The ranking system for the Council of Buanneth Fhirin is as follows
(Note that I have used Gutstikk's original wording here, but tidied up or rephrased a few sections, and I have altered a few of the procedural rules very slightly.):
Autarch:Our POC is unique in that we are led by two Autarchs. One is Farceseer Siranaul, who basically founded our group, requesting that there be a home for those who did not want to align with one of the major craftworlds. This is an honorary position and is not subject to an election.
The second Autarch title applies to Autarchs other than Farceseer Siranaul. It is an elected position, and the Autarch is normally elected annually two weeks before the New Year. An election can, however, be called for by the Exarchs of the POC if members feel the Autarch is not doing a good job. This is because Autarchs effectively lead the council, and it important for them to remain active. It is also good to make changes from time to time, since it makes a higher promotion tier available to all members of our POC which was not the case in the past. Elections can also be called at a different date if the reigning Autarch steps down at the end of the year, but no replacement candidate is immediately forthcoming.
The elected Autarch should be someone who has finished at least one article for the POC, should be an extremely active member, who is respectful of others, who works closely with other members of the POC, and who offers help with any of the various projects that are in the works. Autarchs have the power to promote members to new ranks, and are responsible for suggesting new projects as well as seeing current ones to completion. To be nominated, you must first be either a Warlock or an Exarch, as this position requires a great deal of community involvement.
Farseer:This title is reserved for members who have become moderators, and have additional duties outside the POC, but who are still involved with the Council to a significant extent. This rank is unique, in that it cannot be awarded by the Autarch of the POC.
Exarch:This title is reserved for members who have finished at least one article for the Eldar community as a whole, who help review projects, and who are very active in the community boards, especially in the areas of background and tactical advice. To this end, it would be good for Exarchs to produce at least one tactical article, or to be known for giving quality advice on a very frequent basis on the main Eldar boards (as well as being involved in online campaigns). To become an Exarch, you must first be an Aspect Warrior.
Exarchs can call for an early election for the rank of Autarch if there is dissatisfaction with the elected Autarch's work, and are responsible for assisting newer members of the POC as well as newer players of 40k in developing tactical prowess.
Warlock:This title is awarded to members who, much like the Warlock in the Eldar Codex, perform an important support role. A Warlock mostly needs to be an active reader on the main Eldar boards, and the Eldar project board. It is, therefore, suited to those who may post less frequently, who like to read a lot on these boards, and who work well on their own. To become a Warlock, you must first be an Aspect Warrior.
Warlocks work on developing new material for the POC, assist in the writing or editing of other members projects, or help code finished articles by members of the POC. A Warlock is responsible for finding and referring material that could make for an interesting article. An example would be a commonly recurring question on the Eldar community boards. If lots of people ask about it, there is interest, and also an opportunity to produce an article that answers those questions.
Aspect Warrior:This title denotes active members of the POC who've submitted their craftworld's background material, who are involved in community projects, and who conduct themselves in a respectful manner. Aspect Warriors should be active on the main Eldar boards, offering their assistance to those members of the 40K Online community who have questions about the background or tactical applications of the Eldar army, and should continue contributing to community projects.
Guardian:This title is reserved for newer members, and is the first formal title a member attains. A Guardian is someone who has made the 100 post requirement, meaning that (s)he can access the Eldar project boards, and who has posted their Craftworld's background in the following thread:
Post Your Background Material HereA Guardian can show their interest in becoming an Aspect Warrior by getting involved in one of the projects, through active participation on the Eldar boards, and by developing a good reputation as a respectful member of the community.
Informal Titles and Positions: These do not appear in your profile, instead they will be edited into the Council members list on the first page of this thread, in order to make others aware of your affiliation or extra duties.
Recruit:Gutstikk created this position so that new members who are immediately interested in joining the POC can be recognised. A Recruit has not made the 100 post requirement but has expressed interest in joining. Recruits merit the assistance of any full members of our POC in honour of their early dedication to our cause, so give them help with anything they may need!
It is important to note that Recruits are not able to vote in the election of a new Autarch, or in other votes relating to the development of the POC.
Adviser:This is a title reserved for members of the POC who are no longer active, but can weigh in with their thoughts when interested. It is reserved for inactive members to indicate that they needn't be updated as they are not currently interested in active participation. Members who formally resign from active duty, or who are inactive for more than six months, become Advisers. An Adviser can request to return to active duty at any time.
As it the case for Recruits, Advisers are not active members of the Council, so may not vote in elections for a new Autarch, or in other votes relating to the development of the POC.
Battle-Seer:This is a new position primarily for helping out with the Big List of Eldar Lists project. Battle-Seers will undertake list reviews for the Big List project in threads started by forum members, and then link them into the stickied thread. Moc065 is the de-facto head of the Big List project, so the position involves working closely with him and others involved. List reviews are time-consuming, and you shouldn't expect to write more than one or two in any given week (and often, you will write fewer). Try to carry out such reviews when possible though, as forum members appreciate getting thorough list critiques.
Diplomat:This position is reserved for an older
age or experience? Clarification needed. Under review member, who will keep tabs on the other POCs, and inform our own POC of community projects that merit our involvement. The Big List of Eldar Lists, for example, originally arose from Chaplain Swordwind of Biel-Tan's interest in doing something for the community; Moc065 of Saim Hann and Gutstikk then joined up, and now that project has become immense, residing at the top of the tactics forum for anybody to access easily. Projects of this nature, that benefit all members of our community, merit the involvement of POC EO, and our Diplomat will ensure that we don't slouch in offering aid to, or receiving aid from, other POCs. Diplomats will also serve to help connect to those who are not members of POC EO, but who have designed, or wish to create, their own craftworlds, especially potential recruits.
Steward:This position is reserved for the leader (or GM, if you prefer) of the current POC EO roleplay thread. Ideas for projects may well stem from the roleplay thread, since, by interacting in character, some members will be more capable of fleshing out background material, and developing fiction, which will also help develop the background material of our Council's headquarters. The Steward ensures that members who participate in this form of interaction are pinnacles of good behaviour, and respectful of the autonomy of other participants in the roleplay, as well as moderating or directing discussion as needed.
Scribe:This position is for members who know how to use BBC and HTML coding (or who want to learn some basic stuff!), and is awarded to those who help edit and tag finished articles to be uploaded to the front page, where everyone will be able to see them. Members who perform this job are automatically promoted to the rank of Warlock as gratitude for their assistance. It is a difficult job, and one that I certainly would not be able to do, so please do not ask for this position unless you really enjoy coding and copy editing written material. You will also need to be a Junior Member (i.e. have 100 posts), in order to be awarded this rank, since it requires your being able to access the project boards.
Scout:The holder of this position will be on the lookout for potential recruits to the Council, and will point them here. (S)he will also help recruits to become Guardians by getting them interested in developing their own background, and encouraging them to take the time to add it into the background collection thread. This position is important since it helps ensure continuity of membership, and that we have sufficient people involved in the POC, even when some of the members are busy in the real world.
All ranks and positions, except for those of Advisor and Recruit (see above) are voting positions, for things like elections of Autarchs, background development on the council as a whole, or anything else that merits a vote.
You will notice there are only post-count requirements for Guardian and Scribe, and this is only due to topic board access restrictions that are a forum wide policy. If you contribute, or are regularly giving positive input to the project, or community, as a whole, you will be titled accordingly. Please keep in mind that a promotion to a higher rank is an acknowledgement of your taking on extra responsibilities voluntarily, so post count is not a defining factor. Some members may not wish to seek promotion, in order to avoid undertaking the extra work required to gain one.