Creating a Pack

     
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Packs are a huge aspect of DotW and a cornerstone of IC politics and OOC community! Each official pack maintains a unique culture and discipline, and functions as a catalyst for member-driven plots throughout the group. Applying with a new pack is an exciting creative venture and a great way to give back to the community, but also entails a lot of personal responsibility!

Unlike in the past,  becoming an alpha of your own pack no longer means you automatically  become an "admin" in DotW. Pack Leaders are a separate staff position  focused specifically on running and managing their packs! They are  permitted to have a second Staff role alongside, but it is not required  nor guaranteed.

• You should be willing to devote several hours every week to DotW, both as a team member on the panel and with your characters, interacting with members on both fronts. Alpha characters should earn at least one bone every month, ideally more. You should have good working knowledge of all group rules and policies, and the cultures of the official packs.
  
  

• Your pack will become a cornerstone of the group's setting, meaning you should be willing to devote at least a year to personally keeping it active and up to date, both IC and OOC. This requires a lot of organization and passion! It's not always fun! Be prepared and willing to participate in plots with every member of your pack.
  
  

• You will have to compromise and be prepared to engage in difficult conversations in a mature and respectful manner – potentially even in regards to your own pack. We must find solutions cooperatively. Clear, honest, and respectful communication skills are paramount.
  
  

• You are not just devoting yourself to your pack, but to the entire group!  This means the decisions you make both IC and OOC for your pack should be well planned out, and should take ALL the group's members into consideration as well. How your pack interacts with the other official factions must be balanced within the current realm of DotW. In this regard, your decisions cast long shadows and being an alpha gives you MORE restrictions, not fewer.
  
  

• You must have discretion. Official staff debates, member complaints, reprimands, and other group records (such as activity check forgiveness) are private and should not be disclosed in any format without explicit permission from the involved member(s).
  
  

• Things do not always go according to plan. Rules, cultures, and plots are often revised as time goes on for the good of DotW's continued growth. You will need to keep a level head and maintain a certain amount of flexibility when needed. You will need to be able to take critique in stride.

• "What I hear, when I'm being yelled at, is people caring, loudly, at me.""What I hear, when I'm being yelled at, is people caring, loudly, at me."
  
  

• Take initiative. Do not wait for another member to bring up an issue or start a plot with you, approach them yourself! If you have questions, check the FAQ and Group Rules before posting a comment or note asking! In the event of concerns or uncertainties with staff or a group member, dialogue with them rather than letting it fester!
  
  

• Take social responsibility. Consistency and consideration go a long way in a collaborative setting. Be mindful of how your actions and words impact others, and make conscientious choices. (In layman's terms, "don't be stupid")

Drafting a Pack

• Inspiration for a pack can come from virtually anywhere, and DotW embraces diversity in its official factions! While we encourage you to find inspiration in related cultures and other media, the concept must be an original creation!
  
  

• In the same vein as the previous point, your pack should not be too similar in theme, setting, and/or motive to the already existing factions! Read up on all of the official packs and look for niches that haven't been filled to give your pack as much draw as possible!
  
  

• Creativity is paramount and the world that we live in is absolutely brimming with inspirational material. However, we encourage all pack applicants to do in-depth research and not rely on stereotypes or offhand knowledge when crafting their pack’s culture. Domain of the Wolf should not and will not be a home to racially and ethnically problematic content.
  
  

• Make sure your pack is balanced and well-rounded. Give the culture well developed and dynamic focuses, so that it is immersive and interactive!  
  
  

• Your Main Page should follow this outline and be no more than 3.5k words:

• [Your Pack] and its Members - How does your pack treat its members?

• [Your Pack] and Outsiders - How does your pack treat outsiders?

• Culture - How does your pack view the world? What are their politics, traditions, religious beliefs, values, etc? Basically, what makes your pack its own distinct faction?

• Rules/Laws - The laws your pack enforces and their IC consequences should they be broken.

• Tasks - You may have up to 6 distinct tasks that members may take on as their official occupation within the pack.

• Hierarchy - The ranking system of your pack. (Guide below) Additional 'special' ranks are permissible and ranks can be renamed, but a variant of Alphas, Betas, Gammas, Deltas, and Omegas must be present.
  
  
  

• Alpha(s): Generally the leader/leaders of the pack. There can be up to two. They can be mates, siblings, or any other combination you want.

• Beta(s): Second in command to the alphas. They are very trusted members, and are usually also experts at a task.

• Theta(s): The leaders of a task. They teach those in lower ranks how to do their tasks.

• Gamma(s): The mid-rung wolves in their tasks. Masters of their craft but not quite leaders within their role.

• Delta(s): Members with tasks. Tasks may be different from pack to pack. They generally include things like hunters, healers, pup sitters, etc.

• Omega(s): New members. All characters begin as omegas. They do not yet have tasks. This does not mean they get beat up necessarily, just that they are the lowest rank.

• You can also include special, plot-related ranks, for example: Religious Leaders, Heirs, etc.
  
  

• You may create additional supplemental material for your pack, such as an expanded religion page, lexicon, history, etc.

• Hypothetical map and application sheets are permitted but heavily discouraged, as these are the most likely to require change from staff and entail modifying official DotW content. Please note that new packs will be permitted to enter into the blurred portions that are on the expanded map!
  
  

• All your pack's information should be included when you apply for your pack and should NOT be posted to your public deviantART accounts. (Keep them in sta.sh or a GoogleDoc!)
  
  

• While everyone is  free to discuss their pack concepts amongst each other, it is not  permitted to encourage people to vote for one pack or another or to say  directly which pack(s) you will be voting for. Try to show encouragement  and support for all pack concepts!
  
  
  

Pack Acceptance Process

• Pack applications and concepts can only be submitted during an official pack opening window.
  
  

• During a pack opening window, interested applicants are required to submit their application through a Google form and fill it out accordingly by the window deadline. Applications cannot be submitted late and will not be considered in the running if submitted after the deadline window has passed; even if the form has not been officially closed.
  
  

• Once the opening window has closed, current staff will convene to give thorough review to each and every applicant to create an approved shortlist of packs that will then go to a member vote.
  
  

• Approved packs will then proceed to a member vote via Google Forms, where the community will be provided with the pack information for the packs up for consideration. The poll will remain open for a specified period of time, after which the pack(s) with the highest number of votes will be officially implemented into Domain of the Wolf.
  
  
  

How to Apply

In order to apply for a pack, you must meet the following requirements:

• You must have been a member for at least 6 months.
  
  

• If you will be introducing a new character as your alpha character, you must have the bones to be able to purchase the associated new character slot.
  
  

• In addition to being able to purchase an alpha character slot, you must also pay 30 bones for a pack application upon submission of your pack concept. Payment will be processed via the Google Form pack application and not by note.