Corporation Details

Of By For
Name	The Black Company TBC
Ticker	[TBCMA]
Alliance	None
CEO	Bloodpetal
Founded	April 1, 2003
Status	Active
Headquarters	Undisclosed
Public Channel	TBA
Website	The Black Company HQ

The Black Company Mission

We are a mercenary corporation which seeks lucrative commissions for precision military operations, maintaining a constant state of readiness for combat and secondary functions of a mobile expeditionary force.

We accept payment from employers for doing anything our Employer's have no wish to do themselves with military force. Throughout the years, we have enjoyed many successful contractual relationships within the various communities, expanding both user created content and our own coffers. Given the special nature of EVE Online and the number of mercenary corporations to be found we stand apart with rigorous training and professionalism found little elsewhere. We maintain our Annals with all aspects of notable content. All major events will be labeled a “Commission”, from hunting unique marks to spur of the moment patrols or anything else that involves a significant number of Company participants.

Vision Statement and Methodology

Our Mission: To seek out lucrative Contracts and Commissions requiring precision military operations while maintaining a constant state of readiness for the Combat and Support divisions of a mobile expeditionary force.

The Black Company is first and foremost a mercenary army which wages the wars our Employer's have no desire nor strategic capability to accomplish themselves.

Throughout the years, we have enjoyed many successful contractual relationships within the player communities, expanding both user created content and our own coffers. Through this experience, we have learned well that expecting full time player employment is unrealistic at best. In order to keep the Company operating with a purpose, we must make allowances for the telling of our own story. Given the special nature of modern gaming communities and the number of mercenary guilds to be found, we maintain our Annals with all aspects of notable content. All major events will be labeled a “Commission”, as opposed to a "Contract" which is Player originated, from hunting unique mobs to mission/quests or anything else that involves a significant number of Company participants.

Our Method: We are a guild based massive multi player online role playing (mmorpg) gaming organization that has taken the setting of Glen Cook's The Black Company series, to establish a militant, mercenary methodology for recreation and immersion within fantasy/sci-fi based virtual worlds.

Chain of Command

The Black Company novels make note of the Captain, The Lieutenant, Sergeants, and at times, generic "officers", without further defining these roles or personalities, leaving the reader to use their own experience to fill in the blanks. Bearing in mind that the novels were never meant as a blueprint for guild building, we have adhered to the structure described in the novels as canon, adding and subtracting Ranks and Duties as necessary for each game of Deployment. In addition, while ranks and insignias vary by branch and country, we have created our own in keeping with our experience and what works, though largely influenced by the United States Marine Corps.

The Captain - Bastet - Company Senior Officer. Simply referred to as "The Captain" Duties include but not limited to assignment of Officer Corps, Commissions and Contracts, Recruitment, Policy, Training and Events Schedule, assignment of the Company First Sergeant, Division Recruitment, Field Operations, Training and Events Schedule, Equipment Issue. Will coordinate with the LT. to arrange for all missions required to obtain materials for manufacturing or mission objectives.

The Lieutenant - Epiphony - Second In Command. Simply referred to as "The Lt." Duties include but not limited to the assignment Support Division Non-Commissioned Officers (NCO's), Division Recruitment, Training and Events Schedule, coordination and oversight of the collection, storage, creation, and disbursement of all Company assets.

The Annalist - Mocker Dove - The position of Annalist is an Administrative Billet charged with the following Duties: To keep, maintain, and record the Annals of the Black Company, through the use of our Forums and Wiki in order to further our History with objective documentation. This Billet, when granted, confers several Privileges outside of the holder's assigned Rank, such as access to information for the purposes of objective record keeping, at the discretion of Command and inclusion to the RG5, the Recruiting Group which votes on Applicant's TBC10Q. The Annalist will select and train one Apprentice Annalist to carry on the work in times of absence or retirement.

The Standardbearer - Virgil Algheri - "The Standardbearer" is an Honorary Billet granted to the Veteran Brother who embodies our philosophical values and adheres to our methodologies to such a degree as to be an example for one and all. This Billet, when granted, does not confer Duties or Privileges outside of bearing the Company Standard.

First Sergeant - Kingzmen - Senior Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) : Infantry Division - Duties include but not limited to: Maintain accurate rosters, Activity Status, and personnel profiles for Recruits and Infantry Division. Issues Command Orders to ID NCO's for completion of PVP/PVM missions as assigned and/or required for Company and personnel progression and item procurement.

Master Sergeant - Unassigned - Senior Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) : Support Division - Duties include but not limited to: Maintain accurate rosters, Activity Status, and personnel profiles for Support Division. Issues Command Orders to SD NCO's for completion of PVE/ Resource/Asset Gathering missions as assigned and/or required for Company and Brother progression. Administration and assignment for distribution of all available supplies to applicable personnel as assigned and/or required for Company and personnel progression. Often referred to as Top, but only by those Brothers in good graces)

Sergeant - Davion Falcon - Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) - Duties include but not limited to: Creation and Leading of Squads (Teams) for completion of Orders/Missions as assigned and/or required for Company and Brother progression. Coordinates with Field Commander (Raid Leaders) for completion of objectives. Training of Recruits and Brothers in all areas of Class and Company knowledge.

Brother - Regular Company Members. The Backbone of the Company, doing what needs to get done. All Brothers listed under this heading have earned their Full Colors. Earning your Colors means you have proven yourself to be a dedicated Black Company Regular, making the Company your Home. There is no set time limit for when this will happen. You must earn this Privilege through blood, sweat, and tears, on the field of battle or the blaze of the forge.

Recruits - the FNG's (f$@#! new guy), here to learn and to become.

Recruitment

Recruitment is currently open for EVE Online. There are only two main tenets needed to apply, however recruitment itself requires multiple stages of review and a final vote by our Veteran Brothers on your application.

Our Mission: [b]To secure lucrative Commissions requiring precision military operations while maintaining a constant state of readiness for the Combat and Support Divisions of a mobile expeditionary force.[/b]

In order to save time for both potential Applicants and our Company, the following is the meat of what most generally wish to know in order to make an informed decision about applying. If you find any one item in the list which you believe you are never willing to do, you are in the wrong place.

1. We are an 8 year old guild with a core of Veterans which have been to many different games together, though only one game at a time. We state this up front so that you understand we are not a Fly By Night guild, have a well established history, traditions, methodology, & members that have been here since Day 1. We aren't going anywhere, in terms of guild disbanding or leaving EVE. We returned to EVE in AUG-2010 and are wholeheartedly committed staying with EVE and CCP due to their superior product and development team.

2. If you are not a forum person, don't bother applying. We are seeking those who enjoy using our guild forum for community, coordination, and education for the betterment of the Company.

3. 21+ Age Limit, waived for IRL AD Military. We are adult gamers. We are not baby sitters. We do not suffer the prattle of rage and immaturity, nor do we tolerate racism or bigotry. If you don't know what that means, you are in the wrong place.

4. Our infrastructure and communications network is our Life's Blood. In addition to forums, we also deploy multiple WIKI's, Ventrilo, email, Calendars both in and out of game, & run our own automated Kill Board. We have years of training materials for both Company and the particular game we are deployed to at the time.

5. We will not consider anyone on a Trial Account. We will Not consider anyone with an account that is less than one month old. Each applicant is required to submit their LAPI key during the application process in order to verify several areas of background checking.

6. We provide a full Combat Pilot Certification Training Program. Each of our members is required to go through the courses and complete a series of trials in order to earn your Pilot Wings. These courses will cover everything from GUI, to fittings, fleet movement/coordination, communication protocols, fire discipline, ship recognition, and navigation. If you don't want to go through this, regardless of how much experience you have in the game, you are in the wrong place.

7. We utilize Faction Warfare periodically to assist in training. At present, when utilizing this part of the game, we work for the Minmatar Militia. As Mercenaries, this can change at a moment's notice.

8. IRL comes first, always. We do our best to schedule a full week of Calendar events and while participation is highly encouraged from ALL HANDS as often as you can, we have kids, jobs, wives, girlfriends, other pursuits in life, that demand our attention and time. This will always be Respected.

9. The Recruitment process is stringent and thorough, likely to be the most detailed and in-depth many gamers have ever encountered. We put a great deal of time and effort into the Company and we want you to be the right fit for us as much as the Company should be the right fit for you.

If you are interested in learning more: Read The Black Company Official Guild Charter (c). Read it with patience, in Full. If you like what you see, create an account on our forums, read the Registration Agreement carefully, then follow the instructions contained in the Charter.

To be considered for recruitment, you will go through a questionnaire and interview process where, aside from the various details found in most interviews, you will be asked a series of hypothetical combat scenarios and prompted for your response. There is no "right" answer, this is merely a means of checking your fit with the Company. Trying to answer what you think is correct isn't helping your long term or short term success in recruitment.

When the interview is done, the Full Brothers will all be allowed to weigh in on your value to the Company, and a vote will be put to the Company. Upon acceptance you will be recognized for your achievement and welcomed home; then begins the training.

Charter

The Official version of The Black Company Official Guild Charter (c), which details our Vision and Mission statements, Method of Operation, History, full Chain of Command, Duty Listing, and the Application/Recruiting process can be found at The Black Company Headquarters (TBCHQ) here.

It is required reading for all members and applicants in order to get into The Company. It represents not only our methods, but the Company as a whole.

Not comprehending the Charter will only lead to your disappointment. We do not exist for those who do not "Get It". The Company is for like-minded individuals working together to create unit cohesion and success in every endeavour.

The Black Company Details

Chronicles of the Black Company, by Glen Cook

Lore Playing

The Black Company can be described, though not defined, as a Lore Playing Guild. What this means is that we are following the basic ideas set down by Glen Cook in his novels on The Black Company, not trying to be characters in a Glen Cook novel. In other words, we are well organized mercenaries, killers for hire, continuing on where the Company from the novels leaves off, on our own terms in our own ways. Period. Are we acting Or being ourselves? Both.

What does this mean for you, the Brother? You can be yourself; you are a member of the Company, and we are not interested in "Zubzammaran, the mighty Amarrian Prophet" and his 20 pages of background story, but rather you being yourself. The Black Company is not a "Role Playing" corporation; we do not require nor expect people to develop some fictional character to represent their in-game avatar.

We take great inspiration from our daily activities, influencing a long, rich tradition of writing literature and short stories portraying our characters and their personality and endeavours. These can be seen more as war ballads and recording our history for our descendants. These documented journals along with our forums, combine to form "The Annals", which are kept to preserve our history and traditions of the Company in order to teach present and future generations on how to learn and become. Part of what is recorded are details about our battles, both wins and loses, and the activities that comprise our day to day events. If we do it, we record it...good, bad, and ugly.

Infrastructure

Our infrastructure and communications network is our Life's Blood. In addition to forums, we also deploy Ventrilo, email, Calendars both in and out of game, multiple WIKI's for guild and game training, and run our own automated Kill Board. We have years of training materials for both Company and the particular game we are deployed to at the time. Simply put, we don't screw around when it comes to providing an atmosphere of what feels likes a well established military base.

Mercenary Mentality

As the names for our members suggest, The Black Company is a tight community. We describe it as "getting it". Some people walk in and think they understand who we are and what we do. Inevitably, they learn they are mistaken and come to a greater understanding. In the simplest terms, what it means is that we are always watching out for one another. No one will ever be left to suffer on their own.

Also keep in mind that The Black Company is a mercenary corporation, and we act as such. Expect a certain amount of vulgarity and crude language as part and parcel of being in a military-based organization. Thick skin will get you a long ways, not because we are ever overtly hostile to another Brother, but rather because one person's humor is another person's soft-spot.

Training

If you are looking to join The Black Company, expect to undergo training. Our primary goals in training new members is to focus on skill and adaptability developed for battle. These things, however, require that we drill ourselves. We will do mock battles, combat formations, combat maneuvers, point defense, ambush tactics, GUI training and customization, ship recognition, individual/squad/fleet tactics...just to name a few. If it exists in EVE for PVP, we will teach it to you as we continually teach and drill ourselves. This process begins from the first day you join till the day you Retire or quit.

That being said, we understand that real-life must come first. We do not expect IV drips and bedpans at your computer terminal to keep you jacked in 24/7, but we do expect some sort of consistent participation. Make sure you can work our training and operations calendar into your schedule before looking to apply.

Recent News

The Black Company is currently recruiting