entire structure.

"Promotions".  While |tb| Tactical Brotherhood is not a military-style clan, we do (as stated elsewhere) have a very clear structure of leadership and responsibility.  As positions become available, the senior-level leaders of the clan will look to fill positions from among the less senior members.  Obviously, a position must first be available before one can move into a vacant role.  Our levels are very clearly defined and leave ZERO room for "abuse or neglect" on the part of our leaders.  What does that mean?  It means that every move you make "up the chain" in |tb| is pre-defined.  For example, the ONLY time a member will move from an L1 to an L2 is when they successfully complete the T&I portion of their basic training.  The ONLY time a member will move from an L3 to an L4 is when they move from a member of an Advanced Training team into an assistant instructor role.  And so it goes at every level on our structure!  To answer the question up front --- YES, it is likely that there will be a "bottle-neck" in the vicinity of the L3 (members of Advanced Training teams); but it is our hope and expectation that our members will understand that.

Maturity.  So, what exactly does it mean to be mature?  Does it mean we must be strict and stiff-collared?  Of course not!  It does mean that we expect all of our members to treat each member (and guest!) with dignity, honor, and respect!  It means that while good natured ribbing is okay (and encouraged even!); it also means that excessive trash-talking and gloating is 100% unacceptable.  You might say, "Well trash-talking is a way of life in this generation!"  We say, "Maybe so.  But most of us starting this venture up are NOT of this generation.  So, you wanna hang here?  Follow us!"  It's simple really.  We realize that any game can become frustrating and that we may all be susceptible to the occasional outburst.  And we'll have some grace on those.  But we do expect that all of us will simply honor and respect each other.  Instead of a string of obscenity's when someone gets that "impossible" kill on us --- try swallowing your first thoughts, and offering up a "Nice shot!" instead.  It takes work, but it's worth it in the environment we are trying to create here.

Family Friendly.  Our voice server will be a "family friendly" environment.  That means that we will keep our language in check.  PG13 only will be the rule.  We again understand that occasionally a "bad word" will slip.  We can forgive the occasional slip-up.  But, it is unacceptable to make course and obscene language the "way of life" in our voice server.  The same holds true in our forums and on our game server.  Keep it all PG13.  You might want to post a great joke in the "humor" section of our forums.  No problem.  Just make sure it is not offensive and if you must edit some expletives, do so before you post it.  Remember, many of us are old enough to have children so let us NOT make it a habit to teach them new words and concepts!

Duties.  It is absolutely guaranteed that you will receive, during your time in this clan, a specific duty to follow for a specific reason.  It is expected that you will do the said duty without public complaint.  And public means in any "space" where others can read or hear your words.  These duties come with a very specific purpose and in almost all circumstances, will NOT be intended as punishment, but as an aid to training.  For example, it is our requirement that every member of |tb| Tactical Brotherhood is proficient with a rifle.  So, during your initial 30-45 days in the T&I section, you will be required to use the M14 or the G3 in ALL situations in-game.  This is not a punishment but an ideal opportunity to get practice in a weapon you may not use as much.  It is our belief that if you can kill someone with a single-shot weapon (even a semi-automatic one), then you can kill them with any weapon.  So, understand up-front that you may have duties such as these at any time in this clan.

Identification.  As a member of Tactical Brotherhood, you will wear a "clan tag" in front of your name.  In our case, that tag will be this: |tb|.  It is expected that you will wear this tag at all times in-game.  Regardless of where you go and who's server you are on, we expect that you will wear our tag with honor and uphold it with honor by your behavior.  If for any reason you have a special request to go "tag-less", we will expect that you will speak to your immediate superior about it.  It will be up to them to determine if your reason is sufficient to extend an exemption.  We do realize that there are special circumstances and situations where it may be warranted and so we may make these special exemptions.  However, it is also a matter of great pride to wear our tags and we expect you will in nearly all situations.

Communication.  Communication is very important to us.  And therefore, as stated elsewhere, we have offered several avenues of maintaining great communication with each other.  We do of course have our forums which may very well be where the real life of the clan will be lived out.  But, we REQUIRE every member to also download and install GSC.  GSC is a multi-faceted communication tool.  It is a voice server (of exceptional quality) as well as a in-game communication tool.  While many of us have experienced some nagging issues with x-fire, this program offers all the benefits of x-fire without the annoying game crashes.  With this program you can have voice communication; global chat communication (in the main channel in the voice server); 1 on 1 communication with any user; the ability to take and store screenshots; and the ability to track your hours in-game among other features.  We have a 200-man server which is up and is available for our members and for our public players.

Teamwork.  Because it works!  As our "tag line says", we all understand that together, we are much better than we are by ourselves.  We are looking for others that want to be a part of that "together" idea!  We obviously will require team work and a team-first mindset when we compete in any matches or leagues.  But, in addition, we enjoy playing as a unit/team every night even during public play.  Our voice server is set up to allow all those on a single side to get together and talk freely without members of the other side hearing our plans.  However, if you want to have a more "free" voice time and just hang out and chat with those members in the voice server --- regardless of which side they are on --- you can do that too!  We still expect that you would use your in-game VoIP to communicate in game.  Teamwork is key for us!  If it is for you too, then you are in the right place.

Donations.  It does take money to run a clan.  Many of our most fundamental needs are being absorbed by the clan founders (things like our website and forum space for example), but we will depend upon the donations of our members and loyal public players to maintain the game server and the download server (this D/L server may be FREE if our current host works for everybody.  If it doesn't we will need to rent one).  Our current costs (excluding what our founders are "giving" to the clan) is approximately $35/month.  As we grow, the cost will rise as we will add servers (at least a practice server) and perhaps a D/L server as well.  Your generosity is NOT required --- but we'll cut to the chase and say it is certainly appreciated and encouraged if you are in a position to be generous!  And we thank you in advance.  There is a donation link at the bottom of the "front page".