The Lakeland Role Playing Guild: Bylaws

The Lakeland Role Playing Guild Bylaws
Last Amended: July 1, 2007

1.00) Introduction: The Lakeland Role Playing Guild (from this point forward it
may be referred to as the LRPG or simply The Guild) is a member driven,
private organization, dedicated to providing a safe and fun atmosphere
in which to participate in the hobby of gaming. Though named the Lakeland
“Role Playing Guild,” the Guild supports many types of gaming activities
including board games, card games, and miniatures as well.

1.01) The objective of the Guild is to strengthen the gaming community by
providing structured opportunities for socialization and networking.

2.00) Membership shall be available to anyone that meets the following criteria
a) Be at least 15 years old, if applying as an individual.
b) Be at least 10 years old, if applying as part of a family.
c) Submit an accurate membership application.
d) If an adult, present a current photo ID.
e) Accede to a criminal background check. Any evidence of criminal activity
past or present -- involving controlled substances, violence, sexual
misconduct, or property violations (theft, vandalism, arson, etc.) is
grounds for immediate denial or revocation of membership.
f) Sign an agreement to abide by LRPG rules of conduct.
g) Pay the membership fee.

2.01) The LRPG is a private organization and reserves the right to
deny membership to any applicant who does not meet the requirements of
Section 2.0 above.

2.02) The LRPG does not discriminate on the basis of ******, race, religion,
politics, or disability.

2.03) Classes and Status of Membership: Members are divided into three
categories: artisans, guildsmen, apprentices, honorary.
a) Artisans are founding members of the LRPG. The title is strictly
ceremonial, a recognition of long-standing participation in the LRPG.
b) Guildsmen are adult members of the LRPG.
c) Apprentices are non-adult members of the LRPG. Apprentices must
present proof (such as a signed note) of parental approval and/or
supervision to participate in LRPG activities. They must also maintain
a constant 2.5 GPA during the school year. Apprentices become Guildsmen
at age 18.
d) Honorary Membership have all the privileges of Guildsmen members, and
in addition are not required to pay dues. An Honorary Member is an
individual who, by their accomplishments as a member or by their support
to the advancement of The Lakeland Role Playing Guild, has gained this
distinction.
1) Honorary membership shall require approval by the Officers and a simple
majority of the Membership.
2) Honorary Members may not hold an officer position, without first giving
up their Honorary Member status and becoming a dues paying member again.
3) Honorary status is not permanent. It is a yearly award that may be
renewed as the membership sees fit. Being an honorary member one year
does not necessarily mean that the member will achieve honorary status
the next year. It is a year by year award based on the year’s past
contributions made by the member.
4) There may be no more than five (5) Honorary members per year unless
the Guild President issues a waiver to this rule on a per person per
year basis.
e) Guild Legends (GL) are those individuals who have been an honorary
member for at least three (3) consecutive or five (5) cumulative years.
There will be a brief biography placed under the Guild Legends section of
the Guild website or forum outlining the contribution made by all GLs. GLs
do not require renewal each year but Legend status may be withdrawn in the
event that action conducted by the GL is unbecoming of the title.

2.04) A Member of the Guild shall be entitled to the following:
a) Members gain access to all LRPG events and resources. These include the
LRPG campaigns, newsletter, seminars, and library.
b) Members receive a 10% discount on all regularly priced gaming products
at sponsoring stores
c) Members become eligible for Guild Experience points (GXP) which can
confer special advantages in LRPG activities.
d) Members gain a voice in official LRPG decisions.
e) Any other rights determined in the Constitution or by the Officer Corps

2.05) Responsibility of Members
a) To exemplify and uphold our Code of Conduct at each and every event of
the Guild
b) To promote a positive and welcoming environment for all members and guests
c) To actively pursue participation in the different activities of the Guild
d) To be prudent with the Guild Treasury
e) To use wisdom and discernment in choosing individuals for authority positions
within the Guild

2.06) Termination of Membership
a) A Member may resign from the Guild at any time upon written notice addressed
to one of the executive officers. The treasurer may grant a pro-rated refund
of dues based on circumstances with a majority vote of the Officer Corp
b) A member with delinquent dues shall be placed on probationary status for one
month. After one month the membership of that individual may be revoked by the
executive officers at their discretion.
c) Members who resign, or are expelled from the Guild shall be absolved
automatically of all duties and rights of memberships and they shall surrender
all properties of the Guild in their possession upon termination.
d) Any Member may be expelled for improper conduct. A written complaint (this
includes electronic means), having been duly made, will be read and reviewed
by the Officer Corps who will render a decision after making a vote amongst
themselves.
e) Any Member expelled for improper conduct is not entitled to a refund of dues.

3.00) Dues: The purpose of dues is to help fund the Guild’s events and other
expenses.
Every September is the beginning of the Guild’s fiscal year. All members are
required to pay a $20 membership fee. This amount is pro-rated throughout the
year, according to the following schedule:
a) September through November: $20
a) December through February: $15
b) March through May: $10
c) June through August: $5

3.01) Guests, or non-paid visitors, are allowed and encouraged to attend a regular
monthly meeting. The first visit to all guests is complimentary, however,
attendance at subsequent meetings must be as a paid member. A completed
application and payment of dues is required to return to any future regular
meetings.
a) The guild president may issue a waiver of this requirement on a per meeting
and per person basis.
b) The intent of this rule is to ensure that the guild has enough funds to
fully support all of its functions and members.
c) This section is repeated as Section 4.5.

4.00) Meetings: A meeting will be considered a quorum provided that all the
following hold:
a) Those present include at least one third (1/3) of the members of the Guild
(that is those people who are also members in good standing) and two members
of the executive officer corps.
b) The time, date, and location of the meeting have been advertised to the
Guild at least two weeks in advance.
c) No member of the Guild is denied attendance at the meeting.
d) If the Secretary is not there then a full member of the Guild is appointed
to take minutes. The minutes of a meeting may only be recordation of who
was in attendance, and who contributed either materially or operationally in
the meeting. The minutes shall be kept in a binder by either the secretary
or the treasurer (with the financial account).

4.01) All meetings will take place in a location accessible to the public and never
in a private residence.

4.02) A minimum of one regular membership meeting must be held each month.
However,
the President may call special membership meetings or other events if the
opportunity or need arises.

4.03) Quarterly meetings will be the first meetings of the month in September,
December, March, and June.

4.04) A minimum of one regular meeting of The Officer Corp must be held each
quarter.
However, the President may call special Officer Corp meetings.

4.05) Notices for all meetings shall be sent by the Secretary at least two weeks in
advance of said meetings. The notice shall state date, time, place and
purpose of the meeting.

4.06) Guests, or non-paid visitors, are allowed and encouraged to attend a regular
monthly meeting. The first visit to all guests is complimentary, however,
attendance at subsequent meetings must be as a paid member. A completed
application and payment of dues is required to return to any future regular
meetings.
a) The guild president may issue a waiver of this requirement on a per
meeting and per person basis.
b) The intent of this rule is to ensure that the guild has enough funds to
fully support all of its functions and members.

4.07) Special events may be subject to special restrictions for non-member guests.
For instance, the LRPG campaigns may be restricted to members only if space
is a concern. Also, special parties and other events that have a high overhead
(food costs, room costs, prizes, etc) may require non-member guests to pay a
small cover charge.

6.00) Guild Leadership: The Officer Corps. The purpose of the officer corps is
to administer the Guild and ensure its continued survival.

6.01) The officer corps will be responsible, and responsive, to the membership.

6.02) Communication between the leadership and the membership is a requirement.
The burden falls upon the leadership of the guild to ensure that effective
communication is in place.

6.03) Additional officer positions can be created on a temporary basis by the
Officer Corps. Such positions will have whatever duties the Officer Corps
determines at that time and shall be in no way inferior to the posts as
defined in the constitution.

6.04) All posts will be held for a period not longer than one year without
re-election. Incumbent positions running unopposed shall be automatically
renewed without the need for an election.

6.05) Officer Corps members will allow their contact details to be circulated in
the Guild as required.

6.06) All members of the Officer Corps will exemplify and uphold our Code of
Conduct at each and every event of the Guild that they attend.

6.07) Guild officers are strongly encouraged to attend all or at least most guild
meetings and functions.

7.00) The Officer Corps position descriptions are as follows:

7.01) President or (Guild Master). The duties of the President are:
a) To ensure the continued running of the Guild.
b) To ensure the production and distribution of membership cards.
c) To promote and assist gaming in Lakeland, Florida and it’s surrounding areas.
d) To delegate the responsibilities of any Officer Corps post which is unfilled.
e) If necessary to appoint a representative in their place.
f) Any other duties determined in the constitution or mandated by the Guild.

7.02) Secretary. The duties of the secretary are:
a) To ensure the efficient and accurate administration of the Guild.
b) To ensure that on joining the Officer Corps that every member has a
copy of the Members’ Manual.
c) To take accurate minutes of the meetings of the Officer Corps and the
Guild, to keep records of the minutes, and to make them available to the Guild.
d) To carry out the duties of the President if the post of President is
unfilled, and to arrange for a Presidential election as soon as possible.
e) To maintain the record of Guild Experience Points (GXP).
f) Any other duties determined in the constitution or mandated by the Guild.

7.03) Treasurer, the duties of the Treasurer are:
a) To establish a stand alone bank account in the treasurer’s name but for
the sole purpose of keeping the Guild’s funds. When a new treasurer is
elected or appointed, he/she must open a bank account prior to becoming the
active treasurer. Once the new account is open, the outbound treasurer shall
close his/her account and transfer the funds to the new account opened by
the incoming treasurer.
b) To ensure competent financial management of the Guild.
c) To collect membership dues and to issue receipts of the transaction to
the member.
d) To keep accurate accounts of the Guild’s finances, and to report on
the Guild’s finances as required by the President or the secretary or a
General meeting of the Guild.
e) To organize the new guild year kick off (held in September) and the
Christmas Party (held in December).
f) To ensure that at the end of his term in office, the necessary paperwork
is done for the Guild bank accounts to be handed over to the succeeding
executive posts of the Officer Corps.
g) Any other duties determined in the constitution or mandated by the Guild.
h) See Section 12.0

7.04) The above three (3) positions are considered the executive positions and
must be held by three different people. However, the three members holding
those three positions may also hold any of the positions below.

7.05) Librarian. The duties of the Librarian shall be:
a) To maintain in good repair, if possible, the contents of the Guild
Library, and to catalogue the Guild Library if required by the Officer Corps
b) To make the contents of the Guild Library available as requested by
Members of the Guild. A complete listing shall be posted to the guilds
website/forum and updated as needed to keep it current.
c) To ensure that any items borrowed from the Guild Library by Members of
the Guild are accounted for and to request return if necessary.
d) To keep a record of the amount of times each item is borrowed.
e) To make recommendations based on suggestions by the membership of what
items should be purchased for the library.
f) Any other duties determined in the constitution or mandated by the Guild.
g) See Section 11.0

7.06) Campaign Coordinator. The responsibilities of the Campaign Coordinator are:
a) To administering the LRPG Campaigns.
b) The post of Campaign Coordinator can be held by two people simultaneously,
each responsible for different games. If there are more than one Campaign
Coordinator, they shall be named for the campaign they oversee.
c) To find Game Masters for the games run within the campaign.
d) To ensure that the campaign background (the canon) stays consistent in all
games run within the campaign.
e) To ensure that the rules stay the same and are implemented consistently by
all game masters running games within the campaign.
f) The Campaign Coordinator may, and is in encourage to, recruit and organize
a number of members of the guild into a team that will assist in writing,
proofreading, creating art, play-testing, Game Mastering or any other function
that will help the production of the LRPG Campaigns.
g) Performing other duties determined in the Constitution or mandated by the
Guild.
h) See Section 10.0 Below.

7.08) The Sword and the Quill Editor. The duties of The Sword & the Quill editor are:
a) To obtain articles and artwork from members of the Guild, for publication
in the Guild Magazine, The Sword & the Quill.
b) To edit and arrange the printing of The Sword & the Quill, at intervals
determined by the Officer Corps and as possible by the submittal or
availability of material.
c) The Sword & the Quill Editor may, and is in encourage to, recruit and
organize a number of members of the Guild into a team that will assist in
writing, proofreading, creating art, designing layout or any other function
that will help the in publication of the Guild Magazine, The Sword &
the Quill.
d) The cost of printing copies of The Sword & the Quill will be paid for by
the Guild.
e) Any other duties determined in the Constitution or mandated by the Guild.

7.09) Social Secretary, the duties of the Social Secretary are:
a) To arrange social events for Members of the Guild.
b) To organize quarterly New Members Orientations.
c) Any other duties determined in the Constitution or mandated by the Guild.

7.10) Additionally it shall be the responsibility of every member of the Officer
Corps:
a) To assist, if necessary, any other position as requested by either the
other officer or the president.

8.00) Guild Activities

8.01) It shall be the policy of the Guild’s leaders to set the event agenda for
Guild activities such that the wishes of the membership is proportionally
represented.

8.02) The agenda will be established incorporating all requests made by the
members. If the membership does not provide input as to what it wishes to
play, the leadership will use past attendance records and forum posts as
a guide.

8.03) The guild agenda will be set as best as can be for the entire year. The
membership should keep in mind though that room availability or other factors
may influence this on short notice and despite the best laid plans, changes
are not just inevitable, they’re likely.

9.00) Normal Games & Adventures.

9.01) Normal games and adventures shall mean any non LRPG Campaign events.
Normal
games are what is planned on routine game nights.

9.02) Normal games and adventures shall be run by any volunteering member but
shall
be run as professionally as possible with the sole intent being the enjoyment
of the playing members.

9.03) The guild leadership reserves the right to selectively choose any given night’s
game masters. This selection shall be based primarily on past GM’ing
performance and/or membership requests.

9.04) The GM of an event shall be the final authority on game play rules decisions.

10.00) LRPG Campaigns. These consist of single adventures played during special
events held periodically by the Guild that string together to make an
ongoing epic story.
a) Campaign “chapters” shall have a common base story line that must be
perpetuated at each event.
b) LRPG Campaign(s) is/are role playing or other games that are for the
enjoyment of all Members of the Guild.

10.01) These games may be published settings, adventures, and campaigns, or
originals written by a member or a panel of members of the guild.

10.02) The rules for character creation (if a role playing game) or army/squad
building (if a miniature war game) must be accessible to all Members of the
Guild. The rules of a LRPG Campaign must be published to the Guild forum in
the appropriate forum topic. If the rules are in a form that is particularly
difficult to publish in digital form, copies of the rules must be made
available in hard copy. Either way, the rules must be published and made
available to membership at least one month prior to the first meeting of that
campaign.

10.03) It will be the responsibility of the Campaign Coordinator to ensure that a
LRPG Campaign is run successfully. He/She may choose a team of Guild members
to assist them in this. This team shall have access to a private campaign
sub-forum in the Guild forum site. A request must be made to the forum
admin for this.

10.04) The running of each game table will be the responsibility of the Game
Master(s) of that game with oversight by the Campaign Coordinator.

10.05) The LRPG Campaigns will be open to all members of the Guild.

10.06) The LRPG Campaign will be run in such a way as to be accessible to players
who have not role-played before. All reasonable effort will be made by the
Campaign Coordinator to ensure that the game can be enjoyed by as many Members
as possible.

10.07) The GM of an event shall be the initial authority on game play rules
decisions. The Campaign Coordinator shall be the final authority if the GM
chooses to involve him/her.

11.00) The Guild Library

11.01) The Guild Library will consist of games-related items owned by the Guild,
plus any items loaned to the Guild Library by Guild Members or others.

11.02) The Officer Corps need not accept all items donated to the Guild Library.

11.03) If a member of the Guild borrows an item from the Guild Library and fails to
return it in a reasonable state, that Member will be responsible for replacing
the item, or for the cost of repair or replacement. Any such money collected
will be used to buy items for the Guild Library.

12.00) Guild Finances

12.01) Anticipated expenditure includes: Membership cards, website hosting, website
domain name, ad flyers, Guild parties such as the Year Kick Off and Christmas
parties, and any reasonable expenditure related to special guild events such
as Game Demo Days at a game store.

12.02) The Officer Corps will be authorized to administer unforeseen expenses up
to a value of $30. Discretion is strongly encouraged. All other expenditures
must have the pre-authorization of the treasurer.

12.03) Monies collected by the Treasurer for a particular event will be used for
that event.

12.04) Any items paid for by the Guild, and remaining after an activity will be
added to either the Guild Library, or to the materials available to the
Campaign Coordinator.

12.05) Surplusing items. Items deemed excess to the guild by consensus of the
Officer Corps may be surplused. Liquidation of surplus items shall first be
made available to the guild membership, then friends of the guild, then to
the general public (by eBay if necessary). ALL proceeds from the sale of
said items shall be deposited into the guild treasury with priority for
these funds being the acquisition of new library items.

13.00) Motions and voting: Members are encouraged to help steer the Guild.

13.01) Motions regarding any matter may be raised and voted on at any guild meeting
providing the following conditions are met:
a) There is at least one third (1/3) of the membership and at least two (2)
executive officers present at the meeting. This shall be called a quorum of
the general membership.
b) The matter to be voted on has been advertised on the forums at least 45
days in advance of the meeting. The advertisement must clearly present the
matter for discussion and state the issues at stake.
c) Only motions related to the matter on the agenda may be voted on.
d) In the event of a dispute, the President, or highest ranking officer
present, shall make the final judgment call on whether the above conditions
are satisfactorily met.

13.02) All motions shall be proposed and seconded by a member of the Guild.

13.03) In lieu of a live meeting, special meetings may be conducted online by use
of the Guild forum. A special forum topic will be created by the site admin and
discussions and voting will take place within clearly posted time frames.
This provision is created due to the difficulty in securing meeting locations
and to make representation by all members more accessible.

13.04) The Guild can vote on any motion by any means acceptable to those Officer
Corps members present at the meeting (or online in such a case), provided each
member receives one vote on each motion.

13.05) A simple majority vote of a quorum meeting will be considered binding on the
Officer Corp. This includes a vote of censorship against Officer Corps members.

13.06) Motions to change the Guild constitution shall require polling of at least
three quarters (75%) of the membership. This shall be called a super quorum.
In order for such a motion to pass, at least two thirds (2/3) of the super
quorum must vote in favor of the motion.

14.00) Elections of Guild Officers and other posts

14.01) Elections will be carried out at each Annual General Meeting of the Guild
(the Guild Year Kickoff in September). Additionally any empty, non-executive
posts may be filled at any time by a willing member of the Guild chosen by
the President. No such Officer Corps member will hold a post solely by
Presidential appointment for a period exceeding one term.

14.02) With the exception of a post for which a successor to the current holder has
already been elected, every post will be available for election at each
quarterly general meeting (See Section 4.3).

14.03) The President, Secretary and Treasurer must be a resident of Lakeland, Florida.

14.04) In the term preceding the Annual Guild Meeting it is the responsibility of
the President to inform Guild members of the posts available on the Officer
Corps and the duties required of each. The President will open nominations
for each post not later than two weeks before the AGM.

14.05) The Officer Corps may also call an election for any post which is unfilled,
or which is held by Presidential appointment, at any time. This fact will be
advertised to the Guild, and nominations for the post must be opened at least
two weeks before the date of the election. The election must be at a meeting
of the Guild.

14.06) Candidates will be selected by self-nomination, together with one seconder,
who must be a member of the LRPG. Nominations and Seconds can be in person,
in writing or by email.

14.07) A Candidate has to be a sentient being according to the UN’s guidelines.

14.08) A Candidate properly nominated before the meeting need not be present at
the meeting to be elected.

14.09) Nominations for all posts will be closed at the meeting.

14.10) Elections will be by secret written ballot. Absentee ballots will be
allowed. Proxy voting will not be allowed.

14.11) Each member of the Guild, may, for each post to be elected, vote for one
candidate or to re-open nominations.

14.12) Votes will be tallied by the President and by a second member of the Guild
appointed at the meeting.

14.13) A candidate will be elected to a post provided that they receive more than
half the votes cast for that post and provided that the vote is quorum.

14.14) If no candidate is elected to the post, then the candidate receiving the
least votes will be eliminated, and a further election held for that post.
In the event of more than one candidate being tied for last place all such
candidates will be eliminated. In the event of all candidates receiving equal
numbers of votes a re-election will be held.

14.15) If the majority of votes cast for a post are to re-open nominations, then
the President will decide either to invite further candidates immediately
and hold a further election, or to leave the post unfilled (except in the
case of executive posts).

14.16) All posts will be held for a period not longer than one year without
re-election. Incumbent positions running unopposed shall be automatically
renewed without the need for an election.

14.17) If there are no candidates for a particular Officer Corps posts, or if no
candidate is elected to the post then the post will be left unfilled (except
in the case of executive posts).

14.18) After the election there will be a one week hand over time frame during
which the incumbent officers will remain in their posts solely for the purpose
of transitioning to the new leadership regime.

14.19) If elections are not held simultaneously, the order of elections will be
as follows:
• President
• Secretary
• Treasurer
• Other Officer Corps posts, in an order determined by the President.

15.00) Suspension and expulsion

15.01) Officer Corps may suspend a Guild member for a period not longer than four
weeks for a breach of the Code of Conduct. To permanently expel someone from
the Guild they have to have repeatedly breached Code of Conduct and there
has to be a vote by the Guild at an extraordinary general meeting.

16.00) Standing Policies. This section shall be the Code of Conduct.
Guild members must understand and adhere to the rules presented in this section.
Members are encouraged to report violations of these rules to an LRPG officer as
soon as possible. Violations of the rules by an officer should be reported to the
President immediately.

16.01) Controversial Subjects
In the interest of maintaining a civil environment, the LRPG prohibits
discussions of politics, sports, religion, or any other controversial topic
during Guild meetings and events. The LRPG does not encourage the study or
practice of “black magic”, violence, criminality, or other immoral behavior.

16.02) Sanctioned Activities
The LRPG focuses on role-playing games; however, it also features programs
and events for board games, collectible card games (CCGs), and miniature war
games.

16.03) Unsanctioned Activities
Live-action role-playing, or “larping”, is not supported by the LRPG due to
liability issues. As an organization, the LRPG cannot be responsible for health
and legal complications stemming from LARP activities, and therefore chooses
not to sponsor them. Games of chance played for monetary reward (i.e. gambling)
are not endorsed by the LRPG. Games oriented to adult audiences (i.e., those
with mature content unacceptable for minors) are also not endorsed by the LRPG.

16.04) Disruptive Behavior
Disruptive behavior is any action that interrupts a game or disturbs its
participants. This
includes, but is not limited to:
• Unprovoked displays of anger or aggression.
• Verbal or physical abuse.
• Foul language.
• Uninvited sexual advances.
• Lewd or harassing conversation.
• Incessant arguing of rules.
• Cheating.
• Purposeful obstruction of play.
All such behaviors are prohibited and will invite disciplinary action by the
LRPG officers. As a private organization, the LRPG retains the right to warn,
eject, or expel members who refuse to be civil.

16.05) Substance Abuse
Guild events are drug, tobacco, and alcohol free. Period. Members discovered
to be intoxicated at an LRPG event will be required to leave. The LRPG has zero
tolerance for illegal substances and underage drinking or tobacco use and will
report violations to the local authorities.

16.06) Personal Hygiene
Members are expected to adhere to accepted standards of hygiene during LRPG
meetings and events. Failure to do so can result in disciplinary action.

16.07) Intellectual Property
The LRPG respects intellectual property. Acts of piracy will therefore not
be tolerated. Members found owning or distributing pirated game materials will be
permanently expelled from the Guild. Dues will not be refunded in this eventuality.

16.08) Publications & Advertising
All publications and advertisements incorporating the LRPG name or logo
must be approved by the Guild officers before distribution.

16.09) Resignation & Disciplinary Action
A member may resign his position in the Guild at any time. Written notice
must be delivered to the President or Secretary before the resignation is final.
A member in good standing who resigns his membership is entitled to a prorated
refund (marked from the date of receipt of a written resignation) of his dues.