How to Apply to Form a House

One of the things we get asked most about is how one might form their own House in the Game of Tomes. This article will go into some detail about that process.

What You Need to Know Before You Start

You cannot form a Major House. There are only six active Major Houses at any given time (seven, including the Undead Horde) and the game does not function if this does not remain a constant. Major Houses are "elevated" or "ascended" from existing Minor Houses. The Organizers decide when, or if, to do this, and it's entirely at our discretion.

We do have some specific things we look for, but they're difficult to quantify. In general, they include such things as membership numbers, House enthusiasm, community contribution, involvement of the House Leadership, outreach and encouragement, reliability, and stability, and we won't be looking unless a vacancy opens due to some unforeseen circumstance or emergency, so it won't happen often.

However, because it might happen at any time, and because a Major House Leader becomes one of the Organizers by definition, we look for particular qualities in a potential House Leader.

A House Leader is, first and foremost, a leader. We expect House Leaders to be a shining example in our community, visibly encouraging and inspiring others, helping new Tome Knights, lending assistance where needed. We expect to see this from you before you apply to be a House Leader.

A House Leader is also an ambassador of sorts for the Game of Tomes. You need to be personable (though being an extrovert is not required!), friendly, approachable, and willing to guide people to where they are best suited. We also keep an eye out for "red flags" that indicate that someone might create issues, and we may decide not to allow you to form a House if we see any.

It's a lot of work. We expect House Leaders to do work behind the scenes, get involved in the roleplay and the Lore videos, check on the Tome Knights they lead to support them, help new Tome Knights, and be visibly active and writing in the event themself. If you end up as a Major House Leader, there's even more work involved. Don't do this if you don't have the time or energy to put in the effort.

Don't bother trying to do this if your goal is your own self-aggrandizement. We don't want those sorts of folks on our team, and if that's your motivation, we can usually tell. We want team players whose ultimate goal is writing together, not glorifying themselves or making other people look bad. There's nothing wrong with a little healthy competition, but it takes a backseat to the environment of support and encouragement we try to foster here.

We also limit the number of active Minor Houses at any one time to a total of six, for similar (game-related) reasons. There may not be a vacancy when you want to apply, so you might have to wait for your opportunity.

How to Start a New House

You must have at least two other people who are willing to join your House, in order to prove that people are willing to follow you.

You must be a streamer. Ideally, you should already be an Affiliate and have streamed for Game of Tomes before, so you know how the system works and so that the Tome Knights know you. You should already be streaming Writing related things, and frequently enough that we can go and watch your streams if we don't know you well, so that we can get to know you and your community.

Come up with a concept for your House, a banner that represents your concept, and a totemic symbol. This will be presented in a "heraldic" fashion, but does not have to obey the traditional rules of heraldry.

We have a standard graphic that we use as the basis of the Minor House banners, and we have certain conventions that we use in the formation of a House banner. Please get in touch with ShyRedFox, head of our Graphics & Art Team, to get your banner made; whether you want to do the art for it or whether you would like help with that. You can reach her on our Discord server.

We reserve the right to come up with your House description, but you can give us input and we'll take it into consideration.

Be prepared to pitch your idea to the Organizers in a written application, and await their decision. This is decided by a simple majority vote among the Organizers. It is usually done in a private channel on the Discord server.

It helps if you display an awareness of the individual challenges facing you, and a strategy to overcome them.

That said, don't be afraid to sell your strengths, either! We're especially interested in how you and your House can help and improve the GoT events and community.

We're busy, and we do this entirely on a volunteer basis. There's a lot of work involved. Don't pester us about your application. The surest way to get rejected is to show us that you're going to be a pain in the ass.

Questions? Don't hesitate to ask any of the Organizers, and we'll be happy to help you! And good luck on your application! We look forward to hearing from you.